Completed: March, 2004
Both swatches partially knit with
Trendsetter / Flora
76% viscose, 24% polyamide

Swatch #1 (orange):
Lamb’s Pride / Bulky
85% wool, 15% mohair
Color No. M-97 – Rust
Needles: 13
Gauge: 11 sts = 14 rows = 4″  
Stockinette stitch
Before felting: 8 1/4″ x 6″
After felting: 5 3/4″ x 4 3/4″     		Swatch #2 (yellow):
Lane Borgosesia / Tapestry borgo wool
100% virgin wool
Color No. 809
Needles: 10
Gauge: 15 sts = 19 rows = 4″
Stockinette stitch
Before felting: 7 1/2″ x 5 3/4″
After felting: 5 1/4″ x 4 5/6″

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, felting* is the process of washing and agitating wool and other untreated animal yarns so the fibers bind together. Have you ever washed a wool sweater in a washing machine? Using hot water? And when you took it out, it was fuzzy, matted, and 5 sizes smaller? Well, that’s felting. It sucks when you do it by accident, but can be used to make thick, strong materials with a soft’n'fuzzy appearance.

I made two test swatches for this little experiment, one bulky weight and the other, worsted. One was 100% wool and the other a wool/mohair blend. Both included a small strip of novelty yarn to check the compatability of the two types of yarns when felted together. Both were washed and agitated in warm water, in 5 minute intervals. The swatches were washed in a zipper-close pillow cover to contain any lint, and were stretched and reshaped after each
interval. Total washing time was about 25-30 minutes.



Articles I’ve read about felting suggest a loose knit, so I used a slightly larger needle size that the manufacturer suggested. Swatch #2 was actually quite loose to begin with; not surprisingly, it didn’t felt as tightly as Swatch #1, but also retained a bit more of its flexibility.

Both swatches shrunk in row height by about 30%. Stitch widths also decreased, although Swatch #1 shrunk by 21% whereas Swatch #2 shrunk only by 16%. Swatch #1 resulted in a nice, thick pad, with shiny long hairs: this should work great for bags, slippers, and other projects which require a thick, stiff fabric. Swatch #2 has a duller matte texture and a nubbier finish. This might work well for accenting larger pieces.

It’s kinda magical how a little water and friction can produce an entirely different look and feel. I’m really looking forward to making my first felted creation.

* OK, I guess what I’m describing is technically called fulling–I’ve read that felting purists take unspun wool or fleece and repeatedly stab it with very sharp barbed needles to produce a felted fabric, but most knitters also refer to the washing/agitating-of-spun-yarn method as felting.