A Guide to Felting Wool

Ready to Dive into Felting Wool?

There are lots of wools available to buy through specialist suppliers. The choice can be over whelming and jargon difficult to decipher. Matching the correct wool to your project is important. The wrong wool can make the process difficult and time consuming and not produce the result you're hoping for. Felting wool normally comes in two formats, a batt which is an often rolled thick length of pre dyed wool. A sliver is a long narrow length of wool often wound like a ball of knitting wool. It doesn't matter what format you use, my preference is Slivers, but you'll find that batts often have more colours to chose from and are more readily available.   

How do you felt wool?

To make a simple ball or sphere you need to start with a core. roll up tightly or knot a small length of wool approximately 20-30cm long. Use a felting needle to poke it repeatedly until firm. Then take small wisps of your chosen wool to build the shape and add the texture and colour. Use small wispy pieces 3-4cm in diameter, keep adding these smaller pieces. The wool, with the helping of the needle will bind and lock together and as more is added it will gradually increase in size. Keep on going until you reach the desired shape and finish. This principle works for all projects and it is how felting wool works. 

Vegetation NOT Fleas, Bugs or Poops! 

Wool is a natural organic product. It once lived on a sheep, that live outdoors surrounded by grass. There is myth that anything you find in your wool is a nasty or the wool contains fleas, bugs etc. This is simply not true, bits of foliage get caught in the fleece these come from the vegetation in the fields and hedges where the sheep live. The more processes the wool has been through, the less vegetation tends to remain, as it gets removed along the way. So raw wool will have the most, then washed wool, then carded wool the least. Once you get to roving tops or roving wool most of it has gone. I don't find foliage in my wool a problem, I just pick it out. It can be teased to the surface as you felt, just remove it by levering it out with your needle, cut out with small scissors or simply pulled out with your fingers or tweezers.

Course, medium or fine? 

If you're starting a project that requires a firm base or has a wire armature. You'll need cheaper course core wool to get started, this felts fast and firm. It is often mix breed and un-dyed. Most supplier swill sell large bags of core wool all ready to go. Use to sculpt that shape or form you require. Using a lanolin rich wool with an armature works great as it is super sticky and clings well to the wire. Once you have reached the desired form, then swap to the fine medium course wool to add colour and details.        

Medium course wool generally is a great all round wool which is ideal for most projects and comes in a rainbow of colours. Perendale, is one of those medium course wools, it felts fast, is available to buy through most needle felting suppliers, it also felts evenly and is an ideal top coat to core wool.  A good smooth finish can be obtained with the correct needle. It is available in slivers and batts, though batts may be more readily available. 

Corriedale is another medium course wool, it often comes in animal blends for example mouse, squirrel, fox etc. These pre blended colours are great for making animal friends. whether realistic or whimsical. Corriedale often comes in slivers, rather than batts. Some suppliers sell blended corriedale colours or tutti Frutti blends. These are fun often bright neon colours, that can add a new dimension to a piece. 

If you require a softer, finer finish or are adding fur details, a merino top is ideal. Merino in a breed of sheep, the wool is super soft and gives a fuzz free finish. It is often carded into batts or long slivers. The silvers are great for adding long hair or fur. Sections of a sliver can be felted onto an existing form and then trimmed to desired length, great for a lion mane or cat fur.

Batts work better if you wish to cover a surface. Merino is so fine it isn't really suitable for any other purpose than adding a top, working with a fine needle it produces a lovely fuzz free finish. Beginners often go for merino because of its softness, it’s a very attractive looking wool. They then become frustrated when they are unable to felt it in to a form.   

A wool for all projects.