Truman’s Fleece

I bought a 3.7lb sheep fleece from a vendor not too long ago, and when it arrived, I was SO excited. I created a grand plan of cleaning this fleece and preparing it from start to finish, including spinning it, and then knitting it into a cardigan.

So far I cleaned the fleece (scoured, it’s called) and it’s ready for some flicking (opening up the locks) and then I’m going to drum card it to prepare it for spinning. The Tour De Fleece starts up at the end of this month and I’m hoping to have it ready for that. Once it’s all spun up I’ve even picked out the cardigan pattern I plan on knitting.

Honestly the entire process just speaks to me. I have loved every single second, from removing vm (vegetable matter) and lanolin, to drying the fleece. It’s so soft, so much work, and it just makes me croon with contentment.

Dragonstone – 1

Now that my wash cloths are done, I’ve picked up a new project. I’m knitting a shawl called Dragonstone, which is a simple garter stitch body & some mosaic with lace detailing at the end. I decided to knit it with a tweed yarn, and I’m excited to see how it turns out!

Processing Fleece

I recently came into a 3.7lb fleece, from a leicester longwool sheep named Truman. While Truman was not a coated sheep, his best friend was – so the fleece came with minimal vm and cleaning it was pretty easy. What I didn’t realize is just how much floof 3.7lbs of wool is! I processed a tiny portion of the darker fleece to begin with, just to get the hang of things. Then a few weeks later I did the remaining fleece. I wanted to get it all cleaned and ready for storage.

My goal is to use my new drum carder (on the way) to create roving – and to spin it for the Tour de Fleece that’s happening at the end of this month. It will be the first fleece I’ve taken from start to finish, and I have plans on knitting a cardigan with it once it’s all spun and plied.

I’m incredibly excited! So far the entire process has been a learning experience, and it really speaks to my soul.

A Gift

I don’t make friends easily. I’m quite introverted, and I’m hard to get along with. I’m opinionated, and I’m not good at just letting things go. When we moved to our isolated post I knew that these characteristics might work against me.

My neighbour is another RCMP family, and they’ve done everything within their power to make us feel welcome in the community. They’re finished their duration at the post, and are on their way to another – and I’ll miss them dearly. I decided to knit them a set of cotton wash cloths as a thank you for everything they’ve done. Cotton wash cloths are one of my favourite things. They last a good while, they’re super scrubby, and they’re just comforting. I hope they like them!