I know I promised the next post to be about Manx Loaghtan breed*, but I've been processing a Merino X, and this fleece is one that I processed using a fermented suint method. The fermented suint method is a "soak, sit, and wait" sort of method where you soak the raw fleeces in water for about a week (outside, trust me on that), and the fleece essentially cleans it self. Mostly.
Having come across several article on it, I decided to dive in. And to do that, I was going to collect rainwater. So I waited for it to rain. And eventually gave up and used tap water.Now, one of the main reasons this washing method appealed to me was that it will use less water over all, as well as less soap and detergents. Something that greatly appealed to me, as I do my best to lesson my impact on the environment.
There is still one to two hot washes with soap and detergent, one vinegar rinse, and one final overall rinse, but that's down from 3-4 washes, and 3-4 rinses.
I've been trying to figure out why this method of fleece washing works - many people will say that the sweat (suint) contains potassium salts and when that mixes with the grease (lanolin) it creates a soap that essentially washes the individual hairs itself.
That does not explain the smell. Oh, the smell. It's a mix of sulfur, perm solution, and sewer water. Not exactly perfume, but one does get used to it as best one can. Talking with a brewer friend of mine, he mentioned that there is also bacterial reactions going on, which would account for that smell. There are times in brewing when a very similar smell occurs. It also explains why, when the fleece is dry (and the bacteria dead), the smell goes away.**
Fleeces washed in this method are not lanolin free. They still retain some lanolin in them, which is making processing them fun. (I like lanolin, and so do my hands and nails.) The other benefit is that often the regular washing can leave the fleeces feeling very dry, which can lead to more breaking. (Think of dry ends on human hair.) The fact that this fleece is amazing to begin with, and still has just a touch of lanolin, will make spinning this something I'm going to look forward to.
Unfortunately, with the weather turning cooler, I'm not going to be able to use this method for much longer. However, I plan on using it next years as early as I can.
* - the spelling of the breed is one of those that I mangle easily. I've thought about just referring to the breed as Manx L. for ease, but I should figure out how to spell the breed. One of these years...
** - there have been a few people who have reported that no matter what they did, the fermented suint bath smell did not go away. I have yet to have that problem, and while I can speculate why their fleece still smells (stinks to high heaven and back), I don't know for sure. If it ever happens, I'll post about it. I will say that they bags I use to wash the fleeces in are starting to stink. Given that they are mostly nylon (plastic), I can see where they would pick up the smell. But it's very faint.
