Washing Fleece

Heat water to 160F to melt lanolin - too much lanolin will create black clumps of the stuff in your wool. Removing the lanolin is called `Scouring`.

Use as acidic a soap as possible. Other than expensive special soaps, apparently blue Dawn has the most balanced pH. About a 1/4 cup in a sink, 1/2 cup in a tub?

TO IMMERSE - NO AGITATION
Have a mesh surface stretched over a frame that fits the size of whatever bath you're using. Attache strings of devise handles to safely pull it out of the boiling hot water.

If it hasn't been done already, pick the fleece clean of any chaff or poop etc.

Place on the screen in an even layer.

Pour the hot water and soap into the bath.

Slowly lower the screen in the water and DO NOT AGITATE. This means do not poke to make it sink or swish the water around, no matter how gently you think you're doing it. The fleece will felt. It's not a matter of 'may felt', it WILL felt.

Let it soak for 15-20 minutes.

Gently pull out the screen and let the fleece drip. DO NOT press or squeeze, just leave it looking like an awful mess on the screen.

Repeat this process until the water remains clean after the fleece has been pulled out.

http://www.icelandicsheep.com/Icelandic%20Fleece.htm
http://www.kindhornfarm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:icelandic-sheep-for-premium-fleece&catid=38:general-info&Itemid=119