These locks are inspired by the colors in the tiny little woods in my back yard. There’s an interesting feeling I get about having a woodland property as part of my yard - even though we legally own it by deed, stepping back there, beyond the areas we mow, feels like I’m entering a territory that’s borrowed, one in my care but not mine. It’s not like having a manicured lawn with designated flower beds. It’s a completely different realm. At the same time, as its charge, I feel like it’s one tiny area that I feel I can protect from the harm of other humans who feel like the relationship between man and land is one of ownership and not care.

These locks come from a fleece I ordered from across the pond, one that is a cross between Wensleydale and Romney. Some of the fleece’s locks more closely resemble that of Wensleydale (curly), and some are closer to that of Romney (crimpy/wavy). The curls are tighter towards the tip, but the base is soft, open and on the fuzzy side, making these great for spinning (especially tailspinning) and felting. This particular listing is for 1 (one) ounce of curly locks, which average 5-7” in length (8 if you stretch them out). Most are on the longer side. They’ve been pulled apart prior to dyeing, and as such are ready to work with straight out of the bundle.

These locks have been gently hand processed, carefully and lovingly hand dyed one ounce at a time with acid dyes and heat set. I always give my wool a wash post-dye in warm water with a bit of soap, followed by a rinse with vinegar and lavender (you won’t smell the vinegar, but you may notice some lavender) until the water runs clear. This is to help rinse out any dye that didn’t set. However, since each artist's water, soap, detergent and processing varies, there is always a chance that the wool may bleed some when wet felting (or washing post-spinning). If your final artwork or garment requires cleaning, gently hand wash in cold water and dry it flat.