Wet felting with local wool

When we start wet felting, there is so much to learn about the many techniques that fit under this wider umbrella, that this alone can be enough for felt makers to focus on, without ever taking a deep dive into the attributes of the fibers from different sheep breeds.

So, often it’s people who have sheep or who live in rural areas, who – early in the process – start looking at how to use the wool of local breeds in their felting, as a way to take advantage of what’s available in their closest environment.

For those of us who live in cities, it’s impractical (or even unthinkable) to buy raw wool, clean it in the bathtub, and do all the processing in an apartment. So, we resort to buying processed wool from suppliers, and so are restricted to the available breeds.

Like me, you may very well be in this second group of felt makers. And, if you are – like me – you probably haven’t spent much time looking at the incredible number of different wool types that are available throughout the world.

But, as your fascination with wool grows, and you notice the different results that come from working with different wool types, it’s only natural that you want to know more about wool and different sheep breeds.

That’s what’s been happening to me in this last year. So, I’ve been driven to research the topic and buy books about wool, some of which I’ve already shared with you. (See ‘The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook’  and ‘Schafwolle verarbeiten’)

I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with people who are actively engaged in this exploration, and who’ve opened my eyes to what’s been happening throughout Europe concerning the preservation or recovery of local breeds.

Today, I’d love to share with you a bit of what I’ve uncovered, in the hope that you, too, may become interested in this topic. Maybe, together, we can help preserve local breeds, as well as contribute to the livelihood of small sheep farmers.

‘Exploring Irish Wool For Feltmaking’

After sending out the newsletters about the books I’ve mentioned above, I was contacted by Annika Berglund, from Feltmakers Ireland, telling me about ‘Exploring Irish Wool For Feltmaking’.

This is a book self-published by Feltmakers Ireland and it’s the result of an absolutely incredible community effort.

It starts by telling you about how the wool market began to collapse in Ireland around 1985 and how “today the cost of shearing a sheep is about 10 times the value of the fleece and […] Irish farmers are breeding sheep mainly for meat, while wool is a secondary product, if not an outright waste product.”

We then hear about the project that was born from the observation that feltmakers were using imported wool when Ireland was producing so much wool that was remaining unused.

The idea was to try to understand why this was happening, test the different Irish breeds for felting, and try to establish a connection between feltmakers and sheep breeders.

While feltmakers volunteered to make samples to test the characteristics of different local breeds, farmers supplied the wool, along with the information regarding the breeds.

But ‘Exploring Irish Wool For Feltmaking’ also covers a lot concerning felt making, preparing the fleece, as well as dyeing with food colorings, commercial dyes and plant dyes. And it finishes with a valuable list of local wool suppliers and washers/carders.

This is indeed a precious book for everyone who cares about local breeds, as well as an incredible community project.

You can get ‘Exploring Irish Wool For Feltmaking’ at events organized by Feltmakers Ireland. Or you can email [email protected]. The book costs 20€ plus postage and it can be sent to you worldwide.

Projects closer to home: Portugal and Spain

Unfortunately, the issues mentioned above aren’t exclusive to Ireland. We experience the exact same problems in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), and probably in most of Europe. I wish I could say we also have a book like ‘Exploring Irish Wool For Feltmaking’ for Portugal and Spain.

Though the situation is bad, we’re starting to see some projects with the aim of saving local breeds in Iberia as well.

‘Salva a Lã Portuguesa’ aims to “celebrate natural Portuguese heritage by preserving national/local wool and producing yarn for knitting, crochet and weaving differentiated by native breeds, using manual processes.” You can learn more about this project here.

‘Wool Dreamers’ is a Spanish supplier working exclusively with wool from Spanish sheep. They produce yarns, as well as Spanish Merino for wet felting. In the words of the founder “Everywhere I looked, synthetic materials dominated the fiber market from yarns, to fabric, and even insulation.

To make matters worse, when wool was available, wools of all nationalities except Spain were represented! And most worrying, my research showed me a world where Spanish wool, a historically treasured fiber, is commonly treated as waste and considered unprofitable in the current wool market.

All my findings increased my sense of urgency to create the world I saw in my dream, a vision I now held deep in my heart. I had to get down to work.”

You can learn more about this project here.

Do you know of other projects in Europe or elsewhere in the world that are working towards the preservation or recovery of local breeds? Please share them with me and let's help spread the word.

Thank you!