From Fleece To Yarn- A Spinning Journey

 Hi guys :D

After my wonderful bargain at Woolfest i thought you might be interested in seeing how it goes from raw fleece to yarn.

Now this is rather a new journey for me. I've spun before, but only with batts

 (ready washed and carded wool)

So, i lay me fleece out, inspect it and sort through it to get rid of any left over poo/debris and sort into smaller batches

I discover a funny looking yellow/orange gunk which is a mixture of lanolin, know as wool wax, it is a naturally occurring grease which waterproofs the wool (wonderful for your hands, it is found in many moisturizers and ointments), and suint (sweat)

I washed the wool in very hot water and detergent. You have to be very careful at this stage as if you agitate the wool too much it will felt! 

I then drain the water and set it out for the next rinse 

I will do this 3 times and then roll it in a towel to get rid of excess water

Then lay out to dry and hope for a sunny day tomorrow!

I'll carry on when it is dried and ready to card :)