Rinsing & Scouring
Ahh... this is always a bit like opening gifts - so often washed wool looks very different than it does raw! And just a note, if you're buying raw wool, flip it over and look at the cut side, because that's what you're buying! Even then, there are so many variegated staples within many fleeces that marvelous surprises await!
Rinsing or Soaking Wool
This is a couple of pounds of raw wool soaking in luke warm water prior to taking a very hot bath. Ivy's wool looks pretty clean for raw wool, but I happen to know that she likes to take naps in the cool dirt by the shed, so there's probably a little bit of grunge! I often soak a fleece in cool or cold water prior to washing, as it opens up the staples and much of the dirt is loosened
After the Bath
This is what a couple of pounds of Ivy's wool left behind after 30 minutes in hot water and scouring product, in this case it was either Unicorn Power Scour or Dawn dish soap. Ivy's wool got two more baths and three hot rinses to leave clear water in the tub.
Raw Lambswool
This is such a fun lambswool fleece! Its staples are longer than many at their first shearing, so I'm taking time to evaluate the quality of the whole fleece before I decide what I want to do with it.
What the Washed Raw Wool Looks Like
Washed Lambswool
T
Washed Sample of Raw Wool
Many fiber artists prefer to purchase raw wool, each has a preferred way to prepare and process wool for their projects.
I sell a lot of raw wool, and I like customers to know what they're purchasing!