UNCUT: How to Felt your knitting by hand -- In a Bucket EXTENDED VERSION
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- Learn how to felt your knit projects by hand if you lack a top loading washing machine. This demonstration of hand felting 100% wool knit oven mitts takes place in a bucket while protecting the skin of your hands.
The uncut extended version of this tutorial contains all of my commentary as I worked to felt the oven mitts. All of the essential information is contained in the shorter version.
For free knitting patterns and knitting commentary, visit www.chemknits.com
WARNING: When felting oven mitts as is shown in the video, you want to make sure that the resulting fabric is really tight as to protect the hand of the user. Do not attempt to touch something hot when the fabric is wet.
This oven mitt is knit with worsted weight 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (Wool of the Andes) yarn shrsl.com/lovq (KnitPicks Affiliate Link) - Навчання та стиль
This oven mitt is knit with worsted weight 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (Wool of the Andes) yarn shrsl.com/lovq (KnitPicks Affiliate Link)
ChemKnits Tutorials /Pls can you answer my question. (V.Grateful.)
You're very welcome! I'm always glad when people find my videos helpful.
Something I have used is a Dedicated, New, CLEAN, drain plunger. Works great if you cut a Few small Holes in it. Also great for washing those hand washables that Are Not WOOL.
Great tutorial. I find adding a couple of tennis balls to the water speeds up the process.
Excellent video! It's just what I needed today as I also do not own a top-loader and have a hat to felt. I now feel empowered! Thank you!
Rebecca, as usual you never disappoint me with your awesome tutorials. Always descriptive enough for me "the beginner". hugZ and thanX,
I just tried this with a fingerless glove I made yesterday. It's SO easy and fast and the result is great! :D
This is great. I've been trying boiling the wool, because I've seen many tutorials online for boiled wool mittens, but my projects never felt in boiling water, even when I've boiled it for a couple of hours. I've been able to felt by washing and drying on high, but since I don't have a washer, I have to wait until I do my weekend washing, and sometimes I don't want to wait all week. I'm going to give this a try. Thank you for sharing your tutorial :)
I'm easing back into needle arts after a 10-15 year break and was wondering what all this talk was about felting. Thank you for your excellent video. In addition to being very clear step by step how you do it, I got a good picture of how many variations there are by your own comments as well as comments posted. Some seemed really snide, but everyone prefers their own method, don't they? Thanks for showing yours so thoroughly.
Thank you, simple to follow. perfect for a newbie like me
You are right! My hands got chapped from lots of exposure to slightly too hot water and agittation. Wearing gloves made the process really difficult. I found that this bucket method helped my skin quite a bit.
The results?
Thank you for posting this. I too lack a top-loading washing machine and most other tutorials for felting are somewhat sparse. Thanks a lot!
does this work with crocheting as well...i just learned how back in june and i want to learn something new
Wow, what the heck is this? I had no idea I could felt my crochet work. This is amazing information. I will definitely give it a try. What other projects can I felt? You know, now that I remember my mom once wash a cardigan, that she herself made for me, and it got all puff, I had no idea that was felting! Thanks for the video.
Just make sure it is 100% wool (or alpaca or another animal fiber) for a chance. if the yarn is superwash or an acrylic blend then it won't really felt. (Basically, you want it to NOT be machine washable!) Good luck and have fun!
have you tried splatting them on the floor or in a sink over and over and shock it with cold water alternating with hot?
very nice video thank you!
(i wonder what would happen if i would just boil it in the bucket? would not the bubbles do the agitation?)
silly question....did you use some special yarn to knit with to make it felt up. New to this kniting and have seen pieces that have been felting and wan to try it out!! Thanks
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS. THANKS.
one trick that i found helped was i knited a swatch to felt cause i wanted to see how it would turn out i had the idea to use it to rub those spots that never seem to felt
Great tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing
You are so welcome!
yeah you can. I crochet and want to learn felting. Seen some of the items but never done it. But I know you can do crochet stuff.
Nice, amazing
I have been told that you need to use wool yarn only. Can this be done with any kind of yarn? I am trying to learn felting. Thanks for the information and the video.
@bravorogerbravo You can certainly do felting in a washing machine, but it is better if you have access to a top-loading machine. (I only have access to front loading machines, and for energy conservation sake there is no real hot option.)
I personally like the control of hand felting, but each person has different preferences.
@elenasakman Bubbles alone don't make quite enough agitation to felt items. I have felted items on the stove top with boiling water and a potato masher, but objects might deform a bit more this way.
@sandry3080 I'm with you on the gloves! I've dainty hands but long fingers. The major glove brands in size S fit me across the hand but the fingers are too short. However I can't stand the feeling of my skin after working in our hard water. I've been lucky with some of the kitchy type kichen gloves...the ones with the fancy cuffs, & I've also got some re-usable hair dying gloves at the beauty supply that rocked. I've a front loader, so I'll try your method with the Fiber Trends clogs. Thanks! :)
Very good
Can I also use baking soda as an alternative, instead of liquid soap?
where can i get a pattern for your oven mitts
@ashenzues This will work with crochet garments as well. (as long as you use 100% wool)
@mtames2002 This isn't a silly question! You need to use 100% wool fiber to felt. Yarn with acrylic or superwash wool won't work (superwash by definition won't felt.) Good luck!
