question about shrinkage...

[MarvieN]

K, so I had this wool and it finally, after months of waiting, told me it wanted to be a felted hat. So I stitched it up last night, using a pattern found here. I might have messed up somewhat, as the pattern didn't specify a hook size and I'd read through some stuff on here about the process and somewhere it said to use a bigger than normal hook... so I used a K hook. The hat turned out big enough for Goofball to curl up inside of (yes he showed me) but rather than frogging it I decided to trust that it would shrink down when I threw it in the washer.

 

I ran the hat through two agitation cycles with the hottest water available (which is nearly boiling) with vinegar in the water, then remembered I was supposed to add stuff to help beat it up so I threw in my shoes (which were in need of a washing anyway lol) and a couple of other things. Ran that all through two complete cycles with a small amount of detergent, including rinse and spin. The end product is nicely felted.... but still fits the top (which is actually the bottom...) of my5 gal. Culligan water bottle.....

 

Could I expect any more shrinkage if I keep putting it through the cycles? It's got some stiffness, but it's still a little bit soft. I can still see the rows slightly, though not individual stitches as such. Or should I give it up as a lost cause?

 

Marvie

[Guest SamplerLady]

It may shrink more if you run it through more than one cycle. Different wools full differently. Merino is the fullingest wool I know of.

 

You've nothing to loose by continuing to run it through the cycle.... Try and see what happens. It is going through the full cycle of hot wash and cold rinse, right?

[MarvieN]

Yep, it's had two full cycles, and two partial cycles... I noticed it wasn't doing much with the partial cycle, so that's when I came back and read more, then put it through the full hot wash cold rinse cycle twice.

 

So I'll throw it back in and see what happens. I guess if nothing else, it'll at least keep my glasses dry lol. The way it fits now I can wear it with a ponytail, and it's still pretty big. With the brim though, it will keep rain/snow off my face lol.

 

Thanks for getting back to me so fast =) I sure didn't expect it right now with everything everyone has going on! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Open House!

[Donna]

Also on your next go-round, you could try soap rather than detergent. I haven't done this yet myself, but this page has some tips that look good.

[RebeccaVelasquez]

can i just be awful and say that your title made me giggle :hee

 

 

 

(yes, i'm bad... but i have 3 sons:p :o )

[MarvieN]

:rotfl Rebecca! Well, I can see how that thought could pop into your head lol.

 

Well just as an update, the hat is now a flower pot cover :rotfl It just DID NOT shrink enough to justify being called a hat. I may have enough of the yarn left to try again, I just found two more balls today while I was searching for more skeins to turn into balls with Wendy. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

[Guest graftonfibers]

I assume your hat is reasonably shrunk by now, but if it isn't, you can work it by hand. Using hot water with some soap in it (saponified soap, i.e. Murphy's, is best. I can't personally stand the smell of Murphy's and usually just use dish soap), wet the hat. Using plastic wrap or a baggie between your hand and the hat, rub it. If you have a washboard or even bubble wrap, all the better. Felt shrinks in the direction it is agitated, so by using your hands, you can control how much and where it shrinks.

 

Also, even merino can be rendered unfeltable (don't know if that is a word or not!) via the dye process. Yarns that are white or very light gray are often bleached first. The bleaching process turns them into superwash yarns - they will not felt well, if at all.

 

Linda

[Guest SamplerLady]

Hey, Linda, glad to see you here.

 

Ladies, this is the creator of the famous toes up sock pattern so many of us swear by! Again, Linda, thanks for letting us use your pattern here in the sock tutorial!

[MarvieN]

Thanks for the advice Linda! I'll definately remember that with my next project. I'm kinda liking the hat as a pot cover though, looks pretty nice with a plant inside it

 

I second SLady's thank you! I was having a really hard time with socks, but with her help and your pattern, I can now finally make socks that fit *g*

 

Marvie

[natalie058]

I see that you've recommended using saponified soap for fulling...

I don't know if you are familiar with Dr. Bronners. If not, the ingredients are:

Water, Saponified Coconut, Hemp and Olive oils (with retained glycerin) Olive Fatty Acids, Peppermint oil (with boosted menthol) Vitamin E and Citric Acid.

(word for word from bottle, cuz this is what I have in front of me, LOL!)

I guess I'm wondering would this work? Of course, you wouldn't have to buy peppermint, they have tea tree and lavendar and unscented, too, lol... But I already this soap and it would be such a bonus if it helped full, too...