Poodle Sacrifice Cult

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About a year ago, I bought a fleece from Windrush Farm.  I got about half of it washed, and then I just ran out of steam.  This past fall and winter were a terrible time for me. I had no energy, and was a shadow of my usual self.  This came on slowly, so I didn't take it as seriously as I should have.  Given the choice between doing something interesting and going to bed, I'd choose bed. 

Thankfully, I did realize that there was something more than laziness at play, and finally got it taken care of.  In my case, I had an untreated sinus infection that was sucking away all of my energy.  I'm feeling much better now, and am a much happier person.




Anyway, here's what this fleece looked like, before I tore it into manageable pieces and set about washing.  I always enjoy how a well-shorn fleece is like a giant fuzzy sheep-cardigan.  The belly and butt fur have been removed because they're just too messy to work with, but the rest of the fleece is sheep-shape.



The fleece wasn't labeled, but it is almost surely a shetland-corriedale cross.  It was a lovely silvery-grey, and not particularly greasy.  It did, however contain about half a meadow's worth of briars and burrs and mysterious grassy dust.  The first fleece I ever bought was the World's Greasiest Fleece, and so it figures that my next project would present a whole different set of challenges.




Back when I originally bought this fleece, I wrote "When I spread it out on the living room floor to show Robb, the cats just about lost their minds. If a cat could pull a nose muscle from sniffing too hard, both Linguine and Smog would have done so."

The allure of the sheep is still strong, and the cats all took turns investigating the fluffy pile of wool.  It turns out that cats are not merely warriors in the War On String, but will put up a fight against unborn proto-string as well.




While the cats planned their campaign against foreign yarns, the three little white dogs who live next door must have quaked in fear. 




I'm sure they stayed up late last night, telling scary stories about the neighbors who feast on the blood of innocent puppies, and then display poodle scalps to honor their primitive gods.


Comments

Anne Bonny said…
Awesome post! I love how it looks like a full sheep spread out on the sheet at the very top. I can't wait for the next post explaining how you do this, seems like it would be very challenging.

It seems like you have sinus infections quite a bit. My husband does too, he recently found out that he has scarring on his nasal cavities that he has to have cleared out. That might be why you seem to get them so often?
Lisa said…
That next post on wool processing might not be for a while. We're about to get very busy at my work.

I figured that my sinus problems were because of my chronic allergies. I go in for shots, but I can't say if they're doubt any good or not.
Lisa said…
DOING any good.

Danged autocorrect.
wassamatta_u said…
You do seem to have a thing for Poodles and Sacrifices... throw in some albino cannibalism, and we're all set!
Kristin said…
Gorgeous photos Lisa! I'm glad to hear that you feel better and perfect timing for great weather.
Dianna said…
"The rest of the fleece is sheep-shape...." BAAAAAD pun, Lisa! ;) Glad to hear all is well in the fleece department and that Linguine and Smog have taken up their duties as fleece inspectors! What a CUTE picture of Linguine laying on the fleece!!!

Dianna
Unknown said…
It looks like thunder clouds caught on the clothes line.
Unknown said…
Wow, those are really cool photos! I look forward to the eventual processing post.
kristieinbc said…
Awesome post! I bought a dirty fleece several years ago. Half of it is still in a bag, unwashed, in my storage room. I have vowed "never again." :-)
Interesting. Seeing how fleece process.
Stefaneener said…
: )

You must be feeling better. That's a LOT of work. I still haven't even shaken the dust from the baby alpaca lingering in the wool closet.
Haha! Poor pooches, I bet they'll never bark at the mailman again :P

I'm very envious of your fleece though. I would love to try my hand at turning proto-yarn into something functional. Will you dye the fleece, or keep it it's natural color?
Noreen said…
What a great post! I laughed out loud about the fear you are instilling in your neighbors' dogs.
Nataline said…
hahaha, cats do seem to go nuts for unprocessed wool. After my first trip to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival, my cat got super interested and dug through all my bags with laser focus until he extricated a single tuft of wool that had hitched a ride home on the yarn. He dragged that thing around for weeks.

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