One of the reasons felt making appeals so much to me is the speed in which a finished product can be made. I can take wool that has been processed into roving or batts and lay it out to make felt (visit my felt info page to see how felt is created) without having to spin it first. I also have access to one of the best wools for making felt. My friend Cary from Serenity Farms says Icelandic wool felts so easy all you have to do is look at it cross eyed and you have felt. It is not quite that easy but...And that very same attribute makes washing and dyeing Icelandic wool tricky. Extra care has to be taken to not agitate the wool too much or get water too hot during these procedures or you will end up with a big matted mess (speaking from experience - grin). I am also lucky to have my own source of alpaca wool that we grow on our farm. Alpaca makes soft and beautiful felt. What you can make out of felt is just about limitless. I have made many things some of which are shown below. Some items I have available to order - see my fiber for sale page (coming soon) which also includes felting kits I have put together, roving, yarn and more.

The picture above, based on my farm logo is made from our Icelandic wool. The background is made by the wet method described on my felting info page. The tree, sheep and letters were added after with a felt needle.

Felt Mittens

Felting mittens is one of my specialties. I seem to sell them as fast as I can make them and have made several pairs for gifts. I have developed a technique to felt a pair of mittens lined with angora rabbit wool which makes the mittens very soft on your hands and adds in warmth.  I make both mittens at the same time on one template. After it becomes felt I then cut them in half to create a pair. If I am careful in cutting the mittens apart the template can be used over again for another pair of mittens. I use the rolling method for most of my felt which I sandwich between mosquito netting. The green pair of mittens shown above are a child's size made from alpaca wool that I dyed and were made for my niece Holly for Christmas. At this stage the wool has been laid out over the template but hasn't been worked to become felt yet. The other pair of mittens above are baby mittens made for our daughter Trena from my soft alpaca wool .

This project I have to say I am very proud of. I developed this technique on my own with a bit of experimentation. I hand spin the yarn and lay a light layer of wool over it. The thin layer of wool felts to the yarn making a fine scarf that is soft, strong and beautiful. I have found that my blends of alpaca with some Icelandic and mohair (from Lilly and Rose) added make the nicest scarves.

These cup holders are fun to make and work well to keep drinks cold. I like to blend colors together and sometimes will needle felt a design on after.

Felt covered soap is fun for all ages. You have your soap and wash cloth in one. The wool will develop a lather when you get the bar wet in the shower or bathtub and rub gently exfoliating your skin while you get clean. When you are finished - gently squeeze out extra water and set in an area it can dry out. Felt covered soap is made by wrapping the bar of soap in wool - get wet and rub - and the wool turns to felt which is your instant washcloth.

Felt beads, balls and Christmas ornaments

and more...

There are unlimited whimsical projects to make from wool. Felt balls are fun to make with bright colored wool and is simple enough project to do with kids. Beads also are fun to make to string onto a necklace or to make into key chains. Small stockings make good Christmas ornaments and I have several more Christmas ornament ideas to try.