Felting question

[jaam]

I have a wool sweater that I wanted to felt. I've never done this before and I read you could just wash it hot, put it in the dryer and voila. But that didn't happen at all. It shrunk a little but that's it, definitely not felted. Does it need to go through several times? I have a front-loader so it doesn't sit in the hot water... should I boil it???

[Shantimama]

Could you try going to a laundromat with top loading washers? That is where I tend to do most of my felting - the water is much hotter than I get at home.

[mama_lola]

I boil mine and then stick it in ice cold water. Repeat a few times and it should felt up nicely!

[rere]

I had to do mine a few times.I also put something else in the machine with it.I read to use jeans but I used towels.Also you might want to put it in a mesh bag or a pillow case because there will be a lot of "little fuzz balls"that come off the sweater that could clog up your machine.

[Way Up North]

The trick is heat + agitation... however you get it ~ BUT not all sweaters felt equally ~ it depends on how they have been processed/ treated and made... looser knits tend to felt better than fine (ie lambswool) ~ so sometimes it just takes longer to felt/ more effort than others. I would think the front loader is an issue

[leafylady]

I have a front loader. I put it wool sweaters more than once, as I am doing my regular loads of laundry. I get best results when I wash on hot with the dirty sheets. But I hate spending money on the water heater, so I usually just wash, wash and wash again.