My kind of wool
What kind of wool for wet felting
I recently started teaching wet felting techniques in online courses and am frequently asked what kind of wool I use. Thought best would be to show it to you :) :
My choice: finest 16 micron merino wool top
I love super soft 16 micron merino wool top
After having tried all kind of different wool, I nowadays go with merinos wool only! My choice for extrafine combed merino wool was mainly influenced by the fact that I make a lot of wearable art. Combed wool - commercialized most often as wool tops - allows to work in very thin layers. It’s perfect to create a lightweight fabric with a fluent fall.
I choose to works with 16 micron merino wool because I love my garments to be as soft as possible. It’s nearly as soft as cachemire (which is 14 to 16 micron).
I employ this kind of wool also for my sculptural art work because I love it’s touch, it’s finish and it’s smoothness!
What kind of wool for a beginner in wet felting?
To my students I recommend top wool because that’s what I’m using. It’s easier to follow my instruction by working with combed wool. Carded wool works great for sculptural works as well but the layout is different. If you book an online class with me and only have carded wool, we will make it work but if you can get combed wool before taking my class it will makes things easier!
Do I need 16 micron merino wool?
I love merino wool because it has a very clean surface - less hairy than many others. Therefor I always recommend merino wool but if you have another wool that you like better, it’s ok for me, too.
16 micron wool is higher prized than the more commun 19 micron merino wool. For beginners or students I recommend 19 micron merino wool.
Where to buy wool top / combed wool
There are a lot of suppliers. Just tape “Merino wool top” in your browser window and you will find adresses in you area. Here is my list of suppliers I work with and recommend:
Filzrausch in Germany: love their wool !!! Website in German only!
DHG in Italy : beautiful colors !
Si vous êtes en France vous pouvez vous procurer la laine italienne chez
tricotin.com c’est le même prix mais le site est en français ;)
Wollknoll in Germany: excellent wool & website is available in English :)
