This should keep me busy for a while!

Today's mail brought a box.... a big box.  And inside is a whole shetland fleece from a sheep named Mary, from Flutterby Farms in the San Diego area.    This fleece was living happily on Mary until last Saturday, the 27th, when John Quimby from Roseburg, OR sheared her.   All this info came from Jeri, (Fluffysgarden on Ravelry) who offered to select and ship several fleeces at a really good price.  How could I turn down such an offer.  Talk about fresh!    It was too windy to unfold it onto the mesh picnic table outside, so I spread a twin size sheet in the basement and carefully spread it out.

 I removed the yucky poopy bits, the second cuts and the coarser parts around the edges.

What is left has a staple length of about 4-5 inches and I really look forward to processing it to see what results.    

The cut side of the fleece is a lovely oatmeal color, while the tip ends are more yellow.   

I did bundle up about 6 oz of it into mesh bags to soak and wash over the next couple of days and I will be interested to see what the final color will be.    

I finished the Romney silver that I started a few weeks ago and ended up with about 5 oz of worsted weight yarn.   It was a pleasure to card and spin.

As a break from all the neutral colors, I have also been spinning up Dark Cathedral, by JulieSpins.   I originally thought it would be for socks but I think I am spinning too thin for that.   As a two ply, it should make pretty dramatic lace weight yarn.  This yarn is superwash merino, bamboo, and nylon.

And the shopping bag is coming along nicely.    My hands are getting used to the coarseness of the hemp fiber and it is a simple enough pattern to carry along for portable knitting.

The Naked Fiber Club has arrived

Today's mail brought a fluffy package and I tore into it as soon as I got home. It is the first shipment of the Naked Fiber Club and inside were three plastic bags. The largest was 8 oz of raw fiber in rich shades of brown and bronze with distinct locks and the greasy lanolin feel of sheep.

But no tag was present, so I didn't know what variety it was. Checking into Ravelry I went to the forum thread to sleuth out what I could find out. Turns out it is a Rambouillet/Teeswater cross, but I am not sure what that actually means as to softness.

I guess I will find out soon enough: It is already soaking in a large plastic bucket in the garage. I figure a good cold water soak first should loosen most of the dirt and stinkiness, before I do the hot water wash to remove rest of the dirt and the lanolin. I understand from my reading that lawns and gardens LOVE the sheepy water left behind. If it sounds like I know what I am doing here, have I got you fooled, because this will be my first try at raw sheep's wool!!! I'm learning all I can from books, Ravelry, you tube!!! To be continued....

In a second small package is 2 oz of BFL, dyed in deep rich jewel tones.

And in the third was a real surprise, and I am not going to do anything with this until someone else tries it first. Guess what it is............

Give up???