Hi Everyone,
Can anyone tell me if Cascade Fixation yarn is a good choice for felting? I know it’s mostly cotton w/a touch of elastic – I heard it was but I’m skeptical. I think I’ve felted one thing in my life, so I’m no expert…
The help is much appreciated!
Cotton will not felt. Only animal fibers will felt, as long as they are not bleached or treated to make them washable.
Whoever told you that was misinformed. It’s a cotton/nylon type blend. Cotton doesn’t felt. I tried one skein of this as a novelty. I had the idea of making baby socks that would stay on and not kick off. It was very stretchy and hard to knit with. When finished, it had (how do I describe it?) like a rough terry cloth type feel. It’s not the kind of thing you’d really want to wear next to your skin. I don’t think the stuff can breathe. And the skeins themselves are very tiny. I only got one pair of baby tube socks out of one, so that gives you an idea of how much yarn is on them. I wouldn’t buy this again.
First of all… welcome to Knitting Help!
Simply put…NO, it will not felt.
The fibers that felt best are 100% animal fiber like wool or alpaca. There are some blends that will felt if they are mostly animal fiber… like 75%, but they don’t all felt equally. Some won’t at all, some do fairly well.
Fibers that have been treated chemically to be washable will not felt. Some white will not felt well.
Best bet… 100% unwashable wool like Cascade 220, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Ella Rae Classic Wools. I’ve used those I listed and they felt beautifully.
I definitely can understand you when you describe Fixation as a “rough terry cloth” feel. I’m making an accent flower with this yarn to attach to a knitted headband, so I won’t have to worry about it making skin contact. The skeins [I]are[/I] tiny, holy moly! My mom had bought a few skiens and was planning to knit the flowers herself, but she’s been busy with some other projects so I volunteered my services. 
Thanks for your help!
Also, [B]thank you[/B] Jan in CA, all of your information was very helpful – and thanks for the warm welcome! This site is fantastic.