Washing Instructions for Icelandic Fleece and Yarn

To wash the fleece you will need a container large enough to put the fleece in without too much crowding, and for the sake of clarity, the basin you see here is not big enough for this fleece!

Fill your container with very hot water, about 110° -120° So hot you should not be able to put your hands in it comfortably without gloves before you add the fleece. The grease/lanolin in wool melts at about 107°.

Never run water directly on the fleece ( For a whole fleece some folks like to use the washer tub. This can be used, but DO NOT let the washer agitate or you will have a felt doughnut.) I often fill two containers at the same time,( I like to use 5 gallon buckets)so that the rinse water is the same temperature as the wash water. To this water add your detergent. If you use laundry detergent be sure it does not have a bleaching/brightening agent in it. I like Dawn or Joy dishwashing liquid, or Orvus Paste for washing sheep (from the feed store). Gently place the fleece in the water, DO NOT AGITATE OR WRING IT. Simply push it once gently under the water then don’t touch it. Some people place the fleece in net bags for ease of handling .

Let the fleece soak about 1/2 hour or so. Cover the container to keep the water from cooling off too fast. Lift the fleece out very gently after the soaking to let the water drain…do not wring or spin. One very light squeeze will get most of the water out. You can do it by the large handful. I do not recommend the spin-cycle on your washer as it can partially felt the fine undercoat., but for a small amount of fleece I found that a salad spinner works well. Be careful handling the wet fleece, it felts easily. I no longer use the washer to spin the fleece, even that seem to cause some felting, so I simply squeeze once and drain in a colander, on a rack or screen.

Return the warm, drained fleece to a container filled with rinse water the same temperature as the fleece, it should still be quite warm if you work quickly. The trick is to not change the temperature of the fleece drastically at any time. Never pour water directly on the fleece. Never put warm fleece in water cooler than the wool. Water a bit warmer will be fine. Remove the fleece gently and give a squeeze to remove water. Then roll in towel to remove the bulk of the water. Place the fleece on a rack or screen or net to dry. Nice warm breezy weather is great, or woodstove heated rooms, but any place will do. You don’t want the wet fleece to be blown directly by fan or wind or it felt slightly. Tease the fleece apart gently to facilitate drying and help any vegetable matter fall out.

It is usually sufficient to wash once and rinse once or twice. If the fleece is exceptionally dirty you can repeat the wash before you rinse. The main concern with Icelandic fleece is it's ease of felting, which can be a plus if you are making mittens or boots but will make a fleece uncardable if care is not taken.. I have had no trouble as long as I followed this method.

I wash yarn in the sink or plastic tub. I make very hot sudsy water, usually dish detergent then just gently drop the skeins in the water. Don’t touch them. After 15 minutes, gently lift each one out, give it a gentle squeeze and place in rinse water the same temperature. After 10 minutes, lift each out, gently squeeze and roll in a towel to remove most of the water. Hang the skeins on a rack to dry with a little weight if needed to adjust twist. Do not blow air on them or put in a breezy place, the movement will cause felting of the strands. This method works well for me. I was shown this method after finding that the machine spinning had indeed caused some felting compared to the fleece or yarn handled very gently.

Icelandic fleece felts quickly and beautifully, a great trait, but not in the washing process.