"His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them." Mark 9 3
Today I put several loads of wash out on the line. It was a beautiful day for washing and drying!
Then some very interesting washing began. Here's the white Romney fleece I bought yesterday in its wash water.
Yes, sir; Yes, sir, one bag full...of unwashed Romney fleece, 5.12 pounds of it, "in the grease!" as spinners would term it. Some like to spin it this way, and wash at a later time. I can't quite wrap my mind around that idea, so I am learning to "scour." I will still run the finished fleece through a drum carder, which will comb the fibers straight and then wash the spun yarn before it ever goes into a project.
Notice how dirty the wash water is after the first soak. (I only washed less than half the fleece and this was after one quarter was soaked). The color reminded me of coffee with a little cream and sugar in it!
Pails all lined up; two to three wash cycles and then two rinse cycles!
Using the slotted spoon to retrieve stray fibers from the wash water. No agitation allowed! This old spoon, purchased at a restaurant "garage sale," has come in so handy for yard duties. It stays out at my chicken coop and its main use is to retrieve ill-placed eggs. Today it became the wool spoon.
I think this was the final rinse cycle with a little vinegar added. See the difference by this time?
Since no agitation is allowed (wool will felt), I decided to "sling" it around. Couldn't find my mesh laundry bag so a lace curtain did the trick!
Wool encased in lace--kinda cool, huh?
An alternative use for the chicken tractor. Parked right up alongside the back deck this made a handy drying rack!
Another handy drying rack. I knew there was more than one reason we bought this mesh table back in the '70's!
Clean locks alongside unwashed locks. See the difference the removal of the yellowed lanolin and dirt makes?
Locks before washing. You see flecks of dirt and such in the locks. Spinners refer to this as VM--vegetable matter. It comes from straw, grass, and whatever the sheep comes in contact with in the field. Tiny bits of this stick into the wool over the season and must be removed.
Hope you enjoyed this little wool washing experience as much as I did. How fun to work outside in the beautiful fall weather and learn a new skill called "scouring" the wool.
All day during the washing and ever since, the verse I cited above, Mark 9:3, has run through my mind. This was a big job and the results were stunning from pre-wash to rinse time. Jesus is able to make our sins white as snow by His sacrifice on Calvary. Remember the old hymn, "Are You Washed in the Blood," by Elisha A. Hoffman? It asks, "Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?"
Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb?
"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments,..." Revelation 3:5
"Come now, let us reason together,"
Says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18
Blessings, Lori
Here is the wool while on the drum carder I borrowed from the spinning and weaving guild I belong to. This makes the job so much easier. I have seen this done by hand, but it is a long process. I've even tried it before, but I vote for this method! It combs the wool evenly and puts it into a "batt" for spinning. Once the drum is full, I ran a knitting needle under the wool to remove it from the drum. A lot of vegetation is combed out of the wool during this process, thus the old sheet underneath the carder to catch the debris. I decided the basement was the best place for this project!
No. 3--Gotham City?
No. 14--If you don't get it on this one, just give up!
Romney roving in the pokeberry dye bath.
