frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post Reply
lyssypoobear

frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by lyssypoobear » Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:39 pm

just got a pound of merino roving in the mail, today i tried to felting for the 1st time. i've been having trouble with the seam and the wool felting together, but i started mistakenly using cold water to prevent shrinkage, which is probably one of my biggest problems. I also have been doing it in the bath tub, which i just read that wet felting works best in the smallest amount of water, and if you use too much soap it will get air bubbles and the fibres won't felt together. i have been using shampoo because i don't have wool soap.

my question is, how much soap should i be using, does it really matter?

also, i feel like i've looked everywhere for some kind of video tutorial on felting dreads. i've been trying desperately to get rid of my seams and i think i can figure it out after i get some warmer water and twist my wool, but i learn so much better from watching someone do it. does anyone know of a video tutorial?

and one more thing, i would like my dreads to be a bit poofy and really soft for winter, kind of like in this thread : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1636. i am trying to get my structure of hair down, deciding what lengths etc. i want. has anyone seen any other wigs or hairpieces like this one so i can get some ideas? or maybe a gallery? i've mostly been looking at heavenly hair archive for ideas.

i apologize for all the wordy questions, any help you could give me or directions you could point me in that haven't already been posted in here (i think i've pretty much scanned thru most of the threads on roving) would be great. thanks, i really appreciate it!

for some reason i can't seem to find much info on the internet about felting dreads specifically, thought i'd ask you ladies, it seems to me you are the biggest resource out there! thanks

lyssypoobear

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by lyssypoobear » Tue Jan 13, 2009 10:20 pm

there is a similar question about soap on the old board but the link on the thread doesn't work for me.
http://www.doctoredlocks.com/hh_forum/a ... php?t=1985

so everyone is saying to use harsh soaps like dish soap and hand soap...is shampoo too gentle?

User avatar
Miffy
Posts: 220
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:33 pm
Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by Miffy » Wed Jan 14, 2009 7:53 am

After trying different kinds of soap, I found a liquid handsoap that works really well for me. It's just the cheap 'smells like kiwi or whatnot' kind. It gets nice and foamy but not too bubbly, although I never heard of the airbubbles-thing you mention. Just don't make the roving too slippery, because the fibres won't grab into eachother that way, but you can make it nice and soapy. When I was felting a bag and had to shock the fibres, flakes of soap flew through my whole bathroom and the soap was everywhere. Though I think it's personal too. Some people like to felt without all the foamy stuff, but for me personally after a lot of experimenting the foamy-thing works best.

You say that you've been felting in the bath tub, by that do you mean IN the water? Because felting has to be done out of the water. Soak the roving, pull it out of the water and felt it on a dry surface. You can't generate enough friction in the water for the roving to felt. Also, use water that is as hot as your hands can stand. It really helps.

If you want dreads like in the thread you posted, then don't felt the roving at all. I don't think it's possible to felt it that poofy.
I can't find any videotutorials, but if you follow all of the tutorials and links given in the 'felting'-part of this forum, you'll get a pretty good idea of what you should and shouldn't do, although I think everyone has his own technique and preferences.
Travelling through time, finding my future

http://sheep24.superbij.nl

User avatar
MrsEss
Posts: 11195
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:06 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by MrsEss » Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:09 am

i use washing up liquid mainly. i've used handsoap before, but there isn't enough acid in it to felt it properly.

apart from that ^^what Miffy said^^
*~*~*~*~*Saaaaaaspie-doo-be-doo-bedooooo is awwwwweeesoooooome*~*~*~*~*-ScarletLady

Socially awkward since 1982
Decimation Fashion
Tumblr
Formerly known as DreadstarMonstar

lyssypoobear

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by lyssypoobear » Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 pm

alright, so i tried the foamy thing with really hot water and it works like gangbusters!
i hadn't been felting IN the water, i think my problem was just mostly the water temperature and maybe the shampoo and the way i was doing it, i found it works best to tease the fibres and then quickly twist them up and roll them at the same time with the rest of the wool in the bowl.. i have an orange dish soap (dawn) with no ph and that has been working nicely.
i'm kind of rethinking the poofy dread thing, i just felted them and i think they look nice, i want them felted but just not stiff.
i am however having problems with the ends, but i think i just need to re-felt them.
i also found that rolling them on a wet towel worked waaaay better than a dry one for me.
i'm going to post pictures in the critique section when i get some time, thanks for all your helps!

