Felting

FELTING

Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. The fibers form the structure of the fabric. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any color, and made into any shape or size.

Felt is the oldest form of fabric known to humankind. It predates weaving and knitting, although there is archaeological evidence from the British Museum that the first known thread was made by winding vegetable fibers on the thigh. In Turkey, the remains of felt have been found dating back at least to 6,500 BC. Highly sophisticated felted artifacts were found preserved in permafrost in a tomb in Siberia and dated to 600AD.

Many cultures have legends as to the origins of felt making. Sumerian legend claims that the secret of felt making was discovered by Urnamman of Lagash. The story of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher relates that while fleeing from persecution, the men packed their sandals with wool to prevent blisters. At the end of their journey, the movement and sweat had turned the wool into felt socks.

Felt making is still practiced by nomadic peoples in Central Asia, where rugs, tents and clothing are regularly made. Some of these are traditional items, such as the classic yurt, while others are designed for the tourist market, such as decorated slippers. In the Western world, felt is widely used as a medium for expression in textile art as well as design, where it has significance as an ecological textile.

MANUFACTURE

Felt is made by a process called wet felting, where the natural wool fiber is stimulated by friction and lubricated by moisture (usually soapy water), and the fibers move at a 90 degree angle towards the friction source and then away again, in effect making little "tacking" stitches. Only 5% of the fibers are active at any one moment, but the process is continual, and so different 'sets' of fibers become activated and then deactivated in the continual process.

This "wet" process utilizes the inherent nature of wool and other animal hairs, because the hairs have scales on them which are directional. The hairs also have kinks in them, and this combination of scales (like the structure of a pine cone) is what reacts to the stimulation of friction and causes the phenomenon of felting. It tends to work well only with woolen fibers as their scales, when aggravated, bond together to form a cloth.

Felting is done by a chemical process in industry. It is also sometimes done with special felting needles, which grab individual fibers and drag them against their neighbors, thereby binding them. Felting may also be done in a domestic washing machine on a hot cycle.

From the mid-17th to the mid-20th centuries, a process called "carroting" was used in the manufacture of good quality felt for making men's hats. Rabbit or hare skins were treated with a dilute solution of the mercury compound mercuric nitrate. The skins were dried in an oven when the thin fur at the sides went orange - carrot color. Pelts were stretched over a bar in a cutting machine and the skin sliced off in thin shreds, the fleece coming away entirely. The fur was blown onto a cone-shaped colander, treated with hot water to consolidate it, the cone peeled off and passed through wet rollers to cause the fur to felt. These 'hoods' were then dyed and blocked to make hats. This toxic solution and the vapors it produced resulted in widespread cases of mercury poisoning among hatters, which may have been the origin behind the phrase "mad as a hatter" and the character of the the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. The United States Public Health Service banned the use of mercury in the felt industry in December 1941.

Felting differs from fulling in the sense that fulling is done to fabric that is constructed before continuing with the felting process as noted above.

Knitted woolen garments which shrink in a hot machine wash can be said to have felted ( it is actually "fulled") — an example of how the fibers bond together when combined with the movement of the washing machine, the heat of the water, and the addition of soap. Therefore, woolen clothes should only be hand-washed or machine-washed in cold water.

Cheaper felt is usually artificial. Artificial felt, if made using the wet method, has a minimum of 30% of wool fibers combined with other artificial fibers. This is the minimum required to hold a fabric together with the fibers alone. It would be difficult to achieve a stable fabric by hand at this ratio. All other wholly artificial felts are actually needle-felts.

Loden is a type of felt originally worn in the Alpine regions, which has recently gained worldwide acceptance as a textile for fine and durable clothing.

OTHER USES OF FELT

Household

A knitted object can be wet felted and worn as clothing (proper term for this is "fulled").

Felt is also used in the automotive industry to dampen vibrations between interior panels and also to stop ingress of dirt into some ball/cup joints (especially Citroen Xantia height correctors)

"Felt" cloth is commonly used to cover the slate surface of a billiards table however, according to the wisegeek.com article on baize, a woven (not felted) fabric is the more commonly used and less expensive covering, although actual felt is still used, particularly on professional or tournament tables. The two types of fabric are similar in appearance, and are often confused.

A felt-covered board can be used in storytelling to groups of small children. Small iconic pieces of felt in the shapes of animals or other objects will adhere to a felt board, and the storyteller would remove and replace them while speaking.

Musical instruments

Felt is used in music on drum cymbal stands to protect the cymbal from cracking and to ensure a clean sound and a clean player.

Piano hammers are made of wool felt around a wooden core. The density and springiness of the felt is a major part of what creates a piano's tone. As the felt becomes grooved and "packed" with use and age, the tone will suffer.

The ukulele is most commonly plucked with the fingers, but can also be played by plucking with a pick, or plectra, made of felt.

Art

Needle felting is a popular fiber arts craft conducted without the use of water. Special barbed felting needles that are used in industrial felting machines are used by the artist as a sculpting tool. Using a single needle or a small group of needles (2-5) in a hand held tool, these needles are used to sculpt the wool fiber. The barbs catch the scales on the fiber and push them through the layers of wool tangling them and binding them together much like the wet felting process. Fine details can be achieved using this technique and it is popular for 3D felted work.

Felting Your Knitting

Felting has become very popular among knitters, and it's easy to see why. There's something magical about knitting something that starts out looking pretty huge and awkward and ends up being a completely different fabric after spending some time in the washing machine. Just about any knitted object can be felted, from flat pieces like coasters and afghan squares to bags, belts, hats, home accessories and more.

What is Wet Felting?

Felting is purposefully washing a knit item in order to shrink it. Three components are required:

1. Yarn that is 100% animal fibers. Wool, alpaca and mohair in any combination are the usual choices. The yarn cannot be chemically altered so it is machine washable and it cannot be bleached.

2. Hot water from a washing machine, a sink, or a pot of steeping water on the stove.

3. Agitation which can be achieved using the agitator in your washing machine or a wooden spoon in your hand.

What is the Difference between Felting Alpaca and Felting Wool?

Alpaca yarns become fuzzier than wool when felted. Some alpacas become too fuzzy and they matt. It’s important to swatch alpaca before using it to make sure it will have a fluffy, cashmere-like feel to it. Alpaca fiber is lighterweight than wool when felted and doesn’t have the stiffness of wool. Sometimes a wool/alpaca blend will give the stiffness of wool and the softness of alpaca, which might be useful in some hats.