I felt my mittens in a front loaded washing machine. Some times o need to cycles though.
So helpful! And I laughed cause I'm barefoot 24/7 and happy to see a soul sister.
I've heard that switching back and forth from cold water to hot water helps felting. Wondering if you had an opinion abt that? TY
I was given a hat that was knitted and felted for me. It's too large by 1/2 inch. Can I do this procedure again and continue to shrink it down the 1/2"?
Diane Hughes It is certainly worth a try! It may not shrink more if it has been felted a lot but it might work.
i never really believed felting was possible, so it's great to see you do it in a bucket and i can see it happen before my eyes! I'm bit worried about size though, i'm making a hat for a teddy bear, and using 8ply woll with size 5 needles... i'm hoping i can knit the hat about the right size and it'll eventually shrink back to fit? it looks like your mitts never really shrank back they looked very big?
thank you for the video. do you have a pattern for the oven mitt that you knitted?
The pattern is not my design, but is linked to in this post: www.chemknits.com/2010/05/more-felted-oven-mitts.html
www.madisonknittersguild.org/patterns/aanderson_fryingpan.pdf
@@ChemKnitsTutorials no longer available on either link.
if i have a top loader with an agitator built into it do i need to wash my items with anything else
Not really. But be careful if you're doing an oven mitt because you don't want the two sides to fuse together.
Yes, you need to use 100% wool yarn for the best felting results. If a yarn is labeled as machine washable, then it won't felt (since it has been blended or treated to prevent felting.) Superwash wools also will not felt.
Very little soap is used in the felting process. The heat of the water causes much more irritation to my skin.
When felting a knitted piece, just about how much will it shrink? A lot? half the size? Not much? I’d like to have an idea.. thanks for your answer
The amount of shrinkage can vary a LOT based on a variety of factors: The yarn, the gauge the original piece was knit, etc. If you are felting a project for a fit (eg felting a hat or mittens), you should make a swatch and try felting that to see how it shrinks. Some fabrics might shrink more in length than width etc. With oven mitts the final shape has some room for the proportions to be a bit off.
One benefit of hand felting is that you have some control over the final size. If you're in a washing machine then you have less personal control.
@Vintagebeauty1313 No, you cannot use any yarn for felting. 100% wool yarns are best for felting. Any yarn that is machine washable (including 100% superwash wool) won't work.
New drinking game; take a shot each time she says, "y'know."
If you add ums to the list you'd never make it through the video. ;)
can you felt crochet stuff too?
Rea Davies Yes. It’s not about the method of creating the fabric. It’s about the fiber used to make the fabric. Untreated wool felts best. Man made fibers (acrylics and polyesters) don’t felt at all. I don’t think (not positive) that cotton, bamboo or silk felts on its own, but it does ok if it’s in a wool blend.
How much larger does the knit need to be, to shrink it down to felt?
That depends a lot on your yarn, the size needles you knit with, etc. For an oven mitt, it is okay for it to still end up being oversized, but for hats and mittens you need to worry about the fit a bit more. (For an oven mitt you also want the felting to be super dense so you dont' burn yourself!)
The nice thng about felting by hand is that you have some control over the process. If things start to shrink too much you can always stop.
If i'm felting something where size matters, I will always try a swatch first. I'll knit a 4x4 square with the needles and see if it shrinks more width-wise or lengthwise. That can help you determine how much bigger to make your project.
Good luck!
Do you share the oven mit pattern?
The pattern I used is no longer available on the website (it was out of the frying pan, the first link on this blog post)
www.chemknits.com/2010/09/search-for-oven-mitt-knitting-patterns.html but here are some other oven mitt knitting patterns I found when i was doing my original search.
Also, a felted piece, can it be washed when dirty?
It can be washed, but I would hand wash it to avoid felting it further.
@Khamomil I'm sorry that you feel this way. I use this method to help keep my hands from going raw. I personally do not have access to a top loading washing machine, so I have to do my felting by hand. This agitation method helps keep my hands out of hot water, which is much more comfortable.
Wow. This is the first of yours that I’ve watched. It’s really good. Im totally inspired to try your oven mits….’cause I’ve got way too much stash! Such a great idea🤗. Do you line them as well?
I’m going to try to felt some daisies I crocheted to attach to a little hoodie I knit for my goddaughter’s first girl baby. I was thinking of putting them in a thermos with hot water and some smooth river pebbles to increase the agitation. Do you think that would work?
I don't line the oven mitts, but it was such a good stash busting project back when I was good at shrinking my stash, lol. I still have and use one of the first oven mitts I ever felted even before this video. I find that felted slippers tend to wear out but the oven mits have been fine so far. (Just don't let them get wet, then the heat will go through.)
The pebbles might help. Some of my best results end up being from rubbing the material against itself.
Hi so what your doing is shringing the wool. Interesting
Yes, I am shirking the wool to felt it. :D
@Yomalex3 Whoops! Sorry about that... I suppose it is what I get for doing stream of consciousness commentary.
