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Felting failure!....now succeeds! .


cupcake

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With great enthusiasm for the the newly discovered art of felting, I decided I would give it a go. Having read the various threads, oohed and ahhed, and and witnessing the remarkable projects people have shared, I thought this looks like fun.

 

So I made up a bag pattern out of my head, thought I would be clever and do a two toned thing with an ornamental flower. I rather liked the flower effect, and was feeling very clever of my efforts. I even recorded the pattern as I went along, in case I wasnted to do it again. My crotchet pride was at a high.

 

It started looking like this:

img66090cm.jpg

 

A cheery wattle yellow made in 12 ply 100%wool. Warm hand wash, do not rub, do not wring, do not tumble dry, dry flat on the label.

 

So I put it through the machine 3 times, put it in the clothes dryer on high several times for several hours, rubbed the thing, soaped the thing, wrung the thing, poured boiling water on the thing, sweared at the bloody thing....

 

and after all of this physical and emotional abuse, it looks like this:

 

img66546od.jpg

 

 

A pathically limp looking excuse for a bag, somewhat lighter in colour, tragically non eventful.

 

So where did I go wrong ?

 

Is there any additional torture I can inflict on my prisoner, any other tricks to try?

.................or do we breed our sheep tuff down here to be felt resistant!

 

I have failed felting 101.:(

 

 

I liked it better before.

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I can not offer your any advice aside from letting you know that you are not alone! I am another Felting 101 failee! The wool here in Belgium must come from the same type of sheepies!

 

I tried everything with mine.....I scalded my hands with the boiling water.....I even resorted to swearing and pleading with it alternatively as I took a brand new toilet plunger and plunged the crapola outta that bag.....it now sits forlorn and dejected in a corner of my apartment in the FO Corner of Shame!

I loved the pattern though - very cute and cheery!!!

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I have had failures-I just keep tossing the item in (in a zippered pillowcase) the washer with each load of laundry until it finally fulls. I had no problems at my other house, but this one it takes several times thought the hot cycle. Add a little baking soda to the water, toss in a few pair of jeans and try it. When it gets to the rinse cycle, turn the washer back to the wash cycle-do this a few times. Eventually, as long as it's 100% wool and not superwash, it will full-eventually, but it is frustrating.

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I just made my first one and it turned out ok, I put it in the wash with a pair of jeans and a sneaker, it felted the most on the last cycle when I took it out of the pillowcase and washed it. good luck, keep us posted! Very nice purse by the way!

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A cheery wattle yellow made in 12 ply 100%wool. Warm hand wash, do not rub, do not wring, do not tumble dry, dry flat on the label.

 

So I put it through the machine 3 times, put it in the clothes dryer on high several times for several hours, rubbed the thing, soaped the thing, wrung the thing, poured boiling water on the thing, sweared at the bloody thing....

 

I never use the clothes dryer when I am felting.

 

Do you have a front loading washer? Many European washers are front loaders and these don't felt as well. Top loading washers work best.

 

What causes the felting is the agitation and the front loading machines just don't agitate as well.

 

I usually put mine in a pillowcase (zippered) and put old pairs of jeans in the washer along with the pillowcase. I use Eucalan, which is a soap that washes out easily from knitwear. I use the hot cycle and take it out occasionally to check the progress. I don't wring or pour boiling water on it.

 

Some people felt in the bathtub using a new plunger for agitation to get the felting to work and then use cold water to rinse it.

 

Some people needle felt. I don't know how to do that but if you do an internet search you can find information about that.

 

White doesn't always felt well, by the way. Wonder if yellow might be the same way.

 

I have a felting failure too, by the way. It was a knitted bag and it felted too much in length and hardly at all in width. (Garter stitch bottom base and a stockinette done in the round for the rest of the bag and so it probably had something to do with the stitches.) But every crocheted bag has turned out well for me.

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also i didnt mention.. if you have a newer washer .. they are more gentle on fabrics.. so the process takes longer .. that is why i have an old washer that bangs the crap out of my stuff jsut for felting.. and my new one for my clothing

 

Now that's dedication to the art!!

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Knock on wood...I've successfully felted every time. I think it was just luck, though.

 

Various points...

 

  • I have an old washer too, that beats things up
  • my first project I put in the dryer (I didn't know that wasn't the norm) major shrinkage, but turned out to be a good thing
  • I've only used Patons Classic merino wool for my felting projects and it hasn't failed me yet
  • I washed with hot water and rinsed with cold several times

I think it's just plain magic, some folks follow the guidelines to a T and still have no luck. I guess wool is just a fickle bugger. Good luck with it!

