Dodie Rush
The
Bert Challenge:
Bert
was indeed a challenge for me, at a time when I didn’t need challenges!
My
bag of fleece weighed approximately 13 ounces, rather short (2 inches in
length), and a little dirty. After two washings, about 7 ounces of usable
fleece remained.
Washing
in hot (130 degree) water with Orvus removed much of the dirt, and the locks
being very crimpy, reduced in length. But a STRONG ram smell was still present,
so Bert got washed a second time. I raised the temperature with boiling water,
and used Dawn detergent liberally, which removed the smell, but further “shrunk”
the length. The locks did not felt, just drew up. Some locks were now really
too short for me to want to cope with.
The
fleece was teased open before each washing, and teased again in preparation for
carding. During the third “opening” session. Cleo the Cat discovered Bert lying
in the basket, and claimed him for her own.
This
gave me the idea of creating a Cat Bed of Bert’s fleece!
I
had spent 15 hours working with this fleece, and decided that Cleo could do her
own felting for her bed. Her “kneading” of the fleece, combined with her body
heat, began the process. She would object strenuously if water were added, so I
resisted the temptation to help her with felting. It’s slow work for her, but she
perseveres, adding her white hair as accents.
It’s
up to Cleo to complete this project – after 15 hours of labor, I gave up on
Bert!