Wool, Wool Everywhere Again

         The very first step after the shearer paid a visit to my little flock was to skirt the fleeces.

This involved laying the intact wool out on an openwork table and getting rid of all the super dirty, matted or dung filled locks. Picking out very obvious pieces of hay and straw. Or in general, getting rid of the useless for spinning stuff. 

This is but a small amount of the tossed wool

        All that discarded wool will become bird nest lining material that I will scatter about the farm.
                   I hope the many birds that call Lindenberry home will put it too good use.

What was left was remarkable clean fleeces that smelled wonderful and felt divine with all that lanolin soaking into my hands. 

I couldn't help but to play with the locks. 

So pretty.

L-R: Hassie, Mac, Carnie, and upside down Leo

Leo's is not likely to be used for yarn making this year due to it's length, but I will find something to do with his fleece to make all his growing efforts worthwhile.

Next came washing. 

THE SCARY PART. 

So far I have not felted anything (she says knocking on 284856384942 pieces of wood).

And the drying.

That is less than half of Mac

And then the flicking, which is pulling out locks and fluffing them up a bit with this handy dandy flicker, a brush like tool.

 There are many other ways to prepare the wool for spinning at this point, but I only have a flicker so that's what I do. (The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is fast approaching...perhaps I will come home with some carding or combing equipment. Hope with me.)

Now that I have a basket of fluff, it is time to spin some yarn.

So curious to see what the finished product is going to look like. 

 I love Carnie's variation of color.

Many thanks to Sara, for showing me the way.