Lots of Not Very Big Skeins !

 
 I have this terrible habit of washing one batch of a new fleece, 

processing and spinning a skein from that,

and then putting the fleece away to move on to another one.

I have way too many 'one skein wonders',

with either more washed or raw just waiting for me

to get back to it...

It's a bad habit I need to break!

I really wish just once that I could follow through

with the same fleece from washing to spinning all of it...
...in the same year!!

I just get so excited when I get a new fleece!!

I know it's fleece ADD, but really...

I know, I know, some people have oodles of started
knitting projects, waiting to be finished,

 I don't usually have more than two knitting 

projects on the needles at a time...

 ...with me, it's fleece. 

Has been from the 1st time I laid my hands on a raw fleece.

One of my latest fleece purchases was from a fellow guild member

who raises Romney and Romney cross sheep.

We had been talking about her sheep and fleece
and I told her I might be interested in a raw fleece.

At one of the meetings, she had several bags in her truck...

very bad for me...

 As an addict, I have a VERY hard time

saying 'oh, very nice fleece, bye".

It's usually, "oooooh, what pretty colors you have!

What's this one, a lamb fleece? Hmmmmm"

Yes, I carried that lamb fleece with me to my car...
...hanging head in shame, as I have no control...

like I need another fleece? 

HECK NO!!

But I enjoyed that fleece smell all the way home...hahaha

 Wanna see?...here it is...

My friend who keeps the sheep is a one woman show when it comes

to their care and shearing.

She actually did a really good job with the shearing as I have come 

across very few second cuts!

The tips are weathered, brown and stiff.

But below that, is a gorgeous medium grey color!

I have only washed about enough for one smallish skein... so far.

I decided to spin the whole lock, as opposed to cutting off the

weathered tips. 

Using a sturdy dog comb...

I gently combed the tips open.

Then I proceeded to comb them on my Valkyrie Extrafine Combs.

The top has these brown streaks in it from the brown tips. 

I kinda like it!

Made for some very interesting combed top!

The finished skein weighs 1.8 ounces and is only about 

88 yards long. Not a very big skein by most standards.

More info here... http://www.ravelry.com/people/krzyknitter/handspun/romney-x-hogget-from-sandra-2017

But it's nice, even and should make up into something interesting...
Maybe wrist warmers, or part of a hat...or ?

I gifted it to my friend who raised the sheep.

I like giving skeins back to the shepherds sometimes, 

especially if they're just getting into spinning :)

I will snip the tips off the next time and see what that looks like.

It will be much more grey.

Hold on a minute, this gorgeous merino is calling me...

...on to my next not very big skein...

Happy Spinning! 

-Kimberly :)