Doucet Farm - 1860

This house was very interesting to me...it was the transformation of sheep's wool (fleece) into yarns and clothing after a long process. After a first wash in clear water, the wool is teased in order to remove the dirt and to separate the fibers, then it is carded, spun on the spinning wheel and gathered in skeins which will be washed again in hot soapy water. The dyeing is done in a large iron pot, skeins of wool are soaked with a coloring matter: spruce bark, onion skins, roots, flowers, ferns etc. The skeins can be knitted to make socks, mittens and scarves, or else be woven on a loom into rugs, clothing etc. The lady said that it takes 3-4 women about 4 days to get the skeins set up on the loom before they can start weaving the yarns.