How can I felt by hand???
Can I use boiled water to get the same effect??
Our machine does not have a really “hot” cycle. (There is no problem with the temperature of the dryer.)
I like to felt items by hand in the bathtub whenever I’m stressed. It’s great for getting frustrations out. i put a few inches of the hottest water I can stand touching in the tub, and put in the item to be felted. I use a potato masher and cause as much friction in the piece as possable. Just beat the hell out of it. It’s the friction/ agitation that matters more than the temp of the water. I like doing it this way because you have more control over how felted the item becomes. It does take a while, and you can have a large bowl of ice cold water to shock the item to help the felting process go faster.
I don’t like to throw the felted wool in the dryer, as it definately seems to fade the colors, pill a bit more, and picks up any colors of other felts or fabrics in the dyer with it…not reccomended in my opinion~
I have used 2 teapots full of boiling water, and just kept a good eye on it, for it seems to ‘go’ all at once~ I also cover the top of my large sized crockpot, or the washer tub with a heavy towel or blanket to hold the heat in, and then just done’t let the water drain out for 3 or 4 cycles. Works great every time~
Good luck!