Glossary of terms

raw fleece: fleece that has been shorn of the sheep and not been scoured (washed) yet. The fibre is still covered by a natural layer of grease called lanolin.
greasy wool: unwashed wool with the fatty lanolin oil not yet removed
scouring: washing of the wool to remove dirt and grease
carding: teasing clumps of fibre apart either with hand carders or machine carders to align the fibre in one direction
carded batts: a continuous length of fibre of a certain width and thickness carded on a machine. Very good for wet felting, they can be separated into even, thinner layers of fibre that are very evenly distributed, thus helping to avoiding holes in the finished felt product.
tops: continuous strand of combed fibre wound into a ball
noil: short fibre removed during the combing process
kemp: the short, coarse hair found amongst finer hair fibres. While the fleece is still covering the sheep it prevents the wool from felting on the sheep's body by making sure air can circulate through individual hair
crimp: natural waviness of the wool fibre
natural coloured wool: the actual natural colour of the animal hair as it grows on the body, i.e.. not bleached or dyed.
needle felting: the interlocking and compacting of wool fibres by using pointed, barbed felting needles either by hand or machines. It is usually done when the fibre is dry.
wet felting: the interlocking and compacting of wool fibres by using warm water, soap and rubbing motions