Spirit at four months growing into a handsome young man.

Spirit at about a year old, and ready for a first shearing.

I bought my first Spirit fleece in June 2025. It arrived from the Same Star Sheep Sanctuary in a bag labelled with Spirit’s name. I try to wash the fleeces as soon as possible, they do get a bit smelly. Some people spin ‘in the grease’ and wash after the fleece has been spun, but I find that a bit too smelly!

Here is Spirit’s fleece on the kitchen floor while I pick out the really dirty pieces to go on the garden as mulch.

In the past, sheep were often washed in the river before shearing. While sheep can swim, I’m not sure they liked being dunked in a cold river. The wet fleece must have been awfully heavy. A bit more on sheep washing here.

Historically, fleeces would be washed whole but I do a bit at a time. Unfortunately, no nearby river to wash it in.

Part goes in a tin bucket and gets left overnight in cold water. This is just the initial soak to get rid of some of the muck (poo, sweat, grease, etc.). I pour the water over the plants the next day, in the hopes that it gives them extra nutrients. The fleece is rinsed in water a few times until the water starts to run clearer.

I then transfer to hot water with washing up liquid, rinse than wash again. After a couple of washes the water runs clean but creamy. This is the lanolin in the wool, but you can see how much cleaner the fleece is.

Some people swear by the suint method where fleece is left in water to ferment. It is then rinsed and left to dry. I have a small experimental bucket on the go to see how I get on with that though apparently it wont remove the lanolin. I will report back. Meanwhile, more on the suint method here.