shearing the sheep
This is a really amusingly written TUTORIAL which I will be adding to the i/sheet page and can also be found on my pinterest wool board.
Even if you don’t have your own sheep, or have raw fleece to wash, you should find yourself laughing as you read this! It was written in 2013 and I found it on the Ten Good Sheep website. They are in Virginia (USA).
One note about the washing machine she is using – its the old fashioned top loader – that can be stopped and started at any point along the cycle – please don’t use your modern front loader like this, altho some of them do have short cool wash cycles with optional low spin speeds, and you might get away with it. On the other hand, if you WANT to felt the wool ……….smile! PS: See the comments section – some more info there!
The Prelude (in conversation form):Part One…“Huh, I wish the shearer would hurry up and get here. It rained yesterday and the sheep are cleaner than they’ve been in weeks.”Part Two…(nine months later)“Huh, I’m glad we took those shearing classes. Let’s wait until after the next rain and then shear them as soon as they’re dry so the wool will be cleaner.”Part Three…(nine months even later)“Huh, wait a minute…rain is nothing more than a lot of cold water…hmmmmm.”
Ok…so we were slow learners.
You’ll want some infrastructure for your wool washing career to run smoothly.
We’re serious about washing wool!
We’re serious about washing wool!
You will need:
A wool washing table.
Our original table used rabbit wire for the top (about 1/4″ wire mesh). The new table uses rat wire (1/2 inch wire mesh). We recommend rabbit wire and we’ll be replacing the top of this table. Note the handy hook for your hose…you need a hose too. (Or if you’re really green and have a way to do it, collect rainwater.)Also – note the concrete blocks used with the original table for wash stands.
If you’re going to wash a lot of wool, use these. You’ll thank us later.Set your table up where a lot of water hitting the ground won’t matter. Or…re-use the water for your garden, etc. It’s yucky, but the plants won’t mind. Depending on when you schedule your shearing you can use less water.
Let the rain do the first washing.
Our original table used rabbit wire for the top (about 1/4″ wire mesh). The new table uses rat wire (1/2 inch wire mesh). We recommend rabbit wire and we’ll be replacing the top of this table. Note the handy hook for your hose…you need a hose too. (Or if you’re really green and have a way to do it, collect rainwater.)Also – note the concrete blocks used with the original table for wash stands.
If you’re going to wash a lot of wool, use these. You’ll thank us later.Set your table up where a lot of water hitting the ground won’t matter. Or…re-use the water for your garden, etc. It’s yucky, but the plants won’t mind. Depending on when you schedule your shearing you can use less water.
Let the rain do the first washing.
And you’ll need:
A wash tub (relatively heavy duty plastic – it’ll be holding a lot of water).And a dirty fleece.
This one is natural charcoal colored Romney. Wait til you see it when we’re done. Gorgeous!
This one is natural charcoal colored Romney. Wait til you see it when we’re done. Gorgeous!
And you’ll need:
Uh…gloves. You need rubber gloves. And maybe just a bit of white wine.
Ok…let’s get down to business.
Fill your wash tub about 2/3 full of cold water from your hose.The wooden board is under our tub because we don’t have the concrete block wash stands set up in the middle of the back yard.
As your wash tub is filling, unroll your fleece and take a good look. If your fleece has not been skirted, do it now. Tear away any belly, neck, britch and generally yucky stuff. Don’t throw this away though. Use it for long lasting weed barrier under mulch.Use the washing table as a trampoline for your remaining fleece.
All kinds of stuff will bounce out of there and through the wire while the fleece is still dry. Give it a good hard couple of throws on the top of the table.
All kinds of stuff will bounce out of there and through the wire while the fleece is still dry. Give it a good hard couple of throws on the top of the table.
Depending on the size of your fleece, divide it into manageable sections.
We separated this one into 2 pieces.
Some of our own sheep have enormous fleeces and we divide them into thirds. You can wash a substantial amount at one time, but don’t crowd it too much. You’ll develop a feel for how much is a good amount.
We separated this one into 2 pieces.
Some of our own sheep have enormous fleeces and we divide them into thirds. You can wash a substantial amount at one time, but don’t crowd it too much. You’ll develop a feel for how much is a good amount.
Here is 1/2 of the sticky fleece (it’s been in storage for 2 years!). It was well skirted before storage so everything is ok. Don’t store unskirted fleeces. You’ll be sorry.Into the cold water we go…
Push your wool down into the water gently until it’s saturated.
You can walk away from it for a while if you want to. 10 minutes or 10 hours…we’ve done both.
You can walk away from it for a while if you want to. 10 minutes or 10 hours…we’ve done both.
