Fiber Arts Friday: Washing Chiengora

My process for washing Tibetan Mastiff is the same as for alpaca.

Starting with skirted fleece, I use lingerie bags, sink bins, fiber wash, a salad spinner, and a clothes line.

My preference is to use a low-sudsing fiber wash, but I ran out over the summer and started using a dog shampoo that I won in a raffle last year.

The dog shampoo is a bit too fragrant for my preference, but I'm happy it is low-sudsing.

Since we live in an arid climate, I try to be conservative about how much water I use.  Each change of water is just enough to cover the fleece and cool to lukewarm in temperature.

I soak each change for 15-20 minutes, or until I get back to check on it.

3-4 changes of water is usually sufficient to get the soap and dirt out.

Since I wash the yarn in the same fashion after spinning it, and again after completing the final object, I think the water below is clean enough.

If I have more fleece to wash, the I will add soap to the last change of the previous batch.

I spin the excess water using a salad spinner (marked for fiber use only).  Then hang the fleece to dry.  This goes a lot faster in the summer sun than it does inside in the winter.

Neither chiengora nor alpaca have lanolin, so scouring is not necessary.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!