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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 16:36:45 GMT
IMG_5182 by catwycliff, on Flickr Last year I purchased on ebay two boxes of what I thought was wool roving, but it turned out to be what looks like raw wool. So do I need to find a source for carding, or can I use some of the wool AS IS mixed with wool roving for felting? I think those curly locks can be used as embellishment, but it looks to me like the locks are stuck on to the other wool. So, big mistake, no wonder the price was right! Each box is about 12 x 12 x 9, each stuffed with either off-white wool or black/brown wool. Right, I can hear the laughter! I was really excited last year about felting and wanted to have plenty of wool! Adding more photos below. Any suggestions will be much appreciated!
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 16:41:46 GMT
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 16:54:46 GMT
I'm not laughing because the first piece I did I bought what I thought was roving only to discover when I did find some small packages of roving it was different. I believe it was batts of dyed fiber for spinning. But I used it anyway along with a couple silk hankies to make a wall hanging. It turned out fine. Try making a sample with it and see how it acts. You may be able to use it for texture areas. It looks kind of interesting. the background has a real nubby texture but it felted fine. Have fun!
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 16:55:39 GMT
Ohh, I love the curly stuff. Looks like fun!
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Post by MTRuth on Jan 30, 2014 17:57:33 GMT
The first photo the "wool" looks blue. Is that just because of the photo or is it blue? It doesn't actually look like raw wool to me. Is it stinky? Raw wool smells like dirty sheep and will have the lanolin in it so it will feel greasy. It actually kind of looks like cotton fiber to me. If that is what it is, it won't felt. You can use cotton fiber for embellishment. It's hard to tell from a photo though. That said, you can felt with raw wool. It is different than felting with processed, clean wool. As Marilyn says, make a small sample to see how it felts. The locks are a good find. Locks are usually fairly expensive when you buy them. Those look like Wensleydale perhaps. The locks can be used as embellishments or with needle felting - they are great for hair. You can dye them or leave them white. The other thing you can do with that type of locks is make a cobweb curtain. You use a very thin single layer of wool and you will have holes. It will look like a cobweb but is great for a sheer curtain due to the organic textures you create. It will probably be too coarse to use for a scarf as it will itch. No one is laughing because I'm sure that when we all started out, we were not sure what we were ordering. It is very difficult when you aren't sure of your materials to know what you are ordering online. Especially with sites like E-bay. Many times those sellers don't know what they have either. I find it best to buy from companies that deal specifically in wool. rhlindsaywool.com is the least expensive wool I have found. You don't have to buy in huge quantities (although you can) and the mixed 56's is a great felting wool. It's coarser than merino but works well for bags, slippers, vessels etc. I have no connection to them, just buy from them. They don't sell colors though so that's why I dye my own. The colored fibers are more expensive. New England Felting Supply is more expensive but they have good fiber. feltingsupply.com/There are many other sources in the US, but I was trying to get some that were closer to Chicago for you.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 21:17:07 GMT
IMG_5183 by catwycliff, on Flickr The top photo makes the dark wool look blue, but it's actually black with some brown, as this photo shows. It does not smell stinky at all and is not greasy. So you don't think I need to get it carded? It's time to do some samples, I guess. Ruth, thanks for the wool links. Had heard of New England Felt Supply but not the other one. Now that i am doing a lot of felting, my supply is getting used up. Do you ever mix sheep wool roving for felting (other than embellishment fibers?) A cobweb curtain sounds intriguing. Pandagirl-- the wall hanging is adorable!
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Post by MTRuth on Jan 30, 2014 23:08:03 GMT
OK - that photo looks more like wool. It sounds like it has been washed but not carded. It is up to you whether you want to get it carded or not. It doesn't have to be but it will be a bit easier for even layout and even felting if you do get it carded. But yes, sampling is the best way to find out what is going to happen when it's felted. But washed wool will felt just fine without being carded.
You can mix different breeds of wool although it is harder to felt together a layer of say merino (very fine fiber) with a wool that is a coarser fiber. But if you card them together, then it is easier to felt with a variety of wool breeds. I do mix wool breed sometimes depending on the effect I am trying to achieve.
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 30, 2014 23:17:58 GMT
Thanks Luvswool! I've purchased roving from New England, but also buy from Outbackfibers.com. I think they are more reasonable and customer service is great. When the weather gets nice, you may want to take a ride out to Marengo to The Fold. They carry Ashland Bay rovings and some other hand dyed varieties in addition to a houseful of yarn. They have silk rovings and a lot of variety besides merino. I have nothing to do with either of these places, but love to go to The Fold which is also a working sheep farm because I can see and touch the wools and silks. I'll have to check out Ruth's online source. I'll be interested to see how your experiment turns out.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 30, 2014 23:27:10 GMT
Thanks much, Ruth and Pandagirl for the help! Must do samples tomorrow and see how they work. So I guess I could teach myself to hand card…just need to get some of those hand carders. It's hard to imagine using all that wool in its present state, but if it felts well, why not? Will keep you posted…having so much fun learning! A drive out to Marengo sounds great when the weather is warmer, Pandagirl.
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 31, 2014 0:02:31 GMT
Luvswool, if you're not going to do a lot of carding, try dog brushes with retractable teeth. They work great for small amounts. Let me know when you decide to make the trip, I'll meet you there if I can!
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 31, 2014 1:12:24 GMT
Pandagirl--Road Trip! Woohoo!
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Post by Shepherdess on Jan 31, 2014 1:23:29 GMT
Regular dog brushes work well to. The retractable teeth are good but not necessary. the trick is to not overload them and to not jam the teeth together. Just gently brush over the top. If you have a spinning guild near by you may be able to rent a drum carder. But to start just pull it apart and see how it felts.
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Post by zed on Jan 31, 2014 10:38:38 GMT
You should be the one laughing with boxes of wool! Those gorgeous curls! I agree they look like Wensleydale. I mostly use wool locks raw, the lanolin helps them to keep their shape during felting. Though for making cobweb felt it would be better washed. Personally, I'd carefully pick out the locks, grabbing them by their ends and pulling gently, then I'd wash whatever is left and use that for cobweb felt. This isn't cobweb, but it does have mostly wensleydale, so you get the idea curly locks by zedster01, on Flickr also, don't be worried if it doesn't look curly after washing and carding. I bought Commercial Wensleydale tops and the curliness comes back once it's wet. The brown stuff looks like some Zwartble I got years ago, this is teased out Raw Zwartble by zedster01, on Flickr Wool can get compressed or matted when it's been stored a while, so doesn't look great, but will be fine once it's washed/carded.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Jan 31, 2014 14:20:18 GMT
Great suggestions, Ann and Zed. So it sounds like I should go ahead and wash the wool, even though it doesn't smell stinky? I have no idea how long the wool sat before it was shipped to me. So wash just to be safe? I can pull apart samples of each wool and do some felting this weekend, as we are expecting another 6 inches of snow in Chicago!
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Post by Pandagirl on Jan 31, 2014 14:35:16 GMT
I bought some commercial Wensleydale to make cobweb and was disappointed it didn't have more curl even after wetting and felting. Luvswool, I think you hit the jackpot with the curly locks. Have fun this weekend while it snows, I'll be busy felting as well.
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