felting question

[Barbee]

so i just finished the mason and dixon felted boxes. it calls for two strands of bulky wt. i had worsted wt so i used three strands. after following the directions m&d provided for felting, they still didn't really felt that well. is it because i used three strands? what else can i do to make them really felt up?

[lnupermom]

How many times did you run them through the washer? SOme yarns can take 5 or 6 cycles.
Did you put something like a pair of old jeans/sneakers/tennis balls in there to add to the agitation?

Were you using 100% wool? Some of the blends will felt well and some won't. Also was it a light colored wool? Some of the lighter colors are bleached before dying and therefore don't felt well.

[Barbee]

i washed them three times with an old pair of jeans. maybe i'll try a couple more times. the colors are pretty dark. thanks for your reply!
update: after washing it two more times, the boxes look great. thanks for your help!

[lnupermom]

Great!