Instructor: Anna Hosick-Kalahan, Skagit Woolen Works
This is the first class is a two-part series on selecting and processing fleece and fibers, which can be taken as a stand-alone workshop or as a lead-in to the second workshop, Wool Prep Tools and Techniques.
We will start the day with an optional, free field trip to Carnation Farms for a sheep shearing and wool skirting demonstration. Participants will also have an opportunity to purchase a raw fleece at Carnation Farms.
After a lunch break (a great chance to grab something tasty at the Carnation Farms Farm Stand!), we will return to Clear Creek Farm to look at raw fleeces, learn about different categories of wool breeds, and talk about why we might be interested in yarn from different kinds of wool. We will talk about selecting fleeces for hand processing, how to skirt and prep your fleece for scouring and further hand-processing, and what you might want to think about if you have fleeces you’d like to send to the mill. As we’re discussing raw wool we’ll be hands-on walking through the process of home-scouring wool, as clean wool is key for the steps that will come next. If you have raw fleeces that you would like to have Anna look at, you are invited to bring them along.
Fleece disclaimer: Attendees are welcome to bring one of their own raw fleeces for Anna to briefly evaluate. Please have them securely contained, preferably in a clear plastic bag. Be aware that we will 'quarantine' attendees' fleeces outdoors, and will look at them outside or in the barn.