What is Wool Felt?

Why Wool?

Wool is a material with many great properties that no synthetic material has managed to replicate.

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Wool is insulating, moisture absorbing, light and durable. Due to its natural lanolin, it does not absorb smells and repels dirt so is easy to maintain. It is comfortable to have against your skin and strangely enough can keep you warm but is also comfortable in the heat as it is temperature regulating.

Wool can absorb 10 times the amount of moisture as compared to polyester. While wool can absorb around one third of its own weight in moisture, polyester only absorbs 3%. Not only does the wool insulate better, but it will even develop thermodynamic heat as it absorbs moisture.

What is

Felt­?

Felt is not a specific material, but a term - like fabric or knitwear.

Felt can be made by hand but is often manufactured on machines and can be made of many different materials or fibers. It can be wool fibres but often it is cheaper materials like polyester that is used.

All of our products are felted by hand from 100% pure, natural wool. This process makes the felt stronger and more durable.

Our wool felt is:

• 100% pure natural and uncarbonized wool
• Contains lanolin, which makes it repel dirt and water
• Insulating and moisture absorbing
• Sustainable and environmentally friendly
• Easy to maintain
• Light and durable
• Hypoallergenic
• Comfortable to wear directly on your skin
• Handmade in Nepal

Easy to Maintain

Since it is a natural product, some shedding may occur.

Should your shoes get dirty you can vacuum them and/or you can carefully hand wash them. Because of wool's ability to shrink, your felt shoes must be washed carefully in cool water. Use a special detergent for wool or shampoo.

We recommend that you put on your shoes and mold them to your feet to get them back in shape before letting them dry naturally.

Clothing is made from a wide variety of materials and fabrics. Even when it comes to wool alone, there are many different ways of crafting fabrics. So it’s no wonder that we can easily confuse the different types of wool fabric! In order to clear things up a bit, we’ll walk you through the differences between wool felt, boiled wool, loden fabric and wool fleece.
 

Felt

In contrast to other types of wool fabric, felt isn’t made from yarn—it’s made from raw wool. In making felt, the wool is first combed and then boiled with water. This type of felt is called boiled felt. In the clothing industry, a lot of felt is made out of other materials like polyamide and polyester; this is called needle felt. In producing needle felt, the fabric’s chemical fibers are punctured by a series of needles with special barbs, and then finally chemically treated. Felt is a robust, lightweight fabric which is great at insulating heat. Its drawback is that it’s not very flexible and doesn't stretch well, meaning that it feels relatively stiff and raw.

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Boiled Wool

To make boiled wool, wool yarn is first knitted and then boiled in a machine. During the boiling process, countless air chambers are produced within the fabric; this makes it softer and more durable. In comparison to felt, boiled wool is much more flexible and feels much softer. These properties make boiled wool a great option for use in both clothing and shoes. We’ve described the process of making boiled wool in-depth in this blog post: Read more

Loden

Loden fabric originated in Tyrol, Austria centuries ago. Just like boiled wool, the creation of loden fabric also begins with wool yarn. However, in contrast to the boiled wool production process, the yarn is first woven—not knitted. Then, the woven piece—just like with felt and boiled wool—is treated with water, i.e. boiled. By first weaving the wool yarn, loden fabric is able to maintain its specific shape. However, loden fabric doesn’t stretch. Another deficit is the fabric’s strength; especially when rubbed or used in the same places, loden fabric’s warming and water-repellent properties decrease over time.

Wool Fleece

Wool fleece is made by brushing wool that’s already been knitted. It’s especially beloved for its soft, cozy feel. However, despite its cozy properties, it’s not as thick or as insulating as boiled wool.

Discover products made of our high quality boild wool fabric or GIESSWEIN 3D Stretch Merino Wool: 

Merino Shoes Women, Apparel Women, Merino Shoes Men, Apparel Men, Merino Runners Kids and Slippers for Kids.

What is Wool FeltWool Felt?

Felt, boiled wool, loden fabric: what's the difference? - Giesswein