It may need another soap session, or it may not. If you're anything like us, you start all over again... Our sheep are Romney/Columbia cross, Olde English Southdown Babydoll, Teeswater, and Karashire. They grow a wool coat and once a year this wool coat is sheared off the animal. You DON'T want the washer to spray your wool with cold water! Although we ended up using some of the sheep’s wool insulation—which is such a pleasure to use compared to the rock wool—we now find ourselves with a surplus. As already noted, dry wool takes either natural or artificial dye … Carding can also be used to create various fiber blends or combine different colors. Fill the machine with HOT water and laundry or animal soap, then add the bags of fleece. This wool contains a high level of valuable lanolin, as well as the sheep's dead skin and sweat residue, and generally also contains pesticides and vegetable matter from the animal's environment.Before the wool can be used for commercial purposes, it must be scoured, a process of cleaning the greasy wool. Now, since you've made sure that the washer is OFF, go ahead and shut the lid. Babydoll Southdown wool is simply a unique wool; short, very elastic, has an incredible amount of loft, and doesn’t wet-felt easily. The raw wool is felted by means of a special production process. If you see bubbles on the ground at this point, it's because the fleece is holding sheep sweat and lanolin (aka - suint). Light swishing gets the job done, and you don't have to do it a lot. 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 Add 1/4 cup of gentle dish soap to the hot water, and mix with a long-handled spoon while trying not to create too many suds. Once the washer is full of hot water, we'll add the soap. This is very out of left field but why not contact the companies who do wool insulation in roof spaces and ask them how and what they do to source their product. 2. Now, with the washer still off, set it to the spin cycle.. What is sheep wool used for? Second year as a professional beekeeper, Where did that go!? If you're planning to build a new home or undertake an energy efficiency renovation, sheep wool insulation might be worth considering. We want to let the wool swish through the water, so grasp it and bring it up... and then down. Not too much, you don't want a lot of bubbles because it will be too hard to rinse later. Yummy! This is just one way of doing it - using our mesh bags - there are many ways of going about cleaning a fleece.. 1. During this year the sheep will of course need to be shorn and my boss just wants to throw all the wool away! Next to that, sheep’s wool has a natural moisture regulation. Fill a tub with hot water. Raw Alpaca Fiber I went to the Kid 'N Ewe fiber festival this weekend in Boerne, TX just north of San Antonio. Fill your washtub about 2/3 full of cold water from your hose. The fleece is the wool of the sheep that has been cut/clipped/sheared off. Wool School is a hands-on and discussion group that meets once a month for five months to learn about various breeds of sheep and best uses for their wool. This post is from the raising sheep only for wool conversation. Why bother washing and processing raw wool? Take raw fleece and lay it out on the floor. We can't prove it but it's our theory that the essential oil is somewhat of a natural moth repellent. Don't be afraid to move it around, but you don't want to be too aggressive about it either. "Huh, wait a minute, rain is nothing more than a lot of cold water... We're serious about washing wool! Ready to get started? It's concentrated so a small amount goes a long way. Some breeds give wool that is good for rugs, tapestries, and outer garments, such as Navajo Churro and Lincoln Longwool. $4.99 shipping. When someone buys raw fleece from our farm, they are only getting the best part of that fleece. Fill a tub with hot water. These brushes closely resemble pet hair brushes but are made specifically for preparing wool fibers. It was well skirted before storage so everything is ok. Don't store unskirted fleeces. Little sheep from sheep wool, oh-so-pretty in various shades of earthly colors. Sheep's Wool As A Garden Mulch It's fairly common knowledge that sheep's wool is a pretty low value commodity in this country, the cost of the wool only just covers shearing and that's not including your won time or taking it to the wool yard. Through the breeding of the past centuries, the amount has approximately tripled. These sheep were kept … The very best and most pristine fiber of both lines is sorted out for sale to folks interested in working with “grease wool” or raw wool. Get it as soon as Fri, Jan 15. With your fleece OUTSIDE of the washer in a bucket or other container. washed wool curly white washed fleece, sheep wool, raw wool fleece, sheep's wool, washed fleece, wool for spinning raw sheep wool white curl elfkendalhippies. 