Corriedale:Part 2

I got Vork's (the ram lamb) fleece washed; his is the black/ dark gray from my previous post. I used Ecos this time instead of my usual Dawn. Some of the fleece still smells a little sheepy but that may be my fault as I seem to remember not having enough wool left for two full batches so I washed more than usual at one time.  Fiber sure needs lots of  water during washing. Otherwise, the Ecos worked pretty well. The wool feels very clean and the Ecos rinsed easily.

Next up, carding. I'm probably going to drum card most of this but hand cards would be a great choice too. Spinning from batts is fun but spinning for well prepared rolags..............ahhhhh. 

Corriedale!

I just got a bunch of delicious fleece. A few pounds each of black, gray and white Corriedale fleeces came in the mail this week all the way from the West Coast. These were the shepherd's "show fleeces" from last year; one's that she held out to have judged. Corriedale is such a wonderful fiber. It is usually soft and yields a nice bouncy yarn.

bags of raw fleece

A lock from the black fleece

 This time of year makes drying fleece a little difficult. I usually take my to the cellar and let it dry near our boiler. It will still take a few days............

Spelt Bread

Thanks to Dorothy Benedict, a shepherd and fiber artist, for sharing this recipe!

Very Simple Spelt Bread

I've made this several times and it is fool proof and very forgiving. I've added black pepper for a savory loaf,  swapped molasses for honey and added pumpkin seeds instead of sesame. I think it would even stand up to having some olives added to the batter. The whole preparation doesn't take more that 5 minutes and it yields a wonderfully hearty bread; perfect with stews and the like.