Everyone participated in every part of the process, from the first step of skirting the fleece which is pulling off dags or poop dried parts of fleece, to teasing the wool, washing, dyeing, drying, hand carding and drum carding and finally felting our final projects. Much laughter and conversations about knitting, spinning, patterns, natural dyes, sheep raising etc filled the air while our hands busily worked together over the 3 ½ days together. After experiencing the whole process from the fleece to the finished fiber, one may never again complain about how expensive wool is.
I feel so fortunate to be a part of this class. I get to spend the weekend with sheep and a group of people excited to learn about wool. I’m continually amazed by what wool can become and what students create. Combine hot water, soap, agitation (human energy) and a little creativity and the possibilities of wool are endless! Ohhh, did I mention, patience?!