35 years ago when I acquired the wool there would have been just the old standard breeds. Don't throw it away though, use it for a long lasting weed barrier under mulch. Felted Sheep Wreath | This felted sheep wreath is just too cute. Consult the American Sheep Industry Association for a map of wool pools. Excerpted from the books Hands On Spinning and More Magic Wool . As your washtub is filling, unroll your fleece and take a good look . It rarely contains ‘kemp’, brittle, white fibres which do not dye easily. You can wash a substantial amount at one time, but don't crowd it too much. 00. And different breeds of wool sheep give wool that is good for different things. $7.00 $ 7. Our Raw Wool comes from Dorset, North Country Cheviot and Ile de France sheep. Despite being internal walls, we wanted to insulate this room as it’s a room to keep warm in winter but adjoins a guest bedroom, which is only heated when we have visitors. Submerge the wool fleece carefully and gently in the soapy … Noelle Nichols . Since a lot of this is water soluble, when combined with the water, it makes (sort of/kind of) its own natural soap. Or, re-use your wool washing water in your garden by catching it beneath the table. From shop elfkendalhippies. You will need: Our table uses rabbit wire for the top (about 1/4" wire mesh). They should not be mixed with wool because they will degrade the value of the wool. Atom This one is natural charcoal colored Romney. I wanted to gain some experience working with raw wool before I invested a lo… Yes, the wool is still damp from squeezing out the cold water. Push the fleece down gently into the water a few times, then let it sit for 20 minutes … For an entire fleece, your bathtub or top-loading washing machine will be just right. Batting is fleece that has been washed and carded (combed) into large, this sheets. Wool fiber or Protein aka animal fiber includes sheep wool, alpaca, mohair (goat), cat fur, dog, human hair … all of those are protein fibers. You'll know by the feel. We know that this method works perfectly for our sheep and for similar breeds. What did your second wash look like? Too much agitation causes the fleece to felt and tangle, while grease left behind from missed lanolin makes the wool prone to rips and tears. I suppose that leads to a fourth question: 4) Would all loose fill in this design be too drafty? Great post on washing wool! 2. We'll be using Unicorn Beyond Clean fiber scour. Next up in our processing wool series is washing the wool. Let the washer agitate for a few seconds to incorporate the soap throughout the water. Check out the clarity of the water still in the tub. Refill your washtub and lay in your squeezed out fleece. Let's chat about this method. Here is 1/2 of the sticky fleece. Also check out our color-sorted craft wool (white, gray, or brown). I was sold. (This is not an affiliate link, we just really like their product.). It rained yesterday and the sheep are cleaner than they've been in weeks. If you're going to wash a lot of wool, set these up. I don’t work much with raw wool. Improper washing of the sheep fleece can cause damage to the material. Not too much. It won't hurt your wool because it isn't agitating it. During this year the sheep will of course need to be shorn and my boss just wants to throw all the wool away! In the January 2010 newsletter, we talked about keeping your sheep’s wool in tip-top shape in preparation for shearing (see “Winter Care for a Cleaner Fleece”). Now that your washer's water looks like this and. Even under the best pasture practices and shearing conditions, fleece will contain “stuff” that needs to be kept out of the fiber preparation and spinning processes. It's unscented and a fantastic scour for your wool. The duvet on our bed is stuffed with sheep’s wool (see Magazine Articles link on the right) and our friend Val has made it her business and does many imaginative things with it, such as supplying natural insulating packaging for organic meat boxes. Let the rain do the first washing before you shear, but make sure your sheep is fully dry before shearing. Then spin it out, just like before. authentically artistic & certifiably cute since 1998, Our sheep are Romney/Columbia cross, Olde English Southdown Babydoll, Teeswater, and. Prior to shearing, keep your sheep away from materials like poly tarp and poly twine so it doesn't become stuck to your sheep's fleece and mix in with the wool during shearing. Tear away and belly, neck, britch and generally yucky stuff. To our rinses, we add about a cup or so of white vinegar. The wool from downland sheep breeds is generally densely grown, springy and has a short staple. Processed from the best quality raw sheep wools, our Sheep Wool Noils are soft and spongy in texture. Some spin cycles will throw cold water on the clothes from time to time for the first part of the cycle. Working with raw fleece can be both rewarding and frustrating at the same time. Take your wonderfully clean and soft fleece back outside, open it up on the top of your washing table and let the air dry it. Some people don't want to bother with it--They just want to spin and knit. Wools noils are used in various applications such as making yarns, fabrics etc. read more... Allied International. If you understand all the steps to how your product is created, you gain the ability to further your craft. Fiber labeled Woolhalla Tunis is grown by our own sheep, and fiber labeled Farm at the End of the Road is otherwise locally sourced. 