I'm so gangsta', I felted soap.

First off, I'd like to say that I miss actually making soap. I made it for years when I lived in Calgary which makes sense considering I worked at a soap store. Unfortunately I haven't really been able to find the supplies that I need to make soap here in Halifax without breaking the bank. Second off, when I moved into my new apartment I had the chance to go through some boxes that I hadn't really looked at since I've moved to Nova Scotia. In one box I found a couple bars of cold process soap that I had made a few years ago. Score!

Hello Felted Soap!

I've decided to write a little tutorial on how to make it. It's easy. It's so easy that a kid could do it. And why might you want to felt a bar of soap, you ask? Because extends the life of your bar of soap and it's like having a self lathering washcloth to wash with each day.

Supplies

A bar of soap (obviously I used my own handmade CP soap)
roving
water
a pair of hands



Cut a piece of roving that is long enough to wrap entirely around the bar of soap. Cut a second piece of roving to wrap around the bar the other way.



You want enough roving to completely cover the entire bar. You may need to add an additional layer depending on how covered your bar is at this point. Use different colour roving to create different looks! I went with a pink and black scheme because it would match my bathroom.



Time to get the bar wet! Put it under as hot water you can handle and get the bar wet but not drenched.



Holy wet cat! Time to start the felting process. Carefully work the wool around the bar but be careful not to expose the soap underneath.



Now the bar should start to lather. Keep working the wool while adding small amount of water into the bar. The wool should also be shrinking to fit around the soap by this step.



Continue doing the last step until the wool no longer seems to shrink. Tada! Felted soap!

Just lay to dry and you're done!



Close up of the finished felted texture



I've also seen some people that used a felting mat, sushi mat or some sort of textured mat to quicken up the felting process by rubbing the soap against it once the wool starts to shrink around the bar. I just used my hands as I liked the process and it created a lot of lather. I like bubbles :)