See? Look at all of that dirt floating its way out of the fleece.
Now we’re going to work the wool.
Don’t be afraid to move it around…but you don’t need to be too aggressive about it either.We want to let the wool swish through the water…so grasp it and bring it up…
Don’t be afraid to move it around…but you don’t need to be too aggressive about it either.We want to let the wool swish through the water…so grasp it and bring it up…
and down. You only need to do it a few times and very gently.
When the water is fully saturated with sheep dirt…
SWOOSH!
You’ll be amazed at the difference in your fleece already.
As a side note:
If you see bubbles on the ground at this point it’s because the fleece is holding sheep sweat
(aka – suint) and lanolin. Since a lot of this is water soluble, combined with water this makes
(sort of, kind of) its own natural soap. Hence the bubbles. Sheep bubbles!
If you see bubbles on the ground at this point it’s because the fleece is holding sheep sweat
(aka – suint) and lanolin. Since a lot of this is water soluble, combined with water this makes
(sort of, kind of) its own natural soap. Hence the bubbles. Sheep bubbles!
Gather it up…
and squeeze…then squeeze again.
ROUND 2
You can already see quite an improvement in your fleece, can’t you?Refill your wash tub and get ready for more of the same exercise.Let your fleece drape back into the water…no need to bunch it.Let it float for a bit and then a little more up, down, up, down.
Let the water swish through the fleece.There is a difference between allowing the wool to swish and agitating. Don’t agitate…swish.
Let the water swish through the fleece.There is a difference between allowing the wool to swish and agitating. Don’t agitate…swish.
Notice the water…murky but not disgusting. We’re making progress.
When you think that this round of water has done the best it can do…
SWOOSH!
And squeeze it like you really mean it.Now we have a fork in the road. What did your second wash look like? It could be enough.
But for this particular fleece we’re going for…
But for this particular fleece we’re going for…
ROUND 3
If you’re doing another round, you know what to do by now.Refill your wash tub and lay in your squeezed out fleece.Let it sit…or not. And then a little more up, down, up, down. Light swishing gets the job done – and you don’t have to do it a lot.
Now, check out the clarity of the water still in the wash tub. That works for us.Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.Our work outside is done and this fleece is well on the road to being clean. Let’s go inside…
Now that the majority of gross dirt is out of your fleece, it won’t hurt your washer to give it a hot soak. Yes, the wool is still damp from squeezing out the cold water.
No, it won’t instantly felt in the hot water.
And you’re going to be turning OFF the washer so NO AGITATION will be happening.
Right? RIGHT??? More on this soon.We’re using Orvus Paste, which is a livestock soap used by 4H kids on their show animals. You can get it/order it from farm and garden supply stores, or check online. It’s concentrated. It comes in the white container on the right, but the label is long since gone. We use about 1/3 of a cup for a full washer of water.In the past we have used Dawn (dishwashing liquid). Think about it…it’s a concentrated degreaser. You can use Dawn if you’d like. We’d use about 1/3 of a cup of that too if that’s the soap we were using.
No, it won’t instantly felt in the hot water.
And you’re going to be turning OFF the washer so NO AGITATION will be happening.
Right? RIGHT??? More on this soon.We’re using Orvus Paste, which is a livestock soap used by 4H kids on their show animals. You can get it/order it from farm and garden supply stores, or check online. It’s concentrated. It comes in the white container on the right, but the label is long since gone. We use about 1/3 of a cup for a full washer of water.In the past we have used Dawn (dishwashing liquid). Think about it…it’s a concentrated degreaser. You can use Dawn if you’d like. We’d use about 1/3 of a cup of that too if that’s the soap we were using.
With your fleece OUTSIDE of the washer in a bucket or other container…
fill ‘er up and make it HOT.
fill ‘er up and make it HOT.
When the washer is full put your Orvus or Dawn in. Let the water agitate for a few seconds to incorporate the soap throughout the water. Putting the soap in before the washer is full will make for too many bubbles. They’ll be harder to rinse out.THEN:PAY ATTENTION!
TURN THE WASHER OFF!
Seriously.In all of our years of fleece washing we have ruined only 1/3 of a fleece. It was one of Shackle’s. And the washer was only accidentally agitating for about 5 seconds. Don’t do that!
TURN THE WASHER OFF!
Seriously.In all of our years of fleece washing we have ruined only 1/3 of a fleece. It was one of Shackle’s. And the washer was only accidentally agitating for about 5 seconds. Don’t do that!
Now that your washer’s water looks like this and
YOU HAVE MADE SURE THAT IT IS OFF…
YOU HAVE MADE SURE THAT IT IS OFF…
Lay your damp fleece into the water…no need to bunch it up.
