Skirting a Fleece
I've completed one fleece and spun it into yarn
but this fleece, Ziggy's, is the one that I have been longing to dig my fingers into.
She has very crimpy soft wool
and it's so long for a Jacob Sheep
nearly 6 inches!
It takes quite a bit of work to get it ready to spin though.
First you must skirt it.
That means you remove any unwanted grass & hay.
It's also important to remove small pieces of cut fleece. These are called second cuts and are produced if the shearer goes over the same area twice while he is removing the fleece from the body of the sheep. There weren't a lot of second cuts in Ziggy's fleece but there were a few.
Some areas take a while to go through
and some are thrown straight in the trash.
You just take a handful and sort through it removing anything unwanted.
And you end up with small sections of wool that look like this.
Just look at that crimp!
All Ziggy's fleece is now ready to spin.
I'm going to card it together forming shades of gray for a special crochet project that I have been wanting to create.
Lovely, just plain lovely! Can't wait to see it spon(if that's a word)hee-hee! You are doing what I've always want to try. I'll be sure to check back for the final project.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed! Can't wait to see where it goes from here. I'll be watching!
ReplyDeleteWow. It is gorgeous already. Can't wait to see what you create.
ReplyDeleteThe crimp of that fleece is to die for! Cannot wait to see what you'll whip up, something tells me a shawl...
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, Kim!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful. Doesn't it feel great to make something from the wool on a sheep. I've never done that, but I would feel good about it.
ReplyDeleteHow neat is that...Beautiful..I would love to learn how to do all of this. Can't wait to see the final product.
ReplyDeleteI do alot of crafty things and I think I'm OK not learning all the spinning part. Thanks for letting me experience it through you. You are doing a great job! And I love the crimp! Went to a sheep and fiber sheep this weekend. I was quite small, but fun and I got to pet some alpacas and a few sheep. It's a bit of love, but I don't have what it takes to do it every single day. Guess I could be a sheep sitter, but not every day!
ReplyDeleteReally interesting. Can't wait to see a Ziggy scarf -- or hat -- or sweater -- or -- I wonder what that first special project will be.
ReplyDelete