Felting!

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Mrs Baggins

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 11 8:53 pm Post subject: Felting!
I'm going to have a go at making a felted bag for my little girl. I'd like to experiment sans pattern and wondered if anyone could tell me roughly how much shrinkage I can expect? Does an item shrink by about half? Or more? Many TIA to any clever peep who knows! Xxx

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 11 9:41 pm Post subject:
impression i get is you're talking about fulliing, knitting and felting rather than straight felting fleece. do a swatch. what shrinkage you get will depend on the type of yarn, the needle size, your tension and how you decide to full it. and it can shrink more nin one direction than the other. swatch, measure, full(felt) and measure.

Mrs Baggins

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 11 9:52 pm Post subject:
Sounds sensible! Thank you toggle! Xxx

Mrs Baggins

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 11 9:53 pm Post subject:
Ps I have never heard of 'fulling' before. My horizons have just been broadened. Lol. Xxx

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 11 11:37 am Post subject:
Toggle, you beat me to it.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 11 11:41 am Post subject:
As a ready rule of thumb I expect when fulling knitting somewhere in the region of 30% using pure wool on a 60 degree fast wawsh

Mrs Baggins

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 837
Location: West Kent

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 11 11:54 pm Post subject:

Thank you Felter! I was working to 30% reduction thanks to my old friend Google!

I have gone for it freestyle and have got down to making a blue bag (she will not like it cos it's not pink... Sigh...) but it's the wool I had. I've done the base and three sides (no circular needles to knit in the round) so only one more side and the handles to do. Then I'll be doing the washing machine bit. Never done it before so can hardly contain myself. Lol.

I PROMISE to post pics. Even if it is ebaressingly rubbish. Xxx

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 11 10:04 am Post subject:

I'd suggest a lower temperature - say 30 degrees, even if you have to send it through more than once.
And don't just Whack it in the machine & leave it - Keep checking it every few minutes - you'll have to wait for the child-lock but it's worth it.
I've been caught out with machine felting and I have a bag that's Tiny!!! Far too small for what I wanted, I got bored checking it and just sent it in on a 40 degree cycle. I was so gutted when it came out.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 11 6:47 pm Post subject:
It also depends on the length of the cycle - My 60 degree is my shortest (apart from my rinse spin). But I would send it through on lower temps more than once, and stop /drain until I was happy... oh and I would periodically turn the item inside out

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 9:23 am Post subject:

Feltmaker wrote:

It also depends on the length of the cycle - My 60 degree is my shortest (apart from my rinse spin).

But I would send it through on lower temps more than once, and stop /drain until I was happy...

oh and I would periodically turn the item inside out

Good point - I learnt about turning things inside out the hard way (but I still forget).

Oh, and it's a good idea to put the item inside a pillowcase or something to collect the fluff so that you don't clog up the filter on the machine.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 12:53 pm Post subject:
I don't worry to much about that - as long as you aren't doing oodles and oodles of the stuff with very sheddable fibres it should be fine

gnasher

Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 332
Location: Dorset

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 1:45 pm Post subject:
I have felted a couple of things in the machine but I find I get nasty creases - does turning things inside out prevent this?

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 3:16 pm Post subject:

Feltmaker wrote:

I don't worry to much about that - as long as you aren't doing oodles and oodles of the stuff with very sheddable fibres it should be fine

We have a bit of wire (actually the under-wire out of a bra) in our machine which stops us getting the filter out to clean it

I'm waiting for it to rust away........

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 3:52 pm Post subject:

gnasher wrote:

I have felted a couple of things in the machine but I find I get nasty creases - does turning things inside out prevent this?

If this happens you may be fulling on too high or too long a wash - starting out with a lower heat or stopping and draining the wash half way though - turning the item inside out - and finishing off the fulling should stop this

Midland spinner - bra wires are a hazard - I feel your pain

gnasher

Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 332
Location: Dorset

Posted: Tue Jan 18, 11 4:27 pm Post subject:

Feltmaker wrote:

gnasher wrote:

I have felted a couple of things in the machine but I find I get nasty creases - does turning things inside out prevent this?

Brilliant, thank you x

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