Sunday 14 November 2010

Oops ..... a woolly dilemma?

So, if you saw my last post you know we picked up some sheeps wool yesterday. Well here is one bag from the one farm visit, we are going back in a couple of weeks to pick up another one - although it's slightly less full.

Oops, what have I done!

And below is the bag in the back garden (excuse the garden mess), and the additional black bags (although you can't see them all in the picture) are what we picked up from the other location, a rather beautiful house and 2000 acre estate not far away (I wasn't quite expecting that). We passed their lovely Hebridean and Manx sheep as we entered the long drive to pick up the fleeces.

Fleece awaiting sorting

So I spent some of the afternoon skirting the fleeces to remove the worst bits (to be used at the allotment, mulch, deep trench beds for beans (great moisture retention), compost, etc. 13 bags sorted and stored, but the white bag hardly touched!

Light fading, and family needing feeding, Alex and I just bagged the rest separately to be properly sorted today - couldn't leave it outside as it was due to rain early this morning. So where did we have to store these bags? I think there are about 17 ...


well lets just say the downstairs toilet is out of use at the moment as it looks more like this.

Our downstairs toilet

Some gorgeous wool there, varying breeds, varying colours too. The black Hebridean is just wonderful, can't wait to use some. Lovely, full of lanolin, just need some good weather, space and time to sort the rest and get some washed and ready to use.

So yes, for those that have worked it out already, there are 30 sheep fleeces currently in my home. Some I shall keep for spinning myself (felt inspired to do some last night unsurprisingly), some for peg loom rugs (Alex started a new one last night), some to the Guild next weekend and some for maybe another future venture. Then I can go and pick up the rest from the first farm and we can do it all again ...

7 comments:

  1. OMG! As a newbie to spinning, no one told me that I needed to dedicate a whole room to wool! What have I let myself in to? Once you've given some away, washed it, will that keep you in spinning for 2011?

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  2. Wow, what a dilemma to have! Good job you've got an understanding husband!

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  3. Hehe, someone's going to be busy (or maybe two of you)!

    xxx

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  4. Hmmm definately keep us busy.

    Cheryl - it will keep us going until shearing time late Spring ;) when I'll probably arrange to pick up next years shearings rather than them being left until November. You do turn into a "collector" but 30 is a bit more unusual - hopefully I won't have 30 after next weekend.

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  5. I'm sure you'll have some takers just eager to take some of those off your hands. I hope noone needs the toilet desperately.

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  6. Gosh - it's like the fank at shearing time! have fun with your lovely fleeces- i'm sure you will. xx

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  7. That is a LOT of wool. I thought I had a great stash - nothing like yours! Enjoy all that wool.

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