Do you know if acrylic yarn will work?
FabRic Acrylic yarn will NOT work.
+FabRic no can't felt acrylic
Can you use hot or warm water in a top loaded washing machine?
yes! at the time I didn't have access to a top loader so I had to try this way.
+ChemKnits Tutorials thanks! it will save my hands!
can you use any yarn for felting?
No. Do a bit of research? I like in the UK and have a book on felting with a list of good felting yarns/fleece! Worsted weight is needed. :)
Oops that was 7 years ago, sorry! You will know by now.
No. Do a bit of research? I like in the UK and have a book on felting with a list of good felting yarns/fleece! Worsted weight is needed. :)
Oops that was 7 years ago, sorry! You will know by now.
is soap necessary?
greekgirl209 soap helps agitate the fiber. I haven't done a side by side comparison, but it seems to help for me.
@sandry3080 Felt has been made for thousands of years before the invention of the washing machine and the old methods are more efficient than what you show us which is an attempt to duplicate the movement of the wash-mach.
Why not put industrial-strength rubber gloves on so you'd be able to handle the items and knead them properly you could also roll them in a small scale version of the Kirgiz method to make felt for their yurts, which does not involve direct contact with the wet wool.
thank u ya know cuz this is ya know so helpful ya know cuz i got a ya know crappy washer yaknow and then ya know i found this vid ya know and it was ya know helpful ya know
Could you use a portable washing machine that is foot agitated?
I'm sure that you could! I've never tried anything like that but I've felted things in top loader normal washing machine before.
ChemKnits Tutorials I was just curious because I had seen several versions that are used when camping or in an RV.
I think if you had access to one that would be great! Toss some tennis balls or something in, too, for some agitation.
You can felt in a front load washing machine.
On average, how long does the hand process take? The video is 15 minutes. Did you agitate longer than that? Thanks
This was years ago, but I likely did have to aggitate longer. WIth an oven mitt you really want to make sure that you have good felted coverage.
@Khamomil I'm sorry you disapprove of my method. It works for me, and although I am happy with my method I never mind getting new tips. I tried rubber gloves in the past, but found them cumbersome (I am still looking for a pair that will fit my tiny hands better!) Cheers.
@setphaser The oven mitts did shrink. For another example of ovenmitts that I knit, visit chemknits(dot)com/2011/01/more-oven-mitts.html In this example I have a ruler with the before and after versions of the mitts. You should be able to shrink the hat as long as you are using 100% wool.
I wanted to see the finished product!
Awe, I'm sorry I didn't include it in the video. You can see it here: www.chemknits.com/2011/01/more-oven-mitts.html
@wahinesurfergirl I'm honestly not sure if it would work or not. I see no reason not to try.
Hi michele. I discuss my felted oven mitts at (chemknitsDOTcom)/2010/05/more-felted-oven-mitts.html The link to the pattern pdf is the first link on that page ("this felted oven mitt pattern") Best of luck!
can I use 50/50 wool acrylic yarn?
Caroline Westenberg No, this won't felt. anything labeled machine washable won't work.
100% wool is your best bet. Machine washable wool, even if 100% wool, won't work. The process used to make the wool machine washable destroys its ability to felt. Synthetics don't felt either. Also avoid using white or off-white as they do not felt well. I hope this helps :)
My thoughts after seeing this type of video, no one never mentions size of project before felting. I must be missing something in the process.
Here is a blog post where I have a photo of the oven mitt before and after felting next to a ruler for scale. www.chemknits.com/2011/01/more-oven-mitts.html Before it is maybe 17-19" long. After maybe 13".
Felting does NOT work with all yarn types. Wool and other animal fibers felt well, as long as they haven't been treated to be superwash. Some wool/synthetic blends MIGHT felt, I would try knitting a 4x4" swatch and then try to felt it to see what happens. (Rule of thumb, if it is machine washable, then it likely won't felt... and that is a big reason why they blend wool with synthetics - to prevent felting.)
ya know
I thought she said her hands got chapped because of hand agitation
... You know...
Thus would take hours. Lots of edits. I tried with a jumper and failed.
But, but, but....where’s the finished product? We watched this and nothing to see. I feel I’m owed my time back😫
It was on my website. I'm so sorry for any confusion. www.chemknits.com/2011/01/more-oven-mitts.html
This has to be the most inefficient and time consuming way of felting. I believe your approach consisting of imitating the movement of a top-loader is erroneous. 1st cuz the machine makes back-and-forth movement that makes the items rub against each other, which is what cleans them, and felts wool items whereas in your demo nothing rubs against the mitts plus you're using an ovaloid bucket while making a circular movement which impedes rotation. Traditional felting is better if no machine.
?? So.."What Exactly,?? does this~ End Product, / Actually.. "FEEL"~LIKE.?? I imagine.."Oooh- Yuck/ +Scratchie-Hard..& "Awful"!!!
The end product feels soft, a lot like craft felt but wool instead of plastic. It is squishy but a little stiff. The oven mitts protect your hands from the heat when cooking.
Useless