lyssypoobear

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by lyssypoobear » Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:55 pm

by the way, i found it helped for me to get my dreads pretty soapy. but i also read about merino wool that if you get soap in your fibres they will not last long and will break apart.
thoughts, suggestions? think they'll still stay strong if i rinse a bit of soap out? really want to wash them anyway but that's another topic i need to read about after this. it smells like there's a wet flock of sheep blundering about in my living room :?

User avatar
Miffy
Posts: 220
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:33 pm
Location: Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by Miffy » Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:23 pm

I always rinse my dreads really well after felting, though I don't think there will be much soap 'enclosed' in the fibres, I always have the idea it's being forced to the outside. Never had problems with breakage or anything.
When I started felting dreads, I also used a towel to felt on, but I found that a piece of bubblewrap plastic works really well for me, because it doesn't soak up any water, so you can keep rolling the dread in the soap.
Travelling through time, finding my future

http://sheep24.superbij.nl

User avatar
coma_dream
Posts: 676
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:38 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by coma_dream » Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:37 pm

A tip for the ends,
I usually just roll the tips between my hands, trim off any long out of place bits, and keep palm rolling until they look neat and pretty. :i2:
Hope that helps. I've also never had any problems with breakage.
xx

User avatar
MrsEss
Posts: 11195
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:06 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by MrsEss » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:03 am

lyssypoobear wrote:by the way, i found it helped for me to get my dreads pretty soapy. but i also read about merino wool that if you get soap in your fibres they will not last long and will break apart.
thoughts, suggestions? think they'll still stay strong if i rinse a bit of soap out? really want to wash them anyway but that's another topic i need to read about after this. it smells like there's a wet flock of sheep blundering about in my living room :?
i usually felt 4 or 6 times - they stay soft & i usually use soap on the first 2 or 3 felts, then purely hot water after that. my dreads have never "broke" saying, that i've never pulled them to see if they snap :lol:
*~*~*~*~*Saaaaaaspie-doo-be-doo-bedooooo is awwwwweeesoooooome*~*~*~*~*-ScarletLady

Socially awkward since 1982
Decimation Fashion
Tumblr
Formerly known as DreadstarMonstar

angelsandfaes
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:59 pm

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by angelsandfaes » Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:51 pm

I know this is an old thread but since some will come looking for answers I decided I would add some info too.

Just about any soap will work. Its really about finding the one that works best for you with your water. If you want poofy dreads use a little more roving and palm roll really well while dry, then wet with really warm water and felt once more with palm rolling, fold over a few times, put in pillow case, knot closed and throw in washer on a warm/cold short delicate setting with small amount of laundry soap and a couple pairs of pants. When done palm roll the very ends only and see what you have. You may want to run through wash another time or two if needed. Its up to you. But the washer will make them poof out while still felting them some just do NOT use hot water in the wash or it will cause them to shrink to much.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

User avatar
darcitananda
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:15 am
Location: San Francisco
Contact:

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by darcitananda » Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:39 pm

I am also responding to this old thread with my experiences...

I don't use any soap (I mostly felt Merino). Instead, I put a huge cauldron of water on the stove and put my already divided up roving in there. I wear heavy gloves so I don't burn my hands taking it out of the water and rolling it on a towel on the kitchen counter. The water is HOT HOT HOT and that really seems to make it felt up easily. I usually roll felt it twice at this stage. I also dye my roving after felting it, so when I'm dying it it gets steaming hot again and that helps it some more, and then when I rinse out the dye, I roll felt it again. Sometimes I'm lazy and throw it in the washing machine to rinse the dye.

User avatar
rivetlicker_
Posts: 4561
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:54 am
Location: Sydney AU

Re: frustration, soap, video tuts & poofy roving.

Post by rivetlicker_ » Wed Jan 18, 2012 6:02 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn2z0Lze18A

Here's the tutorial you've been looking for :)
It's old and crap, but it'll help.

Post Reply

Return to “Roving & Wool”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests