Felting with Space Dyed Merino

[Leslie]

If you got some of Debi's varigated merino, you will be noticing the
finer texture of the fibers, and I tried to give you all some tips at
the end of the class to address the difference. To repeat, merino is
really best for garments and other items that should be soft and
drapey. A baby's hat might be fine in merino, but a hat for you will
not hold the shape as well as Finn or Corriedale. Definitely, you will
need to make a sample first to know how many layers you will need for
a piece, because the finer fibers may require more than 4 layers.

The other difference will be in felting with a varigated color fleece,
also known as "space-dyed" fleece, where the rope of fleece has been
painted across the rope with different color dyes. It isn't the same
as knitting with space dyed yarns, and may be a little difficult to
design with in your felted piece. I know that I struggled with it, and
have come to understand why it is harder to use.

The staple length is the basic building block of felt. It is a precise
length, and those nice color variations across the rope of top (or
sliver or roving) don't show up within the staple length. Instead, you
will get groups of staple lengths in one color, groups in another
color and very few with both or several colors, and they tend to
stripe across the staple length. It is challenging to use these and
avoid color spots and lines in the surface, and you may not be happy
with the results. I found also that I really needed more of one color
than showed up in the rope, and less of another, but in varigated
fleece, you may not get what you need.

Also, think about what I talked about in class about making the base
of the piece and then use color and texture on the decorative surface
layer - colors below the surface will influence the colors on top but
usually won't show up distinctively. If you use space-dyed wool as the
base, you can get irregular patterns of color underneath, which can
cause a jumpy look on the surface. Better to use a solid color base
and then use the space-dyed fleece for decoration.

Definitely try it out in a sample first before making a whole piece so
you know what to expect. That is always a good rule with any new
fleece. But you might have better luck felting with fleece that is
varigated lenthwise - in other words, different color fibers are
grouped together so that the colors change along the length of the
rope of top and when you pull a staple length, different strands in
the staple length are different colors. This approach to coloring
fleece work much better in felting.

I'll post some pictures shortly to demonstrate the difference, and
definitely let me know your experiences with these different types of
fleece.

[Leslie]

The photos have been uploaded to the file list. Hope this helps. Let
me know your thoughts on this!

[Leslie]

Just reread the original post and I sound like an old fogey, even
though I started out trying to be helpful. Definitely try it out and
come to your own conclusions. Upload some pictures and post about your
process and results. I look forward to being wrong :)