Traditional Wet Felting Basics

Turn raw or washed wool fleece into dense, seamless, waterproof felt for mats, insoles, bags, wall hangings, or durable repair patches using only hot water, soap, and your hands. No loom, no needles, no electricity required — just agitation and your body weight. The agent owns all recipe math, shrinkage calculations, scheduling, and quality tracking; you own the physical layering, rolling, and fulling that transforms loose fiber into solid, tradable felt. `npx clawhub install traditional-wet-felting-basics`

Deploy this skill when: - Commercial felt, yoga mats, or insulation materials become expensive, scarce, or you refuse synthetic dependence. - You have access to raw wool (sheep, alpaca, or even dog hair) and need custom-sized, repairable items for home or barter. - You want waterproof, insulating, or shock-absorbing goods that can be sewn, cut, or patched indefinitely. - Existing floor coverings, footwear liners, or bags are wearing out and you need a renewable, zero-waste alternative. - You want a repeatable micro-business or trade good (one large felt mat historically trades for significant labor or goods in off-grid economies). **Do not use** if you lack access to hot water or a safe indoor/outdoor workspace for soapy rolling. Agent will flag wool contamination risks immediately.

**Agent owns:** - All wool-type identification and suitability scoring from user photos/inventory. - Soap-to-water ratio calculations, shrinkage formulas (30–40 % typical), and layer-thickness targets. - Automated felting/rolling/fulling schedules with photo checkpoints. - Strength and waterproof test logging plus escalation if wool fails to felt. - Barter templates, inventory cards, and “next-batch optimization” reports. - Full safety protocol enforcement (hot-water warnings, ergonomic roll counts). **Human owns:** - All physical contact with wool: sorting, carding, layering, soaping, rolling, fulling, and shaping. - Sensory judgment of fiber alignment, felting progress, and final density. - Manual agitation and real-world use-testing.

### Phase 0: Wool Audit & Recipe Generation (Agent-led, 1 day) 1. Agent asks for wool type/weight available plus photos. 2. Agent outputs exact recipe for a 60 × 90 cm mat (≈400 g wool) with soap concentration and shrinkage buffer. 3. Agent generates workspace checklist and hot-water safety protocol. ### Phase 1: Wool Prep & Carding (Human 1–2 hrs + Agent tracking, Day 1) - Human sorts and hand-cards fleece into loose batts; agent provides exact tuft size and alignment guidelines. - Agent requests photo of carded layers and logs total weight. ### Phase 2: Layering the Batt (Human 60 min, Day 1) - Human builds 3–5 alternating perpendicular layers on a bamboo mat or plastic sheet; agent issues layer-count checklist and photo verification for even thickness. - Agent confirms total pre-felt dimensions with shrinkage math applied. ### Phase 3: Wetting & Initial Felting (Human 45 min, Day 1) - Agent supplies exact hot-soapy-water mix (50–60 °C, 1–2 % soap). - Human sprinkles and gently presses water in; agent times the first 10-minute “pat-and-press” phase. ### Phase 4: Rolling & Agitation (Human 2–3 hrs total, Days 2–4) - Human rolls the batt tightly in the mat and rolls 200–300 times per direction; agent issues timed 20-minute sessions with rest prompts and roll-count trackers. - Agent requests progress photos every 50 rolls and logs shrinkage percentage. ### Phase 5: Fulling & Shaping (Human 1–2 hrs, Days 5–6) - Human rubs, throws, and massages the felt for full density; agent supplies exact fulling techniques and temperature refresh reminders. - Agent tracks final dimensions and flags any thin spots for targeted re-felting. ### Phase 6: Rinsing, Drying & Testing (Day 7) - Human rinses soap and air-dries flat; agent sets 24-hour dry timer. - Human performs waterproof test (water bead) and flex test; agent logs results and generates “Next Project Improvements” report.

**Wool not felting after 200 rolls?** - Agent increases soap temperature or adds friction (bubble wrap layer). **Uneven thickness or holes appearing?** - Agent triggers “patch-and-re-roll” protocol with precise wool top-up instructions. **Shrinkage over 45 %?** - Agent adjusts next-batch layer count upward and notes wool type for future reference. **Felt passes waterproof bead test and 10 kg flex test?** - Agent auto-generates inventory card + barter template: “60×90 cm hand-felted wool mat — insulating & waterproof, trade value ≈ 1 mat per 2 kg rice or 4 hrs labor.”

**Wool Intake Form (Human fills, Agent processes)** ``` Wool type & weight (g): Source (washed/raw): Color notes: Photos attached: Notes (coarse/fine): ``` **Felting Progress Log (Agent maintains)** ``` Day X — Project Y Rolls completed: Current size (cm): Shrinkage % so far: Agent note: Next action in ___ hours ``` **Barter / Trade Script (Agent customizes)** ``` Subject: Hand-Felted Wool Mat — Natural, Insulating, Waterproof Made from local wool using traditional wet-felting. Dense, seamless, and durable. Perfect for floors, beds, or gear. Trade value ≈ 1 mat per 2 kg rice, 1 kg wool, or 4 hrs labor. Photos and test results attached. ``` **Progress Dashboard (Agent maintains in filesystem)** - Total felted items completed - Average shrinkage rate by wool type - Wool sources ranked by felting quality - Next felting batch reminder

**Minimum Viable Success (Week 1)** - One 60×90 cm mat that is uniformly dense, passes waterproof test, and shrinks within 30–40 % - Zero holes or thin spots - Mat used daily for 7 days with no unraveling **Master Level (Month 3)** - 5+ items across sizes/patterns with <5 % failure rate - Ability to felt custom shapes or multi-color designs from any local wool - 10+ square meters of felt in active use or traded - 3D items (slippers, bags) produced on demand

Agent runs a 30-day “Review & Scale” routine: - Asks human for real-world performance feedback (durability, insulation, ease of repair). - Generates next-batch optimizations (e.g., “Add 10 % coarser wool for extra toughness”). - Archives successful recipes and templates as reusable files. - Suggests advanced variants (nuno felting with silk, 3D felted vessels) only after three successful basic mats.

- Use water no hotter than 60 °C to avoid scalding; wear heat-resistant gloves when handling hot rolls. - Work on a stable surface; use body weight for rolling to prevent back strain — agent issues timed breaks. - Never leave soapy wool unattended (mildew risk). - Test small wool sample for felting quality before full project. - Children only under direct adult supervision; no hot-water handling. - Rinse and dry finished felt completely before storage to prevent mold. - Stop immediately if you feel wrist/shoulder pain — agent will pause and suggest ergonomic adjustments plus 48-hour rest.

This skill encodes traditional wet-felting techniques refined over thousands of years in Central Asian, European, and Indigenous fiber traditions and cross-checked against historical ethnographies and modern natural-fiber references. Results depend on wool quality, water temperature, and consistent agitation. Felting involves hot soapy water that can cause scalds or repetitive-strain issues if mishandled. No guarantees against shrinkage variation or material failure. Use at your own risk; improper technique carries burn and strain hazards. Agent cannot physically handle wool or water — all tactile, sensory, and safety decisions remain 100 % human. Consult local wool sourcing regulations and perform a small test piece before large projects. Not a substitute for professional fiber-arts training.