Cleaning raw fleeces

Wow… where has the summer gone? It’s been a busy one for my daughter and me. I’ve been posting sporadically here, although I’ve done a bit better on my crafting website. This past February, I started spinning and a few months ago, I added something else to the mix and started purchasing raw fleeces. Initially, the fiber I’d purchased had already been cleaned, but I must tell you there’s something truly satisfying about doing the entire process myself. Of course… it means added work, but I really don’t mind that at all.

Before I took this step, I was looking at my dwindling pile of cleaned fiber and thinking, “I need to purchase more,” but… BUT I really didn’t want to spend too much on the fiber and so I looked into raw animal fiber. The pricing is usually lower, and if you choose “dirty fleeces” the prices typically can drop by a lot. Currently I have about 60 pounds of fiber (wool, mohair, alpaca and llama) that needs to be cleaned. I do believe that will be enough to last me in my spinning adventures for quite some time.