Another wool felting question

[jaye_p]

Would boiling wool interlock in a dye bath for an hour be enough to lightly felt it? Or do I need to do the hot wash routine as well? TIA!

[425lisamarie]

I wonder if it would adgitate enough? I would think so...you could always just test a small piece

[jaye_p]

Well, actually, I've already dyed the wool. I just don't know if it's felted or not. : I've never made diaper covers before, so I'm new to the whole wool felting thing. It does feel a little different than the undyed wool - so maybe it is felted?

[425lisamarie]

Hmm, when wool is felted it usually gets slightly bumpy like. Although interlock would probably stay more smooth, Ok I'm not much help after all :LOL. I've only done jerseys, but as we have already discussed I don't have any freaking snaps to put on them!! I need to get some interlock though, I like it best now

[ZeldasMom]

I think of felting as on a continuum. Your fabric could be a little felted. Is it smaller than it was when you put it in the hot water? I just felted a purse I knit and it took an hour of agitation in hot water. To get something to felt to the point where you can cut it without it unraveling you need heat and agitation. I think if there is just heat, with no agitation, wool doesn't felt. This is why you can put a wet soaker on one of those drying racks in the dryer that prevent it from tumbling and it won't shrink (at least this is what I've been told--I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to actually try that one).

[onediaperinmama]

It's more agitation that felts not so much the hot water alone. Also going from a hot wash to a cold rinse felts it - did you cold rinse it or did you just drain the boiling water?

[jaye_p]

Well, it was agitated in the sense that I stirred it often to make sure the dye took evenly. And when all the dye had bonded to the fabric, I let the dye bath cool for a bit, then rinsed the wool in lukewarm water. It is definitely smaller now than it had been before I dyed it, and the edges aren't unravelling. It also feels a little bumpy.