The Enduring Art of Felting: A Timeless Craft

Felting, one of my favorite craft styles, is arguably the oldest known human-made textile art, predating both weaving and knitting. It is a simple process that transforms loose animal fibers— wool—into a dense fabric.

I got into felting when I was raising Kihnu native sheep. Kihnu native sheep are an indigenous breed of Estonian sheep that have been raised in these areas continuously for over 3,000 years, and the population includes primitive sheep with particularly rare retrotypes that carry aboriginal traits. Kihnu native sheep, which phylogenetically form the most distant population from cultivated breeds compared to many other neighboring sheep breeds, are among the sheep that came to Europe with the first wave of domestication.

When raising such animals, thoughts inevitably turn to history and how people may have used the wool of this animal in ancient times.

The exact origin of felting is often lost in legend. It is probably a craft technique that humans came up with by chance, not consciously. And what were the stories of how humans first used wool and felted wool? :-) Felt is considered the oldest known textile, with origins strongly linked to the nomadic tribes of Central Asia (e.g. Mongols and Turkic peoples).

The ability of wool fibers to intertwine and tangle under the influence of moisture, soap, and friction provided an ideal solution to the needs of early nomadic communities. Felt was not a luxury, but a necessity. It was used to make warm and durable blankets, portable shelters (such as the Central Asian yurt), footwear, clothing, blankets, and intricate rugs.

Some of the oldest and most remarkable surviving examples , dating from the 6th to 3rd centuries BC, were discovered in frozen tombs of the Pazyryk culture in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. These objects – horse blankets, tapestries and garments – display astonishing artistic skill, incorporating intricate patterns and rich colours, proving that felting has been an important practical use of wool and a high art for millennia.

Felt ribbon with lion pattern Pazyryk-1 tomb. (Pankova, Svetlana; Simpson, St John (1 January 2017). Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia. British Museum. p. 275, Item 189)

A piece of decorated felt, Pazyryk-5

Today, whether through the traditional wet felting method or the more modern needle felting technique, this craft continues its hopefully long journey.