Some things I found in Constance and Issachar’s wool when I was skirting it today:
leaves
hay
sticks
seeds
a beetle carcass
small piece of wire
dried poop
thistle (ouch)
small stick with a single thorn
a thorn
agrimonia seed pods
I still have Asher and Robins wool from the fall shearing to skirt. But I’ll leave that for next weekend. I got some big beautiful beets at the farmers market today and I want to make borscht.
Below is the dreaded agrimonia seeds stuck in Issachar’s wool (not sure what kind of seeds are in the picture above)
The seeds above haven’t been a problem like the agrimonia is. It gets stick in the machines that process the wool, so I have to be careful to get them all out. Last fall I didn’t let the sheep in the back pasture once the agrimonia had gone to seed. But still a few slipped through, although not as many as in past years.
I had Issachar and Asher shorn in the fall and spring, but I’m afraid their wool may be too short to make into yarn. It’s so short, I’m just hoping it will be long enough to make into roving.
I’ve been making my sheep’s wool into yarn and roving for over ten years, but still every year it’s different.
This year I’ll only shear the twins once.
I’ll bring my wool to Nobletown Fiber Mill two Saturday’s from today and will expect it back in February.
The conical shaped agrimonia seed that sticks onto just about anything like velcro.
