dragons in the flower bed Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The wool, not the sheep. You could fit a sheep into this bag, though. What would you do next? I am, yes in fact, in this very position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Find your spindle. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I would probably keep the bag of sheep stuff on my kitchen counter for at least 6 months while I stared at it every day trying to think of what in the world to do with it. It would eventually blend in to my countertop and I would start calling it decoration. Also, this is the coolest problem ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The wool, not the sheep. You could fit a sheep into this bag, though. What would you do next? I am, yes in fact, in this very position. I might mail it to a friend who would think it was cool to have a bag of wool.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I don't know what you should do next But you really made me laugh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Find your spindle. :tongue_smilie: I am SO tempted to use this as an excuse to get a spindle. But don't you have to clean the wool somehow first? This stuff still has mud on it. (Please be mud. Please be mud.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Well, since I am a spinner, I'd probably be jumping up and down for joy- provided it was in good shape and not too terribly dirty. Scouring wool with lots of vegetable matter (grass or weeds or other icky stuff) can be a pain in the behind! Aw, heck, even if it was dirty, I'd probably be pretty excited. So what kind of sheep was it? How many pounds of fiber do you have? You could probably find a spinner that's willing to buy it from you if it's in good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I am SO tempted to use this as an excuse to get a spindle. But don't you have to clean the wool somehow first? This stuff still has mud on it. (Please be mud. Please be mud.) Ummm....It's probably mud, but even if it isn't, you can still clean it! If you're going to spin it up (spindle or wheel,) you'll also need to card it. In a pinch, hand cards can be made from slicker brushes for dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 well, first I would wash it.... and then I would learn about the wonderful world of felting. Call all your waldorf friends. They will be thrilled to help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I am SO tempted to use this as an excuse to get a spindle. But don't you have to clean the wool somehow first? This stuff still has mud on it. (Please be mud. Please be mud.) :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yes, it has to be washed first. (and it the shearing was done right, it IS mud) I'd be you tubing and googling wool processing and likely annoying/amusing my dh to no end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yes, it has to be washed first. (and it the shearing was done right, it IS mud) I'd be you tubing and googling wool processing and likely annoying/amusing my dh to no end. :iagree: This. I would use it as an excuse to undertake another experiment in frontier-type homemaking. DH absolutely doesn't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 So...what did you say that led this someone to believe you'd like a bag of wool? I have no idea what I'd do. Probably give it back. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 So...what did you say that led this someone to believe you'd like a bag of wool? That's what I'd like to know! :lol: I'd call the Spinners and Weavers Guild and ask them to teach Diva, cause she'd think it was cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 There's washing & carding & all that stuff, and then the spinning. Goooooogle! I know someone who got several fleeces & processed them from soaking in her bathtub to dyeing/spinning/knitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Oh, and I am jealous. Very, very jealous. I must go buy yarn now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woolspinner Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 You can send it to a place to be cleaned and made into roving. It is not all that expensive. There are a couple of places in Michigan that I know of and I am sure that are some in several other states. Buy the spindle and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 My friend with sheep paid to have her wool washed and carded. I bought some after she got it back. I would get the number of those people and pay them to get it all ready for me to have fun with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I have spun myself but recently sold my wheel for lack of use and tkaing up space. However my mother is an excellent and proliferate spinner and weaver- I would pack it up and send it to her, and probably receive the gift of a handmade garment in return later in the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Iwould be extremely happy, then rush to ravelry.com and ask for help and links. The powers over there can always find me just what I need on youtube or in blogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Read Pelle's New Suit or A Symphony for the Sheep. Both books go through all the steps of wool processing (okay, they're just picture books, not how-tos, but we loved reading them when the kids were small). As others have said, first wash, then card, then you can use the carded wool for felting or spinning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 So...what did you say that led this someone to believe you'd like a bag of wool? Well, I was felting an egg, you see, and my cousin who lives upstairs came down and said, "Gosh, my co-worker just offered me a bag of wool." Then I said, "Does he still have it? I'll take it! That'd be great!" So cousin texted his coworker. The next day when I came down after having dinner upstairs with aforementioned cousins, there was a bag of wool half the size of the piano next to the instrument. I stared at it for a few seconds, then came to the Hive to find out what terms to Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 there was a bag of wool half the size of the piano next to the instrument. :lol: Quite the visual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 very cool! I would call up our 4-H extension agent and ask for resources. :-) then google. ======================================= but honestly? my first thought at reading the title was that "shaved their sheep" was a euphemism for, ....well.....yeah. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 When this happened to us a few years ago, DH did some carding with the kids and talked about wool, then we used the bulk of it around the base of our new plants, held down by visipore fabric. It's still there doing a great job holding in moisture. