Felting woven wool

[Benning Boy]

How can I make a woven piece of wool more felt like without needing to buy special stuff or needing to learn some secret methods? Shrinkage isn't an issue. It doesn't need to be as well felted as an expensive bonnet or such just tightened up as much as can be reasonably be expected.

[Lady Grey]

Google is your friend.
There are so many different methods it's impossible to mention them all.
Most of the knitting blogs & forums will have info.
However if it's a bonnet? Wouldn't 'Jocking' it be the best method?

[KD Burke]

You may want to read over this thread:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...t-heart-85138/

[Tartan Tess]

It could be as simple as just getting the wool really wet.

[Pleater]

If the wool has been treated to be washable then you'll not have much success in felting it.

Felting is achieved by heat, soap and agitation - all three are required - putting the fabric into a washing machine can often felt it very well - sewing it between two layers of cotton, a sheet or pillow case for smaller pieces will stop it welding itself to itself, and protect the edges from fraying if they are folded over before being tacked down.

If you want a workout you can do it by hand, as some wools do felt easily, the top loading washing machines are better than the front loaders as the progress can be checked at short intervals.

If you have quite a bit of the material and a front loader you can cut small squares and put them into a pocket of something going into the wash, rolled in a handkerchief, to see which program, or how many minutes of washing, is going to suit best.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[sydnie7]

I've had some success with hand-felting (technically "fulling") by rubbing the item against a plastic bathroom fan cover. About $5 at your local home improvement center. Hot water and dish washing liquid, lots of elbow grease running the item against the ribbed ridges of the cover.

[Lady Grey]

Also try a sushi mat or similar placemat for that method.
Bubble Wrap is another method.
All are on Google or YouTube

[Benning Boy]

I tried the washing machine method, and it sorta worked. Before washing the piece of fabric that prompted my original question had an open enough weave I could see through it if I covered my face with it. It is roughly the weight of kilt fabric. After washing I could still see through it, so it didn't really felt. It must have some synthetic fabric in it. I bought it to experiment with, and I can still do that, so not lose there.

When doing the washing I also threw in a remnant of a Pendelton wool blanket I bought to make a shoulder bag for carrying my outdoor stuff. Starting out the piece was big enough I could make a bag the size of a thing called the new invented haversack, a fairly large bag. Now it's the right size to make a Civil War sized haversack. I guess I won't be carrying a lot of junk. The blanket piece not only got smaller in the wash, it became thicker, more firm and felt like, so I'm convinced with the right fabric the washing machine method works fairly well.

I set my machine to wash in hot water, and run for the longest time, and used an extra amount of laundry soap, then dried on high heat.

I have some fairly large military surplus blankets I'd thought of washing, but given how much my test sample shrank, I won't be doing that.

[jhockin]

I used YouTube to search for info on this, to do a wee bit more felting, on a hand knitted Balmoral I bought from a member here, and it worked out quite well:

https://youtu.be/v4KTNIjc8wY

[Pleater]

Once you know the method you can wash wool and NOT felt it.

I wash wool kilts and plaids in the bath using hand hot water, very gently patting the water through the fabric, lifting onto a rack, draining and refilling the bath then lowering the item into the water, then using a cup full of white vinegar in the last rinse to counter the alkaline nature of the detergent - I use a cheap hair shampoo, added to the water and mixed in before immersing the wool.

Once you know how to, and how not to you can experiment with partly felting.

Washing and then then rinsing in very hot and then very cold water alternately seems to work with susceptible fabrics.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: