How to Felt With Yarn for Kids

The end result of felting makes one durable hat.

If you've ever wanted to make a child's knit hat or knit gloves more durable, then felting is one way to make that happen. Felting uses heat, agitation and moisture to open the tiny scales found on most animal fibers, enabling the fibers to interlock. This process is similar to the way dreadlocks are formed as a hairstyle. As well as inceasing durablity, felt yarn can be shaped into a variety of molds or cut into patterns to make anything from stuffed animals to children's book covers.

Instructions

1. Place the knitted yarn into a pillow case and zip the pillow case closed. This will prevent the water pump on your washing machine from becoming clogged with loose fibers.

2. Place the pillow case inside a washing machine and set it to the lowest water level or the smallest possible load size. Set the water temperature to hot and the wash cycle to heavy or regular. Do not use the delicate or gentle setting.

3. Start the wash cycle. With the wash cycle set to heavy and the water temperature set to hot, the appropriate amount of friction and heat should be generated to cause fibers to begin to felt.

4. Open the washing machine after five minutes of running the wash cycle and remove the pillow case.

5. Open the pillow case and check to see if the knitted yarn has increased in size. Although your end product should be almost half the size of the original knitted object, at this stage the heat from the high water temperature will cause the knitting to expand and relax. This is needed for the fibers to continue to catch onto one another.

6. Return the knitting to the pillow case and place it back into the washing machine. Continue the wash cycle for another five to 10 minutes, checking periodically on the progress of the knitting as it continues to felt.

7. Separate during one of your checks any pieces that are sticking together that shouldn’t be. Reshape the knitting if it has become twisted or tangled.

8. Continue the wash cycle and the checking process at five- to 10-minute periods. Add a pair of jeans or pants to speed up the felting process or if the fabric ceases to shrink before it is felted.

9. Remove the pillow case from the washing machine before the cold water rinse cycle begins. Let the water drain for the washing machine and advance the cycle setting to the spin cycle.

10. Place the pillow case back into the washing machine and let the spin cycle complete.

11. Remove the pillow case from the washing machine once the spin cycle ends. Remove the felted yarn and stretch it over a bowl or small box to help shape the fabric. If you are creating a felt patch or square, stretch the square tight over another piece of fabric and pin it down with safety pins.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the yarn dry until all the moisture has been removed. This may take up to a day depending on the size of your fabric.

• The initial knitted yarn should be almost twice the size of the imagined final product. The fabric will shrink significantly during the felting process.

References

• Welcome to Gleason's Fine Woolies Ranch: Felting the Fabulous Art of Removing Air
• Knitty; Felt This; Rob Matyska