Fulled wool slippers

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vestlenning

Settler
Feb 12, 2015
717
76
Western Norway
Well they have been knitted and sewn up. Only took two evenings. Now to felt them. Fingers crossed as last time I knitted slippers to felt they came out from the machine only big enough to fit a toddler! I've used £20 worth of pure alpaca wool which I discovered in my wool stash. I'm tempted to try felting by hand at that price.

How about 40 instead of 60 C? Please report back on the result.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
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Test pieces made ready to go into the machine tomorrow! :)

The missus' monthly knitting magazine arrived today - guess what was in it.... a whole article on fulling/felting so she was well pleased to have a go at a practical project straight away :)
 
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Woody girl

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Mar 31, 2018
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Well here is my report back. Slippers have just come out of the washing machine.. they have felted beautifully and the alpaca wool has gone lovely and fluffy. They are still a tad too large but I will give them the quick wash cycle tomorrow to take them down a bit more. Or maybe just stick some lambswool insoles inside for a bit more sole rigidity. I'll try that when they are dry and see. Thank you so much for such a quick simple easy and useful make. My needles are gonna be in fast mode to make some Xmas presents. Tho I will have to find some cheaper wool than the handspun and hand dyed alpaca I used for mine. Incidentally mine used 200g but it was finely spun so I used two strands at a time to give a decent thickness and firmer knit on those bigger needles. Cheers. Happy bunny with warm paws here.
 

vestlenning

Settler
Feb 12, 2015
717
76
Western Norway
Great! The missus like this pattern (another pair in the washing machine as we speak) and she's happy to have passed it on, enjoy your slippers she says!
 

Woody girl

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Many thanks to her for passing this on and you for posting. I will take photo and try to post it but I am a luddite when it comes to techy stuff. I don't own a computer or have interweb except on my phone. Give me a carving knife or needles and I'll turn my hand to it. But computers...... baa humbug! Anyway I'll try and kidnap a small child to help post photo.:D:thankyou:
 
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Tengu

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Jan 10, 2006
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Well, thats handy, I cant knit but I laid my hands on a wool blanket yesterday; much attacked by mice. I am going to see if I can turn it into slippers; may have to double up the cloth though.
 

Woody girl

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You might be able to felt two layers of blanket together with a felting needle before sewing them up. It's a fairly easy prosess. Mind your fingers tho! Those felting needles are dam sharp. They are not expensive. I make insoles for my boots by this method . Cut two insole shapes from blanket scraps per foot and needle felt them together.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
It's a barbed needle Tengu, not a straight one.
Basically it fankles the fibres together as the barbs pull the individual wool fibres around. As it does so all the little scales on the shaft of the wool fibres kind of lock together and bind the fibres into a solid piece. Mechanically matted together :)

The barbed needle is just thrust repeatedly through the tangle of fibres. It also works to attach two or more layers of wool together though. I use a big carwash sponge as the work surface for such felting. Four for a pound in the poundstores, and they're large enough to make it safe.

If you don't have felting needles, then you can draw out a thread from the edge of your blanket, re twist it a bit, and use that to stab stitch the layers together. If you use that piece somewhere where it will be slightly moist, warm and under pressure ( like inside the slipper, the insole, etc.,) that will help it all felt together too.

M
 

Woody girl

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I have a multi needle felting tool. It has four needles in a handle. Very quick to felt a bigger piece of work. Yes don't forget to use a wool thread to sew them up too.
 

Toddy

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Jan 21, 2005
38,937
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I have a multi needle felting tool. It has four needles in a handle. Very quick to felt a bigger piece of work. Yes don't forget to use a wool thread to sew them up too.

Ah, mine's a tad lethal. It was bought from Wingham's years ago. It takes three rings of needles and has a big brass pommel on the top. Bought long before the little clover type ones were available. It's very effective, but it's heavy and tiring after the first quarter of an hour, and if I get it wrong I reckon I could lose so much blood before I could get the blooming thing out of me. I have to keep it in one of those screw pots used for sharps.
I bought some of the smaller ones, but tbh I find it easier just using a single for neat stuff. The spring ones do make it easier though for stuff like flat sheets/ soles and the like if I'm not in the mood for the big thing.
I bought some of the brush mats, but I find the sponges work just as well and they're larger than most mats too.
I need to pull out the felting wools :D You've put me in the notion.

Tengu ? sewing the layers together with wool thread will work fine, though you'll find that it packs thin over time. I make my own houseshoes and I line the soles in Winter with blanket offcuts. Layer up :)
 

Woody girl

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Yes blood loss is part of the game until you get the knack of keeping fingers out of the way. But don't let that put anyone off. You only do it a couple of times! I inspired myself to make some insoles this evening. Took me about an hour. They are now in my boots and ready to keep toeses warm and cosy. The good thing is they don't get too smelly like bought ones and a gentle handwash now and then keeps them clean and fresh. I used 3 layers this time for extra cushyness.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
I grazed one finger....once....we learn quick :)
I bought those leather finger thimbles, but they're an awkward thing to use I found. Clumsy.

Tengu ? if the blanket will still felt down, you could layer up biggish pieces with stitching and wash them hot in the machine with something like a pair of jeans for a 'resist'. That should give you a felted panel to cut your insoles from....actually you can make the entire shoe from such pieces, if the blanket layers felt well together. I made sort of pixie boots (like the Viking ones with the triangular heel) doing just that. It was easier sewing them together than it was felting them down from fibres when my wrists and hands were aching.

M
 
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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
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Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Close but not quite!!!

They didn't shrink enough in the one direction so, for this time, the missus has trimmed and sewn up the toe. Has anyone any ideas why the wool would shrink fine across the stitches but much less up and down (sorry, not a knitter, I should have asked what the correct terms were).

Before:

felting-before.jpg

After:

felting-after.jpg
 
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Woody girl

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Mar 31, 2018
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I had that problem too but I just put them in a shorter cooler wash and did them again. You could also try to hand felt to desired fit. I do this with realy hot water and a rolling pin. Just swish and bash away.. mind the hot water splashes . Then rinse away in cold water. The idea is to shock the fibres. Depending on how much too big they are machine if you need a lot of shrinkage. Hand if you need just to fine tune the fit. Hope that helps.
 

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