How to felt with NO SOAP?

[GBov]

I have seen it done with a pole, the sides of an old yurt and horses to run round with it but, as all I want is a rug with natural lanolin left in, does anyone know how to felt without soap?

Not needle felting but either wet or dry, no soap required, felting?

Wool felts ON the sheep (or rabbit, or cat, or dog) so I know it will but the piece I want to make is about 3 ft by 5 ft and just the odd time it is nice to not be creating the wheel. :lol:

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Felt requires agitation. The simplest is to lay out the wool and try to make it even, without thick areas or bare areas. Sprinkle water across it. Agitate. There is many ways to agitate, rolling behind horses or a crowd of barefoot people. You can roll it up in non-felting fabric and roll and stomp it around. Basically anything that continually agitates the fibers so they interlock and felt up. I just posted a link to a playlist of videos in your fleece post, there is several felting videos there.

 

[GBov]

Felt requires agitation. The simplest is to lay out the wool and try to make it even, without thick areas or bare areas. Sprinkle water across it. Agitate. There is many ways to agitate, rolling behind horses or a crowd of barefoot people. You can roll it up in non-felting fabric and roll and stomp it around. Basically anything that continually agitates the fibers so they interlock and felt up. I just posted a link to a playlist of videos in your fleece post, there is several felting videos there.

Thank you!

I did a test sample and while it worked out fine - took a million years longer to felt though - the reason behind the experiment has not shown up this year. :roll:

Dry Feet!

My thinking was a throw rug with lots of natural lanolin should be good for my winter time dry feet but we have just moved into a house with wall to wall carpets and my feet are fine so I think a bit of soap will just make the job go faster and easier.

Have worked out a way to felt large sheets of wool in my space so am thrilled with that, am looking at one right now that I made today for gifts. It will be cut into shape to put into wellington boots - Welly Warmers - but it is so pretty I don't want to cut it.