sonia
Junior Member
Posts: 44
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Post by sonia on Mar 14, 2015 14:09:10 GMT
It's gone cold again here, so felting is frustrating, to put it mildly ! I cant heat the room so have experimented with microwave & the steamer to warm up the felt. I was wondering if there are some wools that would be better suited, not that any like being wet & cold, but maybe some faster felters ? Have just done my first experiment with Norwegian C1 & C1 Pels, which felted very quickly. It is not dry yet so I dont know what it will be useful for. Are there any other types like this, which felt quickly ... and would hopefully not be so expensive ! It would also be helpful to know which wools to definitely avoid in winter !
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Post by zed on Mar 14, 2015 14:49:10 GMT
What are you making? Do you not have hot water in the room? Can you squeeze your felt periodically and re wet with hot water?
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Post by Ali Iceloff on Mar 14, 2015 15:17:28 GMT
It's pretty cold here in the house about 65. I just keep putting my stuff in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time..same as yours C1-pelsull. Just what ever you do, don't let it sit there in the cold water.....nothing will happen to the wool....but you will get frustrated with it! The microwave was a miracle worker for me. I think it will make a nice purse. If you are going for next to skin, I hear the short fiber merino batts felt quick. You could also try needle felting....no water required!! (:
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Mar 14, 2015 15:19:46 GMT
There are no wools that should be avoided in the winter, in my opinion. I either use the microwave for heating up wool or add soap and hot water from the tea kettle or faucet.
If you are looking for less expensive wools to felt with in experiments or sampling, you could try the “domestic sheep blends” which are named differently in various parts of the world. I have purchased white “domestic 56’s” in the USA for an all-purpose wool.
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Post by MTRuth on Mar 14, 2015 16:18:40 GMT
Wool will felt even in the cold. It takes longer but technically, the process doesn't require heat. It just speeds up the felting. It gets cold here too and I felt with all variety of wool throughout the winter.
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Post by halay on Mar 14, 2015 16:26:58 GMT
I agree with Ruth. It is rubbing and friction which makes felt, or rather pre-felt. I don't even bother if I start working with room temperature water (with nuno felting for example, you must sart with cold water). Before I start fulling I rinse and squeeze my work in hot water and work further on.
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Post by koffipot on Mar 14, 2015 16:45:19 GMT
As Ruth and Nada have said, though heat helps, it's not essential. Friction is probably the most important. You can make felt with dry fibres just rubbing or rolling.
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Post by Ali Iceloff on Mar 14, 2015 17:51:02 GMT
Maybe it was the fact that my wool was too wet rather than cold! I defer to the experts on the board! (:
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Post by halay on Mar 14, 2015 18:28:52 GMT
I agree, too much water rather than cold may be the problem. I always keep a towel at the side to mop excess water.
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Post by koffipot on Mar 14, 2015 18:43:49 GMT
Yes, too wet and the fibres slide away rather than knit together.
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sonia
Junior Member
Posts: 44
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Post by sonia on Mar 14, 2015 19:07:29 GMT
Thank you everyone for yr advice. I think you are absolutely right about too much water & I must try to avoid this ! Ali Iceloff, the short fibre merino batts are next on my list of experiments. The C1, cold, wet & everything wrong, felted very easily but I am guessing it will be good for bags & hats. Luvswool, I haven't bought the actual "56s" but I found a lot of the native breeds make squishy felt rather than dense felt, which isnt always what I want. Or maybe it is what I do to them !! Re: a different post about what to buy from Wollknoll, I am working my way thro the different breed wool I got from them, & this week I tried the Stone Sheep black wool. I recommend it ... easy to felt, lovely black colour with a few lighter hairs & a good sheen ! It isnt as soft as merino but softer than corriedale. It is a gorgeous background for colour, if you haven't tried it.
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Post by Pandagirl on Mar 14, 2015 22:33:10 GMT
I don't have much to add here Sonia. I work in a very cold basement. I do use the I microwave and even keep a small crockpot of hot water in hand when I've got a full day of felting. Yes, too much water could be a problem. I keep a sponge and container handy to wipe of excess or to pour into. I look forward to seeing your creations.
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Post by zed on Mar 15, 2015 10:02:55 GMT
I keep feeling like I'm missing something when we have these posts, I'm not sure I follow what the problem is with the cold etc. Maybe it's because we have a very different climate here (Ali says 65 is cold, I don't heat the house hotter than 68) so we have different conditions in our rooms? Even though Sonia says she now thinks it a case of too wet not too cold, I don't understand the need for the microwave or why the water cooling is such an issue. Is it more than no one has access to hot water where they felt? Or are making huge, thick pieces? I feel like I'm being really dense about this or I've missed something
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Post by Ali Iceloff on Mar 15, 2015 16:53:53 GMT
Zed..I don't know about the initial post...and 65 isn't nearly as cold as the garage I used to lampwork in....but all I know is that I was making a purse and I got to the point where my purse was sitting in cold wet conditions and wouldn't felt....it was a wet fuzzy mess! (: I finally put it in the microwave (and got rid of some water) and magic, it started shrinking and felting up nicely! (: I attributed the problem to cold...but I think my problem was wet. Hopefully Sonia will come back and add more, but I wonder if she is working in a cold garage? In which case working with cold wet felt wouldn't be fun at all!
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sonia
Junior Member
Posts: 44
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Post by sonia on Mar 15, 2015 20:18:31 GMT
I've recently got a studio which I cant heat. The temperature is around 40/ 42°F some days & I am dressed like the abominable snowman ! I have found that putting the felt in the microwave helps. I tried rice bags but they didnt stay hot enough for long. My experience is the same as Ali Iceoff, in that getting the felt warmer or being there on a warmer day definitely makes a huge difference. ... but this could be because I have let it get too wet & so the cold is affecting it. I will have to experiment more.
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