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Any feltmakers? Advice wanted!

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Has anyone tried making felt? I'm too scared to buy an expensive knit and felt kit - I've seen some lovely bag ones but can't knit circles for the base.

 

I like fat scuffed up felt like this:

 

http://www.folksy.com/items/3385

 

I think someone on here said you can wash up wool jumpers at 60 degrees to felt them up.

 

Has anyone tried this? If so, what's the best way to get the fat, scuffed up felt rather than thinner felt? Does it need to be a certain wool? Does pattern work as well as plain? Must it be pure wool? Is 60 the best temperature or do different temperatures give you different results?

 

Any advice welcome, and pics if you've done it. It would be nice to see some felt in action!

 

Anna x

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I have just had a go at felting for the first time, I bought 100% wool which said it couldn't be machine washed. I knitted the toy then put it in the washing machine with the towels on a 60 degree wash, it turned out perfect I was abit nervous becuase the wool had cost me a fortune but it looks great. It is important to use wool that can't be machine washed I tried it with some Rowan 100% wool but it didn't work no matter how high a temperature I washed it at because it was machine washable.

 

Also don't forget to knit the item bigger because it will shrink quite a bit when felted, best to use a pattern that is especially for felting, I have quite a few patterns for felted bags that i got free with magazines I am sure if you do an internet search you will find some.

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Hi there - I'm certainly not a felt expert but I did knit and felt some slipper socks once, with good results. It does have to be 100% wool to felt, but not the superwash type, which is 100% wool designed not to felt! I think the type of felt you get depends on the type of wool and knitting, the thicher the wool the thicker the result.

You don't need a 60 degree wash, you could start cooler and work your way up if you were concerned about too much shrinkage. I think the main thing is agitation - the more you agitate your wool the more it shrinks. Somne people suggest putting a tennis ball or similar in the wash as well to help with the process.

The Angel Yarns website has a forum which covers loads of knitting stuff, including felting. Ravelry is also good.

I went to the knitting show at Alexandra Palace in October and discovered Knitting4fun, who sell all sorts of felting kits. I've got a corsage kit and slipper kit still to do. Their website is http://www.knitting4fun.com.

 

BTW, I always do a double-take when I see your threads as your hens look a lot like mine at first glance, we both have a fenning coucou, and the others are similarISH.

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I've done felting, but the nuno felting type, where you buy merino wool in fibres (looks a bit like cotton wool) and lay it down either on it's own or onto silk, and cover it with soap flakes and roll it up and agitate it. Once it's started to felt you then get it out and basically abuse it, throw it against stone walls etc etc.....it then felts - I've made silk/felt scarves, bags and brooches.

 

I've also done needle felting whereby you use barbed needles to push in and out of the wool (same kind of merino wool) to cause it to felt and form it into shapes. I made some tiny felted teddy bears. Very time consuming stuff!

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I've done felting, but the nuno felting type, where you buy merino wool in fibres (looks a bit like cotton wool) and lay it down either on it's own or onto silk, and cover it with soap flakes and roll it up and agitate it. Once it's started to felt you then get it out and basically abuse it, throw it against stone walls etc etc.....it then felts - I've made silk/felt scarves, bags and brooches.

 

I've also done needle felting whereby you use barbed needles to push in and out of the wool (same kind of merino wool) to cause it to felt and form it into shapes. I made some tiny felted teddy bears. Very time consuming stuff!

 

This is the sort of felting I've done a s well - I used washing up liquid and laid the fibres on bubble wrap. We made felt scarves and it was great fun!

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I've done felting, but the nuno felting type, where you buy merino wool in fibres (looks a bit like cotton wool) and lay it down either on it's own or onto silk, and cover it with soap flakes and roll it up and agitate it. Once it's started to felt you then get it out and basically abuse it, throw it against stone walls etc etc.....it then felts - I've made silk/felt scarves, bags and brooches.

 

I've also done needle felting whereby you use barbed needles to push in and out of the wool (same kind of merino wool) to cause it to felt and form it into shapes. I made some tiny felted teddy bears. Very time consuming stuff!

 

This is the sort of felting I've done a s well - I used washing up liquid and laid the fibres on bubble wrap. We made felt scarves and it was great fun!

 

It's very satisfying, isn't it? I have also used bubble wrap with traditional soap flakes. I like the bit where you get to slap it around and abuse it (the felt, that is!)

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