I had read in Knit One Felt Too that you could felt something by boiling it on the stove & alternating with cold baths for about an hour. So, since I live in an apartment building & have to pay $1.00 for each washload I decided to try it out with the Manos I knit up the other day. The smell was a lot less worse than I expected but the yarn didn't felt in an hour. Finally I just gave up and went back to the washing machine. Two loads, $2.00 later it was very nicely felted. Anyone else ever try this?
Wow! I'm surprised it didn't work. All that hot water seems like it should've felted the wool big time! Never even heard of this method though, so I can't comment from experience.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that but never tried it, but I imagine it would make everything smell quite wooly.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a washer or dryer, so I always just felt by hand, thick rubber gloves, one sink full of boiling water, one sink full of ice water and a lot of elbow grease.
I would think that the boiling water wouldn't be enough, that you'd still need agitation, too. Back in the day, before washing machines, I'm sure felting was done w/boiling water. After all, that's what those "boiled wool" Tyrolean/preppy jackets are (I had a red Talbots one handed down from my mom).
ReplyDelete... It does look like a nice bluey-soup, though!
ReplyDeleteoh ya, I've tried. I was trying to make "buttons" with lovely wool. I had the hot water and the cold water and gloves for the trasition. I tried to be patient... and go back and forth, dipping and rolling, and dipping and rolling, sloshing. It DID NOT WORK. At all. Lots of time and effort and just a big soggy mess. Interesting, because my water was not boiling, but I did LOTS of agitation. Your water was boiling, but I'm betting you just used a wooden spoon.
ReplyDeleteEither way, it didn't work.
I have only managed to felt things by mistake, like my DH's sweater that said it was machine wash - they lied.
ReplyDeleteYour shop windows are really great.
The washers in my building are $1.75, if you can believe it, so I tried boiling and it did not work! My kitchen smelled like wet sheep and my fingers were puckered, so $3.50 is worth it (or a weekend visit tomy Mom's house).
ReplyDelete