Where to start? It's been awhile. So much has changed.
Keeping it light, let's talk about fluff, the sheepy kind. Wool, that is.
Earlier this year I learned a few things from playing with wool.
Remember my Sheep2Shawl Project that I started last year? All the fiber has been spun and the next step is to twist (ply) the singles together to make a 2-ply yarn. Stay tuned.
Anyway, here's what I learned. Remember that I washed the fleece in the kitchen sink? Well, the "rich with greasy lanolin" rinse water going down the kitchen drain was not a good idea.
In fact, it was a very bad idea. Very. Bad. Idea.
The greasy lanolin hardened up and clogged the septic tank filter "and up through the ground come a bubbling crude" . . . . Well, I think you get the idea. The septic system did not like the sheepy lanolin nor did The Man.
First lesson: Don't do that again.
Here's another one.
In early spring our neighbor across the street sent me a text:
I was excited to receive a bulging bag of freshly shorn sheep fleece. I weighed it, five pounds, Woohoo!
Then I unloosened the plastic ties, woohoooo. . . .
Oh my.
Yes, Dolly's fleece had a lot of shavings. In fact, it looked like Dolly had been sheared on a bed of pine shavings - on top, underneath, and through.
The fleece smelled great - like a pine forest - and the shavings were white and clean.
But still.
I spent several hours picking through the fleece.
The handful of fluff I managed to clean and separate wasn't great for handspinning. The locks were short and thick with coarse dense guard hairs, very little soft fluff. It wasn't fiber I would enjoy processing so I gave up.
Second lesson: Don't do that again.
Mostly, I have learned that I enjoy the process of spinning wool and other fibers and I've enjoyed learning how to become a Handspinner.
Third lesson: Keep doing it.
Fourth Lesson: Try to enjoy what you do.
