the aroma of sheep fleece in the morning air...

Last year, I learned to spin wool in the hopes that one day we will have our own sheep and alpacas to raise and shear. Up until now, I've purchased fiber that is alread cleaned, carded, and ready to spin. It's awfully easy this way, but I know that it certainly won't be coming off our sheep that way. So, I wanted to learn all the steps from fleece to yarn. I contacted Reflections Farm in Eatonville, WA ( http://www.reflectionfarm.net ). They raise sheep and take the fleece to shows to sell. Alice was helpful and responded quickly to my inquiries about fleece. I ordered one from her and received it in the mail today. I opened the box and whoooohheee-Fleeces smell like sheep! Big surprise, right? A far cry from the tidy bundles of wool you buy at a yarn store. It's really kind of an amazingly wonderful smell... like a barnyard and earth and sheep poop and grass and who knows what else... The lanoline in the fleece makes it very greasy to touch so the first step will be to wash it....