Dyeing Wool Fleece

 

   Dyeing the wool right after it has been washed can make for some interesting effects. It kind of has a mottled look when several colors are used and then subsequently blended in the water as they simmer.
     This makes for my favorite felting affects because the colors are naturally blended really well. Every time, the end product is unique!

      The supplies are simple and familiar.

• food coloring
• vinegar
• pot and water
•  washed fleece (about as much that can comfortably fit in your pot without being compressed.)

  

 First soak your wool in warm water for about 20 minutes to an hour.

  Then put about three parts water to one part vinegar in your pot. Add your wool.

   Turn your stove on to medium so as to bring the pot to a slow simmer.

    Now comes the fun! Drop in your dye and allow the colors to blend by themselves. This is a good place to experiment with colors and shades until you get the desired effects. If the wool does not sink and submerge the dye, simply push the wool down gently with a fork. Simmer for 45 minutes.

           Once done, rinse in warm water without felting it. (No friction. Just run it under the water and squeeze it gently dry.) Then let it dry on rack or somewhere it can drain.

            Another fun technique is to make stipes in white roving. Presoak the part of the wool you will be dying and then simmer that part in the dye on the stove.

     Take it off the stove to cool and squeeze out the excess water in the roving.  Then repeat the procedure with the next color.

             In this case, I am going to repeat the procedure one more time. When my roving is completely dyed I will rinse it off in warm water to take off any extra dye and then let it dry!

                                                      

         Food coloring is safe to work with and easy to use. It won't stand up to soap and washing or soaking in hot water. So, it is best to use these beautiful colors on things that won't require washing. We use these bright colors in needle felting cute ornaments or doo-dads. 

         Here we have two snowmen faces started! Needle felting is fun and easy and so portable! We should dig into what its like some of these days.

Maid-N-Meadows: Spring 2022 Update

               Wow! Its been a minute, hasn't it!?  The last time I posted was in March of 2021, just before we slid into the rollercoaster summer ride with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. I have the drawings on the walls, a vast array of cups with missing lids and the 3 shoes whose mates are probably halfway to the ocean by now, having been lost in the creek, to show for it. We made cheese three times a week last year and needless to say, Daniel and I both had a melt down in July. It just wasn't sustainable, but I think the heat was the last straw. We dropped to milking once a day and finished the year strong.....and being the gluttons for punishment that we are, we applied for some brand new equipment with the USDA!

         You may have heard, but one of the highlights for us last year was being awarded first place in two categories at the State Fair. We won in the cheddar category and flavored cheeses category. Can I just say I cried my eyes out when Daniel picked up our ribbons and plaques? We have made our share of really bad cheese, fed a lot to pigs, and re-evaluated all along the way....to finally see that work recognized! It just made all the times we made cheese at 3 A.M., all the hours of driving to our rented facility, sleeping on the ground or in cars, weeks of sandwiches and coffee pot macaroni and cheese.....just all felt like it took us somewhere and was worth it somehow. So many tears of relief and joy and more relief! So many times I wondered if we were crazy to pursue a craft we knew so little about, while also putting our lives in such a crazy, helter skelter position. Everything was on the line.  This was the moment we felt our faith had rewarded us.

    Also this year, I learned to take time for an endeavor uniquely my own. With a flock of sheep on the farm and no outlet for the milk, I came up with the idea of utilizing the milk and wool in soap production. I enjoy dyeing wool and mixing up essential oil fragrances. It has been a creative outlet for me after many years of supporting, and nourishing the goals of my children and husband. Plus the sheep are so cute and look so majestic grazing in the field at sunset.

      We milk these East Friesians and hand wash/pick their wool, for a unique and homegrown product. Each one is its own work of art.

     A lot of things are the same on the farm and of course a lot of things continue to change. Jacob finished school last spring and started out pursuing his own adventures. The next oldest, Karson, is likely finishing out his last summer on the farm, this year. The years of raising a large family are coming to a close as every other year, the farm crew diminishes by one. It is a bittersweet experience, to be sure. But I am so proud of them and know they have everything they need to be successful.

      Daniel and I took some much needed time to step back from the farm and consider the big picture, last fall. What direction do we need to take this family and business? In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains we tried to reconnect to one another and to our personal visions for the future. How to fit the puzzle back together after such a tumultuous summer?

      It was then we decided to apply for a grant for value-added farms, like ourselves, and create a new line of cheeses that enabled us to utilize the help of other farms' milk. And guess what!? It was awarded! A new PASTEURIZER and several more new surprises is coming up! 

      As we pondered our future, camped through a rainstorm, and hiked into the sunshine, a rainbow appeared. It was in that moment that we were reminded that after the storm comes new hope, a new day, a new chapter. While we are still in the thick of "weedy terrain" with small children and hours of chores, we still see a vision of the future taking shape where the farm can be of service to the community and a home to our family. So here's  to a hopeful future and the faith it takes to plod on! And wishing you all a beautiful and rejuvenating summer!!! Thanks for being with us, every step of the way. 

Dairy Sheep Diary Part 3

       

          We have had our dairy sheep for four years now. If you are just catching up, check out "Dairy Sheep Diary" and "Dairy Sheep Diary Part 2". A lot has happened with the sheep in the last 6 months. We are still really enjoying our girls and milking them more and more. This year we are using some of their products to sell at our farmer's market booth, along with selling the rams for meat.

Dyeing Roving With Food Coloring

         

Wool roving.

  Learning about dyeing wool is like entering an entire world of knowledge. There are so many ways to dye wool! Some of these ways date back thousands of years. This is truly an ancient craft, connecting us, today, to the generations of before.

An Easy Way To Wash A Fleece!

           Here I was with trash bags full of fleece from our beautiful East Frisians and I didn't have a clue what to do with any of it. It seemed a shame to just toss it in the woods or compost it. Surly the wool could be a valuable profit stream for the farm, but I was clueless and daunted, even, by the fiber world.

       I  started by watching YouTube videos on various topics. No one seemed to be taking wool from raw fleece to finished product without complicated processes. I did not want to invest in a carder or make roving or rolags. I just wanted to have some wool that was a pretty color and that was clean enough to felt. Felted shoes looked cool! But I need to do something a bit faster and more on my novice level. I finally settled on felted soap. I felt on store bought soap and on some of my homemade sheep milk soap!

         I don't know much about fleece, folks. I just know a little about what I have to work with....which is East Frisian. Once that wool comes off the sheep, I bag it up. When I am ready to wash it, I take off the big bits of dirt and cockleburs. I think this is called "skirting". Before I can do anything else, the fleece must be clean.

          My midwife recommends putting the whole fleece in the tub with as hot of water as can be drawn with the fleece in a netted bag. A large onion bag works well or just a netted bag. Just push the wool under the water and let the soap do its work. I use dish soap due to the high grease levels and a little laundry detergent.
          When the water is cool, lift the wool out and let it drip dry or repeat if still very dirty. The goal here is to remove dirt and some vegetative matter. But there will still be plenty of bits of dirt still left inside the fleece, even when it is "clean". The lanolin, or grease from the sheep, is what is most important to get out.

         Then I hang it up to drip dry. This can take awhile depending on the weather. Some people take it out and drip dry it in a more spread out form. You can squeeze extra water out if you are gentle and don't massage it. (That can cause it to felt into one lump!)
         Do you have an easy way to prepare a fleece? If so, give me a holler!