# The beauty of felted soap



## Angelknitter12

After the discussion the other day I decided to shoot some pictures, and to explain why felted soap appeals to me, and to many consumers.

A huge part of why we soap has to do with senses. We want to smell nice, and be clean. Felted soap appeals to many different senses. It is beautiful! It is felted in soft, lovely wool that can be dyed so many bright colors. It smells lovely. The wool can be scented as well as the soap for that extra kick. It feels wonderful, and makes buying a loofah or using a wash cloth that adds to the laundry unnecessary. It saves money in other ways as well, since the soap is used fully and you don't lose that last little bit. It doesn't wash away as fast. I am a huge fan of naked soap as well, but sometimes felted soap is just what the Dr ordered.

It just has a special appeal for me. These are from a wholesale order that I am getting ready to send out.








Drying in the sun.









Summer!









Manly


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## In it for the Bucks!

Oh they are beautiful!!


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## buckrun

Lovely~ Thank you for sharing. 
Let me know if you need any Anatolian hair ~ I am about to do the yearly comb out.
Lee


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## LLB101

Fascinating! This gets my creativity juices going...

I love the phrase "naked soap" for the plain stuff.

Do you buy the fiber already dyed or make your own?


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## Angelknitter12

I raise sheep, so have my own fiber. I do some dying, but I have a dyer do the better part of it. She is amazing.


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## Faye Farms

Beautiful!


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## feistymomma

Love it! I am dying to get some fiber animals.


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## NubianSoaps.com

Just beautiful Kami. They are also incredibly soft, the 'crimp' wavy curls sitting flat on the bar like that is so beautiful. They look wonderful on Lee's soap dishes.


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## Angelknitter12

Thanks Vicki! These are almost ready to jump in the box and be on their way.


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## H Diamond Farms

I don't need a lengthy explination, but how do you do that? LOL
They are sooo pretty!


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## MF-Alpines

Beautiful!


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## Angelknitter12

Rachel, wrap the wool and alternate hot and cold water while agitating. It is a lot like shrinking something in the dryer, but all done by hand. It takes about 15-20 min per bar.


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## H Diamond Farms

Hmmm, that's pretty much awesome.


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## Kalne

Those are beautiful! I tried this for the first time last week. But it took a lot longer than 15-20 minutes. Closer to an hour! LOL We didn't alternate hot/cold though. Just started with a hot bowl of water, dunked the bar in then massaged. Dunk, massage, repeat, repeat, until your fingertips are raisins. I've read conflicting directions. Some say to soak the bar right off, others say to gradually add water. Which do you think is better? 

I love the wavy strands as well. Mine sort of look tye-died (what I was going for). I mixed pieces of wool on the carder so the colors got blended together as I combed it out. I didn't think it would mix well enough if I laid each color on separately.

I'd like to try again but unless I can learn to do it faster it won't be anything I'll do except for very special reasons. LOL


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## jdranch

Very nice! Thanks for sharing!


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## Angelknitter12

Kathy, 15-20 minutes is the time after a long time of practicing. It really does take a long while. I like to dip my bar in hot before adding the wool, then wrap it, drip some hot water and it to start the felting, then dip.

Would it be inappropriate to ask about pricing? I am charging $6 wholesale per 6oz bar. Is that fair?


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## [email protected]

Kami, doesn't matter if it's *fair*.  You have to make money doing it and people have to expect to pay for materials and services. I have no idea how much materials would cost. I undertand that you have your own sheep/wool, but there is cost in producing it. And cost in dying it. And then the time it takes to felt the soap. And it is a skill. You have to be paid for all that. Why do it otherwise?


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## Kalne

With the labor involved....I would never wholesale these. LOL


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## LLB101

$6 per bar doesn't seem like much, its only $1-2 above unfelted... not sure if they are the same size... but even at best case, $2 premium, and only 15 min each, you're still only get $8/hr...


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## Angelknitter12

They are 6 ounce bars. I am glad to know I am not ripping anyone off. Lol


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## Angelknitter12

Just bumping this because of the recent talk on felted soaps, and the emails I am getting. Thank you ladies!


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## Jenny M

So beautiful! You have inspired me!


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## Anita Martin

I made my first bar of felted soap last night. I used cottswold fiber. Is one type of fleece better than another? Mine didn't seem to shrink onto the bar very tight and it seems a little thick. Is there an amount per bar I could measure out on a scale or do I just eyeball it?


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## adillenal

I find that less is more when felting but then I hated the way the merino bars looked so I stick to alpaca and romney which I love. But I eyeball the amount I use for each soap.


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## happy vagabonds

how much roving should i buy to get started with this? i have been thinking about it for a few weeks now and then i log on to here and find a whole thread about it. 

so glad to read that there is a preference.


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## adillenal

I bought it by the pound and probably have enough for the rest of my life in brown, white, and black.


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines

Some bars I did today:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...59525643.35430.164980793533283&type=1&theater


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## Anita Martin

LaNell, where did you buy your roving? I'd like to get a large amount of naturally colored or white.


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## adillenal

From a local alpaca breeder. I was his first (and apparently only) customer after he figured out how much time it took to clean the white alpaca wool. The black and dark dark red was much easier and I love that too.
I also had bought some previously off of artfire or etsy. Can't remember which. Just search on those sites for wool roving and you should find some.


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## smithurmonds

I've just starting doing them with babydoll southdown. It came from a friend. I purchased some really beautiful dark chocolate colored llama fiber from her as well, but I will not try to felt it again. I wasn't happy with the results.


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## adillenal

The Romney wool is a little coarser than the alpaca and some folks like that. Others love the silky alpaca wool.


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## smithurmonds

Does it felt fairly easily, LaNell? The llama fiber I have is soft and silky, but it doesn't felt very well.


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## NubianSoaps.com

You should ask Kami for some wool, hers is soft, not so brillo pad looking, coarse I guess? Her colors are beautiful! Vicki


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## adillenal

I love the way the alpaca felts. I have the regular and the silky and both make a beautiful felted soap. I don't do the fancy designs, just plain felting with maybe a splash of merino across the front for color since I hated the way the merino felted. 

I have not tried llama wool.


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## jdranch

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2012/11/felted-sweater-ball-soaps-by-holly-port/

felting tut!


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## smithurmonds

I had no idea what tut meant until I clicked the link and saw it was a tutorial.


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## Anita Martin

Those balls are really cute. I found a lady on Etsy with lots of roving and ordered 2 different types from her. I think mine wool just wasn't carded enough to felt well. I have some other projects I have been wanting to try too so this will help me get started.


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