We’ve all done it once…thrown our favourite sweater or pair of socks in the washing machine only to have it come out much smaller and denser than when it went in. When 100% non-superwash wool meets hot water and agitation the result can be devastating, unless you do it on purpose, in which case it can be truly fascinating!
You might wonder why one would want to intentionally shrink and felt their knitting but in cold Canadian winters, felted slipper and mittens are a must have. Warm, dense and windproof, felted wool is just the ticket to take the chill off. We’ve also seen loads of home decor and accessories that have been felted to create a long lasting and durable fabric.
There are four must-haves for successful felting in a washing machine:
#1. 100% non-superwash wool
100% wool, and other protein fibres are best for felting. These yarns have little barbs that are invisible to the naked eye. The hot water and agitation cause the barbs to rub against one another and lock down to form felt. For a number of reasons my number one go-to yarn for felting is Cascade 220. The broad range of colours for one – did you know that Cascade 220 is available in over 160 solid and heathered shades?! One thing worth mentioning when felting, you will find that lighter coloured shades require a bit more time agitating than the darker colours to get the desired effect. Simply return the item to the agitation cycle and check the progress frequently.
#2. Larger needles than required on the ball band
Most patterns for felting call for larger needles than indicated for gauge on the ballband. Cascade 220 is a worsted weight and typically uses a 4.5mm (US7) needle. Because we want the barbs on the yarn to have enough space to properly rub together, a larger needle yields the best results. In my experience, two strands of Cascade 220 felt beautifully when knit on 9mm (US13) needles, and one strand is perfect with 5.5mm-6mm (US9-10) needles. In the photo below, I used a single strand of Cascade 220 and 5.5mm (US9) needles.
Cascade Yarns has tons of free pattern support on their website, including this fast knit for Christmas Bells. While this pattern is not written for felting, I was confident that by going up a needle size it would work well for felted Christmas bells. Trust me, I would never be so bold for any pattern that required a proper fit – felting happens at a pre-calculated ratio so it’s not always that easy to just wing it. Typically, you can expect your knitting to shrink by roughly 20-40% in length, and 15-25% in width. The sample for this article shrank approximately 20% in length and 25% in width.
#3. Top loading washing machine
Because top load washing machines have a vigorous agitation cycle, they work best for machine felting. Set your machine to the lowest water setting and the hottest temperature setting. Place your knitted item in a pillowcase, this will trap any stray fibres that could clog up your machine, and toss it in the washing machine with just a touch of laundry soap or wool wash. Let the machine go through one agitation cycle and then stop it to check your progress. Do not drain the water.
#4. A timer
Should you need to continue felting (and you probably will), simply reset your washing machine to the start of the agitation cycle and set a timer for two minutes. Continue checking your progress every two minutes and resetting the timer until you’ve achieved the desired size and density. It takes a little while for the felting to start but once it does, it goes very quickly. Remove your project from the machine and run the drain cycle. When all the water has drained from the machine, return your item and run the spin cycle for no more than one minute. Leaving your felted item for too long on the spin cycle can cause some distortion, so using a timer is imperative.
Shape your project while it’s still damp to ensure best results and place it in a well ventilated area to dry. It may take up to a couple of days to dry, depending on the thickness of your felt. Be patient, good things come to those who wait!
Now you can have a little fun and really get creative if you so wish. Embellish your felt with some decorative topstitching like blanket stitch along the edges. You could even do embroidery or needle felting to add a touch of pizzazz to your felted projects.
Have you tried felting with Cascade 220? What’s your favourite felting project? Let us know in the comments section below, we always love hearing from you!