As you may already know, TLC Inspirations is on hiatus right now. It’s only been a few weeks, but we’ve been busy and I, personally, have found a new technique for my arsenal of “abilities” “unmastered skills”. I’m somewhere between beginner and advanced in crochet and don’t knit, although I made a lame attempt once. Two sticks? Nope, not me…I’m a hooker (yes, I still find that amusing). Crocheting is great, and I’m still learning, but I decided to wander into the world of felting and, before someone corrects me, the first thing I learned is that our idea of felting is not really felting at all. It’s actually called “fulling”. While felting refers to binding the raw, non-woven wool together, fulling involves the final shrinking of a finished (woven) piece. Both processes require water.

What I’ve discovered is that fulling sometimes breeds guesswork. I have a mild fear of the unknown, so, in a weird way, fulling is helping me to face my fear. Getting wool to shrink to the right size is tricky and *should* be gauged and tested, but I mostly crochet bags, so size is not that important to me. I don’t usually gauge my crochet projects. There, I said it – I don’t GAUGE (cue gasp)!

Not a fan of wasted materials, but even more than that, I hate ADMITTING I’ve screwed up, but that’s how I learn, so this is also very therapeutic for me. It seems as though I’m getting more than I bargained for out of this little venture. So, feel free to learn from my mistakes. I mean, someone should…

FULLING 101: Use 100% wool or animal fiber (nothing chemically treated to NOT felt or shrink).

1. Yarn weight, stitch, and hook size will all play a factor in the outcome of your fulled project. I’ve had the best luck using an “I” hook, worsted weight wool yarn, and half double crochet. It’s just loose enough to allow the wool to full properly.
2. Fishermen’s Wool (no dyes, made in China) is cheap and widely used in fulling. Their solids full great, but the tweeds get seriously fuzzy! They need a darn haircut after fulling, even though they’re 100% wool. Hmmm. For color, I use Brown Sheep NatureSpun (colors, texture, value, & made in the USA!)
3. Interestingly, a knitted project will shrink more in height than in width, but a crocheted project will do the opposite. And you know what? There was one bag where I thought it had actually GROWN in height.
4. And, just for random’s sake, colored wool fulls differently than white, even if they’re the same brand. I know you’re going to think I’m crazy because that’s what I thought when I read it on somebody else’s blog, but then I mixed them in a large project and was devastated when I proved her right ;(
5. Always put your project in a pillowcase and TIE CLOSED before washing your project in the machine. This prevents gnarly fuzz and stretching. NOT doing this may stretch a purse strap to the length of a dog leash. Just trust me on this.
6. To full, throw wool item in the washing machine on HOT wash, COLD rinse. Hot water binds the fibers, cold sets the fibers. DO NOT PUT IN DRYER, unless you desire something that resembles plywood. Roll it up in a towel instead. “Block“, if needed, and air dry.
7. Put a *small* amount of mild detergent and a few “agitators” in the wash with your project, like jeans; something that won’t take a liking to dye or fuzz (should some escape pillowcase).
8. You’re using wool and hot water. Shrinkage is eminent, so crochet/knit your project 30-50% larger than you want it to be when complete. The longer you wash your item, the more it will full, shrink, and thicken, so check on it often. Fully fulled = no countable stitches.
9. Oh, and if you crochet a red handle on the inside of a white bag and throw it in the wash to full, the red fibers WILL show through the white. Not that this has ever happened to me.
10. “Felting (fulling) will hide all your mistakes.” This little gem is totally false, people. It will hide small stitching errors, but if you mess up big and expect to throw it in the wash and have it come out right, you’re as delusional as I was last month. Fix – then full!

FULLING 101: Final size and texture depends on many variables – yarn weight and color, stitch, hook size, water temperature, time washed, detergent, hard or soft water, agitation, and maybe even your freakin’ altitude attitude.

❤ PLEASE SHARE ❤
Have you tried “felting” (fulling) yet?
Were you excited or annoyed at the outcome?
Will you try again? What will you do differently?