Felted Beads

Last week, I decided to make some felted beads from alpaca wool that my sister-in-law Lindsay gave me. She and her husband raise Huacaya alpacas on their farm, Dutch Hollow Acres, in upstate New York. Lindsay showed me how to create felted wool beads two summers ago while we were vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains. I was inspired to make more of these beads after reading Lorelei's blog post two weeks ago.

To create some of your own felted beads you will need the following:

• alpaca wool, dyed various colors (Lindsay has a few bags with a variety of colors for sale at $5 each)
• dish soap (I used Caldrea natural soap in plum+nutmeg for it's super yummy scent)
• water
• a tray for the soap and water
• a dish towel (to dry up any water that drips outside of the tray)
• some good music or a friend (each bead takes about 15-20 minutes to create and time goes by very slowly without either)

Start with a small chunk of fiber (about enough to fit in your palm). Dip it in the soapy water so it is thoroughly saturated. Then very gently and slowly, roll it in a circular motion between your palms until a ball forms. Add small amounts of soap and water to the ball as needed. Keep rolling...and rolling...

These were my results a few hours later! Many thanks to Lindsay for teaching me a new crafty skill and Lorelei for inspiring me!