Washing Fiber by WoolWench

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Zoe Owens
5 years ago
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Washing Fiber by WoolWench First of all, don t be intimidated by this pile of raw fleece waiting for you to wash it and turn it into white fluffy gorgeous spinready fiber.

. If you re not planning on keeping this in locks to spin intact you can now open out the fibers a little.

1 Washing Fiber by WoolWench First of all, don t be intimidated by this pile of raw fleece waiting for you to wash it and turn it into white fluffy gorgeous spinready fiber. Nothing that a bit of soap and water won t fix! Washing Wool Start out by making sure the fleece has been well skirted, remove any yukky bits, theres no point trying to wash poo.. If you re not planning on keeping this in locks to spin intact you can now open out the fibers a little. If you want to keep the (long) locks or staples intact be sure to lay them out without pulling them apart and avoid too much movement once they are in the water. Some people use mesh bags to keep their staples intact during the washing process, this also reduces the risk of agitation. To be really sure of intact locks you can lay them side by side on a piece of cloth netting (tule) and then roll them up and tie it up so it doesn t unroll, this holds the locks really securely, but dont overload, you still need to get plenty of hot water and soap around the fibers.

If you have the time, it is recommended that you soak the wool overnight in cold water, this ensures that it s thoroughly wet through, it already starts removing the dirt, and it can help remove

This step means you re not shocking the fiber by going straight from cold to hot, but bringing the temperature up more gradually, preventing potential felting.

2 If you have the time, it is recommended that you soak the wool overnight in cold water, this ensures that it s thoroughly wet through, it already starts removing the dirt, and it can help remove staining too. Take the wool from the cold water and place it into warm water, add hot water to bring this up to temperature, somewhere just above 70C is good. This step means you re not shocking the fiber by going straight from cold to hot, but bringing the temperature up more gradually, preventing potential felting. As you add water be careful not to pour it over your fibers as the movement and the temperature change can cause felting. If you are starting with dry wool, press it gently down into the hot water until it is completely submerged. Use plenty (a couple of tablespoons) of detergent or washing up liquid in a bucketful of water, you can use a wool wash detergent specifically designed for wool, but I use dish washing detergent with good success, just make sure its enzyme-free. Add the detergent to the water after you have filled your tub so you don t get too many bubbles or suds, this also helps prevent possible felting. Let the wool soak in the very hot soapy water, but don t let it cool down in there, this can cause the lanolin to re-attach to the fibers and can then be difficult to remove. The water

3 should turn quite brown! This is actually the effect of the lanolin so don t worry, its supposed to do that! Before the water starts to cool too much, drain it and either press the water gently from the fleece or you could give it a quick spin in your top loader washing machine or centrifuge to get out the excess. Then it goes back into a rinse of water at the same temp as before, remember wool felts when agitated, and when the water temperature changes too much, so keep it calm and even.. Keep repeating the rinse and drain process until the water is clear and your fleece is pretty and white! If it looks like it needs it, you can add more soap into the second and even third rinse, just a bit less each time, this will help remove lanolin, and for the very greasy fleeces such as Merino and Polwarth it may be necessary. Lay the fleece out to dry after removing as much water as you can by either pressing or spinning in your centrifuge. Don t be tempted to play around too much with the fiber as you lay it out! Minimum agitation and fuss and you will have calm and easy-to-draft fiber when you come to spin it! If you are washing long locks, keep the locks separated and use a mesh bag to lay them in parallel to each other, you don t want to let them move around too much. If you don t have a huge quantity you can also wash each lock individually, pinch an end between your fingers and gently swoosh the lock around in the water until its clean, swap ends and do the same with the other end, then lay it out to dry. Key tips - no agitation - keep it at the same temperature - use plenty of hot water

Washing Angora (Rabbit fluff) Angora is a lovely lightweight fiber that has a soft handle and, when spun, has a characteristic halo. It feels soft and silky and is up to 10 times warmer than wool!

You can also blend it with another fiber before spinning. The image to the left is unwashed Angora, it looks great already!

4 Washing Angora (Rabbit fluff) Angora is a lovely lightweight fiber that has a soft handle and, when spun, has a characteristic halo. It feels soft and silky and is up to 10 times warmer than wool! Angora fluff should be pretty clean and can be spun straight off the rabbit, there shouldn t be any dirt, staining, or VM in the fiber. Just start spinning! You can also blend it with another fiber before spinning. The image to the left is unwashed Angora, it looks great already! This fiber does felt easily, and I would recommend spinning it before washing or dyeing. Washing will also enhance the halo effect in your spun yarn. To wash your spun yarn, use warm water and a wool detergent. It can shrink a little on washing too, so a good idea to do this before. You can also dye your angora yarn, using the same protein dyes as for wool, just keep in mind that the results tend to be slightly lighter colours with the same amount of dye as you would get dyeing wool. You will also need to pre-soak the fibers at least twice as long as you would pre-soak wool, because the water needs much longer to penetrate the fibers due to the air pockets angora contains. If you need to dye the fiber before it is spun, just be careful to avoid all agitation, and place the fiber in a mesh bag to best contain it in the dye bath. Washing Alpaca Alpaca is quite different from wool in that it has no lanolin in it, making it easier to wash, it doesn t require so much soap or such hot water. Apart from this you can use the same process as you would to wash wool. Be gentle with the fibers, wash them first in hot water and detergent, then gently rinse until the water is clear of dirt and soap. Alpaca love to roll around in sand and dirt, so you will be amazed at the change in the look of your fiber once it is washed! Alpaca does felt, so avoid agitation. To keep your fibers together you can also place them in a mesh or net bag for washing, or use a meshed basket that you can submerge and lift out of the water to drain.

5 Alpaca will take protein dyes well, but will be more muted in colour than wool fibers when using the same percentage of dye to fiber. Over dyeing some of the lighter coloured alpaca fibers can create a very pretty effect, and the lighter tips of some will also cause a nice variegated tone in your dye. Washing Mohair Mohair is the fleece of the Angora Goat, it is known for both its curls and its sheen. It can also be pretty smelly before you wash it! Start by separating the locks enough that the water can get between the fibers, if you are planning on lock spinning or tail spinning your longer locks, you can separate these and lay them out in a mesh bag to keep them intact during the washing process. Submerge the fiber gently in hot water with a good squeeze of detergent and let it soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain the fiber and press it gently to take out excess liquid. Repeat if needed or start the rinsing process, squeezing out the water between rinses and avoiding agitation, also keeping your rinse water approximately the same temperature each time. You should find that your fibers change from a grey to a bright white, this is very satisfying to watch! Be sure to get your mohair spread out in an airy place to dry, as it can stay wet quite a long time, especially the unseparated locks, and it can develop bacteria or mildew if its left damp for too long. To wash spun mohair, use a neutral detergent and warm water, the rinse water can have a little hair condition in it, to help the sheen shine! Spin the skein or squeeze in a towel to remove the excess water from it before hanging to dry.

Materials: Preparing your materials: Use your towel to protect your work surface. Layout one length of bubblewrap, bubbles facing up.

Materials: Preparing your materials: Use your towel to protect your work surface. Layout one length of bubblewrap, bubbles facing up. These instructions show the layout and techniques for making flat circular art pieces. Follow these basic steps used to create a strong, even, wool felt surface. This is the base or canvas, open to embellishment