Why would I felt?

[Shellybrook]

I'm coming across some very nice felted projects on the ville. I'm curious to know.

 

Why would I felt a project? Whats the benefit?

 

What does felting do to the yarn?

 

Are there certain yarns that felt better?

 

Whats the process in a summary?

 

Thanks!!!

[JCB]

First, I would say I felt because I really like the look. I felt mainly bags/purses. Felting make a very sturdy fabric, with no 'holes'. It also changes the look of some variegated and stripe patterns.

 

The process is to crochet (or knit) the item out of 100% wool yarn, using a larger hook than normal. YOu also need to make the item larger than you want it to be when finished. Then, put it into a washing machine (put it into a mesh laundry bag or a pillow case) set on small load, hot water wash/cold rinse, and add a small amount of soap. I also add a pair of old jeans and a tennis ball to help with the agitation. A lot of folks check their item every few mins. I just set my machine to go for a certain amount of time ... some yarns take longer to felt than others ... and let it do it's thing. Remove from machine, pull it into shape, and let it air dry over an object that will block it into the shape you want. That's the down and dirty version.

 

Joan

[donnalynn2]

I think Joan pretty much answered it, but for me, the reason I felt something is to make a denser fabric. When you felt a crocheted purse or bag there aren't any little holes for things to fall out of and henerally you don't need to line the bag. It also creates some really neat looking effects to felt it.

 

Felting is just basically shrinking the yarn down to where you cannot see the stitches and makes it sturdy. You must use 100& wool for it to felt. Some wool/acrylic blends will felt but not as well as 100% does. I once made a tote from Landscapes yarn which was 2 strands of yarn woven together. Acrylic and Wool so the wool felted and the acrylic didn't so it made a neat bobbled effect...

 

Give it a try! It's a lot of fun and addicting!

[losingmymind2]

For the FUN of it! Like Donna and Joan said, you need 100% wool to felt, but it must NOT BE SUPERWASH, or it won't budge. You want a wool that says 'hand wash, gently, cold water only' and then you boil and bang the heck out of it. Go ahead and watch it shrink into something totally unique and beautiful.

[sail149]

Yes, but I think it's just a ploy to get us all to buy more wool than we would otherwise need! I just can't bring myself to knit or crochet a garment that's going to be HUGE until it has been shrunk - because that's what "felting" really is, it's shrinking. It's a lot of extra work to produce the base fabric, a lot of extra wool to buy, and it just goes so against the grain for me to even think of doing it that this is one fad I am happy to sit back and watch!

[Shell]

when felted "properly" it makes a fabric rather than yarny stuff. you "should" be able to cut a felted object as you would any other kind of fabric and it wont unravel.

[amdm]

sail149, I was so relieved to read your post and find that there's one other person in the world who doesn't ever want to felt. As far as I am concerned, felting is what happens to pure wool garments when the owner does not know how to launder them. Pure wool is such an expensive fibre, felting seems a form of vandalism to me.

[sammimag]

Wool has been felted for a long time. You can find a bit of history about it here.

 

Felting does create a dense fabric which I do like as other have mentioned. I think it adds extra wear and tear as there are no holes and some waterproofness as well. So I think felted items have their place for slippers and hats. Mongolian herders like felt for their homes!

 

I had some crocheted slippers that fell apart and I harvested the wool from them to make a felted purse and I love it. At the same time what I don't like about it is it seems so energy intensive.

 

You are getting yarn that has already been spun. Then you spend your time crocheting or knitting it then you felt it in the washer. Yet, I totally understand the desire to crochet the hat then felt it rather than felt it with fleece/roving because it is lots easier to shape it. Even making flat things with roving/fleece is very challenging because your wool layers can shift and you can easily make an uneven fabric.

[smokeyp81]

If you have never worn a pair of felted slippers or a felted hat you can't imagine how warm and sturdy they are! Yes, it does take more yarn....but a hat or slippers made just from crocheting will never compare to the dense fabric you get when it's felted.

 

As far as it being "extra work" or "energy intensive", in my opinion, it really isn't. It may take a few more hours to crochet an extra large hat....but the end product is so much fun to produce! And besides the crocheting...my washer does most of the work!

 

Felting is just another fun way to crochet! Try it once....I bet you get addicted!

[theworm]

I'm torn. I felted once - it was a bag and it came out quite nice. I gave it as a gift and the recipient loved it. I enjoyed the process - it really was fun. My problem is that I didn't love the finished piece. I prefered it before felting when I could see the stitches. I think much of it is that I live in Florida and it's too darned hot to work with wool, much less use anything that I would make.

 

If you haven't felted, I would suggest trying it - it really is a fun process - I enjoyed seeing how it changes. Then once you see what its all about you can use it when it makes sense. Hhm. I'm suprised nobody (that I've seen) has talked about a felted tea cozy. That might be something I would want to try.

[sammimag]

I guess for me is as a spinner wanna be and someone who has felted with fleece. I would not want to spin yarn and felt it so that is where I am coming from from a place of more work. Granted most of us are getting fibers spun by machines but it still bothers me a little and that's just me. As someone else mentioned, I also like the stitch definition you get from crochet too. When I get yarn that's what gets me excited.

 

I actually do have a pattern to make myself some crocheted felted slippers and I do plan on making them. I do think they will be great. I doubt I will do much crochet felting in the future for myself with the exception of slippers. I still want to try my hand at making felted slippers from fleece.

 

I want to make a few pairs for my kids as well. My dd doesn't like to wears shoes much and I want to make a pair for her with some leather soles so she can wear them out and about as well.

[jpr54_]

I have felted purses, slippers, tea cozy, and hats.

 

It is fun to do-

 

joanne r. aka jpr54_

[KnicKnac]

Just my 2 cents...

 

I never wanted to felt until I was sent as a swap a felted purse...seeing it in person really creates quite a difference.

 

Now I want to try it!

[Yearnin' for Yarn]

Wool yarn really isn't that expensive at all---you usually get really good yardage for the price. Patons wool is what I use and it is very affordable. Felted purses are very nice---people really like to receive them; they have such neat texture and are so thick and durable.

 

As for "extra effort" to make some thing big that will shrink down---it isn't really extra effort. Crocheting bags that will be felted are really some of the fastest, easiest projects---what I've found best is just hdc---it's a fast stitch, and the felting process itself seems like it is work intensive, but it is soooo not. I dreaded felting my first project, but it was so easy and so fast. Seeing the transformation was so neat.

 

I am going to make myself some felted slippers, too. Also, a felted item might be a good crocheted gift for people who don't like the texture of crochet stitches--some people just *don't* like crochet for whatever reason, but when they ask where you got that purse and you tell them you crocheted it and fulled it, well, they are impressed because they've never liked crochet before.

 

Nicole

[MullersLaneFarm]

I am, therefore I felt ... and spin and weave.

 

I love being able to take raw fleece and turn it into art. I love the whole aspect of the fiber and as crochet is one branch, felting is another, as is dyeing and weaving and knitting.

 

With felting, there is crochet/knit, then felt, or felting from batts or needle felting or a combination of all three.

 

It's another expression of the whole fiber experience!

[CLLinda]

Just wanted to let you guys know that even Wal-mart is carrying Lion Brand wool to be felted with. And it is less than $5 a skein.

 

I tried it a couple of times and it is really fun. And since each wool felts a little different, each product is very special. It is definately worth the time and effort.

 

Just try it.

 

[Shellybrook]

I think it sounds interesting. The only thing that concerns me is not being able to see the stitches...I LIKE the patterns that the stitches make. I'd really like to be able to continue to see the stitches.