you can't felt ACRYLIC right?

[VictoiseC]

Hi hi. I want to make my first kitty bed. Now did I see that here this morning? I forgot but it's a great pattern and I just ran out and bought size 11 dpns to start it.

The thing is I have some acrylic that looks great and thought why waste the expensive yarn on my baby... BUT! Then I remembered,
you can't felt acrylic right? Nothing happens?

Hm. Ok, what do you know?

[beldaraan]

Nope you can't felt acrylic. Actually the only yarn you can felt has to be 100% nonwashable animal fur.

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

It IS possible to use some acrylic yarns together with wool when you felt... like if you want a felted purse with a feathery border around the opening, or mittens with a fluffy cuff. But it is ULTRA important to do a swatch when felting, and I usually do 2 swatches if I am mixing yarns... and sometimes more if I am mixing natural+acrylic yarns... they might not felt together at all, they might felt at different rates, or a small swatch/project could felt great while a larger project/swatch might felt horibly. Felting works because animal hair is has lots of different layers of cuticle, and the layers lift up and fuse together as a result of the heat and agitation. You can do it with human hair too... you get dreadlocks! Because the acrylic yarns are made of plastic, they don't have those layers. (not that anyone asked... ☺) you CAN sew a knitted acrylic piece to a felted piece, if you can't knit with them together. Do some experiments! I have a TON of felted swatches that I use for coasters now. Or you could have a felted dishcloth. HTH!

[VictoiseC]

Huh, how about that, I always wondered why dreadlocks looked funny... I mean not like simple hair. like braided hair. it gets felted?! That's an amazing fact.

I haven't felted anything yet except a really beautiful sweater that my husband put in the washer by mistake! #**@! and I'm looking forward to trying it. Last summer was the first time I found out what felt is duh, at my late age in life (well, not too late)

There were these two women selling stuff at this farm, roadside stand. They had all kinds of felted toys, balls, dolls, bags, hats. They had little nests out of softly coloured felt that each held a crystal. The colors together were wonderful and they sell them to lots of kids.

ok, thanks for the tips/info!

[VictoiseC]

I'm glad Amy mentioned putting jeans in the washer with the socks she felted (over in the other subject of finished projects).
I forgot about that.