Questions about soap felting

[SmallThings]

I bought some "felting wool" from Michaels and made my first felted soap. I was a little disappointed because it smells like... well... sheep and there were twigs and leaves in the wool! I obviously don't want my soap to smell like a petting zoo, and I'm assuming it would be rather unpleseant to scrub with twigs and leaves in your soap. Am I being naive and this is typical of wool? Or is this another low quality product, as I've come to expect from Michaels?

Also, any soap felting tips would be much appreciated

 

[Seifenblasen]

Michael's do not really have the best kind of wool, or prices, for that matter.

It is normal to get twigs and vegetation in "artisan" wool, you just pick it out before using it. For better quality and variety, check out your local yarn/knitting/weaving shops or places online. Just be aware that wool from certain breeds of sheep felt better than others; and some smell more "sheep-y" than other as well. For example, I found that Polypay wool smells a lot stronger than Shetland (although Shetland is not necessarily the best for felting). Attached is a table about some common breeds of sheep and how well the wool felt:

http://www.stitchuary.com/pages/Sheep-Glossary.html

 

[SmallThings]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info Seifenblasen.

 

[sperry]

People who recommend specific wools for felting usually say Merino. I find it WAAAAAAAAAY too "slippery." 100% frustrating for me to use. I use it for the highlights, but would sooner drive bamboo under my fingernails than try to get a nice even layer of wool over my soap with Merino. I use Corriedale Cross, but I don't know if that is readily available, or if it is a company specific type. Ashland Bay in Oregon sells it, but you need a reseller's licence to buy from them. If you can't get Corriedale cross, I guess I'd say keep trying different types.

 

[Seifenblasen]

There are TONS of places online that one can get all kinds of wool without reseller license. For example:

http://www.woolery.com/store/pc/Carded- ... g-c534.htm

You can also get wool for felting at Ebay.

As to what is best for felting, there are actually two deciding factors: the breed of sheep and the preparation of wool. For felting it is usually best that the wool has been carded. Personally I prefer roving to tops in wet felting.

Correidale is a breed of sheep. There is nothing company specific about it.

 

[sperry]

Thanks. The reason I made the comment on Ashland is that they call it Corriedale CROSS. I thought that they might mix it with another type to create a company specific type of wool. I use roving.