This stuff is kinda stinky....

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tm_bunnyloft

tm_bunnyloft

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Ok so my wool came today and it looks way cleaner than I expected. It is Romney wool to be exact.

But it is greasy and smelly. Not like billy goat smelly but smelly sheep kind of smelly.

So do I wash this stuff before I card or comb it? Then let it dry before I spin it?

It really sticks to itself pretty good and it doesn't slip apart to spin very easily either.



I have so very much to learn............ :thinking: But I'm ready!!!!

SO.............................................................................








'
Help!!!!


*cough, cough* I mean Please could you help me with learning to spin this smelly fiber I have here? :D
 
Fresh from the sheep wool is referred to as 'grease fleece'...cuz it IS greasy. lol.

We washed ours in Plain blue Dawn dish soap. Fill container with warm to hottish water... add the soap...good healthy squirts... add some of the fleece. Push down to get it soapy wet... let it sit for about a half hour... then gently lift out and blot with towels. Don't swish it around in the warm water as it will most likely Felt.

Then allow it to dry before attempting to card it.

This is the system we used on our grease fleeces when i was attempting to work with them.

***********************************************************************

And i ENVY You having Romney wool to work with !! Lovely stuff that is !!!
 
It should be just Lanolin, which, to me, smells very nice. If the sheep was dirty when wool was taken, they can smell to heck and back.
Dawn dish soap in water, let it soak. You don't want to rub, agitate too hard, wool will felt if you do.
 
Thanks. Its not an offensive odor and it does look to be fairly clean. Is it ok to rake it and spin it before I wash and dye it? I would like to get some natural dye ingredients to make shades of browns to dye it up in.

Random Rabbit.... It was only $17 a pound at the Woolery and $7.95 for shipping.

I want to order some more wool but not sure what to get next time. Any suggestions are welcome.

Oh and my first attempt when pretty well, just a real thin spot from place to place. But hey, It could be worse. I could still be trying to get the wool to stick to the spindle to spin. lol
 
This Spring, I will be shearing my sheep. You can buy wool from me?
=D
Babydoll Southdowns, they are black and white sheep.
Cost, whatever shipping is, that's all.
 
That's what i meant when I said I spin in the grease. I like the feel of lanolin.
 
The wool came out really white after washing it. I am going to wash the rest tomorrow. :)<br /><br />__________ Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:10 pm __________<br /><br />
ChickiesnBunnies":36fkis3k said:
This Spring, I will be shearing my sheep. You can buy wool from me?
=D
Babydoll Southdowns, they are black and white sheep.
Cost, whatever shipping is, that's all.
Click to expand...
I would be absolutely thrilled to buy wool from you. :) Thank you. :p
 
It wasn't already carded? I thought that was the point of paying for it, buying already carded wool? At $17, it should be rolag, not something you need to wash and card.
 
It is top Romney wool. Look around at prices. This is not a cheap hobby. I just ordered 8 oz of leicester top roving for $14.75 and 8 oz of corriedale top natural roving for $14.00. That is why I am looking for local sources and to card it myself. Because I can't afford to buy this way on a regular basis.
You can get a pound of mixed roving for $15 a pound. It is top but of what? Basically everything.

__________ Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:50 pm __________

Chickiesandbunnies let me know when you sheer and how much money. I will send you a money gram or paypal. That way you wont have to try and cash an out of state check. :)<br /><br />__________ Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:54 pm __________<br /><br />Im going to put a thing on craigslist looking for local wool too. And get the husband to buy me a carder and spinning wheel.
 
TM... You might have good luck with a CraigsList ad this time of year... a lot of producers shear the sheep before lambing season starts. With Easter coming up the end of March... seems as tho a lot of lambing will be going on....and shearing..... just a thought...
 
Thanks. I plan to get something posted within the week. Its worth a shot to save some dollars. :)
 
tm_bunnyloft":2meuikdq said:
It is top Romney wool. Look around at prices. This is not a cheap hobby. I just ordered 8 oz of leicester top roving for $14.75 and 8 oz of corriedale top natural roving for $14.00. That is why I am looking for local sources and to card it myself. Because I can't afford to buy this way on a regular basis.
You can get a pound of mixed roving for $15 a pound. It is top but of what? Basically everything.

__________ Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:50 pm __________

Chickiesandbunnies let me know when you sheer and how much money. I will send you a money gram or paypal. That way you wont have to try and cash an out of state check. :)

__________ Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:54 pm __________

Im going to put a thing on craigslist looking for local wool too. And get the husband to buy me a carder and spinning wheel.
Click to expand...

I am well aware of the prices. I started this more than a year ago, and it wasn't a haphazard venture. I don't jump into anything without carefully examining all of the angles and counting the cost. The point is that if you are going to bother buying it, you can get it already carded.

It's not necessary to start out with a "top" grade of wool, it is what you make of it, and as someone cautioned before, I would not make a habit of spending that kind of money for "top" wool just starting out, especially if I still had to wash it and card it when it came to me. The first couple of attempts at the drop spindle are not going to be the finest work, and that top quality wool is probably best left to use after you are able to make a more consistent yarn. You have some people offer you some decent wool, take advantage of that before using your "top" wool on your first attempts. The drop spindle is not very forgiving.
If you still have any of those woolys left, pull some wool from them too, and try spinning it with the drop spindle. It does take a different approach and a different spindle than the sheep wool, and I am told that angora is a finer texture than even the woolys. I have discovered my yarn is more consistent with the Wooly fur than the sheep wool, which may because the texture of the fur or just this spindle is better weighted for it. I preferred spinning the rabbit wool much more than the sheep wool, but being softer makes it harder to spin.
 
I have ordered some more wool. It is Corriedale and Leicester. 8 oz of roving each. I believe that I am going to talk my husband into getting me a wheel in February.
HeavenlyHandspinning on Etsy has some good prices for wheels and so does Babe. Its just a matter of deciding which I prefer.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jan 06, 2013 3:59 pm __________<br /><br />Sky are you carding or combing slivers with the wool you have? i read that slivers can be easier to use. It may work with your wool too. :)
 
I crutch right before mine lamb and then have them sheared 8wks after they deliver.
Last year was mid march for lambing and shearing mid May. Have the wedding May 15th, so I scheduled shearing for April 30th this year.
Babydoll wool is about 2in long, still want it?
 
Have you spun anything with the babydoll yet? Hopefully getting mine in June
 
Has any one tried using lama wool? I dont spin by the way but it does look intresting. but first i want to learn soep and cheese. :cool:
 
-HRanchito":dqh00j5r said:
Have you spun anything with the babydoll yet? Hopefully getting mine in June
Click to expand...

No, I don't spin or anything like that. I have no use for the wool myself. Last year, I used some for a dog bed, rest was left out in an old silo.
 
Chicks and Bunnies how many do you have to shear? I do spin and I have never tried babydoll wool before. I would love to try some if there is enough to go around. I would buy a whole fleece from you.
 

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