What To Do With So Much Wool

O.K. it is time; I am going to have some of the excess fleece here processed to make room for the new fleece in 2 months.  I am excited to take this step BUT I can't make up my mind how I want it to be processed.

When I started "growing fleece", I decided I wanted to do the whole process, from sheep to product here on the farm for a couple of years and then decided which parts of the wool process I enjoyed and what I could let someone else do.  I found I pretty much enjoy every part but I just can't keep up so I made the decision to take some fleece to a fiber mill in PA and let them process it.  I spent all day looking over and sorting fleece.  I want some to come back as yarn but I would love to have some batts  to spin and felt.  And then there is always quilt batting or mattress pads or other bedding .  So many decisions!

Tomorrow I weigh it all to help in the decision making.  Then Wednesday we have a wool consultation in PA so I need to have some decisions made by then.  I have way more questions than answers but I keep telling myself it doesn't matter what I do with what I have because in two months I will have the shelf Lyndy emptied today, full again.  In the meantime, I have plenty of clean wool to card, comb, and spin and short fine wool to wash and felt.

The one thing I have decided is not to have any dyed.  Most of the fleece on the farm is shades of gray, cream, and brown, some light and some darker.  There are only 2 white sheep living here, but some of the lighter variegated fleece will take on some beautiful color too.  AND I like natural colors.  One of my main concerns is that the wool might get to blended.  I love the colors to just appear where they will and ply into still more variations.

 I am really looking forward to the consultation.  One can never be to educated (unless one is applying for a job at McDonalds).  When I start talking to another fiber person, I realize I have learned SO much in the last couple of years but boy is there a lot more to learn.

Spring Fiber Camp is coming soon but the batts and yarn won't be back until November (9 months).  Not to worry though because I still have plenty of wool to work with and if I want 2 or 3 pounds to knit a sweater, I just have to wait 2 months or make it out of several fleeces or fibers combined.

Yes, there are many decisions to make but having SO much wool is not such a bad problem to have.