felting large items

Laura:

It is a very good question. I phoned a friend this morning who does a lot of feelting, however never knitted pieces. Her advice it to get a good book from the library, like Folk vests, and see what they suggest. In that book there are several vest that are felted after knitting. Large pieces are handled differently than the smaller pieces. You want to watch and aim for even felting. I will go and look in my Spinn Off magazines and see if there are any instructions for your question, stand by

Els

I recently knitted and felted laptop bag from homespun corredale wool. After knitting i sewed all seams. then placed a peice of bubble wrap inside the bag. if you fold it over so baoth sides have the bumps out it may felt more evenly?? then i did my 800 rolls- inside i bamboo blind is what i would usually do but this time just rolled it around some more bubble wrap. if i did it again thoguh i would use a blind because the rigidity makes the rolling easier. After 800 rolls it was beginging to felt, but had not felted hard. I placed it in the washing machine on a hot wash, with a pillowcase stuffed insdie which invariably came out in the wash. If i was to make a peice like this again i would probably do rubbing and a couple of hundred of rolls, then just bung it in the wash!!! As long there is enough water in the washing machine it should spread out and not felt to itself?? I found that the bag fluffed up alot. i dont know if this is a feature of the wool i used or the method, but would be something to be watching for.

I full everything in the washer, no mesh bag required. Toss in an old pair of jeans, or a couple of towels that can get fuzzy. Removing the spindle on the washer is pretty simple, so you can retrieve your mini-wreath when you're finished :)

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

Here's my lousy 2 cents. When felting/fulling you will probably get a large amount of cast off fuzz which can ruin your machine. I think it did mine in and now have a new machine. I always put my stuff in DOUBLED zippered pillowcases to try to catch most of the fuzz. This crap can ruin your machine no doubt in my mind. I still haven't figured out how to undo my spindle (agitator), but will get the DH on it.

I highly recommend encasing your fulling object in something, and also checking on it frequently.

Have fun and good luck!!

Shelagh

On Fri, 9 Dec 2005 19:07:04 -0600, "Shillelagh" spewed forth :

YMMV obviously. I don't bag things I full, nor do I bag wool that I scour in the washer unless it is of particularly short staple. I do pull the spindle after a fulling session or after I get as much wool scoured as I can stand to smell while its wet. I clean all the fuzz (which is not only wool, but also people hair - mine is nearly 3' long

- and cat hair) from the bottom of the spindle. I've been mistreating the same washer for many years now.

Reply to the list as I do not publish an email address to USENET. This practice has cut my spam by more than 95%. Of course, I did have to abandon a perfectly good email account...

I also don't bag wool things. I've never had a piece felt together, not even the s,all teddy bears. I stuffed them with plastic the first time but it alwyas come out in the wash so I gave it up. I didn't bag the fleece I managed to felt into a large "boa", either! lol It was only supposed to soak in the hot water and then be spun but i forgot to turn the machine off. S'okay tho... It has become the fringe of this woven poncho that teens pronounce "Cool!" At lesat I managed to save this fleece!

The answer to your Question, Laura, is indeed in the Felted Knits book by Beverly Galeskas, on page 62, 63, 64, There is so much, detailed information, that I suggest you get the book from the library. It tells you to sew the vest together, but to also make temporry borders. This important step insures that the edges of the vest felt to the proper length. You do that with cotton thread, which will not felt. Go get the book and you are ready to felt.

Els

Yeah, I am definitely concerned about the health of the washer - that is why I was wondering what might be big enough to felt this piece in. But, Wooly, I will have to dig out the directions for my washing machine and see about taking off the spindle. We should probably do it anyway since we have the same long hair problem you have (no cat but both DH and I have long hair so there is always lots around).

Thank you, both of you, for you advice!

LauraJ

Jellybean,

Can you explain what you mean by 800 rolls and a bamboo blind? I've always just put items to be felted in the washing machine so don't know what those other techniques are.

Thanks!

LauraJ

Thank you, Els. Would you believe that I already own that book and that that is the exact vest that I'm making! It says to put it in a zippered pillowcase or large mesh bag but the piece is so large, it's really going to be pretty scrunched up inside a pillowcase (and I wouldn't know where to get a large mesh bag - hm, maybe a laundry bag would work?). I was afraid that if it were really stuffed into the bag that it wouldn't felt very well or very evenly.

LauraJ

Laura it also tells you to knit false edges to the piece and to hem stitch it together. You could indeed do that and then roll the vest into some sheer curtain material and hand felt it first, so the first felting is done.

To do that You need a large surface like a large rubber matt, you can work on. There was mention here of a bamboo curtain. I would be careful with using it in case it bleeds colour on your vest. Encase your vest in between sheer curtain material and you then spray it with sudsy water (lots of soap) Now get a tool to rub your vest with in circular motions from left to right, over the whole piece, from top to bottom over the whole piece, and on the diagonal over the whole piece. Flip the piece over and repead on the other side. Your vest should come together nicely. It will take a lot of elbow grease to do so. You can also roll it up and now use your roll as a dough pin rolling it over your rubber matt. Undo your roll and roll your vest 90 degrees in the opposite and repead. The purpose being that you try to felt it evenly. If you lived close by, we could do it together....LOL

Els

PS take your time to do this, do not rush it. Once your vest is felted a little bit by hand, you could do the rest in the washing machine. Stand next to the machine and stop the action and keep track of what is happening.

Sounds like fun. I have looked at that vest, but not made it as yet, but I have made many bags and also the rug out of that book The last felted very well in the washing machine. I did stand next to the machine and checked constandly and also kept the shape by pulling it the way I wanted it to be.

Els

Thank you very much for the instructions, Els. I just received the last skein of yarn to finish up the knitting part of the project and I'm excited to see how it's going to turn out. I am glad to hear the rug turned out nicely - I have been eyeing that pattern but was again unsure of how to felt such a large item. Now I know!

LauraJ

hi Wooly don't do yourself down you often give very good sound advise to people cheers......Cher

laura j - When i felt i place my item to be felted in a bamboo blind. Can find them still at stores such as the warehouse and briscoes (new zealand). then cover with a net curtain and pour boiling water and a mmild soap over and rub (using plastic bags on hands) gently in small circles till the fibres begin to felt. then remove the curtain and roll them up the blind. roll backwards and forwards for 100 rolls. i unroll and roll the blind from the other direction then roll 100 times. have to rotate the peice 90 degrees and roll in both directions, also turn the peice over and roll in all 4 directions! hope this is clear and answers you question!

Thank you, Jellybean!

LauraJ