Loading ...In the last two years I have found myself with many new teachers, all of whom I am grateful for. But especially important are a couple of ladies I consider my ‘mentors’ – Tammy of Kalwa Taure Shetlands and Elizabeth the Hilltop Fibreworker. They provided me with the following instructions for how to skirt and wash fleeces.
Skirting
- Lay the fleece out on the frame; upside down to start.
- Work your way around the outside edge, pull off any really dirty bits – tags – and any bits around the neck with lots of vegetation in it.
- Give the frame a good shake; then flip the fleece over.
- Repeat step 2. Taking out all the bits where they have got manure and really dirty vegetation on themselves.
- Shake again.
- Pick the fleeces to get the large bits of vegetation out.
Washing
Divide the fleeces into wash bags in single layers – which are large pillow cases made from old net curtains. Elizabeth lent me some, but I will need to make my own so if anyone has any old net curtains they no longer need I can put them to good use.
The best soap to use is Orvus Paste or Sodium Laurel Sulphate.
- Soapy hot water. Soak for about 20-30 minutes. Drain in the laundry tub. Press out as much water as you can by lifting and draining. Get a rack for your tub so you don’t strain your back. As long as you don’t rub and shift the fibre against itself in the bag it shouldn’t felt.
- Hot rinse in the laundry tub. Soak for a shorter bit. Drain and see how dirty the water is. Feel a lock and see if it feels clean (this requires some practice). Shetlands are on the less greasy/waxy end so 1 wash should do it. Better to underwash than to strip the fleece. You can always rewash later if you aren’t happy.
- Hot rinse in the laundry tub. Doesn’t need to soak much this time, just gently swish to flow the water through. If you had a rack to put them on they would drain better.
- Now put it in the washer and spin out. Decide if you need to rinse again. The reason for not spinning out the soapy water nor the first rinse is that your washer will likely not appreciate it. Wool grease is really greasy and often gummy.
We are starting to make good progress through the fleeces now, and are hoping to have them all washed by this weekend. Then with a little help from Elizabeth I will get descriptions put together and they will finally be available for sale.
