Wool You Swatch It?

Twice in one week, I have been asked,
"Now, what are you doing?"

"Making swatches." has been my reply.
"What are swatches?"
or
"What's a swatch?"
has been the next question.

A sample of textile is called a swatch.
There may be other applications.
In knitting and crochet, one is advised
to make a swatch to test whether
the gauge matches that of the pattern.
I usually ravel that out,
if I do it at all,
and incorporate it into my project.

In these examples, I am testing for
the fulling properties of various
wools.
Putting several in one swatch proved to
be a poor idea, as seen in this photo.
I may attempt to full (or felt)
this piece, again.

Some swatches are very satisfying.
I love the look and feel of this piece.
Now, I need to work on keeping the
sides straighter.

I had made two attempts to post 

about my latest interest and experiments.

Each time the post became impossibly long.

I shall now attempt several short posts

on the subject of wool.  

This is not a comprehensive study.

I am a dabbler, not an expert. :)

Soon:felting and fulling, what is what.