Doesn’t that look nice?
Now, since you’ve made sure that the washer is off, go ahead and shut the lid.
Relax for about a half hour or so. That hot water will help to melt the remaining lanolin.
Now, since you’ve made sure that the washer is off, go ahead and shut the lid.
Relax for about a half hour or so. That hot water will help to melt the remaining lanolin.
Now…with the washer still off, set it to the spin cycle.(Here’s where we have a small disclaimer. Some spin cycles will throw cold water on the clothes from time to time for the first part of the cycle. You DON’T want the washer to spray your wool with cold water! Some washers don’t do this. Our current wool washer – yes, we have one just for washing wool – doesn’t throw any cold water. Our old washer did. So here’s how we worked around that. When you’re doing a load of laundry, camp out for the spin cycle. Listen to your washer. You’ll hear when – or if – it’s throwing water. When we found where the spin cycle stopped the water throwing, we marked it with a small dot using a Sharpie pen. Then we would always set the washer to the Sharpie pen dot instead of the beginning of the cycle. Got it?)Go ahead and start your washer and let the water spin out. It won’t hurt your wool because it isn’t agitating it. When the cycle is done this is what you’ll see:
Ok, now depending on the breed of sheep that you’re working with, 1 wash may or may not be enough. You’ll know. It may need another soap session, or it may not.Either way…Take your fleece OUT of the washer and put it back in the bucket or whatever you were using to hold it.
DON’T LEAVE IT IN THE WASHER.Refill your washer with hot water.
Now you’ve got another fork in the road…If you need another soap session, redo your previous steps…PAYING ATTENTION TO WHEN THE WASHER NEEDS TO BE ON OR OFF.If you don’t need another soap session your fleece is ready for the rinse water. To our rinses we add about a cup or so of white vinegar. This cuts the soap residue and restores the pH. Also, we usually add in a bit of patchouli essential oil…or clove essential oil. Yummy. We can’t prove it but it’s our theory that the essential oil is somewhat of a natural moth repellent. We have never had any moth problems to date.The rinse is identical in procedure to the wash – but without the soap. Let it sit in the rinse water for a while with the lid down. Then spin it out, just like before.When you’re all done, your wool washing table becomes your drying rack. Take your wonderfully clean and soft fleece back outside, open it up onto the top of your washing table and let the air dry it perfectly. Watch out for too brisk of a breeze…your wool will travel with it.
DON’T LEAVE IT IN THE WASHER.Refill your washer with hot water.
Now you’ve got another fork in the road…If you need another soap session, redo your previous steps…PAYING ATTENTION TO WHEN THE WASHER NEEDS TO BE ON OR OFF.If you don’t need another soap session your fleece is ready for the rinse water. To our rinses we add about a cup or so of white vinegar. This cuts the soap residue and restores the pH. Also, we usually add in a bit of patchouli essential oil…or clove essential oil. Yummy. We can’t prove it but it’s our theory that the essential oil is somewhat of a natural moth repellent. We have never had any moth problems to date.The rinse is identical in procedure to the wash – but without the soap. Let it sit in the rinse water for a while with the lid down. Then spin it out, just like before.When you’re all done, your wool washing table becomes your drying rack. Take your wonderfully clean and soft fleece back outside, open it up onto the top of your washing table and let the air dry it perfectly. Watch out for too brisk of a breeze…your wool will travel with it.
Ready for your reward? You’ve worked hard for it…so enjoy!
Soft, fragrant (in a good way), lofty, ready to pick, card and spin.
And MUCH better than if a commercial woolen mill had done it for you.We know…we’ve done it both ways.
And MUCH better than if a commercial woolen mill had done it for you.We know…we’ve done it both ways.
So what’s next?
If you’re like us, you start all over again.
** One final disclaimer**
Our sheep are Romney/Columbia cross. We know that this method works perfectly for our sheep and for similar breeds. The finest fleece we have washed this way is Hog Island. This is a rare breed sheep that was most notably from (wait for it) Hog Island. This is one of the barrier islands off the coast of Virginia. We have not washed merino, targhee, etc with this method. Mostly because we have not had the opportunity to try it out. This method *may not* be ideal for fine/super fine wool. But being the wool renegades we are, we would at least give it a try on a small scale and make modifications if necessary.It’s our guess that beginners who would benefit from this tutorial would not necessarily be using low micron count raw fleeces. If you are a beginner using low micron count wool and you feel adventurous, try our method out on a small scale and let us know your findings.It’s our bet that the wool from any sheep benefits from being shorn after a good solid rain…so why not try? The cleaner they are on the hoof, the less water you use after shearing.
