I’m in desperate need of some fairy wool, but no where stocks it locally so need to buy online, but silly me has forgotton today is a bank holiday…am making a mother nature doll for DS for birthday which is not till wednesday. Have found some on myriad but it’s going to cost almost £7 to get it here, and possibly not till the weekend as they’re not back till wednesday….does anyone know anywhere else I can get some that may be cheaper or open online tomorrow? I’m looking for a grey-ish/cream colour for hair x x

if you are prepared to post where you are (roughly) someone may know of a place that stocks it. I’m pretty sure both playfull toys (bristol) and steiner house (london) have stocks, so does our local independent art shop (cardiff)

Alternatively, i can talk you through dyeing your own with food dyes. You’d need plain or pale 100% wool, which you probably could get from somewhere today. At a pinch I’ve knitted with wool before its dried, its not ideal but tbh for a toy it won’t make a huge difference (its more not that nice for you really)

Not clear if its knitting wool or roving you are after?

ETA sorry, reread post. fairy wool to me is multicoloured stuff. Sounds like you just need some fleece? The thing is, there is no post today, else I’d be happy to put a bit in an envelope to you-but it would not enter the postal system til tommorrow and with christmas post wouldn’t get there in time. Think you need a bricks and mortar shop or a local GPer. Could you use something else temporarily? If you have another colour roving? If you have another colour, like I say I could talk you through dyeing it darker, brown would be really easy as you could do it with tea and vinegar.

Hi Edith…thank you for your reply…I’m in Conwy North Wales.

This is what I need: http://www.myriadonline.co.uk/products.php?id=1048&name=Natural Shades Fairy Wool 50g

There is a wool shop that might be open tomorrow, never thought of getting wool and dying it…really new to this stuff, so if I understand you right I can get 100% wool and dye it and get the similar effects?

x

WALES! You’re in Wales there is wool everywhere surely?

I’m near Machynlleth, there is a market tomorrow where I can get any shade of carded wool you want. About £1/100g depending on colour (some of the rare breed stuff a bit more). If you want to let me know exactly what colour you want (by 9am tomorrow morning), I can go and buy some and post it. TBH I’m always using this stuff so if you only need a tiny bit I’m happy to buy some for myself and stick a tiny bit in the post (just let me know how big your doll is, if it’s a nature table size doll 100g will be enough for about 50 of them!). Alternatively I currently have natural whiteish undyed colour or a couple of brown shades that are from rare breeds (i.e the natural colour of the sheep rather than dyed, looks a bit more like real hair).

PS I just bought some CDs so I could send you the Singing Day/Year we talked about as well.

Looks like you have an offer already, but you could always take a walk along the hedgerows of a sheep farm - always bits of wool there for easy picking - just wash gently and dye as needed if you want colours. If I were more local I could help you out with the raw stuff - have a little supply here

Fairy wool is just wool dyed with natural dyes, places like Myriad just charge way too much for it by calling it Fairy Wool in my opinion.

Eden - 02 January 2012 04:49 PM

have a little supply here .

Rofl! 

I know we are only 2 days into the new year, but that might well be the understatement for 2012!!

Aisling - 02 January 2012 05:13 PM

Eden - 02 January 2012 04:49 PM

have a little supply here .

Rofl! 

I know we are only 2 days into the new year, but that might well be the understatement for 2012!!

Well I figured it might give you a laugh

Ah feel a little embarrassed now lol but with good friends   As I say I’m new to crafting and assumed it had been treated somehow…I don’t even know what carded wool is lol! Going to PM MM now, but there is a sheep farm behind where we live (erm 5 minutes walk away ) so will go for a walk and collect some too and experiment, but feel I need the already prepared stuff to compare iykwim. Thank you all so much for enlightening me x x

ETA - oh my gosh, just looked at your blog eden and get the joke now…I am in awe! x x

No need to be embarassed, if you don’t know, you don’t know but good that you asked. Commercial stuff is quite different to raw so good to get a feel for both of them probably. Have fun.

I’m a little (only a little though ) embarassed at my wool supply but at least it is extra insulation in my loft - well that’s my excuse anyway. I am going to have a little de-stash soon, I can’t possibly get through what I have ... not before shearing time again anyway

Off-topic Eden but my Steiner playgroup has been advised we need to make some huge felt balls for the older boys to be appropriately energetic (ahem) with - we are in need of a large stash of wool - on the other hand do you felt? we could pay someone to make them for us…

MountainMama - 02 January 2012 11:14 PM

Off-topic Eden but my Steiner playgroup has been advised we need to make some huge felt balls for the older boys to be appropriately energetic (ahem) with - we are in need of a large stash of wool - on the other hand do you felt? we could pay someone to make them for us…

Hi, I do felt yes, not sure how much time I could commit to making felt balls at the moment unless you’re not in a hurry for them. When you say large - how large are you looking at? (diameter?) I’ve made various felt balls but not huge ones. The wool stash I have is all natural sheep colours so they wouldn’t be anything fancy.

Alternatively if you wanted to make them as a group yourselves (maybe getting the children to help make them) just approach local sheep farms, many never get rid of their fleeces and end up landfilling or trying to burn them   , they are usually more than happy for you to take them and the quality doesn’t matter too much if felting with it - just needs picking out of any vegetable matter (grasses, etc) and washing. I could send you a fleece for postage but you could probably pick it up for free from a farm.

Happy to consider having a go with it depending on the size you’re looking at, and time. Pm me if you like and we can look at it.

There is possibly an easier way to make the felt balls, cheating a bit, but widely done, and that is to felt around an existing, slightly smaller, ball. Tennis balls work well. You’d need to wrap some roving round the ball, preferably either wet felting or needle felting in place, then put it (carefully!) inside a pair of tights or sock, use an elastic band to secure very tightly, and put it in the washing machine with whatever else you are washing. I think for a tennis ball I’d go for around a centimetre thickness of roving. Probably cost you around £1 in roving plus the cost of a tennis ball, for each ball. I think you could probably get a whole load done in an afternoon.

http://stores.planethappytoys.com/-strse-1338/Felted-Color-Ball-Kit/Detail.bok

(eta sorry, don’t buy that kit, its a total rip off. Just buy some roving and some tennis balls and possibly some felting needles)