Felting Wool
Buy felting wool at Yarnplaza
Felting Wool is wool that is suitable for felting. Heat, water, movement, and friction cause the wool fibers to interlock. Your knitted or crocheted project shrinks and transforms into a sturdy, compact fabric. This makes felting wool ideal for slippers, bags, baskets, cushions, seat mats, Home Accessories, and decorative projects.
At Yarnplaza, you’ll find felting wool in various colors and thicknesses. Currently, this collection consists mainly of DROPS yarns suitable for felting, such as DROPS Alaska, DROPS Snow, DROPS Andes, DROPS Air, DROPS Daisy, DROPS Flora, DROPS Nepal, and other wool types. This makes it easy to choose a yarn that suits your felting project.
What is Felting Wool?
Felting Wool is wool that can be felted. Not every type of wool is suitable for this. Wool suitable for felting has fibers that interlock when exposed to heat, moisture, and friction. This makes a knitted or crocheted project more compact, sturdier, and denser in texture.
Felting wool is often used for projects that need to retain their shape and be durable. Examples include warm slippers, sturdy bags, baskets, coasters, covers, and home decor. The felting process decreases the visibility of the chain stitches and gives your project a rugged, natural look.
How does felting with wool work?
Felt is created through a combination of heat, water, movement, and friction. The wool fibers open up and interlock, causing your project to shrink and transform into a sturdy felt structure. The more tightly the fibers interlock, the more compact the result will be.
You can felt wool in the washing machine or by hand. The process is usually faster and more consistent in the washing machine. When felting by hand, you have more control, but it often takes longer. The result depends on the yarn, the temperature, the wash cycle, the amount of agitation, and the size of your project.
Why choose Felting Wool?
Felting Wool is a great choice for projects that need to be sturdy, warm, and retain their shape. The felting process gives your project more density and texture. This is useful for accessories and home decor projects that need to withstand regular use.
The main characteristics of Felting Wool are:
- Suitable for felting: the wool fibers interlock due to heat, water, and friction.
- Durable fabric: ideal for slippers, bags, baskets, and Home Accessories.
- Warm: felted wool is dense and insulating.
- Retains its shape: After felting, your project will have more structure.
- Natural look: perfect for rugged and creative projects.
- Wide range of color options: suitable for solid-color projects, stripes, color gradients, and decorative details.
What can you make with Felting Wool?
Felting Wool is perfect for making sturdy and warm projects. Popular felting projects include slippers, house shoes, bags, baskets, covers, cushions, seat mats, coasters, and home decor. Felting Wool is also ideal for creative accessories and seasonal decorations.
Since the project shrinks during the felting process, you should first make it larger than the desired final size. After felting, shape the project while it’s still damp. This way, you can ensure that slippers fit properly or neatly shape a bag, basket, or cover.
Felting from a pattern
When working on a felting project, always follow the instructions in the pattern. Before felting, the project is made larger than the desired final size because felting wool shrinks during washing. The amount by which the project shrinks varies depending on the yarn, the project, and the washing process.
Therefore, always make a gauge swatch before starting a large project. Wash and dry this gauge swatch the same way you plan to felt the final project. This will show you how much the yarn shrinks and how firm the felted fabric will be.
Felting in the Washing Machine
Many felting projects are felted in the washing machine. The warm water and agitation cause the wool fibers to interlock. This makes the fabric more compact and sturdy. The washing machine often produces consistent results, but it’s still important to test it beforehand.
After washing, check to see if your project has felted enough. Is it still too big, or are the stitches still too visible? If so, you can usually wash the project one more time. After felting, shape the project while it’s still damp, and then let it dry thoroughly.
Hand Felting
You can also felt wool by hand. This involves using warm water, soap, and friction. By moving, pressing, and rubbing the project by hand, the wool fibers gradually interlock. Hand-felting gives you more control over the process, but it usually takes longer than felting in the washing machine.
Hand felting is useful for smaller projects, details, or when you want to follow the felting process step by step. The same rule applies here: always test with a gauge swatch first, so you know how the yarn will react.
Felting Wool for slippers and house shoes
Slippers and house shoes are popular projects made with felting wool. The felting process makes the fabric dense, warm, and sturdy. This results in comfortable slippers that are perfect for cold days.
When making slippers, sizing is especially important. Keep in mind that the project will shrink during the felting process. Therefore, always follow the patterns, and if in doubt, make a Gauge swatch. After washing, you can gently reshape the slippers and let them dry.
Felting Wool for bags, baskets, and Home Accessories
Felting Wool is also great for bags and Home Accessories. A crocheted or knitted bag becomes sturdier and more compact after felting. For baskets, Coasters, and Cushions, felting wool gives them a rugged and natural look.
Would you like to make a bag or a basket? If so, choose a yarn that will be sturdy enough after felting. Thicker wool yarns often add volume quickly, while thinner yarns may be better suited for smaller projects or fine details.
What kinds of felting wool can you find at Yarnplaza?
The felting wool collection currently features mainly DROPS yarns that are suitable for felting projects. DROPS Alaska is a classic wool weight for sturdy projects. DROPS Snow is thicker and suitable for quick, chunky felting projects. DROPS Andes provides plenty of volume and warmth. Yarns such as DROPS Air, DROPS Daisy, DROPS Flora, DROPS Melody, and DROPS Nepal may also be suitable for felting projects, depending on the desired effect.
The best type of felting wool to use depends on what you want to make. For slippers, you’ll often choose a warm, sturdy wool. For baskets and bags, the yarn can be more robust. For decorations, on the other hand, you can experiment with color, thickness, and texture.
What should you look for when buying Felting Wool?
Not all wool felts equally well. Superwash wool is usually treated to prevent felting and is therefore often less suitable for felting projects. So always choose a yarn that is clearly labeled as suitable for felting.
Felting is never exactly the same for every project. The amount of shrinkage can vary depending on the yarn, color, washing machine, and cycle. The size of your project and the way it was knitted or crocheted also affect the result.
Tips for Felting with Wool
- Use only wool that is suitable for felting.
- Make your project larger than the desired final size, because Felting Wool shrinks.
- Always make a gauge swatch to check for shrinkage and texture.
- Follow the pattern and the yarn's care instructions.
- Check the results after washing.
- Isn't the project felted enough yet? If not, felt it again.
- Shape the project while it is still damp.
- Let the project dry thoroughly before using it.
- Do not use superwash wool if you want to felt it.
Buy felting wool at Yarnplaza
At Yarnplaza, you can easily order felting wool online. Choose from felting yarns for slippers, bags, baskets, Home Accessories, decorations, and other creative felting projects. Pair your favorite felting wool with the right Knitting Needles, Crochet Hooks, Patterns, and accessories, and get started on your next project right away.
FAQs About Felting Wool
What is Felting Wool?
Felting Wool is wool that is suitable for felting. Through heat, water, movement, and friction, the fibers interlock to form a sturdy felt structure.
What do you use Felting Wool for?
Felting wool can be used for slippers, house shoes, bags, baskets, cushions, Coasters, seat mats, Home Accessories, and decorative projects.
How do you felt wool?
Wool felts when exposed to heat, water, movement, and friction. This can be done in the washing machine or by hand. The fibers interlock, causing the project to shrink and become sturdier.
Can you felt wool in the washing machine?
Yes, many felting projects are felted in the washing machine. The warm water and agitation cause the wool fibers to interlock. Always follow the pattern and test with a Gauge swatch first.
Can you felt wool by hand?
Yes, you can also felt wool by hand. To do this, you use warm water, soap, and friction. Hand-felting gives you more control, but it often takes longer than felting in the washing machine.
Does felting wool always shrink?
Yes, felting wool shrinks during the felting process. The amount of shrinkage varies depending on the yarn, the project, and the washing process. Therefore, always make a gauge swatch.
Is superwash wool suitable for felting?
Usually not. Superwash wool has been treated to decrease the likelihood of felting. For felting projects, it’s best to choose wool that’s clearly suitable for felting.
Can you crochet with Felting Wool?
Yes, you can crochet with Felting Wool. After crocheting, you can felt the project, which makes it sturdier and more compact.
Can you knit with Felting Wool?
Yes, felting wool is perfect for knitting. Knitted slippers, bags, and accessories can felt beautifully after washing.
What kind of felting wool should you choose for slippers?
For slippers, choose a warm, sturdy wool that’s suitable for felting. Pay close attention to the pattern, the stitch ratio, and the expected shrinkage.