5 out of 5 stars (1,954) 1,954 reviews $ 9.61. As an avid (yet unskilled) knitter I can't help but feel that would be a waste! These brushes closely resemble pet hair brushes but are made specifically for preparing wool fibers. Got it? I know that if I were insulating a roof space, I would definitely look at wool but not raw wool (picturing cluster flies loving it … On average, each sheep delivers 3.5 kilograms of wool, depending on race and age. Your recipient will surely enjoy it! Hair sheep do not require shearing because they lack sufficient woolly fibers or because their coats naturally shed. There's a difference between allowing the wool to swish and agitating. Go ahead and start your washer and let the water spin out. I start with about 1/8 of a cup. That works for us...outside work is done! Don't let that happen to you! It's a shame when you think that much of the wealth of this country was built on wool hundreds of years ago. This can be in any form such as raw wool, washed raw wool, roving or carded fiber and locks as well as yarn. fill your washer (or outside tub if you have a computerized washing machine - see notation a few sections down about computerized washing machines vs. older fashioned manual washing machines.) Sell it as raw fleece? Alpaca and llama fleece are classified as specialty or luxury fibers, but sheep fleece or wool tops the list of animal fibers used today. Sometimes I purchase processed, dyed wool for felting. Felting requires moisture, heat, and agitation of the wool. Find details of companies offering raw sheep wool at best price. I quickly found that preparing wool is a labor of love! Let it sit in the rinse water for a while with the lid down. Push your wool down into the water gently until it's saturated.. The first thing we do is take a fleece and skirt it. Now you can refill your washer with hot water and you'll find yourself at a fork in the road. I don’t know about you but cotton wool balls always remind me of bunny tails. Note the handy hook for your hose...you'll need a hose too. No reproduction of content or images permitted. That hot water will help to melt the remaining lanolin away. Gorgeous! Use the Goldilocks Principle. If you are a beginner in this situation and feel adventurous, try our method out on a small scale and let us know your findings. Take off the very dirty wool around the edge of the fleece and check the rest of the fleece and remove any dirt, hay and any other foreign material. Which is how Gabrielle came up with the 102nd thing to do with sheep’s wool: trap it under the stone and lay it over the liner, then lay moss on top. Cotton Wool Craft Ideas for Kids #1. You can also use the dish wash detergent as it combats 'grease well.' This method may not be ideal for fine/superfine wool. A few of the sheep shed in big chunks, but even that doesn’t render a lot of volume compared to a wool sheep. Wool isn't expensive to wash if you do it yourself (although it sounds like you might have a lot!) Wait til you see it when we're done. They're used for washstands. Students create a project that is showcased at our Wool Affair, which is held shortly after shearing in March. Best of luck on your wool washing adventures! Very good quality item, needs to be refreshed as i kept it in the storage. Notice the water...murky but not disgusting. Because that’s the finest grade of wool that’s on the commercial market and the finest in terms of softness. You can order it at http://www.unicornclean.com/shop/ if you'd like. Use the washing table as a trampoline for your remaining fleece. We have never had any moth problems to date. Refill you washtub and get ready for more of the same exercise. Sheep are dirtier in general; Wool has lanolin (oil) Dirt + oil = more weight = less bang for your buck; You can spin, without combing/carding, a good alpaca fiber ; Alpaca is so soft you can barely feel it on your skin. We have not washed raw merino or other similar fleeces with this method. Depending on when you schedule your shearing you can use less water. To each basin add a gentle liquid washing detergent (Dawn works well) or Orvus paste, (for especially greasy fleece, nothing cleans better than Wisk) until the water feels slick when tested with a clean dry hand. Follow these instructions to avoid felting your wool. This method may not be ideal for fine/superfine wool. Online info says mulching with wool in the vegetable garden can “increase … Pour detergent into it to make it soapy. Because many wool producers don't have enough product to market directly to buyers, local governments have organized "wool pools" that consolidate multiple producers' wool into large quantities. Spread it all out till it forms a single layer. For example: “wool yarn” is made from the fleece of a sheep. Let it sit, or not. ", "I'm glad we took those shearing classes. Selecting a Fleece: So let's talk about what kind of sheep's fleece to use. Then you can walk away from it for a while if you want to. It can also increase bacterial loads. A wash tub (relatively heavy duty plastic - it'll be holding a lot of water). We believe that the wool from any sheep benefits from being shorn after a good solid rain, so why not try? So far, the wool seems to wick up the water and keep the moss moist, to the extent that something has seeded in it. . Dyeing raw wool is a fun and simple project the whole homesteading family can enjoy doing together. However, when I had the chance to purchase the fleece from a Hog Island sheep (my favorite breed), I couldn’t pass it up! And you're going to be turning OFF the washer so NO AGITATION will be happening, but more on this soon. One of the many joys of cleaning and processing your own wool is the ability to tailor it to your own need. Now we have pretty pond edges that are also wildlife friendly. We have already discussed raising sheep properly for healthy wool, shearing, and skirting in our blog post “How to Process Wool: Sheep to Spinning Wheel. Medium wool sheep Medium wool sheep, raised more for meat than fiber, produce the lightest weight, least valuable fleeces. Set your table up where a lot of water hitting the ground won't matter. When someone buys raw fleece from our farm, they are only getting the best part of that fleece. If you're just washing a couple ounces, a large bowl is perfect. The cleaner they are on the hoof, the less water you use after shearing. Let your fleece drape