felted fabric does not fray

Here's one of the things I love about felted fabric... if the fibres are properly matted together, you can cut through the fabric with a pair of scissors and it will not fray. Take a close look at the scraps pictured below, and you will see what I mean.





I don't ever throw away my felted scraps... even the tiniest ones come in handy for embellishing other projects. If you honestly feel you have no use for them, you might think about donating them to your local kinder or school art department.

Here's an example of one of my projects where those tiny scraps came in handy. The crest, beak, wings and feet are all cut from felted scraps.

felting and the tumble dryer

I've been giving a lot of thought to this idea.

What's the worst that can happen? I mean, when you are 'felting' you want the fabric to shrink, and the fibres to matt together. So what harm could the tumble dryer possibly cause to that process?

The only concern I really had was that it might somehow crumple the finished fabric. But I have an iron (don't tell Mr Goldfish, or he'll expect me to start using it on a regular basis) so I could smooth out any crumples.

Anyway. I decided to experiment.

I let one jumper sleeve air dry... tumble dried the other and compared the finished appearance. The sleeve which went through the dryer shrank a teensy bit more than the air dried one. Only the smallest amount. Like 1cm difference over the whole length of the arm. This difference will vary with each individual jumper, but it's not enough to worry about.

So the next jumper I felt will be dried in the tumble dryer. That way I can avoid the smell of wet wool in my house for days on end. Especially over winter. I'll keep you updated on my success (or lack thereof)

So here is a close up of the jumper before felting. It's the reverse side, and you can clearly see the ridges formed by each stitch.



And afterwards, it look like this... you can only just make out those ridges.



Now to decide what to make with it...

op shopping

I love op shopping. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, an 'op shop' is an Opportunity Shop. In other parts of the world they are referred to as Thrift Stores, Goodwill or Charity Shops. I have three local stores that I like to visit, and I try to get to each of them once a week if I can. I know that some op shops are smelly, musty, disorganised flea pits... but my local ones are so well maintained. Tidy and clean... and best of all, they do not smell bad!

Op Shops are my new craft stores. They are my inspiration for new projects. I don't even really need to visit them any more, because I have accumulated such a fabulous supply of donated goodies from family and friends already. But I can't help myself. I still have to look. You never quite know what you might find...

So what do I look for?

First I like to sort through the knitted garments. As you know, my frog pond at home is huge at the moment, so I only allow myself to purchase more if there is something too good to pass up... or maybe colours that I do not already have. I have to look though.

Then I take a look through the crafting section. There's always an abundance of knitting needles in tall glass jars, though not always pairs! So I fossick through to see what I can find. At the moment I am searching for a set of fine double pointed needles for sock knitting. I'm also adding any crochet hooks I can find. There's usually a basket or two of yarn... sometimes a half knit garment... always worth looking through. Sometimes I come across those more unusual materials such as jutes and twines.

Off to the book corner now... leafing through the crafting section for patterns and inspiration.

On to the trinkets, to see what jumps out at me there. Like these small clogs. I bought them months ago, because they insisted on coming home with me... but I haven't quite found a use for them yet. Never mind, I will... one day!



I like to browse through the bedding... but I'm not allowed to buy any more. Doona or quilt covers are wonderful stripped into yarn for rag knitting/crochet, and if you follow this tutorial it's all too easy. But my rag supply is colossal... and even I know it's time to slow down.

Must always check out the handbags. The bags themselves might be a mess, but the handles and closures might be useful in another project. Also take a look through the belts, which can be used as straps on bags, or large interesting buckles can be used as embellishments.

And jewellery too. Old beads can come in very handy, like this wooden bead necklace did when I made my cheerful rag bag



You know what? I think I look at everything... just in case... because you never know what you might find lurking in there. I find it fun, challenging and inspiring. On top of all that, it's inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Plus you are able to create unique, one-of-a-kind projects... with character and history... I think that's what appeals to me the most.

Just thought I'd share my 'finds' for this week...



I haven't used a knitting loom at all before. When I was a child, my father made me a 'knitting nancy'. It was a empty wooden cotton reel, with four nails hammered in to the top, and a fifth nail was used as the 'hook'. I wish I still had that piece... not so much to use, but as a keepsake.

