Prepping the Fleece!
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To give you all a break from barn-cleaning pictures, I thought I would describe how I've been prepping the Icelandic fleece that I bought from Lee. You might recall that one of the fleeces I bought that first day was from a sheep that is owned by a friend of Lee's - and his sheep are fed differently than Lee's are (in terms of the type of feeder used). This became very apparent when Lee showed me the fleece - the amount of VM (vegetable matter) in Lee's fleece vs. that of her friend's was staggering - very little in Lee's, and a ton in her friend's. Ultimately, what I think I'm going to do with this fleece (from a lovely sheep named May) is send it to a wool mill for processing - there is simply too much VM for me to get out on my own, so in this case, it is definitely worth the cost to make sure it is skirted and scoured well by a team of professionals. However, I thought it would be good practice to tear off a chunk of it, do some skirting, scour it, and then try out my new Viking combs.
Here is a shot of May's fleece in the bag:
You can see a lot of VM - seeds, grasses, etc., and this isn't even looking deep inside the fleece - there is a lot more in there! But check out the beautiful colors - the thel (undercoat) in the grays and blacks, and the tog (outer, longer locks) in white and gray - yes, I am quite enamored of Icelandic fleece!
So for my trial run, I tore off a fairly large chunk and picked as much VM out of it as I could.
Then I filled up my kitchen sink with scalding hot water and Dawn dish soap, and set the fleece on top of the suds - I hardly had to push it into the water because once the fleece starts soaking up the water, it sinks pretty rapidly. I made sure it all got covered in water, then let it soak for about 30 minutes. I didn't want to wait so long that the water cooled off and the lanolin re-congealed back onto the fleece.
When the water had cooled enough to allow me to put my hands into it, I lifted the fleece out of the soapy water and set it onto a dish towel. Then I cleaned out the sink (made sure all of the dirt, VM, and soap were gone) and ran VERY HOT rinse water, and gently added the fleece (you don't want to shock the fleece by putting it into a rinse that is a drastically different temperature - this can cause it to felt). At this point I had to handle it a bit more than I did with the soapy water - in order to get the soap out, I did some gentle squeezing of sections of the fleece to help it fully rinse. But again, I had to be very careful so that I didn't felt the fleece.
After gently squeezing the soap out of the thicker sections of the fleece, I let it sit for about another 30 minutes. I then lifted it out of the water, gently squeezed as much water out of it as I could, and wrapped it up in clean towels - and continued to gently squeeze the excess water from the fleece. I set up my drying rack in our spare bedroom (where our kitties aren't allowed!), and hung the locks and pieces of fleece out to dry! By the next day, I had some beautiful, clean fluff:
After only one wash in Dawn and one rinse, I had beautiful, clean Icelandic fleece to start combing! I am a BIG believer in the ability of Dawn to clean dishes and to, literally, get grease out of the way - now I know that it is powerful stuff because of its ability to clean the lanolin out of a fleece so effectively! (And no, I do not work for Dawn, am not compensated for giving my opinion about Dawn, and do not know anybody who works for Dawn!)
So now, in order to comb or card, I was supposed to either do hand-picking or run the fleece through a picker, which is a tool that helps to open up the fleece, allowing leftover dirt and VM to fall out, and to make combing easier. Well, I don't own a picker, so I just played with it for a bit, then started combing it, and ended up with these little nests of combed fiber:



















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That's a smart and practical approach. Testing a small section of the heavily VM-laden fleece allows you to refine your skirting and scouring techniques and break in your new Viking combs, while wisely deciding to send the bulk to a mill ensures the final product is professionally cleaned and processed—a perfect balance of hands-on learning and efficiency.
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Your fleece adventure with May is a perfect example of knowing when to call in the pros—and your Viking combs are clearly ready for their close-up.
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That sounds like a great plan—both practical and a perfect way to test out your new combs! It's fascinating how much difference feeding methods can make in the amount of vegetable matter. May sounds like a lovely sheep, and sending the bulk of her fleece to a mill makes total sense given the VM situation. Tearing off a chunk to practice skirting, scouring, and combing is a smart move—you'll get the hands-on experience without being overwhelmed. Plus, there's something really satisfying about processing even a small bit of fleece from start to finish with your own tools. Hope the Viking combs work beautifully!
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That sounds like a solid approach—using hot water and Dawn is a classic for cutting through lanolin, and keeping an eye on the temperature makes a big difference. The colors in that Icelandic fleece sound absolutely gorgeous, even with all the VM to contend with!
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That sounds like a smart approach—sending the bulk to a mill saves you from the overwhelming VM, while practicing on a chunk lets you get hands-on with your new Viking combs!
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This is a warm, detailed, and authentic post—it shares a personal learning experience, clearly explains the differences in fleece quality, and walks through the decision-making process with practical insights that fellow fiber artists will appreciate.
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This is a detailed and practical first-person account of preparing Icelandic fleece, comparing vegetable matter levels and deciding when professional milling is worth the cost.
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This process typically includes sorting (skirting), removing debris, washing to eliminate dirt and natural oils, and ensuring the fibers are of consistent length and quality to produce a smooth final product. happy pets family vet Proper fleece preparation is essential because it directly affects the softness, durability, and overall quality of the finished material
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"Sounds like a great way to practice your fiber skills before sending the tricky fleece to a mill.
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Such a detailed and fascinating look into processing Icelandic fleece — from dealing with heavy VM and skirting, all the way through scouring, drying, combing, and spinning. It’s especially interesting how different tools like pickers, combs, and drum carders can completely change the fiber outcome, and how tog and thel behave differently depending on the process.
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Preparing fleece is an important step in fiber processing where raw wool is cleaned, sorted, and conditioned before it can be spun into yarn or used in textile production. This process often includes removing dirt, debris, and unsuitable fibers through careful handling to ensure high-quality material for crafting and manufacturing.
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