Felted bag

[DutchOma]

I'm sure I have seen threads on felting before but cannot quite find what I'm looking for.
I want to make this bag and it's felted. Now I've already found out that you need pure wool for it which needs handwashing only and thought that I might just use some of the vast quantities of Shetland wool I have lying around. Use it double. But then? Do I just stick it in the washing wachine on a hot wash and hope it works? Or in hot water in the sink?
Any advice?

insturctions

and here

hth

Thanks duntg. The hand felting seems easier than the machine felting since my machine will not open whe it is full of hot water.
I'm going to try with a swatch first.

Hi DutchOma, I do quite a lot of felting, nd never need to open the machine. As long as you don't use superwash it should be fine. I do a cycle at 50 or 60 degrees with the thing I'm felting inside a pillowcase, and then another cycle if it hasn't felted enough.

What DO you mean FioFio? Wusses? Moi?

so to felt you just knit then shove it on a hot wash ?????

its that simple???????

Pretty much, yes For a sturdy bag it needs to be good and thick, and apparently if you knit it on bigger needles than you would think it needs, that is better because there's more room for agitation or something. Our washing machine is a Dyson and I suspect that means I need to do fewer cycles than with other machines because the way the drum rotates is ideal for felting. If I can bring myself to do a 60 degree wash it usually only needs one cycle, and I have stopped bothering with adding jeans and stuff like that.
Here is one I made earlier, and if you go to the next picture you can see it afterwards. It's nicer than it looks on that photo now though, it's kind of bedded in

tamum where did you get the ugg pattern from? sorry was being nosey also what kind of wool do you need to do felting im gonna knit a baby holdall for a fellow mnetter and i think she'll love the felted effect

I use pure wool aran, doubled, usually, but it depends on how sturdy you want it. The baby ugg boots pattern is here, I just changed it slightly

Oh, felting looks lovely. Spotted a Rowan book of stuff in JL teh otehr week but couldn't fidn it when I looked today. Nor do they sell any Sirdar Blur wool. And teh service in teh cafe Wasn't Very Good [JL have wasted my time today emoticon]

The scone and clotted cream was still good though.

i love jl got loads of wool in the clearance sale

tamm being silly now when you say doubled do you mean as in knit using two balls of wool at the same time?????

Yes, that's right dressedup- you could use chunky wool otherwise. I use about 8mm needles with two strands of aran FWIW.

I did a felted vase for my auntie's birthday last week & she was dead chuffed Used Colinette prism which has a strand of cotton through it. Wasn't sure it would work but it was the only reasonably priced chunky wool I could get up town (was too stingy to fork out £10.50 for the Noro) - it took 3 tries at 40, 50 then 60 degrees but I was pleased with the end result.

I just stick whatever I'm felting in a pillowcase & bung it in with whatever is due to go in the machine (unless I'm washing nappies lol).

right off to find some cheap green aran on ebay

But that's what it says in the pattern, FioFio, although in the internet instructoins it tells you how to do it with yarn. Seems quite tricky though, so I shall stick to knit and then felt, wuss or not - thank you

so how do you just felt then ?
i am intrigued

also can you use [whispers] acrylic?????

Ermmmm

pray tell why do I have to have an acrylic bag DUNTG?

sneaky mare your gonna cost me a fortune!!!!!!

snort

tis great when you have friends that are talented