Contemplating some serious insubordination

For the small price of two pairs of child-size mittens, I have been given three rather large bags full of freshly shorn wool. After spending several hours picking through the first fleece, I've come to several conclusions.

First, the possibilities are endless. There is a lot of wool there, and two of the bags are multicolored, which means I can separate and mix and blend to my heart's content.

Second, this is going to take forever!

It is very liberating to be given a large amount of wool in one shot. I've purchased a couple fleeces, and, while I've never bought anything really fancy, it's still a large investment, which makes it hard to throw any of it away. With three giant garbage bags of wool at my disposal, it is easier to part with the less desirable parts of the the fleece. Anything that's really dirty or packed with hay —gone! It seems wasteful at first, but it will make for better yarn in the long run.

I've also come to realize I may have to do something I've promised never to do. Something I've been expressly forbidden to do.

Normally, I clean raw wool with scalding water, lots of Dawn dish soap, and many, many rinses. With as much as there is, I don't think that is going to be an option this time. However, there is a method for cleaning large volumes of wool at once…

If allowed to sit in cool water, salt from the sheep sweat reacts with the lanolin, or oil, in the wool, creating a soap of sorts. The wool sits, stewing in its own juices, over several days while essentially scouring itself. The process is very efficient and much easier. It is also super gross, stinks terribly and has huge potential for disaster. (I've gagged through reading several hilarious blog posts about it.)

I made the mistake of sharing those posts with Darren, and he has forbidden me to ever try it. His reasoning, I will get too grossed out, and he will be the one to have to finish the process, which he has absolutely no desire to do. The man does make a valid point.

But I think I'm going to do it anyway. Shhhhh…

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