Dumbo question on felting

[cartblanche]

OK I have fallen in love with felted pompoms/balls and fancy making myself a garland in the style of the one on this link

Now I have a shrunken merino jumper (sob!) in a beautiful colour and have been googling a lot trying to see whether I can make balls with this. I can see tutorials where people are using wool roving but nothing with a felted sweater. To be honest, I am not interested in making felted objects per se (although I just saw a very sweet felted bowl on Etsy!) - I just want to make little balls that I can thread onto string.

Is this possible? And, if it is, can someone point me in the direction of a good tutorial? Thanks!

OK, these are not pompoms, they are felt balls... and are made from merino tops and I am afraid you could not make them from your old sweater. If you want to have a go, I have a step by step tutorial and the good news is that I did this with a 10 year old earlier in the week so I know it is really easy to do.

The other alternative is to buy yourself the felt balls pre-made from Etsy or Folksy and all you will need to get through them is a mattress needle... and yes, it really does need to be that big and nasty to get through the dense felt balls.

Thanks - good to know what's NOT possible as well as what is! Thanks LatteLady for that tutorial - I definitely want to have a go at making the balls just to see whether I enjoy the process- if I don't I'll be off to Folksy! So I now need to get hold of that wool roving don't I? That's the kind of thing that Hobbycraft would sell in tiny amounts for lots of money isn't it? If anyone knows of a good site where I could source that stuff and the needles then any pointers would be appreciated.

HelveticaTheBold no need to apologise - I will put my jumper to one side and revisit another day if I get drawn into this felting world - it won't go to waste I assure you

Thanks HelveticaTheBold

cart if you pm me I will send you a little bit to have a go (free of course) then you can see if you become as completely besotted with it as I am.

Have just made a huge felted leaf and acorn garland with 50 children at one of the schools I teach in. The acorns (think long thin balls, stuck in acorn cups) were easy enough for the children to do themselves, but two things made it easier.....make the ball really really round and soft before you add any water, and use a felting solution like filz to felt really quickly

On the upside about the jumper, you can cut little shapes out of it and it won't fray. What colour is it? You could cut little trees, holly leaves etc etc to make the string of loveliness.

Yesterday I made mittens on a string out of a felted charity shop jumper

Norks that is very kind of you - will definitely PM you. The very idea of of mittens on a string makes me feel all warm inside! I AM in the market for cutting Xmas tree shapes - methinks I will be washing that jumper again on a 90 wash and then using it for that very purpose - thanks a million

Norks - I have just had my first go at felting - a friend goes to a local, once a month group, and she took me along - and I really enjoyed it!! I've bought myself some wool tops in shades of blue and green, shades of pink and purple, and cream, and some silk tops in lots of lovely colours, and I'm hoping to make decorative pictures - abstract patterns, embroidered and beaded (always supposing my small skills can live up to my big dreams).

Cart - you could make a cushion cover with the felted sweater (the body of it) - cut shapes out of the sleeves (petals/leaves etc, maybe) and applique them on, and do a bit of embroidery and beading too.

OK Cart secret surprise on it's way :o

SDTG, that all sounds GORGEOUS. I love silk rovings and also put in all sorts of bits and bobs, sweet papers, gold threads, little bits of foil, all sorts. I am also a jeweller, so I cannot stop myself bunging beads on EVERYTHING. Pearls...little tiddly seed pearls, look great nestled into felt as well. Oooooooh, I love felting.

And don't get me started on needle-felting tiny dogs

Well worth haunting the £1 rail at the charity shop to collect jumpers just for felting, then you can build up a stash that needs it's own bedroom
Make sure you get 100% wool, though. Any additions and it won't felt properly.

Don't the tiny dogs mind, Norks??

And I daren't start collecting woolly jumpers to felt - dh already feels there is too much in my yarn stash - he claims I don't need any more yarn (oh foolish man)!!

Thank you Norks am WELL excited

Norks have just received an amazingly lovely package of different coloured felty bits to get me started and some examples of what I can do with it. The package was labelled to the "Felting Virgin" which probably gave my postman some food for thought

Off to YouTube for tutorials now - I may be some time...

absolutely my pleasure!