Exploring Texture: Cobweb Scarves, Lace, and the Beauty of Raw Fleece

Lena Archbold
Jul 11, 2025
4 min read

My Experience Working with Fleeces So Far

In May 2025, I began experimenting with felting using raw fleeces — a whole new chapter in my creative journey. Until recently, my experience with fleeces had been quite limited, but I've become deeply fascinated and eager to expand my knowledge and skills. I’d love to share some of my discoveries with you.

I was inspired to work more with British fleeces after accepting an invitation to participate in the Eden Wool Gathering, organized by Wendy Erskine, which takes place from July 25–29. I became hooked. Wendy generously supplied me with a variety of beautiful fleeces, and that moment marked the beginning of my deeper journey into the world of British wool.

Long Locks and Lace: My Work with Wensleydale and Teeswater

I've been working mostly with Wensleydale and Teeswater fleeces till now. These are long-locked wools that are particularly great for creating tassels. I’ve enjoyed crafting cobweb scarves and lace scarves using these fleeces — both techniques are not only fun but result in soft, beautiful, and delicate accessories.

Wensleydale fleeces are my absolute favorite. They come in a range of natural colors: white, grey, black, and brown — at least those are the ones I'm most familiar with. Their long, silky locks add stunning texture and movement to any felted piece.

If you’re curious to try these techniques, I offer pre-recorded online classes on making cobweb and lace scarves with fleeces. With unlimited access, you can create at your own pace, anytime and anywhere.

For more information, please check the Cobweb Scarf with Fleeces and Lace Scarf with Fleeces

Cobweb Experiments and Shrinkage Surprises

Recently, I’ve continued to experiment with Wensleydale cobweb scarves, aiming for different effects. I noticed that my latest pieces have fewer holes than my earlier scarves and offer a fresh visual texture. One thing that pleasantly surprised me: these scarves shrink very little in length — the shrinkage occurs mostly in the width.

For layout, I use a small table (60 x 100 cm), which is just enough to achieve a nice, long scarf. I've also learned that while wool and fleece are the base materials, you can incorporate a variety of fibers — Margilan silk, silk laps, silk hankies, tussah silk, viscose, bamboo — in all forms. The secret lies in the wool layout, and I go into detail on this in my new upcoming pre-recorded online cobweb scarf with fleeces class, where I show multiple layout methods to achieve different textures.

This class is also part of the upcoming joint online masterclass with Diana Nagorna, titled Fleece Stories: Animal Print & Cobweb Scarves — a project I’m very excited about.

Falling in Love with Shetland Fleeces

More recently, I've discovered my love for Shetland fleeces. These come from the Shetland sheep, a breed native to the Shetland Islands. Shetland wool is known for its softness, crimp, and versatility, and comes in a stunning range of natural colors and patterns.

There are eleven main Shetland fleece colors, including:

White
Light grey
Grey
Emsket (dusky bluish-grey)
Musket (light greyish-brown)
Shaela (dark steely-grey)
Black
Fawn
Moorit (reddish brown)
Mioget (honey-toned yellowish-brown)
Dark brown

Plus, there are over 30 different patterns and markings such as gulmoget (light underparts with a dark body) and katmoget (light body with dark belly and legs). I’ve worked with moorit and black fleeces — both are striking in their own ways.

What I love most about Shetland fleeces is not only their soft texture and crimp but also their sun-bleached tips, which create lovely multicolored effects — perfect for adding natural variation to felted designs. So far, I’ve made hats and shawls using these fleeces.

The staple length of Shetland wool varies from 2 to 10 inches, depending on the type (fine, medium, long) and the health of the sheep. The ones I used had staple lengths of about 2–3 inches.

Washed vs. Unwashed Fleeces

One important discovery I’ve made: it’s much better to felt with unwashed fleeces. Unwashed wool retains its natural structure and crimp, holding together like one continuous “skin,” while washed fleeces often separate into loose locks.

During felting, the fleece gets naturally cleaned. Afterward, I recommend soaking your finished felt in warm water with a mild fabric detergent to clean it further.

Shetland wool is generally fine, with fiber diameters ranging from 20 to 30 microns, though it can go as low as 10–20 microns in the neck and shoulder areas and as high as 25–35 microns in the coarser britch wool.

I’m just at the beginning of this journey, but working with fleeces has opened a whole new world of creativity for me. If you’re interested in exploring this path, I encourage you to try felting with fleeces — whether it’s Wensleydale, Teeswater, or Shetland. And don’t forget to check out my online classes if you’d like detailed guidance and inspiration.

Stay Tuned — Exciting Things Ahead!

I invite you to watch this space for an exciting new announcement — a joint project between Diana Nagorna and myself, where we will be presenting our new online class, Fleece Stories: Animal Print & Cobweb Scarves. It’s two classes in one, and will be released on July 18th. The special offer will be available for a limited time only, so please watch your email from me on the 18th of July!

I also warmly invite you to attend the Eden Wool Gathering between July 26–29, where I’ll be teaching two in-person masterclasses:

If you book both classes, I will gift you a bonus pre-recorded online class featuring another beautiful cobweb shawl with fleeces technique.

Additionally, I’ll be making a donation to a local cancer charity as part of this event — something very close to my heart.

Thank you for following along, and I hope to felt with you soon!