I've tried Dirty Rotten Bastard on Shetland, Icelandic, Targhee and Border Leicester wool, and in all cases I was impressed with its ease of use and my results. Am I giving up Power Scour altogether? No.

I'm taking you on a behind-the-scenes tour of Sheepspot, a yarn and fiber company that sources breed-specific wools from sustainable flocks. This week, I'm sharing how I discover new wool.

Fiber businesses are seasonal. Most knitters and spinners, understandably, are more likely to buy wool yarn and fiber in the fall and winter than in the late spring and summer. But shearing happens in the spring, which means that my biggest wool costs come just as sales are slowing down, and processessing bills from the mills tend to come at the end of the summer, when sales are slowest.