How much wool is too much? If you were to ask my husband this question he would say that I past that threshold many years ago. So, yes, I do have a lot of wool. But too much – no.
Our Icelandic sheep are sheared twice a year, usually in October and again in April. The spring clip in April generates mostly junk wool, since the animals have been slogging through the winter snow and rain. But the fall clip yields beautiful fleeces. The range of colors is tremendous – copper, grey, black, white, cream, red, and many variations on these. I do manage to sell at least a few fleeces to crafters, mostly spinners and felters. Then I carefully wash my favorites from the remaining fleeces and add them to my personal stash. This year I am trying something new. I am packaging up several of the fleeces and sending them off to a custom fiber mill, to be turned into wool roving and finished yarn. I’ll be using Round Barn Fiber Mill – http://roundbarnfibermill.com which I have heard does a great job processing fiber.
Here are some pictures of several of my early felting projects:
I really like creating these little creatures from our wool. The process is called needle felting – which involves repeatedly stabbing bits of wool into a variety of shapes and forms. My favorite online store for supplies is Sarafina Fiber Arts – http://www.sarafinafiberart.com
A Dozen Cats and Goats 