Episode 40: Felt in All Forms

This episode is brought to you by Felted Sky, a needlefelting kit company. If you're looking to refresh your fiber stash or grab a mini-kit, check out feltedsky.com today. And as a special treat to our Handmade History Podcast listeners, they're offering 20% off of their entire Winter Collection now through December 14, 2026. Just go to feltedsky.com and use code Handmade20 at checkout.

The short story: Wool. Is. Magic!

Thanks to some special (slightly magical) properties, wool fibers love to snuggle up and shrink, making it possible to make fabric from throwing wool around. Or perhaps putting it in your shoes and going on a pilgrimage, as Saint Clement is said to have done.

Join us this week to talk about felt, from needlefelting miniature owls to creating walls for a yurt. You'll learn:

🇲🇳 How people in Central Asia and Mongolia have made felt for hundreds of years using wool, leather, and rope

🦉How a small group of people in New England repurposed industrial felting machines to invent needlefelting--and spawned an adorable trend of tiny animal creation

🇹🇷 How one of the oldest human archaeological sites shows us that felting is (probably) ten thousand years old!

📖 Join us for a readalong of What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Ayoyama. Grab a copy at your library or use our affiliate link and join us on Patreon, Instagram, or Facebook. We start reading October 28, 2026 (and of course you can join in anytime!).

🪡 Join us for a craftalong using Felted Sky's Christmas Gnome Kit at the end of December. You can use any kit you like! Get 20% off of their entire Winter Collection now through December 14, 2026. Just go to feltedsky.com and use code Handmade20 at checkout.

Show notes here: https://tinyurl.com/hhepisode40

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Thanks for listening! Bye!