We receive email a couple of times a week with questions about wool.
How to felt it, how to dye it and how to lanolize it.
We hope that this page is helpful to those of you with questions! :)

Wool Felting
* Wash no more than 8 yards at a time. Five is a good amount.
* Warm wash, cold rinse and dry on second hottest setting.
* Repeat.

You can wash with a regular mild laundry detergent but will get better results from a wash formulated specifically for wool.

You can expect a 25-35% shrinkage. For one yard expect to lose 6-8 inches.

Once your wool is felted, you can cut and sew. Wash on cold and air dry to prevent further shrinkage.

This process applies to both 100% wool and to wool blend. Though the wool blend should be able to be washed gently after felting.

Wool Dying
When I dye wool, I felt it first then dye it. That is just my preference. Wash warm, rinse cold and dry hot. Do that twice. The blend will shrink a lot. Like about 13" to the yard.

I put the pot of water on the stove and add the dye. Stir in the dye and let it go a bit.

Then I toss in the DRY wool.

Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Really, a boil. You don't have to stir a lot while waiting for the boil. I stir now and then, but nothing wild.

Once it is boiling, I add 1 cup of vinegar, while stirring like mad. I stir about 5 minutes and then see if there is still color in the water. I take out a clear measuring cup full of hot water to see if it is clear. If it isn't, I add more vinegar, stirring like mad again. It should clear after 5-10 minutes. If not, more vinegar.

After I am satisfied I throw it in the washer just to SPIN. Spin it out and toss it in the dryer for 15 minutes.

Wool Cover Care
These beautiful wool covers require very little special care. If your cover is soiled rinse in cool water then soak in a wool wash or baby shampoo for at least 15 minutes. Roll the cover in a towel to remove excess water and hang to dry. For difficult stains you can lay the diaper in the sun to dry for the afternoon, and that should remove the stain.

If your cover needs to be lanolized (it will begin to feel wet) you can do so by dissolving 1 tablespoon of lanolin in 1 cup of hot water, cap the jar, and shake vigorously to emulsify. Let the mixture cool slightly. Pour it over the inside of the cover in your sink or basin, aiming at the area that gets the wettest. Squeeze the items a few times to distribute the lanolin mixture. Soak for 15 minutes or so, and then dry as directed above. When using liquid lanolin, you may use warm water to emulsify.

You can also try the dry lanolizing method, which is terrific for conditioning your hands as well! Simply place a dollop of lanolin and rub it all over your clean hands as if you were putting on hand cream. Work the lanolin into your hands for a minute or two, then wipe off the excess onto the inside of your diaper cover, rubbing it in well. Be gentle!