Sheep Fleece

I'm just now washing the last bit of sheep fleece I received in the mail yesterday. I bought it from Skyline Farms in Idaho. This is my first time purchasing raw sheep fleece and I have learned a few things in the process:
1. There is a LOT of fleece! I only bought a half-fleece, which came to 4.5 lbs, and I didn't realize how much fleece that actually is. Trust me, it's a lot!
2. It may seem expensive when you buy it, but when you get it and think about it, it's actually not that expensive. Like I said, you get way more than you expect.
3. Sheep are dirty! With the fleece, you have to wash it, and wash it and wash it. Just to give you a sense, I've been washing since 8pm yesterday.
4. You can't get all the vegetable matter out. You'll still have grass and other musings. Just try to pick out the huge pieces. I'm hoping the carding process will help a little with that too.

In the midst of all the washing, I did manage to make a hat out of some shetland wool I spun and dyed. Of course, I have to make a winter hat in the tail end of winter. Right now, we're having a huge snow storm, so my hat may still be needed.