Breed Study

Will it felt?

Experimenting with wet felting of many sheep breeds showed me that almost all breeds felt to some degree, each breed's felt has a character to it.

“501 Nights of Mini Vessels” was the title of the talk I gave to the Northeast Feltmakers Guild in August 2021, describing my experience with about 70 breeds of sheep and other wool givers.

The project like others involving mini vessels started in the early days of pandemic, trying to do something simple every night to keep my hands busy and producing. It grew thanks to the generosity of the guild members who sent me many different breed samples.

Eventually, it evolved into a truly meditative experience. I felt close to the nature, seeing the sweet characteristics and uniqueness of each breed, different versions of the same breed.

This was also the first time I could experience a truly beginner’s mind. I will felt with a totally new breed, and I don’t know how well it will felt and how long it will take. It is all ok. It helped me develop that muscle of acceptance of things are they are, which is so hard to do when it comes to everything else.