Monday’s weather was exceptionally lovely, so I thought I’d take advantage and wash out my share yarn.

I’m glad I did, too, because it has been rainy and nasty every day since.

Normally I don’t wash my yarn before using it; but since this is share yarn from Juniper Moon sheep, it was milled with a lot of lanolin left in it.  It feels heavenly on your skin (and smells wonderful as well) but you have to account for how much your yarn will change after washing if you don’t do it before you knit.  It’s easier to wash your yarn first, so you know exactly how much the wool will bloom for your finished object.

First I let it soak in a bath of tepid water and Eucalan.  It’s a very mild soap that won’t harm the wool or cause it to felt.  I only very gently squeeze the yarn while it soaks.

I left it there for a little over an hour while I took care of some other things, and then gently and lightly rinsed it with clean water (some people also use a mix of water and vinegar).  Then, on to the laundry spinner!

This uses only centrifugal force to spin out extra water.  It does a phenomenal job of getting the yarn almost completely dry.

A LOT of water came out.

This is what the soak water looked like.  That’s a lot of lanolin!

And just look at that beautiful wool!  This is what all the colored fleeces from the flock look like once they’ve been processed.

Luscious!