Making wet-felted wool jingle balls

To start your ball:

Take a piece of your wool that is a thin (1/4 inch or so) and flat piece, natural or dyed, it doesn’t matter, but this isn’t going to show on the outside. Place your jingle bell in the middle, and then bring the wool around the jingle bell evenly. Perfection doesn’t matter, but you want it covered by wool. Now roll it between your palms firmly until it just starts matting together.

If it wads up and comes off the bell, that’s okay, just pull it apart so it’s loose again and re-try.

Under warm water (it doesn’t need to be scalding, but hot water works best) wet just the outside layer of your wool ball. Add a drop of dish soap (I use Ivory, but it doesn’t matter the kind, even shampoo or hand soap would work).

Now firmly and quickly roll it between your palms. Really work the fibers together, this is the felting part. It should be easy to roll and should be very moldable, like soft playdoh, and then should firm up as the fibers interlock. Again, if it comes apart, just tease the wool apart with your fingers and re-try.

Keep rolling

Keep rolling

Keep rolling

It should be starting to stick together, and look like felt now.

When you’re satisfied that this layer is together, you can add another layer of fluffy wool.

Just wind a piece of wool around your ball, being sure to try and cover the whole thing,

And then roll roll roll some more, applying pressure. Add water to just the outside layer if it’s too dry and starting to come apart, and just add a drop of soap at a time as you need it.

Continue adding layers. If you try to add too much ‘fluffy’ wool at once, it doesn’t work, so add in small layers after each one is felted to your satisfaction. For the outside layer, use the colored wool in the design that you want.

When it’s the size and pattern that you want, rinse out the ball to rid it of most of the soap under running warm water, squeezing gently so it doesn’t loose it’s shape

To firm up the whole ball, if you think it needs firming up after you’re done, you can put it in the toe of nylon baby tights or in a baby sock (yes, I’m serious) and toss it in the dryer with your clothes, or on it’s own and dry it on hot. That’s it!

Resources: I just ordered from this Etsy Shop, we'll see how the wool is. It looks beautiful and she had great communication, so it looks encouraging to me!

More pictures in this post, more instructions including dying roving yourself!