Scoured wool is washed in hot water with detergent to remove the impurities. Depending upon production practices prior to shearing, the impurities within a single fleece can make up from thirty to seventy percent of the weight of that fleece. During the scouring process, producers must be careful not to agitate the wool fibers or felting will occur. Felting is the bonding together of the wool fibers through the interlocking of the numerous scales on the outside of each wool fiber. Felting in wool is an irreversible process that renders the scoured wool unfit for spinning.
Hand spinners comprise the single largest direct or specialty market for fleece wool.
Hand spinners are particular about the quality of the wool they buy, because so much of their time is invested in processing the wool into yarn. Production practices which minimize the amount of hay, twine, vegetable matter, and manure tags in the wool should be adopted by producers targeting this market. Spinners and weavers guilds are often formed in communities where there is a small concentration of hand spinners and weavers. Contacting these groups to determine their interest in raw versus scoured wool is an excellent way to start gauging the demand for fleece wool in your area. In addition to hand spinners, there may be other hand crafters or craft stores in the area interested in buying fleece wool.