Also known as dry felting, needle felting is a technique of felting wool using specialized felting needles. Dry pieces of wool are felted together when the felting needles are jabbed into the wool repeatedly. The needles can be hand held, used in multi-needle hand tools, or put into embellishing machines (similar to sewing machines). Needle felting can be used to create wool 3D sculptures or to embellish fabric with designs in 2D.

Youtube often has good videos on how to needle felt if you do a search for it. We also offer classes on how to felt. You can find needle felting supplies here at Birkeland Bros.

No. Felting needles have barbs which are designed for catching and compacting fibres. Normal needles cannot be used for felting.

Wet felting is a technique of felting wool using soap, water, and agitation. There are many methods for wet felting. A common method is to

• lay out dry wool onto a bamboo mat (like bamboo blinds)
• thoroughly wet the wool with hot, soapy water
• then roll the wool up in the mat and roll it back and forth
• unroll the mat and turn the felt periodically so it felts evently

Youtube often has good videos on how to wet felt if you do a search for it. We also offer classes on how to felt.

Wool (and some other natural fibres, including human hair) has microscopic scales which allow the fibres to lock together, forming felt.

Some wool felts better than others:

Polwarth and Merino felt up quickly.

Perendale, Corridale, Coopworth, Borderdale takes a little longer.

Southdown and Romney takes much longer to felt.

Click on the photos to enlarge them. If your cursor shows , then click again to enlarge them further.

Breed	Fibre Size	Description
Borderdale	33 micron, 100-150mm staple length	Coarse wool. Popular with home spinners. Good for hand-knit yarns and heavy-weight apparels.
Coopworth	35-39 micron, 125-175mm staple length	Coarse, long wool. Used in heavier apparels and carpets. Very good for spinning because of its long length. Also good for felting.
Corriedale	30 micron, 75-125mm staple length	Fine to medium wool. Used for medium-weight outer garments, worsteds, and light tweeds. Good for felting.
Cross Bred	Varies	Usually coarse. Excellent for spinning, great for beginners.
Merino	20-22.8 micron, 65-100mm staple length	Very soft, fine wool. Best for next-to-the-skin wool. Easiest to felt. Good for making thin, floppy felt. Usually used in quality woolen and worsted fabrics.
Perendale	31 micron, 100-150mm staple length	Good for felting. Makes stiffer, cushy felt.
Polwarth	22-22.5 micron, 75-110mm staple length	Fine wool. Used in worsted fabrics, knitting yarn and apparels. Polwarth is a type of merino, but it is stronger because the staple length is longer. Excellent for felting. Good for felting projects with children because it felts fast.
Shetland	34 micron	Coarse wool. Good for felting and spinning.
T29 (Southdown/Perendale)	50/50 blend	Good for felting. When wet felted it can sometimes look wavy. It is a blend of Perendale wool and Southdown wool, not a mixed breed sheep.
Southdown	23-28 micron, 50-75mm staple length	Not good for felting on its own, but good if mixed with other types. Great for stuffing, very springy and dense. It will wiggle through fabric if it is stuffed inside fabric that is not woven tight enough.

Images from New Zealand Sheep and Their Wool by the New Zealand Wool Board, 1980. Shetland photo from the Shetland Sheep Society.

For more information on different breeds of sheep, we have found this database useful: Oklahoma State University's Department of Animal Science - Sheep Breeds

Fleece

Washed wool which is uncarded. Fleece contains natural curls.

Batt

Washed and carded wool. The wool is carded into a large, flat sheet called a batt.

Sliver (also called Roving)

Washed and carded wool. The wool is carded into long, thick strands. Sliver can be easily fed into a spinning wheel for spinning into yarn.

Yarn

Washed, carded, and spun wool. Yarn can be very thick or very thin, but unlike sliver it is twisted (spun) and usually plied together.