Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
way to achieve this is by the use of a good black ram of a nice, spinnable-wool
breed. If there are spinning classes nearby, ask the teacher what breed of wool
is most favored in your area.
Processed Wool
There are still a number of wool processors in North America who take your
raw fl eece and process it to fi nished yarns for you and others who turn out
fi nished products, such as blankets. In fact, thanks to the development of
smaller-sized commercial mills, there are actually more mills around today
than there were ten years ago, and if you have a larger fl ock, you can do wool
processing and custom carding for your own fl eeces and sell your services
too! If you want to go into home processing on a larger scale, Paula's book
Turning Wool into a Cottage Industry is a must-read. Patrick and Paula manufac-
ture wool-processing equipment (wool pickers and drum carders) for hand-
spinners and for cottage industries. A couple of other manufacturers geared
toward smaller producers are Belfast Minimills, Stonehedge Fiber Milling
Equipment, and TexTec. See the Resources section for the Web sites of these
businesses.
Cleaning Fleeces for Processing
Most fl eeces need to be washed before they are processed. The exception is
the occasional really clean lamb fl eece, which may be processed and spun
fi rst and washed later. If you want some grease to remain, use a natural soap.
If your goal is to be grease-free, use regular detergent and a degreasing dish
soap. Although I've always washed fl eeces one at a time in a washtub, I know
folks who wash their fl eeces in the washing machine and can clean several at
a time that way. Be forewarned: The fl eece gives off a distinctly barnish aroma
when the hot water fi rst hits it.
1. Regardless of whether you hand-wash or machine-wash your fl eece, fi ll
the container with hot water and add 1 cup of laundry detergent and ½
cup degreasing dish detergent.
2. Stir to mix well before pushing the fl eeces down. (If using the washing
machine method, do not run the full cycle; just let the wool soak — you
don't want to agitate the fl eece.)
3. Every so often, gently squeeze the fl eeces, but don't twist.
4. Continue soaking for at least 1 hour.
 
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