Needle Felting Wool for Beginners: What's the Difference Between Batts, Roving, and Sliver?

If you're new to needle felting, shopping for wool can be a little overwhelming!

Core wool, batts, roving, sliver, combed top...what does it all mean? And more importantly, which one should you use?

When I first started needle felting, I bought an inexpensive kit from Amazon and didn't really know anything about the different types of wool. I just used what came in the kit and started poking!

Over the years, I've experimented with different wools and discovered which ones I enjoy working with and which ones make me work a whole lot harder than I need to. 😂

I'm certainly not an expert on every type of wool or every breed of sheep. But I've learned quite a bit through trial and error, and I thought I'd share some of that with you.

This is the third post in my Needle Felting Basics series. If you're just getting started, you might also enjoy my previous posts:

• Needle Felting Tools for Beginners: What Do You Really Need?
• My Favorite Needle Felting Tools (That You Don't Actually Need!)

Now, let's talk about wool!

What Is Core Wool?

Core wool is the wool I generally use to build the basic shape of my needle-felted sculptures.

Think of it as the foundation of your project.

Rather than using your pretty colored wool to build an entire sculpture, you can use core wool to create the shape and then cover it with your chosen colors.

Core wool is generally undyed and is often less expensive than colored wool. It may also contain little bits of vegetable matter, such as tiny pieces of hay or grass.

I don't worry too much about those little bits when I'm building the inside of a sculpture because they're going to be covered anyway. If I find a larger piece, I'll pull it out.

One thing to understand is that core wool isn't a particular breed of sheep or a particular way of preparing wool. It's simply wool that's being used for the inside of your project.

It can come in several different forms, including batts and sliver.

I personally like using carded Corriedale wool for most of my core work because I find that it felts up nicely.

What Is Carded Wool?

Before we get into batts and sliver, let's talk about what it means when wool is carded.

Carding is a process that opens up and separates wool fibers, helping to remove tangles and prepare the wool for use.

The fibers in carded wool aren't all lined up neatly in the same direction. Instead, they're arranged in a more mixed, airy way.

And that's one of the reasons I like working with it!

When you're needle felting, the barbs on your felting needle catch the fibers and help tangle them together. I've found that carded wool is generally easier for me to sculpt and often felts up more quickly than wool with all the fibers running in the same direction.

Two forms of carded wool that I use regularly are batts and sliver.

What Are Wool Batts?

A wool batt is a sheet or layer of carded wool.

If you're a quilter, you might be familiar with batting that goes between the layers of a quilt. A wool batt has a somewhat similar appearance, although the thickness and texture can vary.

You can pull pieces from the batt and use them to build shapes or add color to your project.

When I first started needle felting, I used batts quite a bit for building my sculptures.

I still like using them, especially when I'm making something flat.

Batts also work well for covering core wool with color.

One of the colored batts I've enjoyed using is MC-1 from Living Felt. It's very soft, comes in lots of beautiful colors, and I find that it felts up nicely.

I've used it on projects such as my little cottage and nativity pieces.

I've also used Corriedale batts, which tend to feel a little coarser but work very well for sculpting.

What Is Wool Sliver?

Sliver is probably the wool preparation I reach for most often these days.

Instead of coming in a wide sheet like a batt, sliver comes in a long, loose, rope-like strip.

The sliver I use is carded, so the fibers are still arranged in different directions rather than all being neatly lined up.

I especially like the carded sliver from Cupid Falls Farm . It felts up nicely, and I find it easy to pull off the amount I need for a project.

I use it for both building shapes and adding color.

I originally started with batts, but once I discovered sliver, I found myself reaching for it more and more.

That doesn't mean sliver is necessarily better than batts. They're simply different forms of wool, and both can work beautifully.

One thing I have noticed is that some sliver contains more little bits of vegetable matter than others. I just pick those out as I go.

What Is Wool Roving?

Now we're getting into some terminology that can be a little confusing.

You'll often see wool sold as roving, top, or combed top. Sometimes suppliers use these terms interchangeably, even though they don't technically mean the same thing.

Roving is generally a continuous strand of prepared fibers. It may be carded, while combed top has gone through an additional process that removes shorter fibers and lines the remaining fibers up more evenly.

When I talk about roving in my original Basics video, I'm showing wool with long fibers that are mostly running in the same direction.

And while you absolutely can needle felt with this kind of wool, I find it a little more challenging for certain projects.

When I first started, I would take a piece of this wool, lay it directly over my sculpture, and start felting.

It worked, but getting a nice, smooth surface could take quite a while!

