[fleeced]

Hi Fleecewife! Hope it stops raining for you to get shearing. My ewes had their haircuts today, so another bag of fleece is awaiting attention! Ive sent wool for scouring/carding to Norweft, and Natural Fibre company and been pleased with both, although I met a chap at Wonderwool wales this year who processes fleece from as little as one fleece upwards, and you can have it back tagged with the ID of the sheep that it came from, so each fleece can be done separate rather than all mixed which is good if you have different breeds. I cant remember the name off the top of my head but can let you know!   

[Fleecewife]

Hi Fleecewife! Hope it stops raining for you to get shearing. My ewes had their haircuts today, so another bag of fleece is awaiting attention! Ive sent wool for scouring/carding to Norweft, and Natural Fibre company and been pleased with both, although I met a chap at Wonderwool wales this year who processes fleece from as little as one fleece upwards, and you can have it back tagged with the ID of the sheep that it came from, so each fleece can be done separate rather than all mixed which is good if you have different breeds. I cant remember the name off the top of my head but can let you know!   

Was it maybe Diamond Fibres?  Haven't heard of Norweft - where are they?  How do the prices compare?  I feel I should do all of mine by hand as I have a drum carder, but I never seem to keep up.   For the shearing, we just do a few each dry day - 56 to do, so it takes a few weeks, but done that way I get a chance to sort each fleece as it comes off and choose which to wash myself, which to go for hand spinning and which to send off for knitting yarn.  I have also had blankets/throws done - we really love them, especially the Hebridean one which saves our lives every winter, being so warm but light.  I am really looking forward to having this years fleeces - I've been eyeing up my ewes and deciding which to spin    What are you planning for your new bag of fleeces?

[fleeced]

Fleecewife, it was Griffiths Mill in Derbyshire that I met at Wonderwool, just found the leaflet! NorWeft are in Wales, similar prices to natural fibre if I remember but it was a few years back now, Griffiths seemed a tad cheaper but Ive not tried them yet! Your blankets/throws sound lovely. Im planning a jumper for myself from some of the fleece, maybe something cabled, the rest Im not sure, into the (overflowing) stash of fibre I imagine! I too have a drum carder, but am considering wool combs, they look quite effective.

[Fleecewife]

Hi fleeced.  I've never tried wool combs but I don't spin Worstead.  The combs look so huge and lethal    If you get some I'd love to hear how you get on.
There is another mill recently set up which I have had good reports of - Halifax, not as in the town but as in the bomber plane.  It's not too far off my route south when I visit England so I might drop some fleece off there and have a nosey.  I have such a backlog of fleece to process that I could probably send some to each mill and do a comparison, but I don't think the Piggy Bank could take it 

[fleeced]

Yes I heard of Halifax mill, at Goole isnt it? (I was over that way today actually) I emailed them about prices but never heard back..Yup its not cheap sending it away but sometimes needs must!