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boiling vs. machine washing


saraelizabeth

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I used Knitpicks wool of the Andes and tried both methods. I made a swatch and boiled it, it took forever and didn't strink that much. Machine washing seems to felt better, however you need to wash more than once until it felt the way you want.

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I definitely recommend machine washing. I don't have my own machine so I thought I'd try boiling, made a swatch (Wool of the Andes), boiled... not only did it barely shrink/felt, but it lost a LOT of dye. I decided to forget that.

 

I made my bag up anyway, since I wasn't too concerned about finished size, and washed it at the laundromat today. It turned out exactly as I wanted, and best of all, the colors are still beautiful. I consider that $3 well spent!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wendy79

 

When you felted your bag at the laundromat, did you take the bag out of the washer before the spin cycle? I ask because someone (I can't remember which thread I read it on, sorry) said that spinning messes up the bag. But I'd rather go to the laundtomat then run 5-6 cycles on my machine at home. And how many times did you "wash" the bag?

 

Thanks,

Ann

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You know...you can hand wash your item too as long as you swish it around a lot. I've done this because I don't have a washer in my RV and didn't want to use the laundromat. My item actually felted very well and came out a sold fabric without holes. Somebody on here once suggested using a new toilet plunger and a bucket.

 

I have a double sink so I simply washed the item with a little detergent in hot water (wear gloves) in one half of the sink and then plunged it into the ice water in the other half. I went back and forth like that several times and had great success. :yes

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  • 2 weeks later...

I felted a tea cosy by boiling because I didn't have anything else to felt at the time and needed to get this done for a present. It did lose some color, but not too much. A friend tried to felt in her sink with hot water, but wasn't successful. She tried to blame it on the yarn; I blame it on her method. I have 2 totes and another tea cosy now to felt, so I'll be doing those in the machine. Patty

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I have felted several items and I always let it go thru the spin cycle.

First... because I did not know any better the first few times I felted. Second... even after someone told me not to let it go thru the spin cycle, I can't spend time waiting for it to get to the spin cycle, wait for the spin cycle to finish and put it back in and wait again. for the last spin cycle. I'm not that patient :)

 

The spin cycle has never damaged my items.

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I was wondering about the spin cycle thing. The washers at my landry mat are all front loaders, so lock once the water starts flowing. It's also impossible, not to mention expensive, to run it through more than once without going through the whole cycle.

I haven't tried felting anything yet, but would love to try. I thought about boiling because I don't have a washer. I think, from what I've read, that the key is to use soap and to agitate it a lot. I think the plunger idea sounds like it could be fun... :D

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I have felted several items and I always let it go thru the spin cycle.

First... because I did not know any better the first few times I felted. Second... even after someone told me not to let it go thru the spin cycle, I can't spend time waiting for it to get to the spin cycle, wait for the spin cycle to finish and put it back in and wait again. for the last spin cycle. I'm not that patient :)

 

The spin cycle has never damaged my items.

its really only necessary to stop it if you have a washer like mine.

my cycles only run with a cold rinse. i have hot/cold, warm/cold and cold/cold.

So i have to stop it before that. the whole point is not to let tthe cuticle of the fiber close up because then you are waisting time and energy when you have to restart the cycle.

it works thu, I have accidently let mine spin and rise...ALOT.

it just takes longer

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Okay, just felted two large tote bags and a tea cosy in my old top loader (which also only has a cold rinse). I had to put it through the agitation cycle 4 times to get them shrunk to the right size. They started to felt very nicely in the second agitation. They did lose a lot of color, but since I only had a pair of jeans and an old pair of slippers in there, I didn't care. And I decided to risk sending them through the spin cycle after they got to the size I wanted because there was so much water in them. Spinning didn't affect these at all; they didn't shrink any forther that I could tell with my eye (I didn't measure them). I brought them into work yesterday to show a friend, and received great compliments from everyone (these are 2 of Marlo's totes; patterns for sale on her website). My tip: tie the old pillow cases closed with old scraps of yarn. Do not, I repeat, do not tie even a loose knot with the pillow case itself. Danger to your nails and patience otherwise. ;) Yup, bent some of my short fingernails opening them up the first time to check on them. :blush Patty

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I think definitely the lesson here is to SWATCH. I had no luck boiling or handwashing (I've tried it again, using different amounts of soap, different methods of agitation...), but great luck with the washer. (I do let it spin--some have had permanent creases put in their items from the spin cycle, though). Roli and others have had good luck with handwashing. There's more variation in yarn response than many beginning felters realize, I think. So SWATCH SWATCH SWATCH, and if one method isn't working, try another.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My boiling attempt was a disaster. It turned out to be green mud looking. I find in my front loader, jeans and tennis balls work well. Also found that the stitch makes a difference. hdc felted better and single.

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My tip: tie the old pillow cases closed with old scraps of yarn. Do not, I repeat, do not tie even a loose knot with the pillow case itself. Danger to your nails and patience otherwise. ;) Yup, bent some of my short fingernails opening them up the first time to check on them. :blush Patty

 

 

I got a zippered pillow case at K-Mart for $2.50. Regular price for a regular sized pillow case. I bought 2 so I could felt more thatn one item at a time.

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My tip: tie the old pillow cases closed with old scraps of yarn. Do not, I repeat, do not tie even a loose knot with the pillow case itself. Danger to your nails and patience otherwise.

 

Before I got zippered pillow cases, I used to fold over the top of a regular pillow case and pin it shut with 3 diaper pins.

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