The first image that comes to my mind for roving is not a loosely clumped wad of raw wool, silk, cotton or other textile fibers. I think of a silk-clad minstrel meandering an archaic countryside spinning heroic tales with his lute. However, that whimsical analogy is not that far off… sort of.

Wool Roving is often the base for many felting projects. Wool roving is the removal of foreign debris, the aligning of fibers, and twisting in preparation for conversion of raw fibers into yarn or thread. Raw textile fibers are like little chaotic wires, strewn about without order. They can’t be used for much in that state. But, when the raw fibers are combed, washed, and carded to become slightly aligned, they become a sliver. If the sliver is flattened it becomes batting, as in the soft fluffy material filling your grandma’s old doll. If the slivers are twisted slightly, they are considered roving. Roving is the final process before spinning. Spinning the fibers creates yarn or thread. The yarn or thread can be knitted or made into fabric.

A Pile Of Colored Wool Roving

Roving can be dyed. If the color is applied before the spinning, the color is much deeper and vibrant.

Typically a roving is the length of a hand. Since hands vary in size, so does roving length.

See what I mean with the minstrel analogy?

The minstrel takes a long journey across the countryside, singing apparently random songs to the pleasant folk – raw, unaligned fibers.
He stops in a town or village and the people gather in groups – the making of a sliver.
He sings a sad lament and makes them cry – flattening the fibers to become batting.
He then sings of a hero’s redemption and whips the crowd into a rancorous roar – the twisting of the material into a roving.
Finally, he has the crowd join in the song – the spinning.

Written By Chad Mullens

There once was a stunning ram named Maximus, who’s fleece was white as snow. Maximus was a Finnsheep and since the warm winds of spring had come, it was time for his annual shearing.

First off, Maximus, was herded into a shearing area. He was put up on a table and his hooves were trimmed and cleaned, it was the perfect time to make sure he was healthy. The shearing area was clean and organized to ensure that both the ram and the shearer would be safe and comfortable. Maximus thought the shearer was going to give him a hug, at first, but the sturdy person picked up Maximus and pushed him into a siting position and placed his front hooves into straps. It was not uncomfortable for the sheep. Maximus took notice of the man’s shoes and how they were covered in cloth as to not get the wool fibers caught or tangled in a mess.

Next, the shearer grabbed an electric shearer and ran the vibrating tool through the long fur and along Maximus’ belly. Then they moved to the left rear leg and hock and moved around the lower area, then up to the neck, and down the right side. In mere moments, Maximus felt his thick coat being pulled off in one solid piece. It looked like a loosely woven sweater, but was called a fleece.

Maximus was now a little chilled. The shearer rushed the ram out into the warm sun. But, the sheep was curious as to what would happen to his fleece. He ran around the barn and peeked into the window just as the shearer handed the fleece to another person, who took the greased wool and dunked it into several tubs of hot, soapy water. Maximus imagined this was to wash off the dirt and debris that had been stuck in the course fibers. He also knew that there were oils in the fleece that needed to be rinsed off. The person washing his fleece told the shearer, “There is lots of lanolin in this. I wonder if women know that their makeup and soap is made with sheep oils?”

The fleece was then placed in a machine that pressed and rolled the wool, helping to dry and separate the fibers. Wool from other sheep was added and passed through the machine.

Soon the clean wool was sorted according to stable length and separated for it’s end use. A process called carding pulled the fibers so that they all ran in a single direction. Maximus noticed that more debris was pulled out of the wool. Then, the wool was combed. This was important because it began the separation of longer (four or more inches), course fibers, from the softer, but shorter fibers. The thicker, coarser fibers were collected and twisted together in a process called roving. That material would be used for making worsted yarn. The worsted wool would be used to make rough fabrics, twill, gloves and even carpet.

The shorter and softer wool, called woollen fibers, had been carded and would soon be processed into felt, fine yarns or matting material. Maximus was satisfied knowing that his wool would be used in many different ways. After all, woollen fibers are used in making everything from sweaters, to jewelry and felt.

Written by Chad Mullens

When looking for raw wool, it is important to understand some of the details. Details like staple length, diameter, hand, crimp, luster and color. These things affect the price and use of the wool.

Staple length:

A Staple, in this case refers to the cluster of fibers that grow together to form the fleece, not the U-shaped pieces of metal that hold pieces of paper together. Sheep have clusters of hair follicles that allow the fibers to grow close to each other and form bonds as the scales on the cuticle rub against each other. The staple length refers to the length of the staple when it is shorn from the animal. Pretty simple, however, the staple length is important because it determines the end use of the product, i.e. knitting or weaving.

Wool Diameter

The diameter of each fiber is the most important thing when determining the price and quality of wool. Fine wool (twenty five microns or under) can be used for making garments. While the durability suffers a little, the end product can be very soft. Whereas, thicker fibers are very durable, they also tend to lack luster and make course products – not good for undergarments or lingerie.

Wool Hand

Hand refers to how the fibers feel to the touch. Is it soft and springy or rough and fibrous, or somewhere in between? This is important for the use of the wool. Are you making a sweater or trousers? Do you want to feel scratchy?

Wool Crimp

Kinda like Valley Girl hair from the 1980’s, wool crimp refers the natural waviness or kinks to the fibers. Some breeds produce more crimp than others. The more crimp the better in terms of producing longer, more expensive yarns.

Wool Luster

Luster refers to the shine, or lack thereof, of wool and wool products. Finer fibers tend to have higher luster.

Wool Color

Not all sheep are pearly white, like the fabled friend of Mary. Wool can come in many different colors like, black, silver, gray, brown and tan. However, white wool is highly desirable because it has the greatest range for being colored.

Written by Chad Mullens

Written by Chad Mullens

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Knit or Knitted Felting

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Needle Felting

Needle felting is the only felting type that does not require wetting the fibers beforehand. Needle felting simply hooks onto fibers with specially placed barbs and forces them to tangled. There is really only one step to needle felting, which is to poke fibers with a felting needle until it tangles to the desired effect. There are several techniques, however, which warrant explanation.

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Felting is a simple process of separating, tangling, and relocking animal fibers found in items such as yarn or wool. Felting begins through the agitation of the animal fibers; these fibers are lined with tiny scales which interlock and keep the fibers’ shape. In felting, the scales are coaxed into separation through heat—warm water or friction—and then gently tangled using various tools.

Once the animal fibers have been separated and tangled, the felting process is completed when the scales are once again interlocked. This usually occurs when the fibers cool; at this point, you have completed the basic process of felting! Through more manipulation and the help of several tools and patterns, you now have the power to create a wide range of things from felt.

There are several methods to agitate and tangle animal fibers into felt such as wet felting, needle felting, nuna felting, and knit felting. Though these are the most popular and basic techniques, there are several more used to create different types of felt.
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