I am having trouble felting a hat. I have one of those new washing machines that dont’ have the center agitation thingy. Is there a way to super felt something? I have put it through 4 cycles and it still isn’t near the size it needs to be.
Thanks,
Karen
it does tend to take longer without the agitator unfortunately. the best thing i can tell you is that you should probably put some old jeans in with it or something like that (not towels though!) i even through the cleanest pair of old tennis shoes in with mine (the cleanest because they have been washed like this a bajillyun times!) make sure you are putting your work in a pillowcase or something like that before you do it though so you don’t end up getting it all stretched around the stuff you put in there.
I recently made a hat where the directions said to wet in hot water and put it in the dryer. I figured that if it didn’t work, I could felt it in the washer. It took several times through the dryer–rewetting and redrying, but it did felt!
Is there a point where the item just doesn’t get any smaller when felting? It seems to be staying at the same size the last couple times in the washer.
Karen
There does come a point when it won’t get smaller. You can tell you’ve reached your limit if you can no longer see any stitch definition.
I took the hat to the laundramat today to see if it got smaller in their machine and I think it might have a little. I might take it back to see what happens if I put it through again. It is still too big to wear. I can’t figure what went wrong. I used the right yarn that was recommended and I was on target with my stitches. UGH! :pout: :pout: :pout:
I hate to waste money when it doesn’t work out.
Karen
Have you tried wetting it and throwing it in the dryer?
I live in an apartment, so I have to use the laundrymat. Anyways, it takes about 3-4 loads to get something felted. I would suggest you go there, and wash all your blankets while you’re at it. That way you accomplish two things at the same time : )
one of the problems that i have heard with the laundromat is that the water sometimes isn’t hot enough. i have never experienced this because i only do my towels and sheets in hot water and i never paid attention to whether the water was hot enough when i used the mat. so i don’t know if that is true but it might be something you would want to watch while you are there. i had a hat that i made that i am pretty sure had to be wrong because i followed the pattern more exactly than any pattern i ever have…at that time i tended to be a tight knitter rather than loose…and the yarn felted better than just about anything i have ever used…still the hat was giant on my head! it was so big that i couldn’t really even donate it because i am pretty sure NOBODY has a head that big… :teehee: thankfully it was only WOTA so i didn’t feel so bad about the cost but it was awfully pretty :pout: I never made that pattern again…
however…if my actual point was that if it isn’t GINORMOUS but still won’t fit you or someone you know…consider donating it! i am sure the recipient will appreciate it more than you could ever imagine and you will feel good about the “lost” knitting! 