Best way to clean wool?

[Reba]

I'd love to start spinning--I have the drop spindle and some roving, but I want to clean the wool before I start spinning. Problem is, I have no clue how. I bought Lee Raven's book Spin It because I saw a few people recommend it here. It's a really neat book, but I don't understand the instructions for scouring wool. For example, what's the difference between a "tip" and a "shorn end"? I guess what I'm asking is, what's the best way to clean your roving before you spin it?

[xantha]

If it's roving, you probably don't need to clean it. It's already been prepared for you...

[Reba]

There's some stuff that comes out of it, though--just some weird dark hard things. I talked to someone at my LYS, and she suggested that maybe moths got into it. If that's the case, I'd still like to spin with it, just to practice. Someone suggested that I freeze the roving for a few days, thaw it, freeze it again, and store it with lavender. Does that sound about right? And if moths have gotten into it, I should clean it, shouldn't I?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

[xantha]

Do the hard things look like straw? If so, a bit of vm (vegetable matter) is pretty normal for most processed wool (heck, if you have ever crocheted with noro kureyon, they spin it up with bits of vm in it).

 

If it's just vm, I generally pick it out/let it fall out during predrafting and that gets rid of 98% of it.

 

As for moths and other critters -- be careful if you have any other fibers around. You don't want to contaminate them, too! They say that if you freeze it for 24-48 hours, then let it sit out for 24-48 hours and then freeze it again, you get the larvae and the older moths (they have a short life cycle, so by freezing and thawing, then freezing again you get everyone).

 

Storing with lavendar is a good way to keep them away.

 

I can't see

[Aggie May]

Spin & ply first, clean later. Card it first if you have some carders, to simply separate the fibres and lay them the same way to make it easier to spin.

It is much easier to get it carded and combed by experts and should not cost a huge amount of money.

The cut end is the end nearest the sheep, the tip end is the other end. It would take an expert to tell you why you need to know the difference.

It is many years since I did any spinning but I still have my lovely NZ Made Ashford wheel in the hope that one day I might get back to it.

I thought that when we retired, I would sit and spin all day but I got Grandchildren instead. Maybe when they all grow up but them I will too old to spin. A very soothing past-time from what I remember.

Have fun.

Colleen