That's one of the reasons I eventually started experimenting with other wool preparations.

A Little Trick for Working With Combed Wool

If you already have some combed wool, don't think you need to put it aside and buy something else.

You can still use it!

One thing I've learned is that instead of laying all those long fibers directly onto my sculpture, I can pull the wool apart and separate the fibers a bit before applying them.

This helps break up that straight, parallel arrangement and makes it easier for me to create a smoother surface.

You can also use hand carders to rearrange the fibers.

I still use this kind of wool occasionally, especially when I have a color I want to use.

After all, I hate letting perfectly good wool go to waste!

What About Curly Wool Locks?

Here's another type of wool that's fun to have around!

Curly locks are wool fibers that have retained their natural curls. They're generally washed and may be dyed, but they haven't been carded or combed into a smooth preparation.

I didn't start using curly locks until I had already been needle felting for quite a while.

Now I love having them available for certain projects.

They're especially fun for adding little whimsical details.

I've used curly locks for pumpkin tendrils and for greenery hanging from the flower boxes on my felted cottage.

They can also be used for hair, animal fleece, and all sorts of other decorative details.

I usually pick up a few colors when I visit a fiber festival. There's a vendor I like who sells them by the ounce, so I can grab a little of whatever colors I'm running low on.

You certainly don't need curly locks when you're first learning, but they're fun to experiment with once you start adding more details to your creations.

Which Type of Wool Is Best for Needle Felting?

So, after all that, which wool should you buy?

Well, that depends on what you're making and what you enjoy working with!

Here's a quick comparison to help you get started.

Wool type	What I like using it for
Core wool	Building the basic shapes of sculptures
Carded batts	Sculpting, flat pieces, and adding color
Carded sliver	Building shapes and adding surface color
Combed top	Longer fibers, special details, and projects where I want that fiber arrangement
Curly locks	Hair, fleece, pumpkin tendrils, and decorative details

 

For most of my three-dimensional sculptures, I prefer working with carded wool.

I find it easier to shape, and it generally felts up more quickly for me.

But that doesn't mean everyone will have the same preferences.

One of the best things you can do is try a few different preparations and see what you like.

You might discover that something I find difficult to work with is exactly what you prefer!

Does the Breed of Sheep Matter?

Yes, it does!

Different sheep breeds produce wool with different characteristics. Some fibers are finer and softer, while others are coarser, springier, or longer.

All of those things can affect how the wool behaves when you're needle felting.

I haven't worked with every breed, but here are a few worth knowing about:

Corriedale: This is the wool I use most often. I find that it felts up nicely and works well for building sculptures.

Bluefaced Leicester: I've used this wool in carded sliver form and really liked how soft it feels. In my experience, it doesn't felt up quite as quickly as Corriedale, but it's lovely to work with.

Merino: A very fine, soft wool that's popular for many fiber crafts. It can be used for needle felting, although some preparations can take more patience to felt firmly.

You may also come across Romney and other breeds sold specifically for needle felting.

I wouldn't worry too much about memorizing sheep breeds when you're first getting started.

Instead, look for wool that the supplier recommends for needle felting, and try a few different kinds as you gain experience.

Don't Be Afraid to Experiment!

If there's one thing I've learned about wool, it's that there isn't just one right choice for every project.

When I started needle felting, I really didn't understand the differences between all these preparations.

I just used what I had.

And while some of that wool made things a little more difficult than they needed to be, I learned quite a bit along the way!

Even now, I'm still discovering different fibers and trying new things.

So don't feel like you need to know everything about wool before you start needle felting.

Pick up a few different types, see how they behave, and figure out what works best for you.

That's part of the fun!

Want to See the Different Wools?

This post is based on my original Needle Felting Basics video, where I show examples of the different wool preparations and explain how I use them.

You'll be able to see the differences between batts, sliver, and combed wool, which can be much easier to understand when you can actually see the fibers.

Looking for Needle Felting Supplies?

I've gathered some of the wool, tools, and other supplies I use in my Amazon shop so you can find them in one place.

Browse My Favorite Needle Felting Supplies

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Chicken Run Creations!

Want to Keep Learning?

If you'd like to go beyond the basics and work through complete projects with me, you can find lots more inside The Needle Felting Classroom.

You'll find step-by-step tutorials, downloadable patterns, technique lessons, and project replays, with new projects and resources continuing to be added.

Find Out More About The Needle Felting Classroom

Next in the Needle Felting Basics series: Learning to Needle Felt: Cookie Cutters and Basic Shapes