back into the water...no need to bunch it up. Clara Parkes: If you’re concerned about truly high-end, stick with merino [Named for the Merino sheep from which it is harvested]. So this sheep's fleece that I have here I have about four ounces of raw sheep's wool, and this police is about a three inch staple lengthen. Sheep bubbles! washing small amounts of raw wool fiber Fill two basins with hot water right out of the tap. Carding can also be used to create various fiber blends or combine different colors. (Photo shows me placing the pump during construction and yes, the water was very cold.). Depending on when you schedule your shearing you can use less water. So, I think it remains more of a crafting curiosity than something which has serious artistic potential. No soap yet, just water. We could take it down the local tip but then it just gets buried in a hole in the ground. So, we ordered sheep’s wool insulation from Val, who delivered it personally on her next trip over to Brittany. Why it (might be) better to buy raw alpaca vs. raw sheep's wool. Pour detergent into it to make it soapy. The wooden board is under the tub because we don't have the concrete block wash stands set up in the middle of the backyard. People who teach spinning for beginners might want to have a few sheep on their homestead producing raw wool. Combined shipping - where possible we are happy to combine shipping when you wish to purchase more than one item And you'll need a dirty fleece. Dyed wool roving typically demands a price of at least $5 for only a few ounces. If you need another soap session, redo your previous steps...PAYING ATTENTION TO WHEN THE WASHER NEEDS TO BE ON OR OFF. How to Process Card and Dye Raw Wool : Processing raw wool by hand is a very time consuming task, but it can mean great savings for those who purchase large quantities of yarn and have the time to work with it. Subscribe below for more tutorials, news from the flock, etc. From shop elfkendalhippies. Sheep wool is a natural raw material which is sustainable, biodegradable and can be recycled. We know that this method works perfectly for our sheep and for similar breeds. We use it this way already! Wool bedding is fantastic! * I get a lot of satisfaction out of taking the wool from sheep to … Wool straight off a sheep is known as "raw wool”, “greasy wool" or "wool in the grease". If your fleece has not been skirted, do it now. Being new to the whole spinning thing, it was amazing to see so many people spinning and the variety of wheels out there. You do need to wash your fiber in some way. 4.7 out of 5 stars 228. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon . However, I unbuttoned the walls to find that they were already insulated with rock wool batts. A shorn ewe will be more likely to stay out of the wind and bad weather and protect her new-born lamb if she does not have a thick wool coat on her. It's been in storage for 2 years! Plus, when urine, feces, and other debris get caught in the wool, it can attract flies and other pests. This wool contains a high level of valuable lanolin, as well as the sheep's dead skin and sweat residue, and generally also contains pesticides and vegetable matter from the animal's environment.Before the wool can be used for commercial purposes, it must be scoured, a process of cleaning the greasy wool. When the spin cycle is done this is what you'll see: Depending on the breed of sheep that you're working with, one wash may or may not be enough. Our current wool washer - yes, we have one just for fiber processing - doesn't throw any cold water in the rinse cycle. Mostly because we haven't had the opportunity to try it out. Pick your favorite essential oils and gift them to your loved ones. According to the I.W.T.O., 22 percent of world wool production is classified as medium wools. We have not washed raw merino or other similar fleeces with this method. ). Insulation mats- and blankets are made out of these layers of felt. Wool can be itchy. Not too little. A conundrum: what was the most ecological thing to do with this horrible stuff? 99 $15.99 $15.99. Sheep's Wool As A Garden Mulch It's fairly common knowledge that sheep's wool is a pretty low value commodity in this country, the cost of the wool only just covers shearing and that's not including your won time or taking it to the wool yard. "I started my company because my dad received approximately 3p per fleece for his Hebridean wool and I thought, 'We must be able to do better than that,'" says shepherd's daughter Rachel Atkinson. Wool Noils are soft and good for garments that will touch your skin, such as Navajo Churro and Longwool! Chemicals from your hose sides are not t know about you but cotton wool for weaving like this it. But feel that would be a waste 's our theory that the washer is,... For the top ( about 1/4 '' wire mesh ) more like how a dog.! That will touch your skin, such as making yarns, fabrics etc than! 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Down the local tip but then it just gets buried in a pinch, but worth... Water right out of 5 stars ( 1,954 ) 1,954 reviews $ 9.61 for garments will! It forms a single layer to bother with it -- they just want to what to do with raw sheep wool refreshed I... Lid down beginning of the wealth of this country was built on wool of! Benefit from this tutorial would not necessarily be using Unicorn Beyond Clean fiber scour wool Noils ( raw wools... Substance that most spinners like removed from the books Hands on spinning and even projects! By now new to the material ” is usually made into blankets, sweaters, brown...