Stuff yay!
I have wool! I've been asking around to people at work, if they have or know anyone who needs to get rid of some raw wool. One co-worker has llamas and he has promised me a couple bags, another has sheep that he's just starting to shear. He brought me one bag yesterday with a promise of more when I ask for it.
I've been Googling how to wash it and apparently you can use the washing machine, if you're super careful about it. Soak, hot water (140-160 degrees), regular dish soap (Dawn, about 1 full cup for every two pounds of wool), NO AGITATION! Soak, rinse, soak, rinse, dry and done. Now hopefully it really is that easy. I also have a huge black tub for it if I need to do it all by hand. First thing I did on the way home was stop by my parents' and consult the Foxfire books.
I've also got feelers out for wool bats, for carding the wool once it's dry. Once I card it, then I can bag it up and hopefully barter it for the cloth I need to make my dress for SCA events. yay! Maybe eventually I'll learn how to spin and weave and maybe, possibly, even how to knit. I'm not planning on going that far yet.
I'm getting to do all kinds of things I've always wanted to and just never got to do. I have to be careful not to go in too many directions at once. There are just too many things I'm interested in and I can't do them all, or at least not right away.
Oh! Oh! And a guy who was doing apiary registration had a bad couple years, is down to only 10 hives, and needs to home some of them. I can home two in exchange for the honey and wax! Ahh! Mead and candles! And I'm going to take either the grapefruit or the useless little plum tree out of my back yard (or possibly both) and put in a peach or nectarine. Peach mead! Ok, Feather is getting too excited now. Heeeee!
I've been Googling how to wash it and apparently you can use the washing machine, if you're super careful about it. Soak, hot water (140-160 degrees), regular dish soap (Dawn, about 1 full cup for every two pounds of wool), NO AGITATION! Soak, rinse, soak, rinse, dry and done. Now hopefully it really is that easy. I also have a huge black tub for it if I need to do it all by hand. First thing I did on the way home was stop by my parents' and consult the Foxfire books.
I've also got feelers out for wool bats, for carding the wool once it's dry. Once I card it, then I can bag it up and hopefully barter it for the cloth I need to make my dress for SCA events. yay! Maybe eventually I'll learn how to spin and weave and maybe, possibly, even how to knit. I'm not planning on going that far yet.
I'm getting to do all kinds of things I've always wanted to and just never got to do. I have to be careful not to go in too many directions at once. There are just too many things I'm interested in and I can't do them all, or at least not right away.
Oh! Oh! And a guy who was doing apiary registration had a bad couple years, is down to only 10 hives, and needs to home some of them. I can home two in exchange for the honey and wax! Ahh! Mead and candles! And I'm going to take either the grapefruit or the useless little plum tree out of my back yard (or possibly both) and put in a peach or nectarine. Peach mead! Ok, Feather is getting too excited now. Heeeee!