Felting: Tips?

Dear users, dear authors,
have you already tried felting or would you like to give it a try?
Here you’ll find tips.

Hey there!
Do you mean whether we’ve felted knitted or crocheted items, or whether you mean wet and/or needle felting?

I’ve done a lot of needle felting, ranging from very simple fairies to very elaborate ones, as well as figures (e.g., our pug, sheep, gnomes, etc.), jewelry, and small “pictures.”
Unfortunately, wet felting isn’t really my thing, because my hands get incredibly itchy when I do it (not from the soap, but from the wool). But I think it’s great what you can do with it.

I’ve also always wanted to make the “classic” felted slippers (crocheted or knitted), but I don’t quite dare try because I’m worried the piece will get ruined during felting in the washing machine.

Best regards

Oh, and I have a few more tips for needle felting:
- If you’re not used to handling the needle yet, you really should work veeeery slowly; otherwise, you’ll end up with more pricks in your fingers than in the wool.
- You don’t need a special, expensive felting mat; a soft piece of foam or a larger sponge works just as well.
- Always insert the needle straight up and down; otherwise, it will break quickly
- The softer the wool, the harder it is to needle-felt. Very soft wool is great for things like fairy and elf clothes, “skin,” and hair ... but for felting things like the “inner head,” coarser wool works better.
- Never cut wool from the skein; always pull it apart.

On my blog here at CP, you’ll find a short step-by-step guide to felting a figure.

Thanks for the info. :-)
I asked this question in a general sense. Feel free to share what you’d like to do or focus on specific areas based on your interests.

As for felted crochet, I can only say that it’s much easier than many people think... It’s important to work the pieces loosely so the stitches have enough room to felt—since crochet stitches are much tighter than knitted ones, I usually crochet felting yarn (50m/50g) with a 12 mm hook.
Felting yarn isn’t very sturdy while you’re working with it; if you pull too hard, it tears very quickly—so really, crochet it loosely.

If you’re worried that your crocheted pieces might not fit right afterward, try felting a small basket or a bag first—the measurements don’t have to be exact.

Also, the items you’re felting should always be thoroughly agitated in the washing machine—so don’t overload the machine, but always add something for them to rub against. Many people use tennis balls for this; I prefer 1–2 pairs of jeans.

The detergent you use should ideally not contain any fiber protection, as that prevents felting—so definitely don’t use special wool detergent.

Felted items usually look very “wrinkled” after washing and need to be pulled back into shape.
This works best while the laundry is still warm—and feel free to pull firmly; it won’t do any harm.

I’ve also washed my felted items when they were dirty—the important thing is to pull them back into shape immediately after washing. They might shrink a little more in the process… but that doesn’t have to happen if you wash them in cold water.