drying day

As I stepped onto the deck this morning, first cup of tea in hand, I imagined hearing my mother’s voice saying, " what a perfect drying day".  She would be referring to laundry.  I thought fleece.  Well, laundry too.  It was the first really warm and sunny day of the spring.  I grabbed a double arm load of winter jackets from the hooks where they’ve hung all season and started throwing them two by two into the washer, then out to dry on the line.  By evening I had most of them ready to put away for next year (that ought to give us one more snowstorm).   

The fleece.  That 5 ounces of Border Leicester I showed last week..

I washed it, too.  First it was put into separate little mesh bags.  I filled the sink with hot soapy water and let them soak, draining and refilling the sink three times. 

Afterwards, I soaked them in a clear water rinse and spread the fleece out on drying racks in the sun. 

When they were dry, I carded some of the white wool to test spin on my Forrester Safari spindle.  The staple of the BL is quite short, 1 1/2" – 3 " and the wool not particularly soft, but it spun nicely.  The small sample will help in deciding what project to use this fleece. 

Along with the warm weather, earlier than usual, the black flies, blood sucking bastards, came out and immediately started feeding.  First bites of the season.  (I find it interesting to comtemplate my place in the food chain, changing from minute to minute.) It means that insects are present as a food source.  In case there was any question…  it is time.   The hummers are on their way, already reported in southern Massachusetts.  If you live in New England, put your feeders out now!