Showing posts with label raw fleece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raw fleece. Show all posts

Thursday, 30 April 2015

Pickwick locks in progress...

Back to last fall...
One upon a time there was some raw and dusty locks.

I did washed them.


Then I got really busy and couldn't work them for awhile.
I have decided to dye the locks turquoise.
They are so pretty...but life got in the way again, the weather was so gray I couldn't take a decent picture either.

Now here are the pretty locks sunbathing ;)

And a super carded batt.....
Ain't this lovely to see fluffy wool ready to spin?






Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Pickwickflock... processing my fleece


First thing I did was pulling the locks, so that way I can pick up any second cuts and then I put all the locks I'll be washing in my "large" salad spinner basket, filling up the kitchen sink with very hot water adding some dish soap "Dawn" original *blue  
I'm just taking the basket right into the water and do let it sit for 10 minutes, I do not let the water getting cold and I don't put too many locks so there is lot of water around,  when done all I have to do is taking the basket out and let it sit in the spinner while I fill up the sink again with very hot water for the first rinse, putting the basket back to the sink and let it sit for 10 minutes and I do another rinse the same way.  For the very dirty parts I just take it apart for a cold soak few hours and later wash as previously mentioned.
When I'm finished with the rinses I take the basket out of the water, all the water just draining off without manipulating the fleece, I put the basket in the bowl put the top on and I do spin all the water out, it's making this the easiest way to wash even if the weather is not perfect.




The same locks all dried up, you will probably notice there is still some lanolin and yes I do this on purpose as it is making the wool easier to spin, if you ever find out you "over washed a fleece just use some good quality hair conditioner while rinsing after dying or while washing after spinning, it's better than using liquid fabric softener as wool is hair after all.  I do this too with finished projects too, you can always add few drops of lavender essential oil for a fragrance on the plus side it is a natural moth repellent. 


a lock next to some tussah silk top



Combing the tips

processed on my hackle and dizzed... fluffed like a cloud


Spinning on my wheel








Thursday, 10 October 2013

Pickwickflock... Raw ram lamb fleece

Today I just received my firsts lamb flee from *Pickwickflock on Ravelry, it was fast as it's been shipped from the UK on Monday 7 and delivered in Canada by Thursday 10, it is a very nice fleece and it does smell good too, and it is soooooooooooo soft!!!!!
Nice shinny locks, average 5 inches quite long for a lamb :)

almost no vm , 
few dirty tips...
so I did a washing test...
as you can see for a first wash it's looking good

after the rinse I used a salad spinner, it's the best way to get most of the water off without hurting the locks structure,  it's not dry yet but you can see it's pearly white, lustrous, so mostly in average this won't need more than 2 washes and 3 rinses to have sparkly white tips, so it is an easy to wash fleece.  But I will see when fully dry I might just keep it that way as I want to keep some lanolin for spinning, and as per usual I always wash my yarn when done.