Scottish Blackface Fleece Feltathon

Well, I finally got the courage up to roll out Cookie's fleece from last March. I realize I'm a little late but you just don't understand. Cookie's fleece is gynormous! I love my ram Cookie, sweet but dangerous. When we sheared him the first time as a yearling I was so excited, my first sheep, my first shear! My girlfriend has a fiber mill. She thought it was so cute that I was so excited to knit something from my dear Cookie's fleece, she offered to process it for me (since I had no idea how to do it myself) in her mill. Well, it wrecked her mill for a while, threw guard hairs all over the place and finally spun up like garden twine!
I tried washing last years fleece and hanging it out on a pole to dry but it was an absolute failure, I was late in the first place and it stunk to high heavens, it was so heavy wet I couldn't get it out of the trash can I washed it in, the guard hairs were stuck all over my body (I was in my bathing suit) and finally it took about 6 weeks to dry. So this time I decided to use it raw, in the grease and felt it one way or another. I'll try and post as many photos of the process as I can. For all you Backface lovers.
First I have to say that I just love (as we all do) raw fleece! But more than that I have gotten to the point that I don't want roving, combed top or carded rolags, I just want raw locks! I started this project with unwashed fleece and just pulled the locks. Then loosed up the tip ends, gave the lock a horizontal tug like an accordion and layed them, overlapping, on a rush mat. (goodthing I am working on this in the greenhouse because it is a rather large & hairy project. This first felt project is a rug. Next will be boots!