Fiber Preparation Wool          Cleaning raw fleece is not anything to be afraid of and is actually quite easy.  With a few simple supplies and some dedicated time, you will have greaseless sparkling fleece in no time.  The only thing to remember throughout the process is not to over agitate the fibers or change the water temperature from one extreme to the next due to the possibility of the fibers felting.  Following these simple instructions should make the process smooth.  The following supplies/materials are needed: ·        Raw fleece ·        Grease cutting dish soap ·        Mesh laundry bag ·        Very hot water (see below) ·        Large stew pot, bucket, sink, or tub. ·        Candy thermometer ·        Wooden spoon or other stirring device

Skirting   The first step in the fleece cleaning process is to skirt the fleece.  This simply means laying the fleece out on a large surface and removing the things that shouldn’t be there.  If at all possible, lay the fleece out on a skirting table or a surface that has a ‘holey’ bottom, like chicken wire or something of that nature.  This is not 100% necessary but, can make the job go by a little faster by allowing any loose vegetable matter fall away from the fleece.  Skirting the fleece simply means that you pick out any visible vegetable matter (straw pieces, hay, burrs, etc.) as well as any of the fibers that are very short then what you should have left is just a fleece.

Preparing the Water   Once this has been completed put the fleece into the mesh bags.  You want to do this so that the water will pass over and through the fleece in the bag so that you do not have to agitate the bag (which may cause felting) to get all of the fibers wet.  Be careful not to ‘jam pack’ it with the fibers.  It’s better to have too little in the bag than too much and have to do it all over again twice.  If you have a fleece that is extremely dirty, caked with mud, etc, then you may want to soak it over night in tepid or room temperature water to loosen some of the soiling. There is debate over exactly how hot the water should be to wash the fleece with.  I’m positive that if you search the internet or read books on this topic, you will find many different temperatures.  What is important to remember is that the initial hot water is what is used to remove the grease from the fibers so, if you have ever washed greasy dishes, you know that it is a much easier job with hot water.  I would recommend using the coolest of about 120 degrees and about the hottest of about 160 degrees.  Boiling is not recommended because the bubbles will agitate the wool, causing it to felt.  Simmering the water may do the same and you also risk serious burns when you deal with very hot temperatures.  I have found personally that around 140 degrees really works for me.

Washing the Fiber   For this next step, do not put the fleece into the water until it is the temperature that you want.  Fill the pot, or whatever you are using to hold your water, with enough water to cover the fleece in the mesh bag with once you place it in.  Pour in a generous amount of dish soap and stir with a wooden spoon.  I pour in about a half cup of dish soap and then stick my fingers in the water (watch out that it is not too hot!!!) and rub them together.  If the water feels slightly slimy, I know I have enough soap.  If it does not, I pour in more soap.  Any store brand works fine; just make sure that it is grease cutting or something of that nature as they seem to get the job done.  Adding the soap after pouring the water in the pot is a personal choice.  I prefer to have very little bubbles on the surface of the water.  It is hard not to want to see how things are going in there.  Clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, place it on the stove range and heat the water to the desired temperature.  If you are using a tub or sink and your tap water is not the temperature you would like to use, heat the water then pour it in before adding the fleece.  Be very very careful when adding the soap this way!!!  (Perhaps the feel test is not the best idea.)  Make sure that the bag is fully submerged in the water.  If you are starting this step with dry fiber, the water will ‘suck’ the fiber down.  If it is not fully submerged, you can gently poke the protruding fiber down with the wooden spoon.  If the fiber is persistent in sticking up, you may want to weigh it down with a rock or position the spoon to hold it down.  Usually this is not an issue with the first wash but, may be with subsequent rinses.  Let the fiber sit for about 15 minutes to a half hour but, not long enough for the water to cool because the grease and dirt may stick back onto the wool.  We are going to want to remove as much of the water and suds as possible.  When the fibers are done with the initial hot soak, remove them from the water by lifting from the bag.  Allow as much of the water to run out of the mesh bag as possible and then transfer it to an empty washing machine.  You may want to prepare the machine before hand by making sure that it is on the spin cycle ONLY and that NO water will come into the basin as this may induce felting.  Place the fibers, still in the mesh bag, into the basin and spin until there is little to no water left in the fiber.

Rinsing the Fiber   For this next step, which is the first rinse, your water will not have to be as hot as the initial wash because the lanolin should be removed from the fibers.  Remember that it is very important not to change the water temperature from one extreme to the next; about a 10 degree difference is okay.  Fill the empty water container with the same amount of water as the first wash, this time exclude using the detergent since we are no longer concerned about removing the lanolin.  Add the fiber still in the mesh bag to the water.  At this point you may find that the bag is floating on top of the water and not sinking as it did in the initial wash.  Since we want any suds that are in the fibers to come out, we are going to need to make sure that all of the fibers are submerged.  You can position the spoon or use a rock heavy enough to hold the fibers down, just make sure that you don’t stir or agitate the fibers in any way.  It may be a good idea to do everything slower than usual.  This is not to deter or scare anyone from washing their own fiber but, better to be safe than to end up with a mass of felt.   Allow the fibers to soak for about 5 to 10 minutes less than the initial wash and keep in mind that this process is not an exact science so, use your best judgment on the timing.  Drain the bag the same way as you did in the first step and then spin out as much water as you possibly can.  Repeat the rinse process as many times as you need until the water runs clear when draining the fibers.

Fiber Preparation   Once the final rinse is done and the fibers have been spun in the basin of the washing machine so all of the excess water has been removed, it is time to remove the fibers from the mesh bag.  Place them in a dry shaded place preferably on a screen or some type of open bottomed structure so that the bottom of the fleece can be dried also.  It is recommended that you do not dry the fleece in direct sunlight or on a radiator to dry.  Now you are ready to card your fibers and spin!!!  Enjoy   Terms and definitions   ·        Skirting – low-grade wool and foreign matter removed from the outer edges of fleece. ·        Lanolin – a fatty substance, extracted from wool, used in ointments, cosmetics, waterproof coatings, etc. ·        Fleece – the coat of wool that covers a sheep or other similar animal.