Lily in front of the BFL fleece, (yes it did indeed come from a sheep, not a polar bear - that is one big fleece let me tell you.)
Yes, it is official, I have finally lost it. How in the sea of fibre that I am swimming in already, do I reach the conclusion that I need a whole fleece? And not just one fleece, oh no - I have three of the suckers waiting to be washed and dried. They take flipping ages to dry too. My entire house is now delicately scented with wet wool. I think it is quite a pleasant smell, but others may not agree.
These are destined to become peg woven floor mats. The fibre that I have in my attic is all carded and combed and ready to spin and it is mostly merino and other pretty fine stuff - far too good for mats and mats are what we need for the floor of our tent to keep the drafts out.
We looked for sheepskins but they are too expensive to lay down in such quantity (it is a very big tent!) So there I go again, saying the magic words "I can make that".
To that end, V and I had a quick jaunt up to Brecon Wool Market and picked up a Blue Faced Leicester (beautiful, crimpy and soft) and two Black Welsh (bouncy but hard wearing) and I spent a fine evening a few days ago skirting the fleece outside - that is picking all the pooey bits off round the tail end and pulling off the belly wool which as the sheep has already laid on it all year has already turned to felt. Then it has to be washed which is a bit of a bind really.
Eden came into my room yesterday looking bemused "Mummy, there is a sheep in the bath"
Now that's not a sentence you hear everyday is it?
These are destined to become peg woven floor mats. The fibre that I have in my attic is all carded and combed and ready to spin and it is mostly merino and other pretty fine stuff - far too good for mats and mats are what we need for the floor of our tent to keep the drafts out.
We looked for sheepskins but they are too expensive to lay down in such quantity (it is a very big tent!) So there I go again, saying the magic words "I can make that".
To that end, V and I had a quick jaunt up to Brecon Wool Market and picked up a Blue Faced Leicester (beautiful, crimpy and soft) and two Black Welsh (bouncy but hard wearing) and I spent a fine evening a few days ago skirting the fleece outside - that is picking all the pooey bits off round the tail end and pulling off the belly wool which as the sheep has already laid on it all year has already turned to felt. Then it has to be washed which is a bit of a bind really.
Eden came into my room yesterday looking bemused "Mummy, there is a sheep in the bath"
Now that's not a sentence you hear everyday is it?
8 comments:
sounds like you are having fun"picking poo off the tail end" eeeww crafty lady!! Well you like a challenge but I think this one will kep you going until christmas. Have a few hours off one night for us to have a clothes/accesories swap party!
You've certainly got your work cut out for you! Aw I love that Eden thought there was a sheep in the bath - so cute!
Does the word 'dingleberry' ever get used in this context over in your valley? I first heard it in school when a friend used it to describe a silly boy in her class. I thought she just made the word up, but much Later on, when I heard someone else use it, and I looked it up, I had a good laugh. Also, it just occurs to me you might be the person to ask about another word origin question: woolgathering. What could be the association between the actual gathering of bits of wool and daydreaming etc? It is a job that invites mentally 'checking out' while working more than any other repetitive job?
just watch out incase the the rams on the mountains comes looking for the ewes they are out this time of the year???????
Sa: I get my kicks where I can find them!
But a party sounds cool - I'll bring the martinis :o)
Pippa:Yup, I haven't stopped crafting for about a fortnight now. Trying to keep the girls out of my stuff is a full time job though!
Deborah: I know the word "dingle" is a kind of small wooded valley, but I have never heard dingleberry before - dingbat, yes and it is a word I use frequently for that circumstance :o)
As for wool gathering I am sorry I don't know the origin of the phrase but I would guess that gathering wool from a field (as opposed to getting it in one heap from the animal) means a lot of flitting about the field, chasing errant scraps of fluff and trying to keep them in one's basket - perhaps a good description of a person whose mind is wandering from one thought to the next in a random way?
POD: I know Caerau sheep don't know the meaning of the word "fence" but our Neath rams are very well behaved let me tell you and do as the ewes tell them :o)
Ohh just a little bit of wool then I see, and a Sheep in the bath, rofl, it sounds such a laugh in your house Sian, bet your girls love all these experiences other kids don't get to experience. It's fab x
Cherub: I have always thought that our house was pretty ordinary actually. Perhaps my girls will grow up thinking that everyone washes half a tonne of wool in the bath. Who knows? :o)
He he! You've really taken the tent thing up seriously, haven't you! Would you camp in the frosty wintertime?...
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