Caveat Emptor-Felting With Superwash

Silk and pre-felt that never felted in.

 

The peeling Superwash roving.

 

The exposed cheesecloth layer.

 

My ruined project.

 

I know that some of you are anxiously awaiting Part 2 of my latest purse...

...but something came up today that I thought deserved a post.

Like many felters...

I have a budget for my wool and other supplies.

That's why I'm always happy when I find a reputable source...

...that also has good prices (especially for bulk roving).

I had ordered ten pounds of 'Mill End Rovings' from a company recently...

...and, to be fair, on their website, they do state...

..."We try very hard to pick out all Superwash but we cannot guarantee that we might not miss some."

I guess their definition of 'some' is rather different than mine...

...since of my ten pound order, more than half was found to be Superwash.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until I had already ruined two projects...

...and I've posted photos of one of them.

When I wrote to ask for replacement roving...

...stating that I thought the honorable thing would be for them to add enough wool to reimburse me for my postage costs...

...this was the response that I received:

"Excuse me!!! This was not my error..........You obviously did not do any reading on our website at all. We do not guarantee that there will not be some Superwash in those bags. Technically those bags should not be sorted at all. If you will read.......we sell at that price because we are not supposed to do anything but take a big bag that looks good, weight it, and add in enough to make up the 15 lb. We also tell you in the writing that you should always test the rovings before using them for felting....for the simple reason that we cannot always tell them apart.........and the guys at the mill don't always recognize white Punta from white superwash and toss it all in the same box. That is the very reason we write the disclaimer into the information. It is on at least three pages...........I guess I'd better go in and make it bigger and make it in red letters. But that won't help if people do not read it. If you want to be positive that you are getting a straight wool, you will have to buy the #1 Rovings. We say this over and over.
You are demanding a whole lot here. I offered to replace your fiber.............I am not paying for your postage. How about my wasted time............my wasted energy.........my having to go to the post office and get the box, plus pack another box and haul it back. We don't get paid a salary here, if we did the prices would be double what they are and what most places charge. We try to help people, not gouge them. I am sorry you spent so much time.............I am sorrier that I spent so much time. And that I will still be spending more time. And you want me to pay for your postage to send it back, plus new fiber, plus pay the postage for shipping it back?? And you consider this honorable.............I consider it raping and pillaging. Just replacing your fiber will remove all profit from this order.....and beyond. Read the information on the Website......"
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You would be correct in thinking that I will never order from this particular company again...

...and I caution you to watch for the above disclaimer when you order roving in the future, as well.

At this point, I've decided to just chalk it up to 'one bad apple' in the fiber world...

...and have decided that she is most certainly NOT a felter! :)