Several years ago I purchased a raw Icelandic Sheep fleece from my friend Selma, owner of Bone Dry Ridge in Rochester, WA, shown below hand feeding one of her lambs. This was my first fleece ever that I was going to process myself. I skirted, washed, picked, carded, and spun it into yarn. Back then I didn't have any fiber processing equipment of my own except for my spinning wheel, so I bought an inexpensive dog comb for picking and borrowed my friend's hand-cranked drum carder to make batts for spinning. Aside from the hot water for washing, no other step in the process required electricity.
To give you an idea of how long this has been in the making, I was spinning the yarn during the 2008 Presidential debates! The yarn sat for many years on the shelf, patiently waiting for the right pattern to present itself. I finally decided on the wickerwork pattern that you see here. The scarf is over 7' long - perfect for wrapping around my head and ears on our (thankfully rare) freezing cold winter days.
What are you working on right now? Feel free to share...
Ciao for now,
Lynn
