Wool Felting - Top Loader

Wool Felt With a Top-Loader Washing Machine

Materials

• pillow case - zippered or you can tie 'mouth' during wash
  (make sure your case/bag is large enough so that the project can more or less lie flat and move around during wash)
• soap - mild laundry detergent, or baking soda, or mild shampoo, or dish soap
• agitator helpers - old jeans, tennis ball(s), boots, thongs - anything that can take the heat

Pillow case: this is to hold your item to be felted during the wash. Zip up or tie up the mouth to keep it in the case. The case will prevent loose fibers from clogging up your machine and causing damage to it. For this reason, many advise on not using a lingerie netting bag or other laundry net bags with holes. The fibers can 'escape' and might clog up and damage your machine. Also if you have other garments etc. in the machine at the same time, escaping loose fibers will stick to them and can be very difficult to remove.

Soap: use only a small amount - like a teaspoon. Make sure it is mild, preferably unscented and undyed.

Agitator Helpers: Felting occurs under heat when the fibers rub against each other. Woolen fibers have tiny scales on the surface. They open up when wet. When they are hot and are rubbed against each other, the scales will close, bond, and irreversibly interlock.

So to felt an item, the more the agitation, the better the felted result. Throwing in an old pair of jeans, tennis balls, etc. together with your felting project increases this essential agitation process. Some throw the tennis balls into the pillow case together with the item to be felted. Basically, anything that can stand the hot water and will increase the agitation of woolen fibers against other will help.

This is also why you should have had looser stitches than normal when you knitted/crocheted up your project. Tight stitches have less change of rubbing against each other during the vigorous wash.

Washing Machine Settings

• Lowest water setting (or small load setting)
• Highest temperature.
• Longest or Highest Agitation

Felting Process

1. Let water fill, adding your tiny amount of soap.
2. Then put your pillowcased-project and your agitator helpers into the washing machine and let it wash for about 5 minutes.
3. Open the lid (or stop the machine), pull out your project to see how it is felting. Squeeze (not wring) out excess water to check.
   
   If you should notice your piece is getting looser rather than firmer, don't worry. Initially some yarns will do this. This is a result of the yarn "relaxing" ~ the little scales on the woolen yarn opens up when wet.
4. Each time you check, check for creases and whether the pieces are felting together. Smooth out creases because they will become permanent once felted. Use your hands to separate sides (e.g. for a hat or bag) as you don't want to end up with one that is fused shut. Reshape with your hands if needed.
5. Put your project back into the machine and let it continue for another 5-10 mins. Keep checking regularly. Use a timer if necessary.
   You need to check because once it starts felting, it can happen very quickly and you don't want your piece to be over-felted and too rigid.
6. Put back in and continue. When, during your checks, you notice that it is almost done, you will need to check even more frequently: 1-2 mins interval.
7. Do not let it go into spin or drain mode. This will halt the felting process.
8. Once you are happy that it has felted to your satisfaction, take it out and squeeze (not wring) out excess water.
9. Then plunge it into cold water. The drastic change in temperature helps to set the felting process. Rub and rinse out soap from the garment in the cold water.
   If the rinsing and rubbing with your hands causes additional felting, don't worry about it. It will be insignificant.
10. When thoroughly rinsed of soap, again squeeze as much water out as possible. No wringing.
11. Roll up in some thick toweling to absorb even more water. Do this again if you have to.
12. When you have gotten out as much water as you can, it is time to dry it.
13. Flat pieces of work, you can stretch and block for drying.
    For shaped pieces, reshape it. Use anything appropriate to its shape ~ bowl for round shapes, blocks or books for rectangles, or stuff it with something that will help define its shape during drying.
    Let it dry, reshaping or turning it inside out once in a while if appropriate.
    Depending on your climate and the project, the amount of drying time will vary.