> > That is an interesting idea. I noticed no frass in> either of the batts. Would something like that be> apparent in a wool mite infestation?
Yup. Sometimes if I don't get a mite infestation completely under control before shearing, just the clipped wool, sitting in a box in neat, undisturbed rows will get that stuck together feeling. It has to be pulled apart, with a slight ripping feel (I am deaf, but I can feel the fibers refusing to just slide past each other in such a way it is what I would imagine ripping would sound like). I learned to be extra diligent about the mites, even to the point of dusting my clipped wool with DE (I am a naturalist, won't use chems if I don't have to) while in storage. It helps a lot.> > > leaving a bit of a sticky, felted mess. > > It wasn't quite that bad... more like it needed some> strong handling to return to a draftable state. Exactly. After I wrote, and sent that post, I realized it may have seemed like I worded that a bit too strongly to describe the mite's initial effect on the fibers. Over time, it can become like needle felting, but initially, it just feels a bit sticky (as in stuck together, not sticky to the touch), difficult to draft without a bit of predrafting. Most angora is VERY easy to felt, you look at it funny it seems to felt. But, my angoras are German, or high percentage of German, which are bred to NOT mat, and have a very low maintenance, with high volume of fiber, so if they are matting, they have mites or are poorly bred. > > I said in my original post that I hadn't seen this> happen before. I was wrong - I remembered this morning> that I *did* have this happen once before with the> down I harvested from my cat (pure undercoat). It> matted down, iirc, but with some hand-picking, it was> spinnable. > Yes, I have had this happen with my Maine Coon's hair, as well. I wonder if mites effect cats, too? I sure do see the same symptoms of flaky skin, itchiness,tendency to mat easy, and a bit of a greasiness to the coats. When I treat for fleas with Frontline (which I loath having to use, but I seem to have no other working choice), that all goes away. And I didn't think to dust my collected kitty down. Hmmm...... should ask my vet. > Thanks for your thoughts,> June My pleasure! Kim www.blessedfarm.om To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
