Hello, my dear knitters!
Answering your most frequently asked questions about felting in the washing machine:
1) The most common question is what kind of yarn I use.
You should use 100% wool, which is suitable for felting in the washer. Such yarn is usually labelled "for felting" or "feltable". Never use "superwash" wool yarn, this yarn doesn't shrink in the washing machine.
I like Lana Grossa Feltro and Drops Snow.
2) Can acrylic yarn be used for this purpose?
No, guys, you can't use it, felting magic won't work with this yarn.
3) What parameters of the washing machine should be set?
The quality of your washing machine is very important. You should use the following settings: 1-2 hours (cotton wash mode), 40 C (40 degrees Celsius) and 1000-1200 spin speed. If after washing your bag hasn’t shrunk enough, repeat the washing at the same parameters, it will shrink even more (but do not overdo it, it’s better to stop the machine after an hour and check how your bag is doing). If your machine has a spin speed setting of 800, you will need to increase the wash time to achieve the desired result, i.e. repeat several washes until the bag shrinks to the desired size. If on the contrary your machine has a spin speed of 1400, it is better to reduce the washing time, check how the bag is doing after an hour. You should add a little laundry detergent each time you wash your bag, even if it's the 3rd wash cycle :)
4) How do you care for your bag if it shrinks with every wash?
To keep the bag from shrinking it should be washed at temperatures up to 30 С and at a very low spin speed or no spin speed and that's it. You should care for your bag the same way you would care for a wool sweater. Your sweaters don't shrink every time you wash them, do they?
5) What should I do if my bag is wrinkled?
The bag can get very wrinkled after washing, it's true. But you can always use an iron to smooth out all the wrinkles.
6) How to give the bag a beautiful shape?
You should block your bag to give it a nice shape. I put the bag on the floor, so the bottom will flatten out. I fill the bag with packing paper to keep it from bending. It is important that it holds its shape during drying, so you can put in it, for example, rolls of toilet paper, a towel or something else that will help to hold its shape.
7) Do spools appear on the felted bags?
The first time you wear your bag actively, there will be a lot of spools. Don't worry, it won't always be like this. It takes a little time for the excess wool to come out. Just remove the spools as they appear by hand or with a lint remover machine (or with a razor). Soon they will stop appearing
So have I answered all the questions? Let me know if I missed anything
