Help for a struggling wet felter

[reillys_mom]

I have extremely limited success when wet felting. Recently I have tried making beads by starting with a snake and a loose ball of roving. the loose ball method was better, but every one still has folds and some have a bunch so none are smooth. With the snake, the pieces keep coming apart rather than forming into a single snake. I also have tried felting around a ball with the intention of then cutting it open, but the outside never fully felts and there are still tails -- I've rubbed, bounced in a stocking, put it through the wash, no needle felting yet since it has a rubber ball in it.

Basically, I'm getting frustrated since I can't do the most "simple" things. On the flip side, with a needle I've made fairies and animals and decorations, etc. What am I doing wrong?

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

Are you rubbing the wool by itself or is it contained in some way I would make balls sometimes by putting the ball into the toe of an old sock and rubbing it that way or tossing the whole think into the washer. I've never made beads before, I usually made larger projects (like rugs and wall hangings). For snakes, I like to start out with the wool in the crease of a bamboo placement like you would use for rolling sushi. Roll it up and down inside the mat. For large projects, I have a recycled bamboo window blind that I use in a similar way. I also have chunks of window screening (you can usually find it by the yard at hardware stores) that I lay over top of my wool and rub through.