I bought a used wool (fair-isle) sweater for recycling without inspecting it closely. The label said hand-knit in Ecuador. I frogged it and in the process discovered that the yarn is very obviously also hand-spun (single-ply with not a very heavy twist, it pulls apart easily). The wool was very obviously not that clean before being spun, as it still has a fair amount of burrs in it. In addition, as I was frogging it, everything in the surrounding area (table, floor, ball winder, me, etc.) became covered in this flakey dust. I’m planning on using it for felting projects at this point, since there were so many knots that I have a basket full of small balls. What I’m not sure about is if there’s an easy way for me to clean it before I use it (without felting it). The dust is a bit much for my sinuses. I’d love a way to get the burrs out, but I’m betting the only easy way to do that is to recard and respin the whole lot.
Any BTDT? Suggestions?