Wool felting advice needed please

[Muddypaws]

I've got this old wool cellular blanket that I don't use any more, as it is a bit thin and slightly shrunken, and I have a lovely warm new one to replace it.

Rather than throw this one away, I would like to turn it into felt, to make some wool insoles amongst other things.
So I would like some advice on how to do this. Can a cellular blanket be felted? Is the process just a very hot machine wash? And should I unpick the edging beforehand?

Thanks in advance.
Muddypaws.

 

[Toddy]

It says Pure New Wool…..that can mean that the wool has been specially treated to minimise any shrinkage, but since the blanket's kind of done anyway, I'd still give it a go.
If it were mine, then yes, I'd take the edging off….more because it's a pain in the neck to unpick something that has felted around the stitches than any tension thing.

Then wash the blanket as hot as your machine will go, and if you can tumble dry it hot too, then that ought to do any shrinking it's going to. It'll clog up your filters though so watch the tumbler. It doesn't take long to dry one that's been well spun though.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Muddypaws]

Thanks for the advice Toddy. Nothing to be lost by giving it a try.

 

[Toddy]

It might turn out very well indeed
In the past housewives would deliberately shrink a blanket that had worn thin, and it would then thicken it up again and it could be used either under the bottom sheet or on a child's bed, so it wasn't a loss.
Cut in half through the thin bit and the edges brought into the centre, only really works once on them, but felted up they were a good use in the days when families were bigger and budgets a lot tighter.

M