What to do with sheep fleece

The days here have been very hot of late, so hot that the sheep can hardly walk to and fro betwixt field and barn. They didn't even evacuate the barn when I was cleaning it ready to put fresh bedding down for them. Builds up muscles that does, cleaning the sheep barn floor: scraping up the soiled straw, then shovelling it into the wheelbarrow to be then taken up the Paddock, down the drive, through the Courtyard, and down to the Woodland Veg Plot, there to be unloaded.

A goodly pile of sheep manure I managed yesterday: two barrowloads. Chickens haven't managed to find it yet but when they do, they will eat the poo and scatter the straw all over the place.

Message to self: remember to cover the manure before those chickens get at it! If they want sheep poo then they will have to stop being lazy and go into the barn and help themselves, which they used to do before they decided it was too much effort. Great teamwork, I thought, when they were scratching about in the barn. Helped me no end because they fluffed up the straw as well. Then they stopped becoming team players and left me to do the job myself, hence my attitude towards that fresh pile of manure I made yesterday and my intent to cover it so they can't get to it.

Anyway, there I was, scooping up the manure watched by the sheep who were as hot as I was, and breathing just as heavily. So we had a chat about this and that, and it came into my mind that they really ought to be divested of their coats. After all, I had now disrobed from thermals and loads of layers, and was now wearing shorts and t-shirt so it was only fair that they should be equally as disrobed.

But although the days are hot, the nights can be chilly and when out in the field the other day moving the electric fencing in preparation for the day's grazing, I saw drifts of frost along some blades of grass signalling that there had been a snatch of coldness.  So not time to shear them yet. Nude skin plus a cold night would not be good for them. I can put an extra duvet on the bed if I am cold, they can't!

And as I scooped and shovelled, it came into my mind that sometime in the next few weeks I am going to have a humungous pile of new fleeces to do something with. This made me ponder for quite some time because I have only managed to spin three of the nine fleeces we got last year from our sheep. This year we will have fifteen fleeces. OOoppps! What to do!

And another ponder: that we really could do with three of me. One to do the farmwork while Lester continues on with the day job which robs him of farmwork time, one to do domestic duties including spinning, and the other to carry on with my other work which is writing.

Ah, great.... wheelbarrow loaded, emptied, then on to the task of pulling out hay from the hay bale. Good for my back and arm muscles, but makes me even hotter and now wet from sweat. Put the hay on the floor. Sheep still standing down one end of the barn, looking dozy, and less hot. A couple of them walk over and lay down on the new bedding. There is some space left. I almost, really almost, nearly couldn't stop myself almost, lay down on that lovely hay as well! But I didn't, because the piglets were shouting at me that they needed attention as well. Ah the joys of homesteading.

So: If my maths are correct, I will have nearly twenty fleeces soon. Oh, and plus one coming in from a neighbour which is dark brown in colour so will be useful to have when I finally get around to knitting with the yarn I am spinning.

Ideas already gathered from experience, some Internet searching and my head:

- Use the fleece as insulation in the house. Probably not.

- Use some fleece as a mulch around the roots of the two kiwi plants that are suffering from the heat and wilting, one of these plants is unfortunately the male. The three other kiwis are doing well, and have made lots of flowers. They are female and need fertilizing by the very reluctant male who is still undecided about whether he wants to live or not.

- Keep some cleaner but still unwashed fleece, to one side for rubbing onto my skin in the dry spots - the lanolin contained in the fleece really does soften these bits of me.

- Keep some unwashed fleece for dusting the house. It picks up dust wonderfully well, and once full of dust can be put on the compost heap.

- Try getting the lanolin out of the fleece. This requires a big pot of boiling water and cooking the fleece apparently for hours.

- Use some fleece as a weed barrier for going under gravel paths.

- Use some washed fleece as a filling for quilted work.

- Put some fleece on the compost heap. Good idea if one didn't have chickens who have a tendency to dispatch the compost heap into nothingness.

- Continue with the Spinning Project and building a stash of yarn to knit, crochet, and possibly weave with at some point in the future when one is not so furiously busy doing homesteading stuff.

......and now I have run out of ideas, so have you any? Many thanks if you do.

Strewth! Me in my pinny again! And at the spinning wheel! And with that hat on again! That pinny makes me look far rounder than what I actually am, although I suppose that it does make me look like a homesteader / smallholder / trainee petite fermier should look like!

And here is grandson Joshua and his mum, showing his absolute delight at having found his first chicken egg. However, there was some discussion as to how to cook it: boiled or scrambled. Couldn't decide, so had to go find another one so he could have one of each. Fortunately the hens had complied and another egg was found!