Peep's Sheep and Rabbitry

Offering quality Icelandic Sheep and Angora Rabbits in a full range of natural colors!
Sheep Wool

A word about Icelandic sheep fleece!

Unique qualities
Icelandic fleece is super versatile. It allows you to spin a wide range of yarns and has numerous uses. Fleece is dual coated with the Thel and Tog. Thel is a fine soft under coat comprised of a 2-4 inch staple that gives insulation to the sheep. It has a spinning count of 64-70 micron count of 19-22. Tog is the cork screw looking outer wool. It is medium to fine and 6-8 inches in length. The spinning count is 56-60 micron count 27-30. It is a lusterous, strong, water/wear resistant fiber that is considered a true wool (not a guard hair or kemp). Spun together you get a lopi style yarn. THAT MEANS YOU GET THREE POSSIBLE FIBERS FROM ONE FLEECE!

Natural Colors
Icelandics have the widest color range of any other sheep breed! Many fleeces have multiple colors or two tones. The thel can be one color and the tog a completely different color giving you three natural color possibilities!
Icelandic colors and genetics page coming soon!

Fantastic for Felting
Icelandic fiber felts faster and firmer than any other fiber found! Does not require the use of stiffeners. Great for any wet or needle felting project with guaranteed results! Go to our handling Icelandic fiber link for more information!
Sheep Wool    

Handling Icelandic Fiber

Washing your Icelandic fleece Pictures coming soon!

1: proper washing agent
2: HOT water (at least 160 deg.)
3: NO agitation (none whatsoever!)

Washing agent

Soap is alkaline and aids in the felting process so we don't want to use that! USE DETERGENT: it has an agent know as surfactant. Do not use one that contains bleach. The bleach breaks down the fiber and makes it brittle. Dawn dish detergent is a good choice. It is gentle and cost affordable.

Getting the fiber wet

Icelandic wool felts VERY easy. You can use a bathtub, wash tub, or washing machine. NO AGITATION- rubbing the fibers together. If you are using a washing machine fill it with the hottest water possible and set the dial to spin cycle BEFORE putting the fiber into the machine. It is too easy to forget, the machine goes to agitating, and you end up with a felted mess (I am speaking from experience).

The process of cleaning the fiber is called scouring. This removes the lanolin and dirt. You must use water of 160 degrees or more to dissolve the lanolin. You can use the hot setting of your washer or boil some on the stove.

 

DO not put the fleece in a washer while filling it!


Always add the fleece after the water and detergent are mixed. The water will be too hot for your hands so use something durable to mix your detergent into the water. Place the fleece on top of the water and GENTLY submerge with your stirring utensil. Don't mix or stir the fiber. Just push it down until it becomes saturated. Then you let it sit for 15-20 min. No longer or the lanolin will gum up.


If you are using a washing machine you can turn its dial to spin cycle to remove the water. Spinning is fine and won't felt the fiber. Just DON'T use any cycle of the machine that agitates the water.
If you are using a tub you will need to gently lift the fiber out of the water and gently squeeze some of the water out. You can lay it on an old towel and press down to drain more water off.

You may need to repeat the wash cycle once more depending on the amount of dirt is in the fleece. Then you will rinse by following the steps above but without the detergent.

If you wish you can dye the wool at this point. Visit our page on Dying Wool to see more.

 
2012 • Devin Henlsey