Felting with wool, also known as fulling, is an ancient technique in which wool fibers mat together to form a sturdy fabric. Often, you want to avoid this when crocheting or knitting, because you want your project to remain soft and airy. But sometimes, felting wool can actually give your project a beautiful, sturdy look. In this blog, you’ll discover exactly what wool felting is, what techniques exist (wet felting and needle felting), helpful tips and tricks, and what yarn you’ll need to get started with felting yourself.
What is wool felting?
Wool felting is the process by which loose wool fibers bond together through friction and moisture to form a dense fabric: felt. This is likely the first type of textile humans ever made—remnants dating back to around 6500 B.C. have been found! The advantages of wool felting are:
- Insulating
- Colorfast
- Water- and dirt-repellent
With all these benefits, wool felting is a fun and practical technique to try out for yourself.
The Process of Felting Wool
There are two ways to felt: wet felting and needle felting.
Wet felting
For wet felting, use warm water. The fibers become damp, and as they rub against each other, they gradually bond together and form tangles. This creates a sturdy piece of felt. To felt your knitted or crocheted piece, follow these steps:
STEP 1: Buy wool that is suitable for felting
STEP 2: Crochet or knit your project
STEP 3: Wash it in the washing machine according to the product label instructions for felting wool
STEP 4: Your project is complete
Needle Felting
You can also create felt using a felting needle. A felting needle has tiny barbs. With this technique, you generally use loose wool, but it’s also possible to use synthetic fibers. You can do flat needle felting or 3D needle felting. For flat needle felting, you prick the wool onto a base material. You keep doing this until it’s evenly secured to a fabric base. For the base, you can use canvas fabric, for example. You can also do 3D needle felting. With this technique, you prick the felt wool into itself, using the needle to create a shape. For example, use this technique to make a little doll or an animal face. View all our felting needles here.
Tips & Tricks for Felting
After reading about these techniques, would you like to try wet felting yourself? These 4 helpful Tips will ensure that the process goes smoothly and that you achieve a beautiful final result.
For wet felting:
1. Do you want to felt your crochet or knitting projects using the wet felting technique? If so, make a gauge swatch first to try it out. Felting causes the piece to shrink, and the result may be slightly different than you expect. By testing it out with a gauge swatch first, you’ll avoid ruining your project.
2. Every time you wash your felted items in the washing machine, they will felt even more. Want to prevent this? Then gently hand-wash your items with a mixture of wool detergent and warm water (20 degrees).
For needle felting:
1. Always pierce straight down for the best results
2. Be careful not to press too hard to avoid pricking yourself or damaging your table.
3. Easily undo mistakes by gently pulling out the wool fibers. 4. Keep a picture handy of what you want to make using needle felting.
What kind of yarn do you use for wool felting?
As you’ve probably already gathered from the blog, the yarn must be suitable for felting if you want to get started with it. You’ll want to use yarn that’s usually 100% wool and is labeled as suitable for felting. At Yarnplaza.com, we have a wide selection of felting yarns. Here’s a small selection:
After reading this blog, we hope we’ve sparked your interest in wool felting techniques. Would you like to get started on another craft project? Check out all our craft kits. Would you like to read more about crafts? Check out our blog.
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