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Scouring Fleeces
Once a sheep is shorn
the fleece is taken to be scoured. This is an important
step as it removes a lot of the lanolin and dirt that
clings to the fibers with the lanolin. Depending on
the need, some fleeces will get two scouring then a
rinse.
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Drying Fleeces
After the final rinse,
the fleece is laid on a screen so the air circulates
around it. The fleeces are turned so all the fibers
get dried thoroughly. Depending on heat, wind and humidity
and the density of the fibers, drying time can take
a full day to a couple days to completely dry. If you
store damp fibers, they could develop mildew and the
fleece will be ruined.
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Separating Fibers
When the fibers are
completely dried, they are sent through a picker to
separate the fibers and remove a lot of the vegetable
material that may have gotten in there like hay or twigs.
The outcome is light airy fluffy fibers.
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Carding Fibers
Small amounts of picked
fibers are sent through the carder. Carding makes all
the fibers go in the same direction and removes even
more debris that may still be in the fibers. The fibers
may need to be carded several times to get them just
right.
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Roving
Carded fibers are called
roving. Still more debris and double cuts are handpicked
to make the roving as clean as possible.
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Spinning into Yarn
Roving is then hand
spun into two bobbins of thread which are later plied
together to make a skein of yarn.
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Dying the Yarn
The hand spun yarns are
then dyed into a variety of beautiful colors or left in
their natural state.
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