Norwegian Wool

Carded batts for hand felt making and spinning from Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk (Hifa) in Norway

We stock

• Carded C1 Norwegian wool in 42 dyed colours, natural white and 3 grey blends
• Carded blends of Pels and C1 in 18 dyed colours and 2 grey blends
• Carded South African Merino, ultra-fine and soft, in 19 dyed colours plus natural white
• Starter packs of C1, Pels/C1 and Merino - 10g of each colour in the range
• Pre-felt South African Merino, suitable for clothing and combining with silk or cotton fabrics for laminating and nuno
• Felting needles and preselected colour packs for needlefelting.
• Colour reference cards for each of our wool ranges
• Pels curly wool in bags of 12 mixed colours for decorative work

Carded C1

This is Norwegian long stapled, summer wool, produced in batts at the Hifa factory. It is colour fast and very suitable for felt slippers, shoes, hats, figures and many other wool products.

C1 is a wool classification in Norway, also known as Norwegian cross-bred, though this is a confusing translation to English as it is not a single sheep breed but a mixture of white wools from a number of different breeds and crosses reared in Norway. The blend is approximately 80% Norwegian Dala with the other 20% made up of Cheviot, Steigar and Rygja.

C1, which is regarded as the best classification in the Norwegian system, has an average fibre thickness of around 31 microns. Most is exported to the UK for carpeting, where it is particularly renowned for its strength, gloss, elasticity, resistance to wear and lasting appearance even after long-term use and wash. It also is regarded as 'clean' and having good colour, as the sheep are reared in a clean environment. This makes it excellent for dying.

C1 is perfect to use alone or in mixtures for felts that must be durable, non-pilling and still look great with long-term wear and heavy use. It is excellent for moulding, dry needling and spinning. C1 felts similarly to Corriedale wool.

	The Norwegian Dala sheep is the most numerous breed in Norway and is widespread throughout the country. Dala are bred for both meat and wool. The sheep are mostly white (10% are black) and both rams and ewes are polled with long tails.
	The Cheviot breed, white with long tails, originated in the Cheviot Hills, on the border of England and Scotland. Recognized as a hardy sheep as early as 1372, Cheviots did well in those bleak, windswept conditions, with their strong constitution, easy lambing, well developed mothering instinct and fast maturity. It has been bred pure in Norway since the middle of the 18th century, and is the smallest of the long tailed Norwegian breeds.
	The number of pure bred Steigar sheep is decreasing because it is now (since 2001) a part of the combined breeding population of Norwegian white sheep together with the other long tailed sheep breeds, mostly Dala and Rygja sheep.
	The Norwegian Rygja sheep is originally from Rogaland in south west Norway where, in the 18th century the local Norwegian Spael sheep was crossed with several imported breeds, such as Merino, South Down, and Leicester. After 1860 mostly Cheviot and Sutherland sheep were imported and had also an influence. It is known for producing shiny wool, almost free of medullated fibres but with less bulk than the wool of Dala and Steigar sheep.

The number of pure bred Steigar and Rygja is decreasing because since 2001 they have been part of the combined breeding population of Norwegian white sheep together with the other long tailed breeds such as Dala.

Carded, dyed blend of Pels and C1

Pelssau (Pels) is a breed that originated from Gotland sheep and was crossbred with the native Norwegian Spelsau. This ancient breed of sheep from Norway has a double coat, with a long outer coat and an inner of short, fine fibers. Pelssau is an extremely fast-felting wool that is softer than C1 and felts like Gotland. The dark grey fibers of Pelssau blended with white C1 produces a richer colour when over-dyed. It is very suitable for felt hats, figures and many other products.

Pels – Curly wool

Wool from Pelssau sheep has very curly staples. We supply this in bags of 12 mixed dyed colours.

Short-fibred carded Merino wool – 19 colours plus natural white

Hifa’s Merino wool is imported mostly from South Africa, which is a little more carbon friendly than New Zealand or Australia. It is 19 micron quality and perfect for delicate crafting of garments.

Hifa does not use chrome dye or any other dangerous substances or preparations (azocolorants).

for advice on how to use Norwegian Wool, see our hints page