More WOW Samples

More WOW Samples

I tried more samples of the fibers Cathy and I had ordered from World of Wool back in February.

I chose six of the fibers to try.  Three dark, three light. I used two layers in each of them.

2015-05-15 14.05.03Its not obvious from the fiber layout, but there were some big differences in the feel of each.

From the top left to right:

Black Welsh                            White South American with Rose Fiber embellishment

Light Gray Swaldale               White Faced Woodland

Gray Massam                            White South Down Top

The Black Welsh was coarse to the touch. White South American  was very soft with a longer staple. The Swaledale was soft and variegated.   The White Faced Woodland was soft. The Grey Massam was soft as roving.  The White South Down top was soft and had some black fibers running through it.

After felting to a prefelt stage:

2015-05-17 15.58.04

The Black Welsh was softer  and lighter than expected.  The White South American was soft, and more compacted than the others.  It felt more like merino. The Rose fiber melted right into it.

The Swaledale was bristly to the touch, but light and only slightly spongy. It wasn’t as variegated once felted. The Woodland was the thickest of the samples slightly coarse and very spongy.

The Massam was flatter and firmer than all of the samples and coarse but had soft finish, very hairy. The South Down Top  was spongy and not as soft as the White South American. This was the only one to show any shrinkage during the process.

Grey Massam
Grey Massam
South American with Rose Fiber
South American with Rose Fiber
Grey Swaldale
Grey Swaledale
Black Welsh
Black Welsh

I haven’t used any of these fibers in a project yet, but am curious if any of you have and what for.  I purposely made prefelt so I could use it later and not waste the fiber.

I’m currently traveling, so if I don’t respond immediately please be patient.

 

17 thoughts on “More WOW Samples

  1. Oooh, travelling somewhere nice?

    Those natural colours are lovely and isn’t it surprising what differences to the finished felt there are with regard to texture?

    1. Thanks Lyn! I’m in Germany, traveling to France tomorrow. This is my first time in Europe.

      It always surprises me the difference between the roving and the felt. But that’s half the fun. 🙂

  2. I’ve just bought black and white welsh wool, after reading this I’m keen to try it out

  3. Thank you for sharing this. Very useful. I also love prefelt swatches. Am searching for the right
    wool for toddler booties. Not too tough, not too soft. Cheers!

    1. You’re welcome Phyllis. Perhaps you could blend merino with Corriedale? Please share your finished booties and let us know what you decide to use.

  4. Great sampling, Marilyn! Every fibre lover should do more of it 🙂

    So… if you keep the wool in the prefelt stage you’ll be able to use it for different things? Care to give me an example?

    1. Thanks Leonor!

      I can cut out shapes with the prefelt to use in another project and it will felt right in. If I fully felted the samples, I could only use them as is or sew them onto something else. I hope that makes sense.

  5. Great samples Marilyn. I have used Black Welsh in my yurt. Very sturdy, great color. The others i haven’t tried. Have fun on your travels.

    1. Thanks Ruth! I can see using the welsh in the yurt. It is quite sturdy.

      We are on a river cruise from Prague to Paris with my sister and brother and their spouses. We are having a great time.

  6. I don’t think I’ve tried the South Down or South American. The variegation of Swaledale is great isn’t it? I hope you have a good trip 🙂

    1. Thanks Zed, we’re really enjoying the trip. But I’m glad we’ll be home next Monday.

      Yes, the swaledale is interesting. I’d like to try dyeing some of these wools as well.

    1. Thanks Judith! I haven’t made slippers yet. I will keep that in mind. Good to know.

  7. Great samples. Was the grey massam long? I have some white and it is about 12 inches long. It wasn’t hairy but you can really see each fiber when its felted. I like the way you get a wavy surface. It looks great with light coming through it.

    1. Thanks Ann! Yes, the staple was long, bu not quite 12 inches that I recall. It does have a cool texture.

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