I was idly looking through the felting section on ebay last week, when I came across a whole sheep's fleece for sale. I didn't know you could buy them so easily and for only £5! This fleece came fresh from the sheep, unwashed and sent to me in a wine box and with a pretty label.
I looked up how to clean a fleece-some sites were more helpful than others-the two best ones I found are at the bottom of this post.
Here is my pictorial version of how to clean a fleece. It was an enjoyable process-I felt quite rural sitting on my back steps, picking twigs, grass and other less pleasant substances from around the edge of the fleece. This part is called skirting.
You can see the shape of the sheep!
Use old pillowcases as you might not want to use them again after this.
The very hot water and the detergent (I used fairy liquid) is to dissolve the lanolin in the wool. Apparently the purpose of the lanolin is to draw dirt away from the sheep's skin. You should not let the water cool, as this causes the lanolin to become sticky and much harder to get rid of. The other piece of advice related to the lanolin, is that it hardens over time, becoming more difficult to remove-so a fleece should be washed as soon as possible.
Cassie liked the smell-this is when they are quite clean!
When you have done your final rinse, it is advised that you hang up the cases to drain. Then you can, if you have the patience, get handfuls of wool and spin them in a salad spinner. I don't have the patience, so instead I held them up to drain most of the water, then very gently rolled and squeezed them to get more water out.
I looked up how to clean a fleece-some sites were more helpful than others-the two best ones I found are at the bottom of this post.
Here is my pictorial version of how to clean a fleece. It was an enjoyable process-I felt quite rural sitting on my back steps, picking twigs, grass and other less pleasant substances from around the edge of the fleece. This part is called skirting.
You can see the shape of the sheep! 
Use old pillowcases as you might not want to use them again after this.
The very hot water and the detergent (I used fairy liquid) is to dissolve the lanolin in the wool. Apparently the purpose of the lanolin is to draw dirt away from the sheep's skin. You should not let the water cool, as this causes the lanolin to become sticky and much harder to get rid of. The other piece of advice related to the lanolin, is that it hardens over time, becoming more difficult to remove-so a fleece should be washed as soon as possible.The process is this:
1. Lay bags on top of water with a generous amount of detergent. You can gently push them down, but do not agitate as this will cause the wool to felt.
2. Soak for about 20 minutes-not letting the water cool much.
Lift carefully and drain by holding up. Place in another container near the bath. Change the bath water. Hot again.
3. Do this for as many times as seems necessary. It took my fleece about 4 washes and 2 rinses for the water to be clear.
Cassie liked the smell-this is when they are quite clean!When you have done your final rinse, it is advised that you hang up the cases to drain. Then you can, if you have the patience, get handfuls of wool and spin them in a salad spinner. I don't have the patience, so instead I held them up to drain most of the water, then very gently rolled and squeezed them to get more water out.
