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Help me with wool roving please!  

post #1 of 16
6/5/08 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, I am totally confused.

I have found so many different prices and types of wool roving, and I have no idea what to start with.

What is a good beginner's wool that is decently natural but cheap enough to screw up? I wanted to make some balls or something and possibly involve the kidlets in the process, so I imagine some may not turn out that great. I don't want to regret spending too much money.

A Child's Dream has several different kinds, but they are all expensive. $8 for 2-4 ounces? How far will that take you? It seems like a lot of money for a very small amount.

Then I looked on Ebay and I was even more confused! I found all kinds of different wool at different prices.

I also went to Hobby Lobby and I saw bags of fist-sized balls of about 6 different colors for like $3.95. But I worry about commercial dyes, chemicals, etc... who knows what kind of processes this wool has been through. They also have sheets of 100% wool felt, but again I don't know where it comes from or whether it's been treated with anything.

Speaking of wool felt sheets, I need those, too- could I make my own with the roving?

I am totally : over this. Please help!!
post #2 of 16
6/5/08 at 9:25pm
It is confusing, and I don't know that much, but I'll share what I've learned.

The roving you want depends on what you want to do with it. I have a ton of pretty, bright mohair roving that I bought by the ounce from a bunch of different vendors at MD Sheep and Wool last year. It was $2-$2.50 per ounce, and it's in tangly bunches with vegetative matter mixed in. I don't think it's been carded. I also bought some (accidentally!) from Child's Dream Come true, and it is a lot different. It is smooth, combed, and in sheets that are folded up into little bundles. Much easier to use, imo. You can pick out the tiniest amount, and you can wrap it in long pieces for doing a ball, for example. But the colors are not as bright.

I also have wool batting that I bought for making Waldorf dolls that was $12 per pound (less than $1 per ounce), that is just like the Child's Dream Come True roving, but in a huge, undyed bundle. For a real bargain, I would think you could buy some of that and dye it yourself.

Making felt sheets is pretty time consuming, I would think. If that sounds fun to you, then go for it. If you just want the felt, then you'd probably be better off buying it.
post #3 of 16
6/6/08 at 4:58pm
Thread Starter 
So is it complicated/time consuming to dye it myself? I was imagining just putting a bundle in the dye solution and nuking it, as I've seen some people do with yarn...

Where did you get the Waldorf wool?

Are there any other good resources besides A Child's Dream that I can look at? I want to shop and compare.
post #4 of 16
6/7/08 at 9:14am
I think I got my batting from Weir Dolls, if not ACDCT. Magic Cabin sells Waldorf materials, too.

Dyeing the roving is easy. Getting a colorfast final product is trickier. Depends on what you'll be doing with it. If something needs to be machine washed, or washed repeatedly (like clothing), then it's harder. There are lots of tutorials on kool aid dyeing, and I like Wiltons cake colors, too. Dyeing your own definitely isn't the easiest way to go, but it is very inexpensive.

You could also do a websearch on natural dyes. That would be fun, too. Find things in your house or yard to use.
post #5 of 16
6/7/08 at 11:34pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the info, Colleen! :
post #6 of 16
6/8/08 at 10:48am
As a general rule, roving usually costs about $2-2.50 an ounce, unless it's hand-dyed or a luxury fiber. I have had great experiences with helloyarn.com. Her hand dyed wool sells out fast, but she seems to always have undyed roving in stock. Corriedale is a beautiful roving, and sounds like it would work for what you want. I think it's about $9 for an 8oz bag, which is a ton of fiber! Well, you know, half a pound.

good luck!!
post #7 of 16
6/12/08 at 8:48am
Check Etsy, too. I bought a beautiful basket of supplies (felt, too!) from this seller:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5071629
post #8 of 16
6/12/08 at 11:38am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by brigmaman View Post
Check Etsy, too. I bought a beautiful basket of supplies (felt, too!) from this seller:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5071629
Wow, she has beautiful things. Thanks!
post #9 of 16
6/12/08 at 12:55pm
If you're feltmaking, try www.peacefleece.com
post #10 of 16
6/12/08 at 1:17pm
Thread Starter 
So if you had to pick between these, which would it be?

Un-Dyed Bluefaced Leicester Wool Top- 1 lb. $16

Silver Romney X Roving- 1 lb $15

South African Fine Wool Combed Top- 1 lb $16
post #11 of 16
6/12/08 at 2:15pm
You can buy excellent roving for felting at West Earl Woolen Mill for around $13/lb, and wool batting for around $6/lb. Awesome prices! I haven't ordered for a while, so the prices might be a bit higher now like everyone else. But they are usually the cheapest I can find. The wool batting does felt very nicely as well, I like it especially for balls. The surface texture of your finished work will be finer with the roving. Both come undyed but I think dyeing your own is fun and pretty easy to do with food dyes. The trickiest part is not felting during dyeing.

You order by calling them, it is a Mennonite farm:

West Earl Woolen Mills- 717-859-2241
post #12 of 16
6/13/08 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoliMum View Post
If you're looking at hello yarn, I'd go for the falkland It has a shorter staple length, which I find easier to needlefelt with, and takes dye well. I haven't had a good look at their undyed fibres in a while but it looks like they have a lot of the same lines as Scottish Fibres and I know her stuff is good
post #13 of 16
6/16/08 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
What do you guys think of this roving from JoAnn's? They also have wool felt for $18/yd, and I have a 50% coupon...
post #14 of 16
6/21/08 at 11:56am
iF YOU ARE FELTING MAKE SURE THAT YOU BUY REGULAR ROVING, NOT MACHINE WASHABLE.
post #15 of 16
6/21/08 at 3:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by danieliausmama View Post
iF YOU ARE FELTING MAKE SURE THAT YOU BUY REGULAR ROVING, NOT MACHINE WASHABLE.
OKAY THANK YOU!
post #16 of 16
6/21/08 at 9:53pm
I bought some for $12.95 a lb, I believe from West Earl Woolen Mills. And $15 for some Merino. I forget where...

But I would never pay $8 for 4 oz. I dye my own.
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