Border Leicester Wool Washing

Here is a Step by Step guide to wash sheep's wool by hand.

 Raw Border Leicester Fleece, Unskirted, Unwashed  

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1. Water needs to be 120 degrees or warmer than just warm so it doesn't cool off fast. (I do not have a thermometer to test the temperature) I pick the big debris or VM (Veggie Matter from the fiber before going into the wash)
You can use Ovus Paste which you can find at a ranch store, Eco Soap or Dawn. Today I used Dawn. Placed the fiber in the water and did not agitate it, just pressed down on it.

2. Dump Water from the wash into a bucket if you want to keep the Lanolin.. When it cools off you will have top Lanolin. DO NOT pour the water down the drain so that doesn't cause clots in the pipes

3. First wash

 4.Some of the VM that I didn't get from just placing in the water

 5. Rinsed in the same temp water without agitating  
                           6. Repeat steps 1 through 5

The Fiber on the Left is the washed fiber from the fiber on the right. Can you believe they are one in the same?