It Followed Me Home, Can I Keep It?

I hadn't planned to buy any Shetland wool:



Nor had I planned to buy a box of angora:


But what I really hadn't planned to do was buy an unprocessed Corriedale fleece:



I had so thoroughly not planned for it that I had to ask Jessica whether it was a good one; I'd never even done any research on choosing a fleece. I couldn't help it: I fell in love with the way the locks change from black to tan, and the way it smells sort of sheepy an citrusy at the same time.

I've been slowly washing locks here and there, experimenting with different ways to prepare them. I'll probably pick up a few different options for combing/carding while I'm at Woodland Woolworks this weekend. I suppose I should check out what these things cost before I commit to buying an array of them.

I was explaining to Matt last night the problem of having to lift the locks out of the water every time I need to change it, and how I was worried about felting them with too much handling, and he was able to design a fairly simple lift-out screen insert for the utility sink over dinner. He promised to help me build it; I hope he realizes that by "help,: I actually meant "you go into the garage where the tools live and bring me back an object of great use and beauty."