How do I clean a load of raw wool straight off the sheep?

otterspasm

I am hoping to get to grips with wool from scratch this year and have just brought home a sheeps worth of raw wool from a local farm. It's, as you would expect mucky and has little bits of straw etc in it. Does anyone here know the best way to clean it without ruining it?:p

I can't find any instructions on the net and thought there might be someone out there with experience of it.

Its soooo exciting! I'm either going to spin my own yarn for knitting (will be learning to spin later this week) or will felt it, or failing that (if I'm no good at either of those :rotfl:, I'll use it once clean to wad/stuff a quilt....how warm will that be YIPPEE!!!

Thanks in advance for any help offered to this complete novice

meanmarie

You lucky thing!

Pick out as much of the 'bits' as you can, then wash in warm water with something like washing up liquid in to take out the muck...rise really well then spread out to dry, turning every so often. You wont get it white with this process, just clean as you can then spin, felt or do whatever you like with it, whatever you make with it will become whiter as it is washed...unwashed it is allegedly waterproof, which is why traditional Aran sweaters were worn by fishermen, the patterns identified the family the fisherman belonged to...

Good luck

Marie

Kevie192

I have done this and had a 'felting friend' that used to do it... Here's an extract of an email she sent me to help me out:

washing
its the agitation and soap that causes it to felt ...if you use a soap like woolite and lay the fleece in it in a bath full of hot water (it should sink as it becomes waterlogged) leave for about 20 mins then drain the bath and repeat in hot water with no soap to rinse a few times . untill water runs away reasonable clean..keep the fleece away from the taps when filling and draining ...and remember hair down the plug hole can be a problem so might be worth using some kind of 'trap'

drying
you can put it in a bag (pillow case?) and spin in washer or roll in towels to remove excess water then lay it on some thing to dry like you would a jumper ...remember it will get fluffy as its drying so if doing it outside make sure its not going to blow way

carding
you will nead to card the wool once it is dry...a set of carders is fairly expensive about £20 but you could try dog brushes ...the ones with metal teeth ...but if you are going to give it a go more than a few times invest in a set

dyes
i would recomend wingham wool http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/index.php they have a good range of dyes.....but this is messy .....they have pretty much everything you might nead ..

there are also lots of natural dyes available and a bit of googling should find you some recipies !!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=natural+dye&!!!!!yahhyd-21&index=stripbooks&hvadid=15453088031&ref=pd_sl_8jw6sunjve_b

HTH

Kevin x

otterspasm

Hi Meanmarie and Kevin,
Thanks very much for your quick replies
I am sooo excited about this as I've wanted to do it for years.

I can't believe how little farmers can get for sheeps wool. I don't know how they make a living. We have only been living in the coutryside for the last three years so its all been a bit of a revelation to me. I have a friend who pays £1 per sheep to have her sheep sheared and gets 30p per fleece back for the raw wool :eek:

I have been given my wool by the farmer in exchange for a bottle of wine which seems a bit better for him than 30p and great for me:p

I will bear in mind your advice and will get the wool in the bath tonight...my sons might fancy helping me.

Does the soap/detergent remove the lanolin in the wool?

Gazing_On_Sunsets

I spin - ever since I was given a raw fleece in a bag. (if you want tips, visit a historical re enactment event, any period - I learned so much from the women on the display / craft stalls!)

I spin "in the grease" which means with a little lanolin still in the fleece. It makes it easier, plus your hands will stay soft. (unless you are allergic to lanolin...). So, with my fleece this is what I do:

First spread it out and get rid off all the really dirty bits. Usually around the edges and the back end of the sheep can be just thrown away.

Pick out all the bits of straw, grass, hard baked dung etc.

Then I wash it gently in a bath of warm water. If you intend to spin it you do NOT want it to felt at this stage so avoid agitation and avoid very hot water, or going from hot to cold too quickly. I tend to let it lie in the bath over night with a tiny bit of washing powder in it. The water will go yellow - I believe the ooze coming off is called "suint". Try not to think about why it's yellow.

Then I rinse and soak again in plain water, gently lifting and squeezing to wash it.

Finally I squeeze the excess water out (do not wring!) and spread it out on blankets. If you put it outside, cover it with a net so it doesn't blow away / get robbed by the birds for their nests. I used to live in a flat and I had a load of old army blankets from a surplus store, so I spread it in batches on these.

It will still feel greasy - that's the lanolin. You can spin ungreased wool but it doesn't flow too well, and people end up adding olive oil back in to help it along.

Once it's spun and plied, THEN you will be washing it properly, and hanging to dry with weights on, this "sets the twist". If you want more details on the spinning etc, let me know! More than happy to pass anything on.

Have fun. Once word gets out, people will be offering you fleece from all sorts of places.

Oh yes - I use dog combs as carders which are fine - it depends on the length of your wool and the type, and also whether you are spinning worsted or woollen but I fear I am running ahead with infomation... sorry... first, prepare your fleece!

Gazing_On_Sunsets

Oh. I ought to say (PLEASE don't panic) there is a small, theorectical risk of anthrax from untreated animal hides/skins. An artist in the scottish highlands died a few years back. Very unlikely but if you have cuts on your hands, wear gloves. I am sure the fleece will have been dipped. But even so. Wash your hands well before eating etc etc.

otterspasm

Hi Gazing at sunsets
Thanks so much for that. I've just washed a little bit out in the sink in warm soapy water and its has come out much cleaner but not completely clean yet.

Erm.....EEK ANTHRAX.... there we go, panic over :-)

Ta ever so.

I'm going to take some pics. I'll see if I can put them on here for those who might like to see it.

Gazing_On_Sunsets

Let's have a go at some pics...

Raw fleece from the bag (a black-faced Leicester Longwool)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=234980&id=588175774&saved#!/photo.php?pid=6358634&id=588175774
Washed and drying on the floor:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=234980&id=588175774&saved#!/photo.php?pid=6358635&id=588175774&fbid=443669805774
And so on, through the album, to the finished hat...!

otterspasm

OOOHH Fab pics. Its really inspiring to see the process through from beginning to end. You're so clever!

pelirocco

otterspasm wrote: »

Hi Meanmarie and Kevin,
Thanks very much for your quick replies
I am sooo excited about this as I've wanted to do it for years.

I can't believe how little farmers can get for sheeps wool. I don't know how they make a living. We have only been living in the coutryside for the last three years so its all been a bit of a revelation to me. I have a friend who pays £1 per sheep to have her sheep sheared and gets 30p per fleece back for the raw wool :eek:

I have been given my wool by the farmer in exchange for a bottle of wine which seems a bit better for him than 30p and great for me:p

I will bear in mind your advice and will get the wool in the bath tonight...my sons might fancy helping me.

Does the soap/detergent remove the lanolin in the wool?

The sheep are primarily raised for meat the wool is a by product and the sheep have to be sheared anyway .........But you are right thanks to cheap foreign imports of meat and woll plus the use of man made material making a living from farming isnt easy

otterspasm

I'll try and put my pics here...



Lets see if thats worked...