heads up for a felting question

Hi Els,

Even human hair has barbs, as far as I understand, although not to the degree as sheep - again, as far as I know.

David

Thanks David. I have been doing a lot of reading, have learned a lot, but still do not get an answer to my question. Just learned for instance that dreadlocks are teased and not really felted. My hair is way to short to snip more off and do a felting experiment with....lol I would be bald ...Ha, ha. I know tht hair has been used to knit with, braid with and do all kinds of other things with. Still that is hair, I was wondering about Alpaca fibres.

Els

Els,

David's explanation is correct for alpaca hair also. Gail is a hair stylist and a country girl also. David I think is insinuating that he thinks alpaca hair has barbs just like human or llama hair, his is correct. Gail says their is a proper name for the type of mammal hair that has barbs or layers of scales or what ever you want to call it but, she does not remember at the time. She says camel hair and many more felt very well.

Saying, their is a name for the type of hair that felts but she does not remember proper name for that type. She says after so many years has passed since school, she requires 48 hours notice for questions. :)

Meaning, our hair, sheep, llama, camel, goat, and many are that type. The type that has the barbs that cause felting.

Gail said if you put the five types of hair under a microscope you would see why and the similarities.

I hope this helps you Els. If we find out the acronyms that are used to describe what I try to explain I will pass it on.

Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

Here is something I have always wondered: Will wool felt on the animal itself? I mean if you gave a sheep (whose wool WILL felt) a hot scrubby bath, would (or could) its wool felt on it?

Hesira

Don't think so, because it is still growing.

Higs, Katherine

Plus it would probably be really uncomfortable for the sheep ("help, my coat shrunk!!!") :) :)

Hi Hesira,

It seems to me from something Cher wrote once describing the sheep skin she gets to start her getting-woll process that the underbelly part of the sheep is a tangled (dried) muddy mess of fibers from the sheep being on the ground for some reason. Now that I think of it, is it because the sheep lays down to sleep, unlike horses, which stand during sleep?

David

"Els van Dam" skrev i melding news:jazzcobra-1606061804550001@192.168.1.100...

I am not so sure of that, because I see when youngsters braid their hair in small braids, and never unbraid it, just wash it like it is, the hair grows, and the braids get a bit looser. When they then continue to wash and not unbraid, the hair looks, after a while, Very hard felted, You cannot see the "fibres", it is totally damaged as hair, if you ask me! LOL! (Very different from "overteased" hair from our youth!) It has to be cut off to be normal. I have seen it here lots of times, it was modern here a few years ago.

But Els, I have no hair to offer for experiment either, but it sounds interesting! The solution would have been that I braided THAT part which is long enough, and waited, say 6 months, to see what happened with it! But I am not sure that the pupils would be happy with a "more than 60 years old teacher who think she is a rastafari, but don't look like one at all"!! LOL!

I am sorry to say that I do not know anything about alpacca fibres, (I have also searched the net, because this is interesting!)

Hugs, AUD ;-)

LOL

Higs, Katherine

Yes David, the breach wool is also often matted and felted together. In some breeds this is more so than others. Also wool breeds sometimes get a little coat to wear to keep the wool from matting and getting dirty and getting vegetable matter in it.

Els

I Googled the dreadlocked hair and got all kinds of interesting answers. There was a lot of talk about teasing of hair as well. It would be fun to indeed to a trial here. I do not know anyone with lots of hair though. Ah well if anyone is going to do this, let me know how it works out.

Curious els

LOL and another LOL and a Baaa from the sheep.