That isn't dirt....

My journey of making my own wool continues; this post is about the less glamorous step in this process, cleaning. We picked a warm afternoon, because everything seems better when the sun is shining on your face, and trust me, you want it to seem better when you're rubbing sheep poopie out of wool.

My Mother was gracious enough to let me use her back yard, seeing as she has done this process before, she was also there to teach & direct me on how to clean correctly. The first thing I learned was that it's important to not over work the wool. It can easily get matted & then it's too hard to card (I like to think of that process, carding, more like combing the knots out of the hair) or if the water is too hot the wool will felt (Yes, that is how felt is made. Add hot water to any wool item you own and you'll also be able to felt something). 

First thing, we set up two tubs, one for washing and one for rinsing. 

Then we started cleaning. I am glad we cleaned the sheep's wool first, seeing as it was much dirtier, I was glad to have it over with. 

Although, the saving grace of the sheep's wool is that it is so beautiful. The Jacob Sheep (pictured above) has an amazing black & white coat. It will make beautiful knitted items! Here is my Mom, Nancy, and our 'cleaning station'.

The final step was laying it out to dry in the sun. This was my favorite step, seeing as I could walk away and do something else while it was being done. 

The wool is now dry and currently being stored in a dry, cool place ready to be carded & spun. My hopes were to do the last two steps sometime this spring, but the calendar is filling up fast. The schedule will slow down this fall and I'll be able to finish it all up. But don't worry, I won't forget to tell you all about it!

The Nanny That Knits

Shearing Sheep & Llamas

This past Sunday I had the aforementioned opportunity to be present while my Grandparents sheared their sheep & llamas they have on their farm. For clarification, my grandparents did not shear the sheep & llamas themselves, they hired a woman named Jenny to do the honors. We were very lucky to have great weather the day of shearing, which I learned was necessary, if it were raining or their hair was wet from it raining recently, we would have had to reschedule. Apparently you can not shear when the fleece is wet, it will actually felt and then the hair is unusable. 

Shown above are two of the llamas that were to be sheared, there were to be 3 llamas sheared all together.

And here are 3 of the 5 sheep that were to be sheared.

This was my first experience with shearing any animal and I only had one expectation, that Jenny would take out electric shears at one time and start cutting off the hair. My one expectation was quickly met. I also learned that I had a lot to learn about shearing sheep!

The llamas were first. Being tall & large animals, Jenny had to strap the llamas head to a rafter of the barn. One llama was stubborn and wouldn't let her tie her up tight. This llama took the longest to shear, she kept 'getting away'.

Llama #1 to get a haircut.

My Aunt Kay showing off the llama hair.

I can't help but think that they look a little cold now...

Then it was the sheep's turn. They were a little easier overall, Jenny was able to hold them on their backs and shear their fleece outside of the barn. Ventilation is very important when you are shearing many animals in one day, you don't want to inhale too much of the hair as it can be bad for your lungs.

Ready to start.

Almost done, it was fascinating to watch this tiny little lamb emerge.

A whole fleece after it has been sheared.

After all 3 llamas and 5 sheep were sheared, we have so many fleece's that we will be busy cleaning, carding & spinning it for awhile now. 

I can't say that my knowledge of actually shearing the sheep has increased; met with an animal that wanted to loose it's winter coat, I would still turn and run the other direction. But, I have a new found appreciation for people who can shear. Jenny started shearing as a business in middle school and is still going strong. This is not my cup of tea, although I have great respect of those who can do this!

My excitement grows as this journey of learning where my yarn really comes from continues.

The Nanny That Knits

Mission Mill Museum Field Trip

Mission Mill Museum, in Salem, is a fun historical marker of our Oregon heritage. My Grandmother suggested we go and see what we could learn about working with raw wool from the Jacob Sheep that they would be shearing this spring. It was a great suggestion, Mission Mill has many resources, if you want to learn more about those resources just you can click here.

We were very lucky and went on the nicest weather day of the year so far, which made the old cold, brick Mill building somewhat tolerable. The 3rd floor of the Mill building is where The Salem Fiberarts Guild meets to weave on looms several times a week. We were able to talk with several of the women there and discuss with them the ins and outs of cleaning, carding, washing & spinning raw wool.

We gleaned some great information and are ready to begin the detailed process of actually making our own yarn. I am extremely excited to learn another aspect of this hobby-gone-all-consuming-art that I love!

The Nanny That Knits