Has anyone ever cleaned and carded raw wool fleece before?
Raw wool
[color=indigo]I started to and then decided I’d rather pay someone to process it for me.[/color]
hehee same here. It was kind of cool to wash and card it myself but it would have taken so long that I just sent it off to be processed. I sent mine to the Wooly knob Fiber Mill. It takes longer to get it back when processing but those guys are a riot and will answer any questions you have.
I would like to be able to do that… I am trying my hand at carding and am not so sure I am doing it right…I mean its spinning up ok, but well ,it sure doesnt look like the rolags in the books ya know? I also want to give cleaning wool a shot as well… and well I have much more time then I have money… :teehee:
Hand carded fiber rolags won’t really look as nice as pictures and store bought fiber. Most of the time that is done on a drum carder. Rolags (IMO) should be fluffy and cloud like.
I’ve got a box of wool downstairs that I need to wash. Just haven’t had the time yet.
Hmm… well that is how mine is coming out, cloudlike and fluffy… so I guess I will quit stressing over it :teehee: I didnt figure it was toooo bad because it is spinning up into such nice looking yarn… Thanks for your reply…
Funny y’all should mention this. I just sent off FIFTY (50) lbs. to Frankenmuth. The discount should take of the shipping costs. :teehee:
I’ve had a bad experience with Wooly Knob and won’t go back. :-x
I have a bag of shetland that I washed and carded (some of it) but there is so much VM. Any suggestions on who can process shetland? The staple length is too long for my local guy.
Thanks so much.
hmmm… shetland isn’t an overly-long wool. Have you tried either Frankenmuth or Zielinger? (Both mills are located in Frankenmuth, MI)
Both these places offer discounts mid-winter. The discount at least takes care of shipping costs.
Try them online at www.frankenmuthwoolenmill.com
OR
I won a LARGE box of wool on eBay, and washed a small bag of it in my washing machine, using the directions I found online. I was very careful to avoid agitating it, and it was a LOT of work. (I had to run it through 5 cycles to get all the dirt out, wiping the inside of the washer down with a paper towel between each cycle. YUCK!) I’m afraid to wash any more, because I think it could clog up the washing machine with all that grease.
Plus, I was sneezing like CRAZY during the process. My allergies acted up like WILD! I gave the rest of my wool to a friend at church. She was grateful, and I could finally breathe again. :teehee:
I guess I’ll have to stick with commercially processed wool from now on.