Merino wool 18.5 microns (New)		Merino wool 21 microns		Merino wool 18.5/23 microns		Natural wool
Plant Fibres		Blends		Silk		Needles

 

Our shop

In our shop you will find a wide selection of materials and resources:

• Needles
• Wool for needle and wet felting
• Silk fibres
• Plant fibres
• Nuno fabric
• Sari-silk
• Free Photo Gallery with links to your work
• Loyalty program with members area

 

Wool and felting

Wool Grading:

1. The Bradford system (also known as the English Worsted Yarn Count System or spinning count or Bradford count) is a way to assess the quality of wool. English wool handlers in the city of Bradford described wool by estimating how many 560-yard hanks of single strand yarn could be made by a good spinner from a pound of "top" (Top is cleaned combed wool with the fibres all parallel). The finer the average diameter of a single wool fibre the more hanks could be spun. From a pound of "64s," for example, sixty-four such hanks could be made. From the finest wool more than 80 hanks could be spun; from the strongest, perhaps 36 or fewer (see wikipedia).
2. The micron system is system in which individual fibres are accurately measured. The unit of measure is the micron, which is one millionth of a meter or 1/25,000 of an inch.

Type of wool	Bradford count	Micron system
Fine	Finer than 80s	Under 17.70
Fine	80s	17.70 - 19.14
Fine	70s	19.15 - 20.59
Fine	64s	20.60 - 22.04
Medium	62s	22.05 - 23.49
Medium	60s	23.50 - 24.94
Medium	58s	24.95 - 26.39
Medium	56s	26.40 - 27.84
Medium	54s	27.85 - 29.29
Medium	50s	29.30 - 30.99
Coarse	48s	31.00 - 32.69
Coarse	46s	32.70 - 34.39
Coarse	44s	34.40 - 36.19
Very Coarse	40s	36.20 - 38.09
Very Coarse	36s	38.10 - 40.20
Very Coarse	Coarser than 36s	Over 40.20

 

What is wet felting?

Wet felting is a technique of felting wool using soap, water, and agitation. There are many methods for wet felting. A common method is to:

• Lay out dry wool onto a mat that has a textured surface, such as a matchstick bamboo blind or bubble wrap
• Thoroughly wet the wool with hot, soapy water
• Roll the wool up in the mat and roll it back and forth
• Unroll the mat and turn the felt periodically so it felts evenly.

 

What is needle (dry) felting?

Needle felting is a technique of felting wool using specialised felting needles. Dry pieces of wool are felted together when the felting needles are jabbed into the wool repeatedly.

 

Merino wool:

• Very soft, fine wool.
• Best for next-to-the-skin wool.
• Easiest to felt.
• Good for making thin, floppy felt.
• Merino wool has long been treasured as blankets for babies and adults alike, as well as winter apparel, sport clothing, and athletic wear to name just a few

(Points of interest).

Merino, unlike some other natural fibres, is naturally elastic. It is the nature of Merino fibre to "bounce back".

Merino is ideal for clothes that come into contact with body sweat as compared to synthetics. It will absorb this moisture (up to 30% of its own weight) before releasing it resulting in less smelly garments’ and less washing?

Will Merino cause scratching if worn next to my skin, it is wool? No, because wool generally starts to feel scratchy at a fibre thickness in the region of 27 micron, so at 18.5 to 23 micron it lies below this line.

Merino clothes are extremely easy to care for due to its natural qualities.

Merino is a natural "smart fibre". It can help keep your body warm when it’s cool and cool when it’s warm. The structure of the wool is responsible for this. The many curly fibres hold a lot of air, which is warming and insulating.