Wool for Felting

I found a really cool pincushion pattern online a couple of weeks ago and plan to make a couple of them for our upcoming quilt show. It's an added fundraiser and a hook for the media, or at least that's the hope: hundreds of pincushions will entice people in. I don't want to show you the pincushion yet, but the pattern requires wool that I purchase as used clothing and felt.

A trip to Goodwill yesterday yielded some wool, although I had wished for a wider variety of colors and perhaps some stripes. Most of the sweaters that I really liked had a pretty low wool content - unsuitable for felting - so I had to settle for solids this time around, both those in sweaters and in jackets from which I will have to remove the buttons and lining.

I've never felted before, and don't know how effective it will be with my front-loading washer, but I'm planning to give it a shot tomorrow. If all goes well, I hope to show you the finished pincushions later this week.