Buying ball of boiled wool?

brianW said:

Just to clarify, my wife did not use the washer when she felted the sweater she got it wet than used the drier. She found the pattern and techniqui I belive on the link I posted.

Click to expand...

Brian, would you be able to ask your wife to find the original article if possible? That would be extremely helpful!

Cheers,

Fish

I've worn out a few pairs of Dachstein mitts over the years. Like others said, the Mountaineer carried them for awhile and so did Campmor. The last time I tried some on, they were still too long and too narrow and the boiled wool doesn't stretch much at all which makes them difficult to get on and off. I now prefer these.

This sounds like what I'll probably do...checking every couple of minutes. lol. Does anyone recall how long you have to put it in the washer approximately?

Click to expand...

As far as washing machine and/or drier goes: top loading washers are better because they cause more FRICTION than front loaders. Using the dryer will work too with your WET mittens.

I'll ask my mother in law to buy pure wool and knit them 1.5x larger than needed. Then I'll use brianW's trick of checking every couple of minutes while washing them in the washing machine (is a frontal washing machine ok?). I do have a question for you though (maybe this is real simple, I didn't check with my mother in law): Would it be hard to make a shape (half-closed fist shape) to the mitts? Like the ortovox arctic mitts...

Click to expand...

It won't be difficult to make your mittens into a half-closed fist shape. They will shape themselves into that shape after you use them for a while. Or you can get them wet and soapy (after you've shrunk them to almost the size you want) and knead them into the shape you want.
Good luck! Post a picture of your results!

A quick question for Nancy; I have an old wool sweater that my mother kitted for me about 20+ years ago. I rarely wear it because it weighs about ten pounds. After reading about a dozen articles on felting, they seem to suggest that I cut off the arms and separate the front from the back of the sweater prior to placing it in the washing machine. They also suggest that I place the parts in a pillow case to reduce any fibers from clogging my washing machine. Can you think of any other suggestions before playing Mr. Science this weekend?

I'm not Nancy, but...

The sleeves would probably make pretty good mittens, since they already have a finished cuff about the size of your wrist. That is, if it doesn't shrink so much that your hand won't fit in. You would just need to sew up the other end and attach a thumb

jfb said:

I've worn out a few pairs of Dachstein mitts over the years. Like others said, the Mountaineer carried them for awhile and so did Campmor. The last time I tried some on, they were still too long and too narrow and the boiled wool doesn't stretch much at all which makes them difficult to get on and off. I now prefer these.

Click to expand...

Great mitts, at a great price. FYI When my hands get wet (sweat) and I pull them out of the mitt the liner comes out with it and turns the mitt inside out. Nice and warm even when wet.

Sorry to say my wife does not remember where she got the instructions. The site I mentioned is the one she goes to most.

She did mention that if she heard of washing an old wool sweater (or go to a casignment store) in hot water and dry it. After that you have felt and you basically cut a pattern for what ever you need. Great way to re-cycle a sweater.

I wonder if you could do this in a front loader washer. We have those in my apartment building and once you start it, you can't shut it off and open the door until it's all the way done. Maybe you can with a home version, but I would check first before doing any experimenting.

TomD said:

I wonder if you could do this in a front loader washer. We have those in my apartment building and once you start it, you can't shut it off and open the door until it's all the way done. Maybe you can with a home version, but I would check first before doing any experimenting.

Click to expand...

Ohhh, good point!! I'll be sure to check that beforehand.

Cheers,

fish

I turned two sweaters into boiled wool using the washer/dryer technique today, and have the patterns cut.
Now I just have to sew them....

Jason Berard said:

I turned two sweaters into boiled wool using the washer/dryer technique today, and have the patterns cut.
Now I just have to sew them....

Click to expand...

Jason, let me know how they turn out! (I want pics!)

I may want a copy of your pattern as well ;-)

Fish

Will do! I have to get the tension fixed on the sewing machine first....

Pre-schrunk pics are up!

Just spoke with the mom-in-law and she finished the mitts (2 pairs). She'll put them through the washer/drier later this week:





Fish

hikingfish said:

Just spoke with the mom-in-law and she finished the mitts (2 pairs). She'll put them through the washer/drier later this week:

Click to expand...

If I didn't already have the world's best mother-in-law, I might be looking to make a trade. Those are some handsome, warm mitts-to-be! Reminds me of the sort of thing my grandmother did on a regular basis.

Well, the mitts are in!

They are awesome. A bit on the tight side though, but they seem to stretch a bit. I've been asking a guy at work to wear them every couple of hours for a couple of minutes, since he has bigger hands and they are slowly stretching.

My M-I-L used a type of wool specifically made for felting (is that the word for shrinking the wool to size?), but the wool doesn't look all nicely knitted...but rather like steel-wool (co-workers are jokingly saying my mitts are made of pubic hair hehe).

We're wondering if using 100% natural wool would still cause the wool behave like this?

Cheers,

Fish

It's normal to lose the distinct knitted look. The yarns all felt together (yes, it is called felting) and it obscures the knit pattern. I'm pretty sure That means you did it right.

Hobbitling said:

It's normal to lose the distinct knitted look. The yarns all felt together (yes, it is called felting) and it obscures the knit pattern. I'm pretty sure That means you did it right.

Click to expand...

Yup. I just remember seeing the Orthovox mitts and you could clearly see the knitting...

Oh well, going to try them out for real today...big storm coming in!

Cheers,

Fish

Well, it took a while, but here it is...
I made one pair today. I'll make another pair later on with an articulated thumb.

They're not much to look at, but I think they will work pretty well.