Our Jacob Sheep Herd were sheared at the end of June. I am about to
start making summer fairies with pea pod houses and need to process the
wool.
I process one fleece at a time by laying it out on the grass, it almost looks like the fluffy clouds in the sky but here on earth.
Skirting is the first step, you skirt by removing the edges 2 to 4 inches, this is the wool that gets the closest to the ground.
I try to keep as much as possible in tact. Kemp fibers (hair fibers) I keep in a separate batch as they take dye differently than the wool.
Notice the length of the fiber, it makes great fairy hair.
I then continue the skirting process removing the bits of hay that can be found in the fleece.
Separating the colors found in the fleece, white, black, then a
beautiful sun bleached brown, finishing with a mix of white and black
fibers that make a gray.
The final step is hand washing in small batches to keep the wool as
close to it's natural state.
Then? To be continued...
P.S. Did
you know the Southwest Indians washed their wool using the root of the
Yucca Plant?
*Last time in Barn Stories: Riding the Range
