By Caroline Owens
Suzie's best friend, Lucille, lived in the city. When Suzie came to visit, they explored museums, ordered tea in fancy restaurants, and chased pigeons in the park. Suzie lived on a farm. When Lucille came to visit, they played with baby lambs, climbed in the hay loft, and hunted for chicken eggs.
This wintry afternoon, Suzie's mother was helping her make a special gift for Lucille. Using a process called felting, she would turn a fluffy pile of wool into a solid piece of fabric she would shape and decorate as a miniature Christmas tree. Lucille had helped harvest the wool last spring, when she visited during shearing time.
Suzie pulled the soft wool into thin sheets and placed them in layers on a tray. "I can't believe this is really going to work," she said softly. The fluffy pile looked nothing like the cute little pine tree she had in mind. "Patience," said Mother. "Now for the next step."
Mother brought over a bowl of warm, soapy water. She poured one spoonful at a time onto the fluffy pile while Suzie pressed carefully with her hands. In front of their eyes, the wool matted down to resemble a fuzzy green pancake. "Wow!" said Suzie, newly inspired. "That is so cool!"
"Now press with your hands for five minutes," said Mother, glancing at the kitchen clock, "and I'll tell you how this works."
Suzie pressed gently with both hands, moving them frequently to apply even pressure.
"Each strand of wool is covered with overlapping scales, like shingles on a house," explained Mother. "When you combine warm water, rubbing, and soap, the scales lock together. The wool turns into the thick, solid fabric called felt. That's what happens when you wash a wool sweater in hot water by mistake. People say it shrank, but it really felted."
She paused to inspect Suzie's project. It was time to rub. She showed Suzie how to move her hands lightly in circles over the wool, increasing the pressure as the fuzzy texture grew smooth. "People in Asia and Europe have been making felt for thousands of years. It gave them a way to make warm wool clothes, like hats, boots, and coats, without weaving. Archeologists discovered a piece of felt in Turkey that was 8,000 years old! The Vikings even made saddles from felt," said Suzie's mother.
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