Fleece to Finish

Scouring the Jacob Fleece

Letting Dry

Beginning to Card

Extra Carding time, Beginning to spin. Turkish Drop Spindles are available for purchase, and lessons can be provided

Course will include: Buckets to Scour in, brush, unprepared fleece, Soap, Mesh Laundry Bag, Access to Carding, Gloves.

Please note: food and beverage is not included. Coffee Bar will be open for any caffeination needs. Bakery next door to the shop is open on Saturdays, but not on Sundays. A spindle/Wheel is also not included, however, if you want to learn this can be a fun community to learn how to spin!

The Breakdown

Saturday will be all about scouring. Be prepared to spend the majority of the day on the back porch with your hands in a sink-hot bucket of water. There will be some downtime so bring a project to work on while the hot water works through the wool. Wools will go through 3-4 baths in soapy water during which we will be picking out bugs and mats, as well as some straw and other products. After the fleece is clean, we will lay it out to dry and once its ready, it will go through the drum carder, after which it's ready for spinning! 

The Jacob Fleece, from Fiona, came from Wellspring Farm in Burnsville, NC. I had the pleasure of visiting the farm to pick it out and it is just wonderful! I couldn't take my hands off it. Jacobs are a primitive breed, meaning they are relatively the same today as they have always been. Their fleeces are black and white which can be left separate during the dyeing/carding process for striping, or blended to make a beautiful grey. 

The Tunis Fleece, from Tilly, is also from Wellspring Farm. Tunis are another primitive breed of sheep historically bred for meat production. But their wool is extraordinarily lovely as well. They are also one of the oldest sheep breeds to be brought to the Americas. These fleeces are white and lanolin rich!

Feel free to take both weekends and make a custom Tunis/Jacob Blend!