I’m spending a few days on the Isle of Lismore, a place I’ve been visiting for over 40 years. Every time I come back, I find something new to appreciate - this time, it’s been watching the sheep grazing and thinking about how their wool makes its way from fleece to the materials we use for crafting.
Although the fleeces from Lismore’s sheep often aren’t processed for needle felting (the costs of cleaning and preparing them is very high), they still serve useful purposes. Some are used as natural insulation, while others help to fill boggy patches of ground to make the land more usable. Even when they don’t end up in our craft rooms, the wool still plays an important role.
For wool that does become needle felting fibre, here’s what happens behind the scenes:
Shearing the Fleece
Every spring or early summer, sheep are shorn to keep them comfortable and healthy. A skilled shearer can remove the fleece in one piece in just a few minutes. It’s a job that takes practice and precision to avoid injuring the animal and to keep the fibres as clean as possible.
Sorting and Grading
After shearing, fleeces are laid out and sorted by quality. The softest parts, often from the shoulders and sides, are reserved for textiles and crafts. Coarser sections are set aside for uses like carpet yarn or insulation. This grading helps determine what the wool is best suited for.
Scouring: Washing the Wool
Raw wool is full of lanolin (natural grease) and bits of grass and dirt. Scouring removes these impurities. The wool is washed in warm water and mild detergent, then rinsed and dried. Lanolin is often saved and used in cosmetics and creams, which is a nice bonus from the process.
Carding: Aligning the Fibres
Clean, dry wool is fed through carding machines - rollers covered in fine wire teeth - that separate and straighten the fibres into soft, airy sheets. This step is essential for needle felting, as it makes the fibres easier to handle and helps them bind together when you start working on a project.
Dyeing
Some wool is left in its natural cream or grey shades, while other batches are dyed in a wide range of colours. Modern dyeing methods create vibrant, colourfast fibres perfect for creative work.
Preparing for Needle Felting
Finally, wool is either left as batts or drafted into roving. Both forms are easy to pull apart and shape. At this point, it’s ready to be packed up for crafters to use, whether in a kit or as loose supplies.
A Different Kind of Connection
Being here on Lismore and seeing the sheep up close is a good reminder of the origins of the materials many of us enjoy working with. Even though the local wool doesn’t usually end up in felting kits, it’s still part of a bigger story - one of resourcefulness and the many ways wool can be put to use.
I’ll share some photos from my trip so you can see a bit of the island that inspired this post. If you’re curious about trying needle felting yourself, it’s amazing to think about the journey each handful of wool has already made before it reaches your hands!
