This One's for You Cande!

This post could have had many other titles............. What to do on a dull, grey Sunday in Paradise.............. Inspired by Mongolian Nomads.............. How to Felt Sheep's Butt Fleece!

A little while ago a good friend gave me some fleece that had been sheared off her sheep's bottoms prior to lambing. It's not good for spinning, but I wanted to do something with it. I had thought about felting it and then, the other day, I saw a video of Nomadic Mongolians making felt to cover their yurts @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ0uojUHYdA

Well, I was inspired, but in lieu of a horse and the warmth of the sun on the plains of Mongolia, I needed another method! Thanks to my good friend (the www) I decided to try this.............. On a plastic table lay out a beach mat. Tease out the fleece and make one square layer with the fibres going vertically. Sprinkle with hot, soapy water and then place another layer on top with the fibres going horizontally. Repeat for two more layers. Roll up the beach mat and fill the bath with a couple of inches of hot water. Roll the beach mat back and forth vigorously for five minutes. As you can see from the photograph, the fibres were washed thoroughly during this process!

Remove the beach mat from the bath and place on the table. Unroll and gently move the felt one quarter turn. Roll up the mat, fill bathtub again and roll for five more minutes. Repeat this method a total of 4 times and then rinse in cold water (while still rolled up).............. where's a horse when you need one! This took about two hours in total and was a good upper body workout!

The fibres have knitted together quite well (Romney fleece is apparently not great for making felt). I love the blended colours and will probably stitch a design through the felt when it's dry to stabilise it more........... I'm not quite sure yet ................. suggestions will be very welcome!