Tour de Fleece Day 22: On beyond TDF goals

With my TDF goals met, it's on to the next challenge. I've got an 8 pound gray Romney fleece that I bought at a Sheep to Shawl festival in the spring, and I'm going to spin at least part of it in the grease until I have enough for a fall coat -- maybe Yank from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines.

I spread the fleece out and found that some parts were cleaner than others. Hmm, might not have been skirted well. I'll take it to spinning group tomorrow and see what the experts think. In the meantime I pulled out a few ounces that looked relatively clean, used a pet brush and a comb to open up the locks and get bits of hay out, and started spinning. I haven't spun in the grease before. It's proving rather challenging, since I'm used to clean, combed top. Here's what I've got so far:

There are several shades of gray in the fleece and I'm trying to blend them randomly as I go for a heathery or marled effect.