Raw fleece...

[freefeet]

Hi all, new here, and new to the bow too, i just started out with a Martin x200 35lb and loving it. I'm certainly learning a lot from reading all your posts - so thanks ever so much for sharing your experiences as there's not a lot of bow hunters in the UK to help me.

Anyway, to the point of this thread...

I started spinning my own wool for clothing this year and am thinking about making a set of hunting clothes mixing all the natural fleece colours i can get into a crazy paving camo type pattern.

So i'm wondering if anyone else spins there own wool for hunting and if so do they spin the grease and muck in for scent disguise?

Anyone any thoughts or experience on whether stinking like a sheep would be useful for hunting deer or will it spook them?

[Brian Gillispie]

WoW

I started spinning my own wool for clothing this year and am thinking about making a set of hunting clothes mixing all the natural fleece colours i can get into a crazy paving camo type pattern.

Brian

[Brian Gillispie]

[Kingstaken]

Now thats's  "T R A D I T I O N A L" to a whole new level..  

[bowmac]

I've been spinning and weaving for about 20 years M/L. I do use my own socks, leggings, hood and matchcoat that I spun up and wove in cold weather. I would recommend washing the raw fleece first. If left too greasy the garments will smell bad and get worse in time. You can wash the fleece pretty good and still get the sheep smell if you wish. It takes a lot of time to spin and weave clothing. Good luck and have fun. I also wear braintan leggings in the brush.

[b.glass]

I'm looking into something similar. I want to do some felting. I'm also thinking the wool would have to be washed first. With alpaca fiber you don't have too thought. I would be interested in a good source for wool or fiber.

[Killdeer]

Hmmm. The lanolin would have you waterproofed, and your skin would be soft and silky-smooth. Throw in smelling like a sheep and...uh oh!   Here comes Aram!!    

Killdeer  

[bowmac]

Here comes Aram!!  

         

[LeeNY]

I raise sheep (baby Dolls) and Pygora goats plus have 1/2 intereset with my SIL in 9 alpaca's. I also spin. You've got to wash their fiber or you will have one stinkin mess and soon!!!!

[freefeet]

Thanks for your responses.

When you say to wash the fleece, are you meaning cool wash the fleece to leave the lanolin in while removing the filth, or hot wash it to remove the lanolin?

Who is Aram?

[freefeet]

Originally posted by b.glass:
I would be interested in a good source for wool or fiber.

Not sure what it's like where you live, but in England we have an old custom called farmer's markets where local farmers all get together and hit all the towns around their local counties once a month.  You can usually find sheep farmers at these places who are only too willing to sell you fleeces because they get more from private sales than selling to the wool industry.  Depending on the type of sheep (quality of wool) i can pay between £3.50 and £5 for a whole fleece.

Failing that try auction sites as a lot of smaller farmers sell their fleeces and other fibres on there.  Usually a bit more expensive than farmer's markets but you can still get fairly good deals for whole fleeces.

[str8sh2ter]

Originally posted by b.glass:
I'm looking into something similar. I want to do some felting. I'm also thinking the wool would have to be washed first. With alpaca fiber you don't have too thought. I would be interested in a good source for wool or fiber.

b.glass, my sister sells fiber and yarn.Email me  at [email protected] .I can get info/prices if you tell me what you want.

[Brian Krebs]

I am not sure what state it happened in; but during the election frenzy there was a story about someone dying of antrax from working with sheep skin.

 Alpaca wool is probably a better bet..

[Trail]

Try here. I get a lot of fiber from Dettar's.
 http://www.dettasspindle.net/

[freefeet]

Originally posted by Brian Krebs:
I am not sure what state it happened in; but during the election frenzy there was a story about someone dying of antrax from working with sheep skin.

If i remember the story correctly i think it was someone in the UK reskinning a djembe with an African goat skin.  It's a whole different process to using fleece from monitored UK sheep herds.  I also play, re-skin and tune traditional African drums (it's actually what got me turned onto all the traditional stuff in the first place) and will continue to do that and spin wool as well. At the end of the day i've actually got more chance of getting run over by a bus going to the shop across the road for a bar of chocolate than dying from anthrax from goat skins or sheep fleece.

[bowmac]

You could write a whole book on wool and fiber. I fill empty potato net bags with raw fleece and soak them in warm (not hot) water with a soft detergent (like dawn). I periodically squeeze the dirty water and lanolin out gently. When satisfied with the cleanliness I hang the bags outside in nice weather to air dry. If weather does not cooperate I empty wet fiber into a wood drying basket and dry close to a wood stove turning the wool periodically. I am sure there are other ways also. I also occassionally plant English Viking Flax and process into linen. This is another lengthy process. Just remember to have patience. It is not unusual for me to take a year to spin and weave a blanket in my spare time. If you would like to look at some of my sashes, straps etc. send me your email addy and I'll send an invite for my webshots.

[LeeNY]

Warm wash with a little detergent. You can't wash all the lanolin out any way. If you use hot water you'll end up felting the wool.

[LeeNY]

Or you can do what Court said!!!!! Just a little slow with my typing finger!!

[Teacher_of_the_Arcane]

Hi All,

Around this part of West Virginia you could contact the local 4-H chapters.  The 4-Her's getting their sheep and lambs ready for fall shows have fleece for sale.  Also, FFA (Future Farmers of America) members will have fleece for sale.

[Billy]

Okay, if a guy/gal spins their own..
how coarse are the fibers and then the weave?
Is this the ruff and itchy wool that ya'll are making or is it closer to merino?
As for the scent; I would think removing as much sheep as possible would be the way to go; unless you are in sheep country.
And then, what to do about wolves??
I love traditional know how... it always seeks more questions.