cleaning sticky yarn??

It can be. Depending on what I intend to make with my handspun I may leave some of the natural lanolin in the wool when I prep it.

Use hot water and lots more detergent. No agitation, however, as that will piss it off and make it clump up in an unrecoverable fashion.

Yep - hot, hot water but don't leave it in the water so long so that the water gets cool or all that a "sticky" will reattach to the yarn. You won't felt it so long as you don't agitate it or plunge it from hot into cold water. You'll need to rinse it at the same temperature well too - then hang it up to dry.

I personally wash my fleece before I spin 'cos I'm a bit of a nancy about spinning greasy wool but plenty of people do.

VP

That'll be "nain-see" where I'm from :D I only spin in the grease when I know the sheep personally. Which means I rarely spin in the grease. I was looking forward to a greasy spin with my own sheep's last clip, but he keeled over from heat before I could fleece him *shrug*

Hmm, that's not a sentance I'd let pass my lips in a NZ pub - people would look at you very funny indeed. :P

VP

Nobody around here would know what it means. Now, if I said something slightly suggestive about cattle I'd get some odd looks...

Vintage Purls. . . AND WOOLY.... I just had to jump in here... I'd always heard that that is where venereal disease came from... shepherds

Wooly spun a FINE 'yarn':