Jump to content

Has anyone felted an afghan?


lisamartinez

Recommended Posts

Well, I think I will try one and just substitute the single (SC) crochet stitches for double (DC). I will just do the logo for now, if it turns out nice I will make it a throw pillow and then start on the matching blanket. It gets cold in Utah (especially camping), so the warmth and heaviness is desirable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be watching this, too. I have an afghan I started with the intention of felting it, and then I wasn't sure about continuing, so I've got it put away for now. I'm doing mine in hexagons, and I felted a few hexagons when I started just to see how much it would shrink. But then I wasn't sure the finished afghan would fit in my washer for felting, and wasn't sure I wanted to continue....

 

So I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anybody has any tips! I'd love to hear them! :yes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also think that I read somewhere, although I haven't felted and so I may be entirely wrong, that only natural fibers will felt together. Acrylic won't do it and wool is really best for it, and I don't believe I've ever seen any orange wool, although it's entirely possible to find some.

 

Let me know how it goes, because my mother used to have the exact type of blanket you're talking about making; she had the huge Harley Davidson blanket that was super warm and fuzzy because it was "felted" in a way, although I don't think it was actually felting.

 

I'm not actually sure how they make those blankets, but they are, hands down, the warmest and neatest looking things I've ever seen in my life. There's a guy across from work that sells them out of his van, and he's got one with a dragon on it that I've been eyeing for weeks now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Knitpicks.com is running a sale (up to 35% off, depending on the yarn) through June 30. Two orange yarns I found are on the bottom row of this page; they're currently on sale. 100% wool, NOT superwashed, and therefore felt-able. They're not necessarily the *only* orange, 100% wool yarns on sale; they're just the first two I found.

 

DCM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never felted but I read someone does it in their kitchen sink instead of washer. If that's the case, you could felt an afghan in your tub I would think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I accidentally semi-felted an afghan. It was made around 1970 and was probably Red Heart. It must have been wool yarn and was probably a laundromat accident.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I would make some swatches with the color combo that you plan on using. Test them out to see if the colors felt the way they should in a small piece first, before making the whole thing first, and having a disaster.

 

Also, it would be very heavy to try to felt in a bathtub or something. You would have to do it in a washer. JMO

 

Good luck.

 

:manyheart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be interested to see how this would turn out. But frankly, I'd hate to see you ruin that much wool. A felted afghan I think would be awfully heavy and cumbersome. I know that you can buy wool blankets that are really felted, but I'd be afraid there would be too much there to felt consistently in a washer because you would have to make it much bigger to felt to the size you want. Good luck with it anyway!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be interested to see how this works out too....I have felted a lot....I have never felted anything that big though. I can't imagine how big it would have to be to felt down to the right size....also...not sure that a regular washing machine would be able to handle that much....because it would have to be pretty large, I wonder if it would all felt evenly?

 

Also, Cascade 220 has a nice orange 100% wool yarn. I have used Cascade 220 many times in felting and it works great!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What if I made it in individual squares and then sewed them together?

 

Do you mean felt them as individual squares, and then sew them together?

If so, how would you go about doing that?

 

I gave that some thought when I started my hexagon motifs....but I couldn't think of a way to make it look good or be as strong at the joins.

No, if that's what you're talking about doing, I really don't think it would work. I think it would just about have to be done as one piece.

 

I do agree with the others who have said a graphghan may result in a very thick afghan. Personally, I wouldn't want to felt anything made with more than one strand of wool. If you're carrying colors and then felt it, you'll wind up with a pretty thick afghan. That may be what you want, though....if so, don't let us stop you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I think I will try one and just substitute the single (SC) crochet stitches for double (DC).

Keep in mind that felting shrinks in both length and width. I'm not sure of your goal as far as substituting sc with dc, but just wanted to say that a dc is not going to shrink to the height of a sc. Something else to keep in mind is that taller stitches often create a "thin spot" between stitches. I have felted things made from dc stitches and even after heavily felting it, you can still feel a noticeable difference between the sts. You don't get that effect nearly as much with sc.

 

Wouldn't it be scratchy if it is felted? :think

Nope, some wool is so soft you'd think you were sleeping on a bed of fluff.:c9

 

...only natural fibers will felt together. Acrylic won't do it and wool is really best for it, and I don't believe I've ever seen any orange wool, although it's entirely possible to find some.

Actually, it's only animal fibers that felt. Cotton or other natural fibers won't felt. Any animal fiber, even that from your pets, or even your own hair, will felt. But be sure to read the label closely as some wool is treated so that it is washable and will not felt. These are called "Superwash". There are also a lot of blends out there that felt at various degrees. Basically, the more wool content, the better it will felt. The best thing to do with any wool before you embark on a large project is to make a test swatch to be sure it's going to do what you want it to do in the end.

 

I've never felted but I read someone does it in their kitchen sink instead of washer. If that's the case, you could felt an afghan in your tub I would think.

While it could be done this way, it would be a long and arduous task!

 

A felted afghan I think would be awfully heavy and cumbersome.

I agree. Depending on the intended size of your finished afghan, it may not have the room in your home washer to felt properly. You could use a large commercial machine, but it would take several passes through the wash, and keep in mind that you cannot allow the machine to spin with the project in it. This is usually okay for smaller items, but for something as large as an afghan you will surely felt in un-removable creases. Not to mention, often the water at the laundromat does not get very hot, and heat is essential to the felting process.

 

What if I made it in individual squares and then sewed them together?

That should work. Just make your squares, felt them, then join them. I've done this with purses, no reason why it wouldn't work with an afghan.

 

One more thing to keep in mind is that crochet usually felts pretty thick. You will definitely want to work a swatch and felt it so you can, first, see what percentage your chosen yarn felts. This will help you determine your finished pre-felting size. And second, you will be able to see how thickly it felts and determine if it's going to be flexible enough to be used as an afghan. Typically when I felt it's for a bag and I want that thickness. I can't imagine using an afghan that thick, but with some planning, and using a lighter weight yarn you should be able to get your desired effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...