#washingfleece

So a couple of our lovely Suffolk ewes were sheared yesterday as they desperately needed it. Hoping the shearing team will be here for the rest of the flock in the next few days. 🐑 And now I'm using the help of Pinterest and the Interweb to wash and card the fleeces by hand 🙈😆 Wish me luck! Hoping the washing machine doesn't get clogged up! 🤞 #wishmeluck #imustbemad #sheepfarming #sheep #suffolksheep #shearing #shearingshed #wool #fleece #woolisnaturestechnology #washingfleece #woolcraft

Running out of Alpaca so I washed and dyed my last fleece. Cool enough in Western PA to work on the deck. Used RIT dye this time. My upgraded routine: 1. Pick and fluff on a screen. 2. Wash with hot water and Dawn. 3. Rinse with hot water & add vinegar. 4. Add dye to boiling water and pour over hot wet fleece. 5. When cool, rinse with cool water. 6. Gently squeeze and spread on screen. 7. Blow air from underneath. Happier with the dye results this time.

Kool-aid Dyed Alpaca Fleece Finally got around to washing and pinkening my last partial Alpaca fleece. For many years I bought the Alpaca fleece leftover from the Waynesburg Fleece to Shawl competition. This was from ‘Sweet Pea’. I decided I prefer to spin pink alpaca over white, so I tried the easiest dye I could find. Required a lot of rinsing though. I am pleased with it despite the uneven color. Just in time for the 2020 Tour de Fleece!