felting wool

[AinNJ]

i've never knitted before but i'm about to give it a whirl. but there's something i just don't get...

"recycled" soaker instructions say to felt the wool by washing the sweater w/hot water and drying before sewing. i've read to do the same with wool fabrics. why dont you have to felt a hand knitted soaker? or do you? and if you do felt it, then dont you have to make the soaker that much larger to accomodate for the shrinkage?

[LuvMy2Kidz]

You don't "have" to felt fabrics or sweaters for covers/soakers. As long as they're well lanolized they'll still work. I NEVER felt sweaters b/c they almost always shrink up to nothing and get sooooo thick!

[sewingbarbj]

Wool fabric should be felted before you make an item if you want it to be washable after words . This is because it does shrink it and thicken it up. But if you plan to hand wash and block your item after then you don't have to felt it. I have never hurd of felting already made sweaters, I would think it would change the size. Felting also softens the finished product buy makeing all the little hairs lye flat against each other.