WOOL FOR FELTING

If you have just discovered your passion for felting and are wondering where to start, this article will be helpful for you. Here, I intend to share my humble knowledge and experience in the field, introducing you to the types of wool available on the Bulgarian market.

First, let’s distinguish wool according to its processing stages.

Raw fleece is unprocessed wool, containing all the dirt and grease, sheared directly from the sheep’s back. You can find such wool in villages for a very low price per kilogram, but you’ll need to process it yourself – a long and demanding task.

Cleaned raw fleece in locks – this is the first stage of wool processing – washing. Most of the grease and dirt are removed, and it may even be dyed, but it is neither fluffed nor combed. These locks can create beautiful effects when a few curls are pulled out for accents.

Carded wool – during carding, the fibers are separated to form a thin layer of wool, which is then shaped into a roving strip. In this process, any remaining plant matter is removed. The resulting strip is fluffy and soft, with fibers oriented in all directions, creating a fine web-like texture. This type of wool is suitable for both wet and dry felting.

The final stages of wool processing are drawing and combing. During drawing, the fibers are aligned parallel to each other, and combing removes the last bits of plant matter, short fibers, and knots. Carded and combed wool is the cleanest and has fibers laid in one direction. This is the best wool for wet felting, though it also works beautifully for needle felting.

Wool quality also depends on the type and breed of the animal it comes from.

Since we’re focusing on felting wool, I can say that the varieties available on the Bulgarian market are limited. In EM ART stores, you’ll find their entire range, which is more than enough to take your first steps in this craft.

Now let’s see what we have available.

Wool in roving form - we have five types.

Standard wool by “STENLI” – 50g – This wool is ideal for needle felting, especially for making small sculptures. It is carded and combed; the only difference from other wools is that it’s a bit coarser and denser. When working with a needle, you should fluff it slightly before starting. It’s a bit harder to use for wet felting, but the end result is equally good.

Extra quality wool by “FOLI”, 700mm/600mm – This one is also great for both needle and wet felting. It’s a bit fluffier than the previous type, easy to separate, and doesn’t require teasing before use.

“FOLI” Wool Felt Sheet, 1700mm/1000mm – Melange - Very clean and finely carded wool. Its fibers are like a delicate spider web. It’s perfect for wet felting thanks to its large surface, which can be easily divided into layers. These layers are stacked perpendicularly to one another, and the melange of colors creates a lovely visual effect. It’s also great for dry felting if you need that much material.

WOOL 100% Felt Sheet 1700x1000 mm Multicolor Rainbow Yellow-Orange - 200g

“FOLI” Merino Wool – 50g – This wool is obtained from a special breed of sheep and is extremely soft and fine. It lacks the coarseness of regular wool. It’s ideal for scarves and accessories that touch the skin. Perfect for wet felting, though not recommended for needle felting – it’s too delicate and requires more skill. If you make a figurine entirely from merino wool, it may become too soft and unstable, so it’s best to start with regular wool and use merino only for finishing.

WOOL Felt Merino for Nonwoven Textile Green – 50g

“VELBADZH” Wool – 100g – Another excellent wool for wet felting. It’s very smoothly combed with long fibers. When wet felted, it produces a smoother, stronger result – ideal for bags, for instance. For dry felting, however, a fluffier wool would be better. Still, if you’re making an animal figure and want to create realistic fur, this wool is perfect.

Yarn Wool Felt Roving Flesh Tone – 100g ~3.5–4 meters

Another useful product for creating felted designs with beautiful decorative patterns is the pencil roving. It’s called that because it’s used as a decorative line – in a sense, you can “draw” on your piece with it. It’s a thin strip that looks like yarn but isn’t twisted and breaks easily. You can’t knit a sweater with it, but you can create stunning details and effects in both wet and dry felting.

Yarn Live Wool Gray – 100g

At EM ART, you’ll also find a variety of wool locks, which, as mentioned earlier, can be used to create decorative effects.

WOOL Natural Locks Blue

And finally, a useful set of colorful soft wool pieces you can get in addition to your chosen main colors, for more creative variety.

WOOL 100% Felt Color Set – 50g

More useful articles on this topic:

DRY FELTING WITH NEEDLE FELTING

Daya (Daya)

Daya

I am a huge enthusiast of creating new handmade beauties, whether it is with beads, paper and pen, canvas and acrylic, or yarn. Every form of art or intricate crafting brings additional inspiration! If you are curious about what else we can make and craft with art and craft materials, stay tuned for updates in the blog and, of course, feel free to share your ideas!