[princesspiggy]

what is felting, i am very ignorant 
i saw a demo at local craft shop not too far from us, so iv seen them brushing wool with metal (slicker) brushes, is that called carding?
i ve quite a few hebridean fleeces, some lambs wool and other older ones.

[Bionic]

Fleecewife,
thankyou for the comprehensive answer.  You probably know whats coming next... whats the place place to find out about felting?

Sally

[Fleecewife]

Err - you just have a go    Actually there is a felters Guild so help is at hand.  There are several ways to felt.  You sometimes see 'boiled wool' jackets etc for sale - that is felted wool.  One way to felt is to knit something, such as a bag, much bigger than you want the finished article, then put it in the washing machine, with something to separate the two layers, and something lumpy such as a pair of jeans to do the bashing.  It will come out smaller and felted, ie with the individual wool fibres bonded to each other.
Felting can also be done with a long needle stabbed repeatedly into the carded wool - people make little dolls, birds etc like that.
The most common way to felt is using hot water and soap.  First you card a lot of fleece and lay the batts out so they overlap and the fibres lie in various directions - not all facing the same way.  Sprinkle very hot water over the pile and gently work it into the fibres.  They will start to stick to each other and you keep working, adding more hot water and soap, until the fabric looks like a fluffy blanket rather than the original pile of wool and has shrunk quite a bit.  Then you place it on some bubble wrap and roll it tightly.  The roll needs to be rolled back and forwards for a while, then the developing felt taken out and 'shocked' by throwing it hard onto a surface.  Eventually after a lot of handling, you will have a piece of felt.  Nuno felting is much finer and uses a base of a piece of silk cloth, with tiny amounts of fibre added, with whisps of coloured silk fibres added to create a pattern.  You can make beautiful scarves that way.
If you look on Utube there are videos of felting so you can see what I mean.  It's very much of a messy, hands-on job, but something children absolutely love to do.  The ultimate felt is a yurt cover.  People who live nomadic lives in places such as Mongolia, make their yurt/tent coverings of felt using the wool of their own sheep. When it comes to the rolling bit, they put a long pole up the middle then drag it behind a horse up and down for ages.  There is a Utube video of that too., probably under 'mongolian felting' 

[Fleecewife]

i saw a demo at local craft shop not too far from us, so iv seen them brushing wool with metal (slicker) brushes, is that called carding?
i ve quite a few hebridean fleeces, some lambs wool and other older ones.

Yes the brushing is carding- it puts all the wool fibres in order, rather than all higgledypiggledy which they are after washing.  You don't have to card if your fleeces are very clean and open, but with Hebs you will need to.  Oddly, Heb lambswool is more difficult to spin than adult, but even then you have to be very choosy just which fleeces you spin.  Some are wonderful, some are horrible    I prefer old ladies fleeces which have become softer and lost some of the outer layer, leaving just the undercoat. The outer layer can be very long which is not easy to spin unless you are spinning worstead (ie without making rolags)

Barefoot crofter - I meant to say, you need to keep your wheel well oiled for easy spinning.  I oil mine whenever it has stood for more than about 3 days.  A dry wheel will not spin easily.

[Bionic]

Fleecewife,
You have so much sheep associated knowledge. How long have you kept sheep for?
Sally

[Fleecewife]

15 or 16 years.  But I am also a farmers daughter so grew up with livestock.

[jaykay]

Loads of great advice here 

I'm going on my first spinning day on March 13th, really looking forward to it 

Seems like I might have killed the fleeces I got a year or so ago and didn't store properly then. Oh well, better start again 

[Fleecewife]

Hi jaykay - let us know how the spinning day goes 

[jaykay]

Didn't happen  Need to look for another one, but after lambing/summer now maybe 

[Fleecewife]

Oh what a shame    What happened?

[Fleecewife]

Hi jaykay.  I don't know where you are based and this would be at short notice, but Scottish Fibres just outside Edinburgh is having a one day beginners spinners course on April 2nd. Last day for application Mar 27.  see scottishfibres.co.uk .  If you can't make this one they may be running another later in the year.  Or you could join your local Guild and pick it up as you go along 

[jaykay]

Hi Fleecewife, I'm on Cumbria/NYorks border so Edinburgh is some distance for a day - hubby away that weekend too do can't stay over. Will look at their website though and see if I can arrange something another time, thank you!
Doesn't seem to be a very active guild around us. Actually, my mum can spin but it's as difficult booking a slot with her as getting to a course - she's a very busy lady