Our sheep are Romney/Columbia cross. We know that this method works perfectly for our sheep and for similar breeds. The finest fleece we have washed this way is Hog Island. This is a rare breed sheep that was most notably from (wait for it) Hog Island. This is one of the barrier islands off the coast of Virginia. We have not washed merino, targhee, etc with this method. Mostly because we have not had the opportunity to try it out. This method *may not* be ideal for fine/super fine wool. But being the wool renegades we are, we would at least give it a try on a small scale and make modifications if necessary.It’s our guess that beginners who would benefit from this tutorial would not necessarily be using low micron count raw fleeces. If you are a beginner using low micron count wool and you feel adventurous, try our method out on a small scale and let us know your findings.It’s our bet that the wool from any sheep benefits from being shorn after a good solid rain…so why not try? The cleaner they are on the hoof, the less water you use after shearing.
Best of luck on your wool washing adventures!
Please do leave us a comment at mail@TenGoodSheep.com
…we’d appreciate your thoughts.
Please do leave us a comment at mail@TenGoodSheep.com
…we’d appreciate your thoughts.
Julz, sorry I missed this when you first posted. It’s similar to my method except for the washing machine and cold water pre-rinse 🙂 I run a hose out the window from my laundry tub to get hot water into tubs in near the garden and have used strainers(dish and vegetable) to let the water drain between rinses. I really need to build a wool table! Before reading this I was thinking of a bench to raise the tubs off ground level. the mesh wire looks more practical.
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I have a couple of fleeces that are awaiting a not so crazy hot day to be washed. I’d pinned this link also a while back! Great mind must surly think alike. I have a top loader but i’m always hesitant to wash that way. I might try it with some smaller pieces and see how it goes. I do like to leave a bit of the lanolin in the wool, though so I’ll have to see how nasty these are…
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nice that ideas are flowing thro the internet eh!
I agree with you about leaving some of the lanolin in – its the natural shine to the wool – but its easily done – just wash without adding the stuff that takes it out – smile
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Fascinating. Descriptive. Love the plentiful warnings. Now, here’s hoping I can find this again if/when I’m involved in wool gathering. (Figuratively speaking, I do plenty to that already.)
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Smile – will be doing a tidy up of the blog asap – and this one will be in the i/sheet (information sheet) list/page, which you can access from the top of the blog at any time. Be nice if someone else wanted to write some more for me, cos I keep getting distracted!
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Hi Julz…thanks for sharing our wool washing adventures!
You’re right, the new washing machines, even most of the new top loaders, have a computerized cycle that you can’t set where you want. We’ve heard it was new gov’t energy efficiency regulations that mandated it. The new computerized machines won’t give you the results you’re after. But hey, if your mom-in-law ever gets a new washing machine, tell her you’d like to have her old one. 😉
We have found a Speed Queen washer that, although pricey, is able to be set manually and is so heavy duty it should last forever. Yay! We have one in the studio and a backup in the barn for future use because you won’t be able to find them forever even though you can buy them new now. (btw, our ‘laundry’ washer is a new front loader, but that never sees wool.)
You can for sure modify our method and do your hot wash in the bathtub. We used to. But I would only put wool in the bathtub after the majority of dirt/sand/sweat, etc had been through the cold water OUTSIDE. The amount of yuck that comes out in the first and second cold water tubs outside is amazing. You don’t really want all of that in your household pipes.
Thanks again for sharing our tutorial…happy wool washing!!! 🙂
Karyn
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hi Karyn
its nice to get a reply, and thanks for your email too!
I’m sure many spinners and weavers have perfected the art their own way, and it is a shame that the old top loaders are now almost impossible to find. You might not have noticed that I’m in Wales, GB – but I have customers all over the world and plenty in the US – so it would be nice to hear from them how they do things -smile
I had a look at your felted hats – let me know if you get any extra sales thro this post!
just to clarify for anyone reading this – I’d never heard of you before I saw your tutorial, so its not a mates promotion – I just genuinely liked the way you did your tutorial! All the best – julz
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Going to have to give this a go. Will have to improvise the washing machine bit.
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great! not sure about the machine either, but you can just use a large metal container and fill with hot water and stir it with a stick!
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Great idea ☺
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I remember now, the last time I washed some raw fleece, I did it in the bath – where there is a supply of hot water and you can swirl it! Then if you stuff the clean wet wool into an old pillowcase, it IS safe to use a short spin cycle to get rid of most of the water. You then hang the pillowcase up in the ‘hot sun’ – or failing that – somewhere it can slowly drip and dry!
Hope that helps – smile
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