Felting Kits and Accessories

Ashford Felting Needle Punch

Wooden felting needle punch that allows you to store felting needles inside the punch when not in use. A nice safety feature! Holds four felting needles. Comes with four needles for punch and extra needle for detail work.

Felting Needle Punches from Colonial

felting needle punch'alt= Nicely contoured felting needle tools in two sizes. Includes 36 gauge felting needles. Comfortable contoured birch handle. Additional needles sold seperatly.

Ashford Felting Wool Set 1

14 oz of carded Corriedale Sliver in 12 colors: moss, navy, marigold, fir, eggplant, pumpkin, teal, lilac haze, nutmeg, sky blue, rose & berry. Click on image to enlarge.

Ashford Felting Wool Set 2

14 oz of carded Corriedale Sliver in 12 colors: periwinkle, black, copper, camel, lima bean, chocolate, blue, green, magenta, orange, purple. Click on image to enlarge.

Ashford Felting Wool Set 3

14 oz of carded Corriedale Sliver in 12 colors: turquoise, yellow, red, candy, indigo, lagoon, lime, lavender, pansy, raspberry, tangerine. Click on image to enlarge.

Ashford Felting Wool Set 4

14 oz of carded Corriedale Sliver in 12 colors: turquoise, yellow, red, candy, indigo, lagoon, lime, lavender, pansy, raspberry, tangerine. Click on image to enlarge.

Felting Needle Replacement Packs

36 gauge triangular point coarse needles / 4 pack, for coarse wools and deep penetration

38 gauge triangular point all purpose needle / 4 pack, for all purpose

40 gauge triangular point fine needle / 4 pack, for fine details fine wools

38 gauge star point needle / 3 pack, for fast felting and fine details. Star point needles will felt slightly faster than standard triangular point needles.

Assortment 4 pack 1/#36, 2/#38, 1/#40

Be safe: Felting needle are not toys and do not belong

in the hands of children.

Felting with Felting Needles

Felting needles will enable you to create felt without the use of water or detergent. I allows you to felt or “sculpt” your work, add fine details and let your imagination run free. It is the prefect way to explore your fiber fantasies and create, create, create!

How do Felting Needles work?

These little needles have been used for many years in the creation of commercial felt and are now being discovered by individual felters. A felting needle has small “barbs” or “burrs” on the shaft which, when it penetrates the wool catches the scales of the wool thus felting it. This “up and down” or “punch” motion creates friction and thus felts the wool.

What can I felt with a Felting Needle?

What can you not? Start out with a small project such as a coaster, a soap cover or a small critter. Then let your imagination run wild. You can create fine lacy scarves, fantasy figurines, toys, vests…

Felting with Soap and Water

Woolen fibers that are submerged in hot soapy water can be felted by rubbing and kneading. The friction plus heats opens the scales of the wool, allowing them to bond with each other permanently.

How does Felting with Water and Soap work?

Felt is formed when sheep's' wool or animal fur is subjected to heat, moisture and pressure or agitation. Soap, or an alkaline environment, helps the felting process. Heat and moisture cause the outer scales along the fiber to open, and the soap allows the fibers to slide easily over one another thereby causing them to become entangled, thus producing felt.

What Fiber do I need?

As a rule of thumb you will experience that a finer wool will felt faster, meaning that a merino will felt a lot faster than a Romney for example. So…does that mean I always want to use the finest fiber I can? No, not necessarily, a coarser fiber, even though it may take longer to felt has it’s advantages: the created felt will be thicker and will be able to withstand wear better, which may be of advantage of items that are being used a lot (slipper soles, coasters etc) So, why don’t I just use real coarse fiber then for everything? Well, you could, but no one will love a scratch coarse scarf no matter how much love you put into its creation.

So…the bottom line is: Your fiber choice depends on your project and may vary. Just make sure you do not purchase super wash fibers or else you will be tying to make felt for the longest time J

Felt in Past and Present

The oldest archaeological finds containing evidence of the use of felt are in Turkey . Wall paintings that date from 6500 to 3000 B.C. have been found which have the motif of felt applique. At Pazyryk in Southern Siberia archeological evidence of felt was found inside a frozen tomb of a nomadic tribal chief that dates from the fifth century B.C. The evidence from this find shows a highly developed technology for wool felting. (These felts are in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Some pieces can be seen on the museums web site, www.hermitagemuseum.org The Romans and Greeks knew of felt. Roman soldiers were equipped with felt breastplates (for protection from arrows), tunics, boots and socks. The earliest felt found in Scandinavia dates back to the Iron Age. Felt wool sheets believed to be from about 500 A.D. were found covering a body in a tomb in Hordaland , Norway .

Today felt is still in use in many parts of the world especially in areas with harsh climates. In Mongolia , nomads live in felt tents called yurts or gers. In Turkey , rugs, hats and other items are made of felt. In South Central Asia nomadic tribes use felt as tent coverings, rugs and blankets. Shepherds use felt cloaks (kepenek) and hats to protect them from the harsh climate. In Scandinavia and Russia , felt wool boots are produced and widely used. More recently there has been a revival in the interest in felt making especially in Great Britain and Scandinavia and also in the United States with contemporary felt making design and techniques becoming more widespread.

Spinners Choice

Create! Relax! Enjoy!