“Washing wool fleece is the first step to getting it ready for carding.
Once fleece is carded its ready to use for felting, or spinning it into yarn. Washing the fleece is the foundational step to a successful project. Get this step right and all the next steps will go smoothly and you will get the product at the other end that you desire. Scrimp at this stage and you’ll be struggling with every step hereafter.
Wool fleece is greasy and full of sheep sweat and dirt. You need to remove this sweat, dirt, and lanolin (a combination of grease and wax) from the wool to make it easier to work with. You also want to do it without destroying your hands or harming the fleece. Its not a difficult job if you follow some basic principles. But overlook the basic principles for cleaning fleece and you will have a mess…”
