Fleece Washing 101

When I first learned to spin, back in the early 90's, I read Lee Raven's book Hands On Spinning, and followed her advice on how to wash fleece. The first fleece I bought was from Reading Terminal Market in Philadephia, a brown fleece from a sheep named Edna. It was only $4 a pound, and extremely dirty, but otherwise a good fleece, probably Romney. I scoured it lock by lock, using Dawn dishwashing soap, 140 degree water, following all the book's instructions. Grab a lock by the cut end, immerse it in the water, scrub the tip end with your other hand, then drop it into a soak bucket. Soak 20 minutes, then drain in a colander and rinse with a bit of vinegar in the rinse water. It was time-consuming to scrub all those tips, but rewarding to transform something once so dirty and smelly into beautiful, clean fiber. It made it very easy to card and fun to spin. Overall, a nice experience.

I then bought a beautiful gray Romney fleece on a trip to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival which was not horribly dirty, so I tried washing a couple of pounds of it using a mesh garment bag by soaking and spinning in a top-loading washing machine (still using Dawn, NO AGITATING). Lots of people use this method, and swear by it. I never felt like it got the fleece clean enough, though. The really dirty part of the fleece (the tips) never got clean, and it is no fun carding and spinning it in this condition. It takes much longer to card. You either have to tease the ends of each lock open with a flicker brush, or if it is really bad, just cut the tips off.

It works OK if the fleece is of a type that is not very greasy, like the Norwegian Spelsau. However, I was so disappointed with the results of washing a Cotswald fleece via this method, that it is still sitting in the mesh bag it was washed in about 5 years ago. It was really greasy and dirty, and it just didn't seem appealing to card or spin without re-washing, and I kind of gave up on it.

The Ravelry website has a Fiber Preparation forum, with a fleece-washing thread that has been going on for about a year. I started at the beginning of this thread, and read through the whole thing looking for help. It seems that the soaking method is what most people use, but maybe my water was not hot enough, or I wasn't using the right soap, or something. Some people recommend using tulle netting to keep the fleece distributed in a "burrito" formation, so that the water can flow through evenly while soaking. Some people use plastic trays and layer them. Lots of people still use Dawn, but others prefer Kookaburra, Unicorn Power Scour, or Soak.

So, I tried again with a soft, crimpy Merino fleece I had bought at the Maine Fiber Frolic (see photos above). It had looked fairly clean from the outside. But when I got it home, I saw that all the tips were on the inside (as they all are, packaged for judging in the fleece competition) and they were really awful-looking. The label written by the sheep farmer had said "consider professional processing," and I should have. I thought I could handle it. I didn't know that Merino is one of the hardest fleece to process, as it is THE GREASIEST and also felts very easily. So, you have to use very hot water, but be extra-careful not to agitate. I tried using a new soap, Kookaburra Wool Scour, and heating water on the stove to get the temperature up to 160 degrees. I did not have any tulle or plastic trays, so I did not use them. Once again, the fleece got nice & clean, but the tips are still really caked and icky (photo on left is AFTER washing). I finally decided to just cut the tips off (photo on right is after cutting). Once they are cut off, it should be fine. Merino 1, Rebecca zero. But, this isn't over.

First Pair of Soldier Socks Completed

I finished these 2/19/2009, and have already started on another pair, and a beanie with the leftover sock yarn. The photo is after machine-washing and drying. They are men's size 9-10, the most needed size. The legs have to be 12" long, to go up over their Army boots. I think they turned out quite nicely.

Tal's hat

I still have a lot of the Rowan Big Wool left, so I made "The Brangelina Hat" (photo top right is before felting, photo left is Tal modeling the felted hat). Since the pattern is designed for bulky yarn, even though I downsized it a bit, it still turned out to be an XL-size hat. So, I took it to work and gave it to a co-worker, Tal, who I thought it might fit, but it was too big for him. He had the bright idea of washing it in the washing machine to shrink it. I knew this would really felt it, but this yarn is good for felting, so maybe it would work. And it did! Of course, the brim shrank to almost nothing, but he likes it anyway, and I have seen him wearing it, so cool. So far I am 2-for-2 on these hats. I may make another hat from a pattern that is meant to be felted. The felting came out so well.

Russian Princess In Exile Hat

I needed a break from knitting with the fingering-weight SFS sock yarn.

