Weaving uncarded fleece

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Weaving uncarded fleece

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Nakipa

Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 20
Location: France

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 11 1:22 pm Post subject: Weaving uncarded fleece

Hi

I haven't been on here for such a long time and now I'm back for some advice.

I have started weaving since last time we spoke and now want to move onto weaving with uncarded but washed fleece. I eventually want to get into dying it myself but because I am new to fleece I want to start off gently.

I was given some raw fleeces today but OMG they are disgustingly disgusting! They are absolutey caked in pooh all over and also I would imagine they were shorn in a barn and so they have absolutely loads of hay mixed in with them.

I have tried to wash one but after using a whole tank of hot water and changing the water 5 times it was still coming out brown and I gave up.

Is all fleece this dirty?

My options as I see them are to buy already washed fleeces as our access to hot water is too limited for me to repeat the process or maybe I had exceptionally dirty fleeces, I dont really know.

Is it possible to buy relatively clean fleece that just needs one or two changes of water to get it clean? and if not where can I buy washed but uncarded fleece from. I am not interested in fancy fleece yet until I have practiced on some cheaper stuff so plain common or garden white sheep is fine.

Thanks xx

Woodburner

Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 2904
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 11 2:49 pm Post subject:

Not all fleece is that dirty, but the cleaner it is the more it's likely to cost.

Don't bother with hot water, except maybe if the cold water is so cold it makes your hands numb. It's a beggar to get caked on poo out, so just chuck the worst bits in the compost. Easiest to use the bath, but if you can't spare that for a few days, get a big trug or use a water butt to soak it in. You will still need to prepare it for spinning, and while teasing it out a lot of crud will fall out. Before you do loads of it though, try spinning a bit, not all wool is good for spinning.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 11 2:58 pm Post subject:
It's easier to card & spin unwashed. If the fleeces are exceptionally dirty haggle the price down or buy them from somewhere else.

Nakipa

Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 20
Location: France

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 11 3:08 pm Post subject:

Hi thanks for your replies.

There is no way you could card this without washing it. I have put it all back in the bag and am going to chuck it on the compost heap. They were given to me with a promise of 150 more

I honestly dont mind washing fleeces but these were really, really minging. What I am pleased about though is that despite washing in 5 lots of water they did not felt so I have learned something.

Do you have any ideas where I could buy some cleanish raw or washed fleeces? I have no idea where to look.

Thanks

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 11 3:25 pm Post subject: Re: Weaving uncarded fleece

Nakipa wrote:

I'd say bollox to the lot and compost them. Full of hay and caked in crap is just not worth the time. I would expect that things are similar in france to here and I've been offered free fleeces that are very good quality, because it isn't worth selling them.

Find a different farmer whose sheep look relatively clean in the field and offer a few quid per fleece and you should get loads, just ask if you can come along on sheering day and select a few. IDK all that much about what breeds are common there, or what is a good fleece bearing french sheep.

I'd also suggest soaking raw fleece in cold water for a few days to shift the worst of the mud off them, even after you skirt, there's a bit of dirt in them. cold water shifts that as well as hot, you need hot water and a LOT of washing up liquid for the lanolin.

I also wouldn't really want to spin and card a lot of unwashed fleece. When it was traditional to work with raw fleece, it was also common to bathe the sheep before sheering. I don't want gritty grease all over my carder and wheel.

WRT to felting, good that you didn't felt it, but some breeds do not felt, others felt on a car journey on a warm day. I'm serious, stacey felted some gotland that was being transported in her car in black placcy sacks.

Ginkotree

Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 2956
Location: south west wales

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 11 10:55 pm Post subject:

I would not bother with such dirty fleeces , especially as they seem to be full of straw...my shearer puts down a carpet to shear on...even on concrete...there are some really lovely fleeces out there, even for free...but often money is worth spending IF you can afford it. The farmers get nothing for them from the wool board and if they miss thier pick up time then they have the cost of delivering them..It has been an awful year so trying to get dry sheep to shear has been a nightmare...poor farmer and poor sheep...
The Joy and rewards of working with wool would be lost if you struggled through with this.

astra

Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 1243
Location: Somerset

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 11 9:52 am Post subject:
I agree with Gingko. there's really no excuse for filthy fleeces and I reckon they're only fit for compost or mulch.

Nakipa

Joined: 01 Apr 2006
Posts: 20
Location: France

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 11 10:56 am Post subject:
Thanks for your replies. They are now on the muck heap! I have now bought some Wenslydale fleece from Forest Fibres to experiment with and although I have been asking around over here I have not managed to locate any clean fleece so it looks like I am going to have to spend a bit of money getting it in the UK and sending it here. I really dont mind paying for it once I know what I am doing. xx

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