Big Bess

It’s come down to the inevitable.  I’m wool rich and time poor.  These days I’ll go one further, I’m roving or at least wannabee roving, that being clean fleece, rich.  Take ‘Beth’ for instance.  ‘Beth’ is  the fleece (you know what I mean, the sheep who’s shorn fleece ) that has been occupying my washing machine, my deck and my free time the past week.  Beth’s fleece weighed in at over 9 lbs.  That’s a lot of fleece, say that again..A.LOT.O’.FLEECE.  It’s still not finished.  I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for the reprieve in the weather that has allowed for open windows and doors during that first (of three) awesomely smelly wash.   C made that mistake of opening the washer and asking what I was doing, made his eyes water I tell you.  It cards like a dream, nearly perfect after just one pass.  I’ve put it through twice, just because I can’t quite believe my eyes.  but, there certainly isn’t a need to.  Last evening I sat down with a second glass of wine and started to spin some, just to see…  very nice.  The problem with ‘Bess’ is that I really don’t know who, or what, ‘Bess’ is.  See, every summer at the fair, the same sweet older man, a Mr. Swe(e)tt, offers the spinners his fleeces at a really cheap price.  This year,  I somehow was off doing something else when he dragged the bags over.  To make the story short, I ended up with ‘Bess’, no questions asked.  I have my suspicions, best not to go there.  What I do know about "’Bess’ is that she enjoyed a pasture with some burdock, not much, but it’s there.  And, that she occasionally enjoyed rubbing against or walked through something a bit thorny.  Big Bess.

 
Then there is the 3.4 lbs of lovely chocolate Romney roving I brought home form Rhinebeck.  Then there is…. we’ve been down that rosey path before.  I should be looking forward to winter.

Next load is ready for the second wash.  I need to get this stuff out to dry before the wind comes up this afternoon.