how much shrinking happens when felting.

hey there. The best way to figure how much shrinkage you will get is to knit a swatch of the wool you will be using. Measure the swatch and then felt it, measure the swatch post felting to see how much shrinkage has occured. Felt it again if you feel it needs to felt more (if you know what I mean!)and measure again. this should give you a general guide of how your wool felts. It will be different for different wool and also your gauge so I couldnt recommend trying it out more.Hope that helps

Posted at 6:30am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

If you are felting yourself, you can stop when you think the fabric has shrunk enough!

Posted at 6:30am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

What an opportune time to jump in and say: what type of felt are you creating?

Felt - just felt is made from initially felting, then fulling-- starts out as wool fiber - really fiber - wool batt, roving; unspun, not yarn, not fabric until it undergoes felting, which is getting the individual fibers to grab together - either by use of barbed needles (needle felting) or by use of agitation, water, chemical -usually soap- (traditional wet felting)

Knit felt - oh my is actually not felted, it is knit from yarn then fulled (washed by hand or machine) to shrink and tighten it. also known as boiled wool

Woven felt - again actually not felted - starts out as threads/yarns, then woven usually on some sort of loom, then fulled (by hand or machine) to shrink and tighten it.

Terms have migrated with the availability of roving, batt, yarns, plus the popularity of knitting; people today often call the fulling process "felting" -- but as you are new into the process, it is nice to know there is a difference. So wanted to share the info.

To get back to your more specific question:

In any process where "felt" is the desired end product - it is always wise to do a test swatch, using the initial method of making the fabric/item whether felting, knitting, crocheting, weaving. Then fulling it either by hand or machine to see what works. Plus, making a judgment call on what level of firmness, tightness of the final product is desired. Measure the swatch and remeasure when desired hand of the felt is achieved to obtain percentage of shrinkage.

Hope that helps. All of the methods are fun.

Posted at 7:12am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

Hi ManicManx,

I do a lot of knit felting with Patons Wool Merino, it felts down about 1/3 in length & 1/4 in width.

Posted at 7:16am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

I keep hearing the percentage of 25% depending on what type of material you are using..

and elanknits..I am falling in love with patons wool..

it fulls beautifully..

Posted at 7:27am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

I think it can vary widely depending on the yarn. Doing a test swatch is the only way to know for sure. And then you have to make sure you use the same conditions on your finished piece.

Posted at 8:34am Oct 27, 2008 EDT

Thank you for your help. I will use Patons wool and knit it.
I am excited about using my very limited knitting skills for something other than long rectangles.
I have these beautiful kitchen chairs with vintage fabric on it. Very tasteful but hard to replace.If I can replace it with something arty that I made, how fun would that be?

Posted at 7:53pm Oct 27, 2008 EDT

manicmax..i find that to be the GREATEST thing about fulling..no one sees your stitches..HOW AWESOME!!

and it makes the greatest fabric..

I love Patons and am afraid to try other brands..just so much luck with Patons..but I keep thinking there must be other stuff out there..

I guess if it aint broke..

Posted at 8:15pm Oct 27, 2008 EDT

I love the Patons...but also the Lion Brand 100% wool. Felts well as well! I wish Patons had more color selections - shades of each color...

Posted at 10:51pm Oct 27, 2008 EDT