Jacob Fleece

So, a couple of weeks ago, I bid on and won a black and white Jacob fleece. It's obviously only part of the fleece as it only weighed about 2 pounds.

That's two pounds including all the Vegetable Matter (VM) in it. I'm not sure I really want to know what, exactly, VM comprises. Or is comprised of. I do know that there is lots of grass and hay and some burrs, and I'm thinking even some shit!

For those of you who don't get "raw wool" that you then process yourself. Yeah, it's kinda gross!

I am working on my second chunk, as it were, of this fleece. I am starting off with a cold soak. I'm sure you can figure it out, but I'll detail it for you.

1. Put plug in sink and start filling with cold water.
2. Grab a hunk of fleece out of the plastic bag in the freezing garage.
3. Put wool into sink and push down into water so that it all gets wet.
4. Let soak for a while.
5. Gross out at the wierd color the water has become.
6. Squish the wool to the side of the sink and see the color become a deeper yuck. Pull the plug.
7. Rinse the sink, replug, refill with cold water, let go of wool.
8. Let soak.
9. Repeat until water is clear.
10. Pull wool out of water and squeeze as dry as possible. DO NOT WRING!
11. Let the wool sit on the divider bar of the sink while you fill with hot water.
12. Add dishsoap until the water is the color of the soap... Blue for Dawn, green if I'm using my Method Cucumber.
13. Carefully put the wool back into the sink. Let soak.
14. Repeat until water is clear.
15. Rinse until water is clear.
16. Pull wool out of sink. Squeeze water out.

Now, you can either put it in a mesh bag and put in the spin cycle of washer, or wrap it in a towel. Then, roll the towel up, put it on the floor and step on it. Grab another towel and repeat this process. Now, you can either put it outside in the sunshine to dry, or put it somewhere in the house to dry. Some people recommend piling on the floor vents, some recommend sweater racks and others use the towel bar in the bathroom.

Last week, I put it outside in the gorgeously sunny and 'balmy' 45 degree heatwave we were having! (We got 7 inches of snow the next day!) Today, however, I think that it will have to go on some towels in my craft room!