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Ummm....It's probably mud, but even if it isn't, you can still clean it! If you're going to spin it up (spindle or wheel,) you'll also need to card it. In a pinch, hand cards can be made from slicker brushes for dogs. 2 slicker brushes can work. You can also build a hand drop spindle: http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/make-dropspin.shtml Go to a craft store or Hobby Lobby for wooden dowels and wheels. Have fun! There is a cute story by Tomie de Paola: Charlie Needs A Cloak Animated book in a cartoon by Weston Woods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A16Hv6Gx41M You can build this into a unit for sheep, farmers, wool, natural dyes, knitting, crochet, etc. Edited March 12, 2011 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Well, I was felting an egg, you see, and my cousin who lives upstairs came down and said, "Gosh, my co-worker just offered me a bag of wool." Then I said, "Does he still have it? I'll take it! That'd be great!" So cousin texted his coworker. The next day when I came down after having dinner upstairs with aforementioned cousins, there was a bag of wool half the size of the piano next to the instrument. I stared at it for a few seconds, then came to the Hive to find out what terms to Google. :lol: You know you're a homeschooler when.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Gosh if it were me I would be on the phone with my mom, who knows all about this stuff and wondering why I never paid attention when I was a kid. I think you wash it, and then depending on what you want to do with it you might need to boil it to get the lanolin out. And then card it. And stuff. I can probably get more specifics from Mom if you can't find what you need online. A whole fleece really is a LOT of wool. It's astounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Depending on the type of sheep it came from, the "mud" could be thick lanolin deposits. If I were you, I'd do some googling about washing wool fleece, wash it, and then see if it felts. Of course I'm not you, so I'd google about washing wool fleece, use the picker on it a little bit, and not wash it for fear of felting it in the tub. (I really do need to get working on the 4 fleeces we have in big bags from last spring...) PS: One of our two ewes had a lamb today! Our first lamb! hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'd google search for the best and EASIEST way to clean the wool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 When this happened to us a few years ago, DH did some carding with the kids and talked about wool, then we used the bulk of it around the base of our new plants, held down by visipore fabric. It's still there doing a great job holding in moisture. Erica in OR This happens to multiple people?!? :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Wash it, card it, and spin it; duh;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Well, I was felting an egg, you see, and my cousin who lives upstairs came down and said, "Gosh, my co-worker just offered me a bag of wool." Then I said, "Does he still have it? I'll take it! That'd be great!" So cousin texted his coworker. The next day when I came down after having dinner upstairs with aforementioned cousins, there was a bag of wool half the size of the piano next to the instrument. I stared at it for a few seconds, then came to the Hive to find out what terms to Google. :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 This happens to multiple people?!? :svengo: :smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 You could send it to me. I know people who will tell me what to do with it. I promise to send you a pair of socks I've knitted with it. :D This whole thread is cracking me up. You should write a book about it. Definitely blog about it, at least! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I am just getting quite the visual with this thread title... Good luck with your wool! I hope it's the useful kind from an actual wool breed. You'll have such a blast with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 This happens to multiple people?!? :svengo: Only here, Lolly, Only here! I must add, I read the title to this thread and didn't think twice about the bag containing a naked sheep, until I read the first line of the first post. THEN I started laughing hysterically, and couldn't even read it to DH. It was one of those times when you take a deep breath, start to read it, and then burst out laughing. He used to THINK I was crazy. Now, he KNOWS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 When I first read your title, I thought someone had given you a naked dead sheep. I was prepared to be grossed out and indignant on your behalf. I was relieved to read your actual post, but have no idea what I would do. Probably try to get rid of it as fast as possible and pretend I wasn't wondering if any bugs were stowing away in the wool. :001_smile: Here's hoping you find a more practical and fun suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The wool, not the sheep. You could fit a sheep into this bag, though. What would you do next? I am, yes in fact, in this very position. :lol: I've read the title oh, five or six times tonight wondering why on earth someone would give away a bald sheep, in a bag, no less. Finally it occurred to me that the wool-not the sheep-was in the bag. Sorry, I have no idea what I would do. This reminds me of the book Ive read to each DC about the little red coat that was made from the wool of a sheep. Now I'm off to read the replies because I'm curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 but honestly? my first thought at reading the title was that "shaved their sheep" was a euphemism for, ....well.....yeah.:lol: Goodness gracious! If that was what someone had presented me with... gosh... apparently I'd be speechless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 didn't think twice about the bag containing a naked sheep :lol: Bless your heart. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'd be calling up SCA friends and finding out who can show me how to clean and card it and decide whether to spin or felt it. OT: ow, Cin! it hurts to laugh right now!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Best. Thread. Ever! :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Best. Thread. Ever! :lol::lol::lol: :iagree: where's the like button? I'm :lol: and everyone thinks I'm craaazzy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I would hit Google and YouTube immediately, looking for detailed instructions on spinning and raw wool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 The wool, not the sheep. You could fit a sheep into this bag, though. What would you do next? I am, yes in fact, in this very position. Put it on e-bay. I hear Justin Bieber's hair went for 40K last week (:glare:). :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymama7 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 This is the funniest thread I've read in a long time. Maybe ever. I am a knitter but not a spinner. I might take it up though if presented with a big bag-o-fleece. My aunt raises alpaca for their wool. She'd know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I've heard that you can use it as a mulch. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I am SO tempted to use this as an excuse to get a spindle. But don't you have to clean the wool somehow first? This stuff still has mud on it. (Please be mud. Please be mud.) Ruth took it to a nearby stream and pummeled it by hand in the flowing water. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Clean it, card it, spin it, weave it! That would be fun! (I've been wanting to get into fiber arts....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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