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I'm a felting junkie big time and have had some horrible, irrepairable failures! My very worse one is a bag made from Noro Kureyon yarn and some Lambs Pride. It was very cute... prior to felting. I did it experimentally in all double crochet. Normally, I use a larger hook and do the double/single crochet, varying the stitches every other stitch and the felt comes out very dense. This bag turned out awful. It stayed just as long as it was prior to felting but radically felted in the width direction leaving me with a really long, net like tube! It looks ridiculous! My friend loves it and wanted to turn it into a rock collecting bag so that's what it is now... a very expensive rock collecting bag!

 

Be persistant... you'll acheive felting success!

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did you let it rinse in cold water.. ? i mean i am not trying to be silly.. but you need the hot and the cold .. if you just washed in hot rinsed in hot then you arent going to get felt.. and i didn t read where you let it go thru a cold rinse..

 

Oh good grief! I didnt know that!!!!I made this one http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/shelain22/feltedhandle.jpg and I didnt do that! I guess I just got lucky, cause I think it turned out ok. Well, I will know the next time....

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I've been lucky so far *knock wood* but it's taken a while, and the in between looks pretty bad. If you want to know if a particular wool will felt, try making up a small swatch and rubbing it under hot tap water with a tiny bit of dish soap (to change the pH and make it more feltable). I did that to felt an afterthought button strap for a purse, so if it works for that, it should work in the washer.

 

Don't forget to add baking soda to change the ph in the washer.

 

Wash on hot and if your washer doesn't get hot enough add some heated water.

 

Wash on low water level

 

Cross your fingers and hold your mouth just right.

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Thanks for all the advice.

 

I have a top loader machine which has a hot wash, cold rinse and then spins everything pretty much bone dry.

 

I threw it in with some towels and the board shorts. I thought the hot dryer would add to the agitation!

 

I will give the little bugger one last beating, and throw in some bicarb.

 

I will then report back.

 

hhehe rock collecting bag! That is a funny one :lol :lol :lol

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A cheery wattle yellow made in 12 ply 100%wool. Warm hand wash, do not rub, do not wring, do not tumble dry, dry flat on the label.

 

:thinkAre you sure it's not superwash wool? Some superwash wools have the same instructions on their labels.... Just to cover the manufacturer's behind..... Then again some wools don't full as well as others.....

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It is a very pretty bag. I would try the hot/cold. When I did my very first felted bag, I took it out & gave it an icy cold bath in a plastic tub, then back to the hot water. I did that 2-3 times.

 

Also it works well to throw in an "agitator item" like sneakers, tennis balls, or jeans. Good Luck & I think it will felt if it is 100% non-superwash. Examine the label carefully looking for that term. If it says that, it won't felt.

 

Still a very pretty bag though! Good job on the design!

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No mention of the word Superwash. 100% pure new wool, Made in Australia.

 

I am wondering if it has something to do with our water?

Is the acidity/ph relevant?

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I am wondering if it has something to do with our water?

Is the acidity/ph relevant?

 

Yes. Three things are needed for fulling. Temperature change, change in pH, and agitation. Set your machine for hot wash and cold rinse (temperature change). Fill your washer with very hot water for the smallest load. Add vinegar or soap (pH change). Throw in a couple of tennis balls, a pair of tennis shoes, plastic kids toys or similar items. Agitate for the longest time your machine will allow (agitation). Check item periodically to see if it's fulling down to the size you want. Let the machine run through it's cycle and repeat the entire process if necessary.

 

Some wools full more than others. It's always a crap shoot when fulling a project. Make a note what kind of yarn used and how it worked so next time you know what produces the product you like. Brown Sheep and Cascade 220 are the best two I've come across in the reasonable price range. Manos is wonderful, but way to rich for my budget.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ok I listened to all the advice. Thanks you all so much.

 

This time the label said 100% Pure Australian wool... Suitable for Felting!

 

Here is the prefelted bag which I finished today:

 

img68889sw.jpg

 

It is currently in the mashing machine and I had a peek, and I am sooo excited because it is felting!

 

 

Yippee, hurrah, wacky dooo! :cheer :cheer :cheer :cheer :cheer

 

I will be back later with a progress photo for the interested.

 

As for the pathetic yellow thing I first tried. Not sure what to do with it now. Might be good as a potato sack (lol) :lol

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ok, so I have now finished it.

 

ddadada.. (drum roll):woo :woo

 

img69011sc.jpg

 

The cord is attached to the zip.img69027el.jpg

 

I made a lining, complete with a pocket for my phone and other stuff.

 

img69107fx.jpg

 

I know it is not the fanciest or classiest bag arround but I am happy because it felted. It is a lovely firm fabric now. :hook

 

I suspect the problem with the yellow attempt was in the wool. The lessons we learn. :lol

 

 

Again many thanks for all the advice. :manyheart

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