Anyone do felting?

*zippy*

I'm putting together a knitting kit as a gift so have been looking around on the internet for patterns. I came across some lovely patterns from Canada to make your own knitted and felted bags.

I wondered if anyone on here did felting could they say if it was difficult and if you need to buy alot of equipment?

Is it unlikely mine would end up looking like these :think:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=300065402462&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NONI-Bags-Felted-Garden-Flower-purse-Knitting-Pattern_W0QQitemZ300063378802QQihZ020QQcategoryZ83930QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item300063378802


Thanks
zippy

tallulah_beaulah

I've only done a tiny bit of experimental felting - just made some felted beads - to try out the process. It was quite easy on this little scale. You just keep agitating the wool with detergent and water. (It seemed to me you're aiming for the exact opposite result that you would want from a fancy conditioner for your hair! iykwim!)

Crafster.org has a felting section on their forum that will be full of useful info and helpful people:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=197.0

HTH.

karmacookie

Hi there

Check out Angel Yarns forum. They have loads of information on felting!

Penelope_Penguin

Remember seeing Hugh F-W making it. It involves human urine if I remeber, and lots of stamping on the felt :eek: :eek: :eek:

Great results, though

Penny. x

dumpy

I've done knitted felt and normal felt.

Knitted felt, knit item a lot larger than normal then throw into washing machine at 60 degree wash, when it comes out it'll have felted and will now be the correct size. Sew up after felting. You will have to use a wool that will felt, I've used Rowan yorkshire tweed DK, which worked well. (off ebay of course!)

Start with a bag first, then if it shrinks smaller than you want you can still use it. Miniature slippers have a limited number of feet!


Wet felt from wool is easy but time consuming. You'll need wool that will felt easily, some types of wool don't so it's best getting some dyed wool tops in to do it. I can give you a supplier if you want.

Materials needed are a rolling pin, a tea towel and a piece of net curtain.

Put towel on flat surface, put net curtain on top. Lay out the wool by pulling small sections out and overlap them. The put another layer on at 90 degrees to the first. Keep going till the pile is quite high. Put another layer of net curtain on top.

Get a jug of warm water and put in a drop or two of washing up liquid. Put your hand on the net curtain and pour the water over your hand till the wool is very wet. Rub gently until the wool starts to felt. Once it's stuck together roll the whole lot up round a rolling pin and roll backwards and forwards. If you do this when you are stressed, you'll destress and make great felt!. Keep changing the direction of the roll (bit like pastry). Takes about 15 mins to 30 mins.

When you are happy rinse the whole thing under a tap to remove the soap and leave it to dry.

Not a drop of urine in sight!

Seakay

Great tips, dumpy. Aprox by how much does something shrink at 60 degrees (just a rough guide), do you aim for knitting half as big again, 100% bigger or what?

dumpy

Ummm.. I think that how much it shrinks will depend on the wool and how tight you knit something.

I think the bag I did was about 35-40cms long when knitted and ended up about 25cm long when felted (if I'd taken measurements like I was going to I'd be able to tell you but I was so enthusiastic, I just threw it into the machine and then thought "Oh I was going to measure that!")

It lost less in the width so the shrinkage wasn't even but I suppose that was due to the arrangment of the stitches.

Maybe a swatch? Knit a small square out of the yarn you are going to try and felt and then felt that? You'll be able to work out the shrinkage exactly then.

If you do a bag, you can embroider with the same wool in a contrasting colour before felting and that shrinks down and looks great.