Norwegian Wool
Norwegian fleece, carded for felt making and spinning
We stock
- Carded, dyed C1 Norwegian wool in 30+ dyed colours, natural white and 3 grey mixtures
- Carded, blended mixes of Pels and C1 in 19 dyed colours plus natural grey
- Tops of Merino wool, very fine 21 micron fibres, in 63 colours including white
- Starter and sample pre-packs of C1, Pels/C1 and Merino
- Pels curly wool in bags of 12 mixed colours for decorative work
- Dyed yarn packs of 100% Norwegian C1 wool, approx 1.4 m length of each colour.
Our supplier in Norway also stocks Carded Merino, 18 micron in 18 colours including white and Needle felt in 20+ colours. Please contact us for more information.
TLV (UK) Ltd was formed in 2003 to import and supply high quality Norwegian carded wool for felt making and spinning. Our Norwegian supplier Hifa has been producing carded fleece for felt slippers since 1930. As well as the natural wool, in the 1980s they started to produce dyed fleece in 100% mothproofed coloured batts. A full batt is about 1 m width x 3 m length (approx 3 kg). Since then their production of coloured wool has grown steadily.
Norwegian wool felts easily and retains its quality of colour in the felting process. It is very versatile and can be used to make a lightly-felted but strong fabric. When fully felted it is very strong and tough.
Norwegian Wool is a very popular fleece for clothes, shoes, sculptures/figures, decoration and pictures. It is excellent for feltmaking workshops, courses in feltmaking, craft sessions in schools and as a spinning wool.
We also import merino tops from Hifa to their very high quality standards. This is of Australian origin and is a soft and lustrous wool with very fine 21 micron fibres.
Hifa Qualities
Carded, dyed C1
This is Norwegian long stapled, summer wool, produced in batts fully prepared and dyed at the Hifa factory. It is colour fast and very suitable for felt slippers, shoes, hats, figures and many other wool products.
The breed of sheep that the C1 is made of is called Norwegian Crossbred. The breed comes mainly from Dala, Cheviot and Steigar sheep.
The Norwegian Dala sheep is the most numerous breed of sheep in Norway and is widespread throughout the country. The Dala breed is 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 wool is used for many purposes, mostly yarn for hand-knitting and machine knitting.
The number of purebred 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 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 breeds in Norway. Cheviot sheep have been used in crossbreeding with other Norwegian breeds especially Dala-, Steigar-, and Rygja sheep. The wool is known for good quality and is used for many different products.
C1 wool is a perfect base 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 very good for moulding, dry needling and spinning. C1 felts similarly to Corriedale wool.
Carded, dyed blend of "Pels" Wool and C1 (50/50) – 20 colors
Pelssau is a breed that originated from Gotland sheep and was crossbred with the native Norwegian Spelsau sheep.
This ancient breed of sheep from Norway has a double coat, with a long outer coat and inner coat 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 colours.
Tops of Merino wool - 63 colours including white
This is soft and lustrous wool with very fine 21-micron fibres, very suitable for finer garments, hats and pictures and very fast felting. The tops are ready-combed into a long sliver so that the fibres are aligned.
The Merino wool tops are of Australian origin and processed by Hifa to their very high standards.
Short-fibred carded Merino wool – 18 colours including white
Recently Hifa also introduced a Merino quality in batts. This is a very fine wool, 18 micron, and the fibres are a little shorter than the wool supplied as tops. The quality is currently available in 18 colours. We do not stock this wool but please enquire if interested.
Hifa does not use chrome dye or any other dangerous substances or preparations (azocolorants).
Comments on using Norwegian wool for feltmaking
Norwegian Wool is supplied ready carded. It is ideal for creating delicate pictures and designs and for moulding. The colours stay bright and "unmuddied".
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There are different ways of laying out:
- as supplied in the same way as carded merino
- by pulling small tufts of the carded fleece and laying it down in rows. One layer can be sufficient to make felt but it is difficult to obtain an even layer. To make a more even fabric lay the pinches in one direction and then make a second layer in the opposite direction.
- by holding the fleece in one hand close to the table and, using the thumb of the other hand, holding small bits of the fleece firmly on the table and pulling the fleece away leaving a small pinch on the table. Move along the table repeating this.
Wetting out is straightforward. I have found that it requires a lot of soap.
Setting is very quick, so a fabric is soon made which is strong when held up, as Norwegian wool half-felts very quickly. It can be rolled in a blind or kneaded.
Enjoy experimenting and if you have any comments on using Norwegian wool for feltmaking please send them to me and I will share them.