So I'm looking forward to experimenting with the looms... using jute, rags, plastic and wire... maybe I'll even try YARN!



My other find was a bag of nylon balls. The nylon is quite strong, and the strips are about half an inch wide. I'm thinking that they will probably take on a new life as a bath mat, but we'll have to wait and see...

felting stinks!

click here to learn the difference between felting and fulling

click here if you would like to know how to select a garment for felting

I don't know why the smell continues to bother me. I should know to expect it by now... but it manages to take my breath away every time. That hot, wet wool smell... ugh!

Anyway, enough complaining. It's time to share some useful information about how I felt my jumpers. Remember the three elements required for successful felting... HEAT, MOISTURE and AGITATION... well, I like to add a fourth... SOAP

So essentially I am going to wash the garment in hot soapy water, and be as rough with it as I possibly can. Felting can be done by hand in a basin, but is very hard work for an item as large as a jumper. Using the washing machine is definitely the way to go.

First of all. Put your garment in a bag. It might fit into a lingerie wash bag. Or you could put it into an old pillowcase, fold the end over and use safety pins to close it securely. The idea is to protect your washing machine. There is usually a great deal of debris which comes from the jumper during the 'matting' process. You need to confine this matter in the bag... or you will clog the filters of your machine and destroy it!

Top loading washing machines are ideal for felting. They agitate well, and can be opened at regular intervals to check progress. But I don't have one of them!

I use a front loader. They are designed to be gentle on your clothes, but I don't want gentle. Gentle DOES NOT felt! So I add a pair of old gumboots and some old jeans to the cycle. These beat against the jumper, helping the fibres to matt together. Even if you are using a top loader, you should try adding items to 'bang around' inside. Some people use old towels or tennis balls. Whatever you put into the cycle will probably never be the same again... so choose wisely.

Add your detergent. Any soap is fine. Again, we are not looking for gentle or soft treatment.

Make the water HOT. I set my machine to 95C... which is the hottest setting. It works like a charm. But be warned. The colours often run, so I would avoid felting a light and a dark jumper in the same cycle. If I was felting a black and white patterned jumper, I would probably try setting the temperature lower so that the colours didn't bleed too much.

So. I have HEAT, MOISTURE, AGITATION and SOAP. I set my machine on a towel setting, which is the harshest option I have. One important thing to remember. DO NOT ALLOW THE GARMENT TO SPIN. The spinning process can stretch it into some crazy shapes, which cannot be recovered from. Make sure you remove the jumper before this happens. If you are using a top loader, and therefore have some control over the length of time spent spinning, you could probably allow it to spin for a minute.

Be prepared that when you remove the garment from the washing machine it will probably be dripping wet. Remember, it has not been spun dry. I wring it out in the sink and then roll it up in some old towels, put it on the laundry floor and stand on it to help absorb as much moisture as possible. Then I smooth it out as flat as possible, and leave it on some more old towels to dry. This may take a couple of days if it is a heavy knit. I've always wondered it I could use the tumble dryer at this stage, but never been quite game enough to try it.



Some garments will shed more than others... this is an example of what you DON'T WANT clogging your filter



EDITED TO ADD... I've since tried using the tumble dryer... with excellent results

click here to see before and after photos

salad bar challenge...

We're all familiar with the salad bar concept... where you take your plate, and pile it high with whatever combination of foods your heart desires on the occasion. Well the latest Silly String challenge is based on the salad bar concept.

Those participating were given a list of 'body parts' to choose from. That list was forwarded to their partner... who must create a being consisting of those parts, and send it to them. The 'being' must be at least 50% crochet. So I expect to see some very strange creations appearing.

I received my list today. I must create a humanoid creature with pointy ears, antennae, belly button, wings, extra legs and/or arms, flippers or webbed feet, and tattoo or tattoos. I may also choose to add a moustache, beard, unibrow, boobs, piercings, clothing, and long hair.

The mind boggles!

I made out a few sketches, just to see where I might head with this one. With that list of ingredients, it was very easy to get carried away and go all alien. But my instructions are to create a HUMANOID...

