The first question you may have in mind is, “What is felting?” After all, there must be some kind of step between a handful of wool and a hat. Exactly how does one learn how to create felt?
Felting is a simple process of separating, tangling, and relocking animal fibers found in items such as yarn or wool. Felting begins through the agitation of the animal fibers; these fibers are lined with tiny scales which interlock and keep the fibers’ shape. In felting, the scales are coaxed into separation through heat—warm water or friction—and then gently tangled using various tools.
Once the animal fibers have been separated and tangled, the felting process is completed when the scales are once again interlocked. This usually occurs when the fibers cool; at this point, you have completed the basic process of felting! Through more manipulation and the help of several tools and patterns, you now have the power to create a wide range of things from felt.
There are several methods to agitate and tangle animal fibers into felt such as wet felting, needle felting, nuna felting, and knit felting. Though these are the most popular and basic techniques, there are several more used to create different types of felt.
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Learn Different Types of Felting