has anyone felted 100purewool?

[huzefasid]

I want to make a pair of felted mittens and socks. I want them to be
windproof and durable for outdoor use. I am also interested learning
what yarn felts best. I am interested in objective reasoning behind
it.

I found some interesting info.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5094620AAXWpAf

In order to felt well, your fabric needs to have lots of space between
individual fibers. That means fluffy/puffy yarn and bigger-than-normal
stitches. A fluffy yarn is better than a tightly spun yarn, and a
single ply or roving yarn is best of all (in terms of feltability).

Also dyeing / bleaching affects the softness and felting. I think
undyed single ply worsted/bulky yarn would felt best. So far I have
only found one from 100purewool. Is there any other option? Can you
tell me if a single ply or a 3 ply makes any difference in a felted
fabric? Will 3 ply felt pill less after felting? Will it be as soft as single ply after felting?

I can get 100purewool for $6.8/skeins including shipping but i have to buy 25min.

I have also been told that more expensive yarns make no difference in a felted product but I cannot find ANY other yarn for a lower price when I factor in the shipping cost to India. Let me know if there is any.

[Jan in CA]

I haven't used that one for felting, but I've had success with several.

Cascade 220
Wool of the Andes (Knitpicks)
Ella Rae Classic
Manos de Uruguay Maxima
Patons Classic Wool

[huzefasid]

That's great. Have you noticed any difference in the felted fabric? Can you rank them in order of most durable to the least. Whats is the softest? Thanks.

[Jan in CA]

Well, not really. Most of them were things that don't get a lot of hard use. I am wearing felted clogs now that seem to be wearing well though and definitely get hard use. These are made with Ella Rae Classic and Manos del Uruguay. Two strands held together with a size 13 needle. Time will tell though.

[fatoldladyinpjs]

I haven't because I'm afraid I'll mess it up. I'm interested in reading what kind of answers you get here. Is this right that the object will shrink about 40%? I don't have a washer or dryer. Will hand washing this to felt be a drawback?

Also, here's an article by Techknitter about this. She says to knit the cuffs in superwash wool that won't shrink.

http://techknitting.blogspot.com/search?q=mittens

[suzeeq]

I don't felt, but I've heard that things will shrink about 20-30%, though some might shrink as much as 40%, depending on the fiber content. Usually people make a large swatch, measure it, then felt it to see how much it shrinks.

[Jan in CA]

There are a bunch of different yarns called that on Ravelry. Don't know what weight you're looking at, but you might be able to find some people who've felted with it there. Ravelry is free to join.
http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/search#...%20pure%20wool

[SandsLVT]

I've felted with Lamb's Pride yarn before. It's 100% wool and felted well, IMO. I made purses and they shrank uniformly. However, I read somewhere that an object will shrink more width-wise than length-wise, if that makes sense. Something to keep in mind when making something to wear.

As for felting by hand, I've never done it but I've heard it's possible. I'm sure it's a lot of work, though. Good luck!

[Jan in CA]

Oh definitely they shrink more width then length! So if you were knitting a top down garment and planning to felt it would be much narrower than you'd intended.

I didn't know this till I saw people complaining about a felted bag called "booga bag". They were getting very short. That's easy to fix in a bag you just make it a little longer and wider, but for a garment..

[vaknitter]

Personally I don't think felted objects are "soft" and that may just be b/c I don't like to wear wool. I enjoy making felted projects, but the only wearable items I have felted are mittens, a hat, and clogs. That hat turned out to be less than wonderful b/c it wasn't stretchy and always felt like it was going to fall off. The mittens I had the opposite problem, I like a snug cuff to keep out the cold and snow and this cuff was so tight I could barely get my hand in. The mittens are not windproof and are not as durable for outdoor use as something with a leather palm. The clogs and bags I have felted are holding up quie nicely. After many swatches and failed projects I now only felt with Cascade 220. I found that the single ply I used pilled too much and the Lambs Pride shed way too much for my preference - it is also single ply. Most of my projects are knit with 2 strands held together. Have no idea about where to buy yarn online or shipping to India -