So I've ended up with this idea. She's rather fairy like, and much daintier and more feminine than what I would usually work on, but that's part of the fun. Now I just need to decide where to put her tattoo!

choosing and preparing the jumper

click here to skip ahead if you have chosen the jumper and are ready to begin felting

click here to learn the difference between felting and fulling

I've chosen this jumper from my frog pond... It is a fairly fine knit with small stitches. I would expect that when it felts it will not thicken up too much, and we will probably still see some stitch definition. I have chosen to felt rather than frog this jumper for two reasons. One is because the yarn looks quite fine. I find fine yarns quite difficult to frog. The second reason is all of those beautiful stripes. They look great in the finished item, but will mean lots and lots of joins in the yarn.



First of all, check the fibre content... 100% wool is fabulous. I have heard of people using as low a percentage as 80% wool and still getting good results, but haven't tried this myself.



Also check the care instructions. Does it say hand wash? Or dry clean only? Excellent! Any garment which begs to be treated gently is going to HATE the workout we give it, and therefore felt beautifully. Be very wary if the garment care tag states that it can be machine washed. If so, the wool may have been chemically treated to prevent the fibres matting together... and it WILL NOT felt nicely for you. Now, it doesn't need to be a jumper... you could consider any knitted or crocheted garment... such as cardigan, jacket, poncho, dress, scarf, mittens... anything.



You can jump straight in and felt the garment as a single piece, but I prefer to separate it a little first. I always recommend removing the sleeves, so that they can be dried as a flat piece... without ending up with a big fold down the centre.

Start by turning the jumper inside out, and look at the seams starting from the inside wrist. If it is a store bought jumper, then hopefully the seams will look like this...



See that magnificent row of chain stitches? That is going to unravel so easily. See how they are all 'pointing' to the left? That is the direction you will need to unravel in. Most seams I find unravel from the wrist, to the arm pit and then down to the waist. But it's worth checking the direction that the chains 'point'... because some manufacturers trick you by going the opposite way!

Start to unpick the stitches, and find yourself the 'magic tail'. The magic tail is the very end of the thread, and when you pull gently on it... all those little stitches unravel by themselves.



If you are working with a hand knit, you will just have to slowly unpick each stitch... depending on how the individual has seamed it.

If the seams are overlocked or serged and look like this...



RUN AWAY! NO... you don't really need to run away... but you are better off leaving them alone and felting without unseaming.



So here I have my jumper. The sleeves have been removed. I have also undone the side seams, but not the shoulder ones... as the garment was serged at that point (this is often the case) If there were any buttons, zips, clasps, etc. I would also have removed them before felting. Make sure you hold on to them, because they will definitely come in useful one day!

I also keep the leftover threads. They can always be used for something. Maybe stuffing or padding for another project? My kids like the 'curly bits' for their craft box, and will often paste them onto a collage... or add them as hair, grass, clouds, etc. to their drawings. Some people like to leave them outdoors so that the local birds can add them to their nests.



click here for the next steps in the felting process

felting old jumpers

I love felting!

I know that the 'correct' term to use in this instance is fulling... but let's face it, everyone calls it felting, and I will only confuse us all if I start calling it something different.

Just to clarify though... true felting is a process which uses raw wool. That raw wool is treated with moisture, heat and friction... causing it to 'matt' together as one piece

In the process of fulling, you are working with wool that has already been spun and woven/knit/crocheted. Again you treat it with moisture, heat and friction... causing it to 'matt' together, so much so that the original stitches can no longer be identified.

Have you ever destroyed a hand knit garment, by running it through the washing machine? Of course not... but maybe your Significant Other did... or one of the kids. The garment would have shrunk, and stiffened, and no longer been wearable, right? That's because it had been 'felted'. It was treated with moisture, heat and friction. The fibres matted together and the original stitches could no longer be identified!

When I first started reclaiming yarn... I made a point of looking for fibres that were 100% wool so that I could use them for felted projects. So I would take the wool jumper, unravel it, skein it, wash it, dry it, ball it, knit it, and then felt it. Too much work, hey! Then it dawned on me that it would be much more time effective to felt the jumper as is, then sew it into a bag.

These are my first attempts at jumper to bag conversions...





and this one...





Today I am going to sort through my 'frog pond' and select some jumpers for felting. I'll take some before and after shots so that I can provide a photo tutorial for anyone who is interested.