Frequently Asked Questions

1. About Us...
2. Why use NZ wool?
3. Which wools are best for felting?
4. How much wool goes into a felt piece?
5. Can I knit with the unspun fibres?
6. Are there any special spinning techniques?
7. What breed is best for my project?
8. How much do I need for my project?
9. How do ounces compare to grams?
10. Wool processing terms
11. Breed definitions
12. Why the name Aurelia?

1. About Us

   A love of sheep, wool and all natural fibres is in my genes. My German grandfather owned a woolen mill near Hamburg, and my mother taught me to knit and crochet. After university, I headed for Australia and New Zealand for 2 years, working on sheep farms - lambing, fencing, and as a "rousie" in the shearing shed, skirting fleeces. In NZ, I learned to spin from Margaret Stove who has written several books on fine spinning.

   Having fallen totally in love with sheep and wool, I had my own flock of 25 ewes for 12 years once I came home to BC and then learned to dye, felt and weave. But New Zealand called - I attended the World Congress on Black and Coloured Sheep - a 3 week conference there, and on a subsequent trip spent a full month visiting woolen mills and farms the length of the North and South Islands to find the best sources of quality wools to import to Canada.

   I know the sources of our fibres personally and can vouch for the good animal care on the farms and the quality of the wool. Whereas the larger mills take wool from all the farms in a surrounding area, our wools come from small (by NZ standards, less than 1000 ewes) flocks of sheep raised for handcraft quality - which means clean fleeces with long, soft fibres.

   If you have any questions about our wools or any feedback on your projects, please let me know.

2. Why use NZ wool?

• with a favourable climate, sheep in NZ graze year round on green grass, which means no hay to clean out of the wool, gentler cleaning agents and wool kept as natural as possible.
• NZ sheep have been bred for wool or for dual purpose wool/meat for over 100 years - the quality is superb.
• there are 10 times as many sheep as people in New Zealand!
3. Which wools are best for felting?

We import only the fine wools from New Zealand, all of which are excellent for wet-felting or needle-felting. Be aware that not all breeds of wool felt and generally the finer the wool the faster it will felt. For colour choice in small projects, try our Felt Packs in Merino or Corriedale.

Our Merino, NZ Halfbred, Corriedale and Romney wools all felt very well, either alone or in their blends with silk, mohair or possum. These non-wool or hair fibres do not in themselves felt well or at all, but the wool will hold them in place when in a blend. These different fibres add desirable effects to a wool felt – the mohair will add sheen and if used in locks, will add a beautiful curly decorative effect. Silk also adds luster to a wool felt and possum fur adds softness.

Different wools are best suited to different projects.

• Merino is the finest and softest of all wools and is the wool of choice for next-to-skin wear like scarves, hats or shawls where lightness and a soft handle are of prime importance.

• .Along with merino, NZ Halfbred is also among the best fine wools for nuno-felted scarves, which are made by felting wool onto a silk fabric. It is very close to Merino in fineness and is also a good wool for next-to-skin wear.

• Corriedale is less fine than Merino, but also less likely to pill and is more durable. It is an excellent choice for vests, purses, cushions, insoles, slippers, sculptured felt for housewares like tea cozies or décor. Romney is the least fine of the wools we carry, but also very fast to felt and well-suited to the above uses.

• Carded Romney wools are best for decorative work in needle-felting where shorter fibres fit better into small felt images.

• All these breeds of wool may be felted in the same project with special effects resulting. It’s always advisable and fun to make a sample piece.

 

4. How much wool goes into a felt piece?

   This depends on how thick you make the felt. A felt hotmat or a pair of insoles may weigh 40-50 grams. A 250 gram package of wool goes a long way.

5. Can I knit with the unspun fibres?

   Yes, the combed fibres are long and strong enough to knit straight from the sliver. They are easy to separate out in long strands. You can overlap the ends if you're changing colours and have no "yarn" ends to darn in.

6. Are there any special spinning techniques?

   Yes - please see Aurelia's own Spinning Hints & Techniques page.

7. What breed is best for my project?

   NZ craftspeople are so familiar with sheep and wool that they know not only the breed they are working with but the micron measurement of the fibre (1 micron = 1/1000mm). These characteristics can be very important for success with a project. In order, from most to less fine, the breeds are: Merino, Polwarth, Halfbred, Corriedale, Romney. The finer wools felt faster and are softer. This doesn't mean they are better, as different wools are suited to particular end-uses. Merino and Polwarth are the best for next-to-skin wear, fine nuno felting (on gauze or silk) or light lace work with handspun yarn. Halfbred, Corriedale and Romney make a more durable fabric than Merino for outer knit wear and felted purses, slippers, tea cozies, hot pads and vests.

8. How much do I need for my project?

   It takes 500-800 grams of fibre to make a medium-sized sweater, 300-400 grams for a vest and 100-150 grams for a hat, scarf, or a pair of socks. These are very rough guidelines and of course, the weight of wool used depends on the thickness of your yarn, the size of your garment and your stitch pattern.

9. How do ounces compare to grams?

   100 grams = 3.5 ounces
   250 grams = 8.8 ounces
   454 grams = 1 pound
   500 grams = half a kilogram

10. Wool processing terms

    Carding - the opening of the fleece to make a fibre web in a roving (spun to a woollen yarn)

    Gilling (Pin Draft) - the web is put through combs to align the fibres parallel (spun to a semi-worsted yarn)

    Combing - as above plus all fibres shorter than 20 mm are removed (spun to a worsted yarn)

    Sliver - a roving of combed fibres, called a top

11. Breed definitions

    Halfbred - a NZ breed developed from breeding British longwools with Merino giving a high quality fine wool with a longer staple than Merino.

    Corriedale - a breed developed in NZ and Australia in the late 1800s from Lincoln or Leicester rams crossed with Merino ewes to give a soft fine fleece of good staple length. This is the second most significant breed in the world after Merino.

    Romney - the most common NZ breed with lustrous, strong, smooth wool, easy to spin and excellent for knitting or weaving.

    Polwarth - a breed developed in Australia from a Lincoln/Merino cross, with a fleece close to Merino in fineness, but with a longer staple and more lustre. It spins to a lofty, light yarn.

    Moorit - the natural brown gene in sheep. It is recessive to the usual black or white genes, but has been bred selectively for its unique colour. The sheep have brown hoofs and noses and the fleece ranges from tan to medium brown.

    Possum - a marsupial native to Australia but a severe pest after introduction to NZ where it eats native trees and birds. Its beautiful fur is "the NZ Cashmere", very soft and lightweight in a range of natural browns to greys.

12. Why the name Aurelia?

    In Roman times (and until the Industrial Revolution) women's skills at spinning and weaving were essential to make textiles for clothing and trade. Around 100AD daughters were often called Aurelia, after 2 Roman emperors of the time - Aurelius, a philosophic contemplative, and Aurelian, who established the State worship of the sun. Women's history is largely unsung!

Please let us know if you have any more questions.

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