Cleaning a fleece, part two

After some conversation with Linda, I tried a new tact to clean the fleece. I filled a plastic tub with cool water, put it in the bathtub, and then added the fleece making sure it could float freely. This lead to very dirty water after soaking overnight. This morning I emptied it out on the grass and filled the tub back up with cool water to soak again today.

Tonight I'll add some hot water and soap before rinsing and drying. Another friend had an absolutely beautiful Wensleydale fleece that came out pure white when she cleaned it so that is what I was expecting. Mine is a mixture of Perendale/Romney/Coopworth with a very nice small crimp. After the first cleaning, it is actually quite pretty.

Cleaning a fleece, part one

Now I need to learn how to properly clean the fleece I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. The fleece is about 6 pounds and a mix of Perendale/Romney/Coopworth. I put some of the raw fleece in a lingerie bag and made sure the water was very hot before immersing the bag.  Wow, the first wash water was really very brown so I washed it again and then again. After rinsing, it went on a sweater dryer to really dry. 

Ohh, now I need to meet with Linda again to see why the fleece is still a little yellow. Guess I need a lesson on washing fleece. I remember years ago, I washed a fleece on my own but I think I read too much on the web as to how to wash fleeces. Sometimes, too much knowledge will overwhelm you.