Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Translated into Irish it means Wash and Dye Fleece While the Sun Shines. Lucky for me, we've had 4 days of sun and heat. Relatively speaking. I let the first 3 days go by doing other things. Can't remember what. I have 2 very stinky bags of fleece occupying the garage and every time the door is open, there is this whiff... You know the smell... drive by a farm on a hot humid day... You're getting the drift or whiff.
So today is the day for rest. So I started the rest with recovering DH feather pillow that exploded like an atomic bomb in the washer the last time through. Lucky for me, wet feathers stick together in clumps. Easier to clean than dry. Done. Next, attack the moss that is taking over the garden like the monster movie The BLOB... dig, dig, scrap, poison. Oh look, it's back. Watered the Sahara Dessert that faces West on our garden. It's been dry. Next, get out the hose and sprinkler for the kids. DH hooks up the new gadget that makes that work. Get out the fleece. YUMMY smell, that hot lanolin. Spread that out, sort, skirt (yes, sheep were clothes too) Took off the poop and bagged it up for the washing, soaking cycle X3. Next the drying, but it occurred to me that wool has to be wet to be dyed. So bag the spin cycle and line drying for the moment.












Skip that step and go straight for dye. It's my favorite part anyway. Drag out the stuff and mix up the potion. Aqua I think today. I got the fleece a few weeks ago at Marlay Park Rural Days. It was a mix of all things country including shearing exhibitions. "By the way" I say to your man, "What are you going to do with the fleeces?" "Could I have one?" "What are you going to do with it" he asked. "I'm going to spin it into yarn" I said. He looks surprised, but I was more suprised when he said yes! It never hurts to ask... So here it is. Already dyed and dried in an hour. Got to love a good hot day in Ireland.