Part of the process
Choosing wool
Carded wool felts fast under the needle; combed wool lies smooth and takes longer. Most figures use cheap core wool inside and a thin colored layer outside. Superwash wool and acrylic will not felt firm.
- Fastest to felt
- carded batting or sliver
- Inside the piece
- core wool, usually undyed
Wool felts because each fiber is covered in tiny scales that catch on each other. How the wool was prepared decides how quickly that happens. Carded wool (batting, batts, sliver) has short fibers lying in every direction, so the needle tangles it fast. Combed top, which US stores often label roving, has long fibers lying side by side: sleek, and slower to felt. Wool batting vs roving compares them.
Most sculpted pieces use two wools. The inside is core wool: inexpensive, usually undyed and on the coarse side, so it felts down quickly. The outside is a thin layer of color. Medium wools such as Corriedale, about 25 to 33 microns, catch the needle easily. Fine merino, about 18 to 24 microns, gives a soft, smooth coat and is the usual wool for wet felting. The wool types chart lists each by use.
Read the fiber content before buying. Superwash wool has had its scales removed or coated so it survives the washing machine, and it will not felt. Acrylic and cotton have no scales at all. If the wool stays loose however long you stab, the fiber is the first thing to check: why wool is not felting goes through the causes in order.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Using colored combed top for the whole piece, inside included.
- Buying a pack sold as felting wool without reading the fiber content.
- Expecting yarn marked superwash or acrylic to felt like wool.