If you’ve ever worked with high-quality, small-batch roving and found a tiny bit of hay or straw, you’ve encountered VM in felting wool—short for vegetable matter. It’s a completely natural part of working with wool that comes straight from the source: real sheep raised with care.
At Bear Creek Felting, I raise my own sheep and process their wool myself in my fiber mill here in Fort Ransom, North Dakota. Every bit of roving I produce is prepared with needle felting in mind, so I focus on maintaining the integrity, bounce, and sculpting potential of the fiber. That means I keep things as natural as possible—and that’s where the story of VM comes in.
Why Is There VM in My Wool?
My sheep aren’t on pristine display all year long—they’re real animals living real lives. Here in North Dakota, we have long, cold winters. During those months, our flock is brought in off pasture and fed grass hay and alfalfa. This is when most of the VM ends up in their wool. Dried, brittle plant material breaks easily, and sheep—being sheep—like to shove their heads, and sometimes their whole bodies, right into their feed.
On top of that, we bed their barns with straw, which adds another layer of cozy comfort—and more chances for bits of plant matter to find their way into the fleece.
Even with careful skirting, washing, and carding, some VM is going to stay with the wool. But I choose not to use the commercial method of carbonizing to remove it.
Why I Don’t Carbonize My Wool
Carbonizing is a chemical process used in large mills to remove all traces of VM by soaking the wool in sulfuric acid, baking it, crushing the charred plant matter, and then neutralizing and rinsing it. While this process results in ultra-clean fiber, it comes at a cost—both to the environment and the wool itself.
I choose not to carbonize because I want to preserve the natural texture and structure of the wool. Carbonizing can strip away the very characteristics that make wool such a joy to felt. It also introduces chemicals I’d rather not have in my workspace—or in your hands.
What I Do About VM While Felting
Honestly? I felt it right in. If I come across a bit of hay while I’m working, I usually just incorporate it into the project—it disappears into the form and doesn’t interfere at all. On occasion, especially when adding finishing touches, I’ll remove a piece if it’s sticking out or distracting.
VM isn’t a flaw—it’s a reminder of where your wool came from. It tells the story of animals raised in a healthy, hands-on environment and wool processed with care rather than chemicals.
Real Wool Has a Real Story
At Bear Creek Felting, every bit of roving comes from sheep I know personally. I grow the wool, process it myself, and use it in my own needle felting kits and sculptures. There’s no middleman, no overseas sourcing, and no industrial shortcuts.
So when you find a little speck of hay or straw in your roving, I hope you’ll see it the way I do: not as an imperfection, but as a signature of authenticity—a small piece of life from the farm to your felting table.
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