I have scoured one fleece in my lifetime, and it was a lot of work. Since then, I have attended a scouring workshop, listened to fiber friends describe their processes, read how-to's, etc. But it still seemed daunting... until now.
At the last spinning guild meeting, one of the co-presidents demonstrated her process, then provided us with a hands-on opportunity. First, we skirted a fleece, something I have never done and didn't really understand. But she explained that you simply remove the poopy bits, the mats, the second cuts, as much or as little as you want. Heavy skirters may reduce a four-pound fleece to one pound, whereas those who don't mind dealing with the riffraff are light skirters. It's not black and white, it's not a science or even an art, it's a do-what-suits-you kind of thing.
Then our fearless leader explained that she heats no water for scouring, using hot tap water instead. While most fleece scourers insist you need water to be at 140 degrees, tap water may run around 120 degrees. The advantage is, with a little help from Power Scour or Dawn, the dirt will come off just fine. And you can smoosh things around a bit without worrying about felting.
Three dishpans of water, one for the initial rinse, one with Power Scour, one for a final rinse, is all one needs. After this experience, I could not wait to try this out at home.
First, I laid out the Jacob ewe fleece I had purchased a while back. It had been well-skirted, barely any poop to be seen. I set up my "work station" in the utilty sink... and discovered the sink has a major leak, not in the drain, but in the input hose. So I moved the operation outside, which worked better anyway; I could pick out vegetable matter and toss it into the wind. I also discovered that my hot water tap registers at 120 degrees, until the hot water heater kicks in; then the temp rises to 130, barely tolerable despite rubber gloves.
With hotter temps and a fair amount of smooshing, felting became more of a concern. I decided to limit my first go round to a few handfuls of fleece. Once I have carded it, I'll decide whether the water was too hot and/or I smooshed too much.
With such a small amount, I was able to spin out the extra moisture using a salad spinner that has been designated as for fiber only. Then I laid the samples out on a plastic garbage bag and turned on the ceiling fan, my go-to method of drying fiber and fiber products.
Already I have some modifications to this method. For one, I plan to leave the fleece in the first bath to soak for a while, so less smooshing will be needed. I may also put the fleece in mesh bags so I can line up the locks. And I used WAY too much Power Scour, which doesn't hurt, but is a waste.
Fiber prep: See above.
Knitting: I finished the second cowl; separate post to follow.
Weaving: I finished the gray wall hanging; it still needs a rod to hang from. The waffle weave towels are washed; separate post to follow. And I worked some on the skyline sample.
The tapestry workshop is next weekend. Gulp! I keep rehearsing my part in my head, but I know once I get in front of people, I will babble a bit. Hopefully, I will make enough sense.
