I have to show off what I got for Christmas! My loving mother has done it again with a huge, heavy, lovely throw that she hand spun and knit from the fleece of Brianna:
Brianna's fleece made a beautiful blanket.
The project used exactly one fleece (about 5-6 lbs of raw wool) from Brianna’s first (one-year old) fleece. The blanket weighs just under 4 lbs– the difference is the lanolin being washed out.
We purchased Brianna in 2007 as a ewe lamb from Rupperts Corriedales. She has one half New Zealand blood from the miracle of AI (artificial insemination). She is a smaller Corriedale (registered) with incredible wool. She also happens to be one of my friendlier ewes, always coming over for a possible handout of bread.
Brianna is mother of Colin and Colleen, and Evie; she is the grandmother of Duncan.
Brianna is my one sheep with bit of a sweat issue. Her raw wool turns a dark-yellowish, light-orangish color over the summer months as some reaction to her sweating. But as can be seen from the pictures, it all washes out to a beautiful, rich creamy color.
Brianna has fantastic wool. The dark bands, grown during the summer months, wash right out.
The final product is a lovely creamy color
Brianna (Nov 2010)
I want one now!
So how much would your mom charge to custom make one for sale?
Sorry Chris, she wouldn’t do it for anything– total labor of love. Last year I sold Brianna’s raw fleece for about $180. If you actually figured labor into the making of the blanket, it would be prohibitively expensive.
I was very impressed with that blanket. I have had a few over the years but nothing that “close to home.” It has to be pretty cool to see your blanket grow.
That is Awesome and offers a bit of education on how many sheep are needed to get wool for one blanket!
Brianna and your Mom do wonderful work together!
Does a fleece wool age? Meaning, if I had a fleece for a few years, would it degrade over time if it wasn’t worked and spun?
Deb, I agree they are great together!! I don’t think wool ages at all. If it is raw, the lanolin will thicken making the wool sticky and stiff, but that can just be washed out. It also might be a good idea to keep it in a cedar chest to prevent pests. Do you have one hanging around?
I do… in a rubbermaid trash can lined with a bag. My step mom’s. I am not sure what to do with it. *sigh*
If you get a chance, take a good close up pic of the fleece (like the ones in my post) and send it to me. I can give you an idea if it may be saleable (if you are trying to re-home it). EBay isn’t a bad place to sell fleece.
Next time I am back at my Dad’s I will do. I think that if someone could spin it, that would be awesome… but I will send you some pics for your review.
Thanks!
That is a beautiful afghan and you look wonderfully cozy wrapped up in it. Your mom does great work! You should learn from her!