It has been such a cold winter here in Maine. So, over Xmas vaction, I thought it would be good to knit some hats for friends. I made the "Russian Princess in Exile" hat for my friend Jone, who likes it and wears it on her walks. It was made with Rowan Big Wool which I bought on sale from Webs.

I have yet to knit a new hat for myself, which I sorely need. I am going around in my old Peace Fleece Tribal Mountain Hat, which I knit years ago. I still like it, but really. A knitter should have more than one knit hat to show off. Like most knitters and crafters, though, I always give away most of the stuff I make.

Socks For Soldiers

I joined Socks For Soldiers a couple of months ago, but have still not finished my first pair of Olive Drab socks. I am trying to finish them this week, since I am on vacation. The legs must be 12" long, and they seem to be taking forever, plus I am using the Magic Loop "Two at a Time" (TAAT) technique for the first time, so it has slowed me down a bit. Both socks must be knit concurrently from an official pattern. Only certain yarns may be used, which have been selected because they have regulation colors (hence the Olive Drab) to wear with their uniforms. Also, they must meet strict standards for wear and tear, and comfort. At this point, I have about 9" done with the legs, and they have passed the 2-liter "Coke Bottle Test".

I strongly encourage anyone who likes knitting socks to join this group. More knitters are always needed. Troops being withdrawn from Iraq are being sent to Afghanistan, and they will probably be there for awhile, since things are such a mess. They are doing a tough job, and I feel good about sending a bit of moral support. It is also a nice connection to the past, when knitters made socks for soldiers in earlier wars. I have made a New Year's Resolution to spend at least 20 minutes a day knitting for SFS in 2009.

"Knitters Thumb" is no joke!

I have not been knitting much for the past few months, and I really miss it. I had to stop for awhile due to what turned out to be tenosynovitis in my thumb and wrist (a.k.a "knitter's thumb"), which I am about 99.99% sure was caused by too much knitting over the 2007 Xmas holidays and/or shortly thereafter, when I tried to knit a worsted-weight yarn into a pattern designed for sport-weight yarn. WARNING TO ALL KNITTING DUMMIES: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

I tried to force the yarn into the correct gauge by using needles WAY too small for worsted (size 2 US), and the resulting strain on my already-overworked left thumb was too much for it. When it started hurting, I ignored it and kept going. I had to finish the project. This was so stupid. If something starts hurting like that, you should never ignore it. But, I did, and the pain then spread to my wrist, and has only recently started to get better. I had to go to the doctor, took Naproxen for 2 months, and wear a wrist brace at night, which I am still wearing. I only recently dared to start knitting again, about an hour at a time only. And when it starts hurting, I stop & put ice on it.

In my defense, I LOVE Scandinavian patterns, and this one DID call for worsted-weight yarn, but it was a 1950's classic pattern, "Scandinavian Snow Sets", and I think the term "worsted weight" must have meant something different then. Or, maybe their yarn was softer and would compress more easily. I was using Lamb's Pride (not bulky, I am not a total idiot), and there is no way you could get the gauge they were calling for with worsted weight, and enjoy knitting it. So, learn from my mistakes. IF THE YARN DOESN'T WANT TO FIT IN YOUR PATTERN, DON'T INJURE YOURSELF TRYING TO FORCE IT! No matter what the pattern says. Alter the pattern to fit your materials. Or, find another pattern. Your health is not worth it!!! I ended up having to change the pattern anyway, because the knitted fabric was too dense. All I had to do was remove the borders along the sides, and be a bit creative. The resulting slipper socks came out very nicely, but not worth all the pain I have had over the last few months when I forget and pick up an object at the wrong angle with my left hand! A true knitting dummy, this blog is aptly named.

The Orthopedic M.D., who finally cured my condition with a shot of cortisone, said he doubted it could have been caused solely by knitting, but I'm still pretty sure that's how it started.

Knitting honor bages

I am an avid listener of the knitting podcast "Cast On", and this summer's theme has been "Camping for Adults." You can earn beads for various accomplishments, or
honor badges. I definitely qualify for the "MacGyver Level 1" badge. I once made a set of sock needles from a dowel, and I still use them. I'm pretty sure that I have used paper clips for stitch holders, too.

I encourage others to check the list of badges, it is a fun read, plus you will probably qualify for something to display proudly on your own blog or web page. Also, if you have not yet discovered the wonderful world of knitting podcasts, I pity you. Cast-on is only one of them, but it's a good start. Check it out, you don't need an iPod to listen, just an Internet connection and speakers, and it's free.