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Felting from wool in a washing machine

Felting from wool in a washing machineAutomatic washing machines often come to the aid of needlework, and wet felting in a washing machine is a vivid example of this. Using automatic washing, you can save time and protect yourself from many failures. But the ideal result is possible if you take into account the characteristics of the wool used in the product and adhere to the basic rules of dipping. How not to spoil the knit and be satisfied with the result, we will describe in detail below.

Rules for felting in a typewriter

Before starting wet felting from wool, it is worth thoroughly preparing and finally deciding whether the use of the machine is justified. This method is not suitable for everyone, since the result depends on many factors.. Among them, the degree of dyeing of the wool, its color, density of knitting and the program selected on the washer, temperature and spin. In order not to lose your product, consider the following points.

  1. Only natural wool is capable of falling over. If its component in the yarn is below 60%, then the result will be practically zero.
  2. Weak knitting sets better than regular or compacted.
  3. If you dump the work with your hands, then using the machine to consolidate the result will be justified.
  4. Spools can form on things from yarn, in order to avoid which it should be placed in a special mesh bag or ordinary pillowcase.items dumped in the washing machine
  5. A protective shell is also necessary for the safety of the machine, since particles of wool can get into the tank and cause it to jam or clog the drainage system.
  6. A machine with horizontal loading is more suitable, since it is more convenient to control the degree and course of stall. Front models do not have such an opportunity, but this is not so critical.
  7. To enhance vibration and eliminate imbalance with insufficient load, it is recommended to add thick old things such as jeans.
  8. Cotton dust has a positive effect on drying, so it is advised to add cotton underwear to the drum.
  9. Spin is allowed, but not strong twisting. Otherwise, the thing is easily deformed.
  10. White and light wool falls off worse.

Attention! An ideal solution would be to check the wool used and its suitability for felting through a “sweep” in the test machine.

Testing is more likely than necessary. The fact is that, in addition to the factors described above, the final drying result is affected by the water hardness and the type of detergent used, as well as vibration, drum acceleration speed and washing duration. All conditions cannot be calculated and predicted. Beginner needlewomen are encouraged to start trying with simple products, scarves, mittens, hats, covers and vases. Particular attention should be paid to shrinkage - properly felted product should not decrease by more than one third.

Description of the felting process

Having estimated the final result and created the most optimal conditions for drying, you can proceed directly to the process. It is important to follow the sequence of actions and not to neglect these instructions. So, it is recommended to adhere to such an algorithm:

  1. Carefully place one or more knitted items in a mesh bag or pillowcase.set the temperature
  2. We load everything into the drum of the machine, filling the voids with dense colored linen, jeans or already washed towels (new ones easily lose their texture when washing with woolen things).
  3. Fill / fill the tray with a suitable color detergent or universal powder.
  4. If colored materials are erased, a special agent that protects against staining will not interfere. Air conditioners and compounds used specifically for woolen products are prohibited.
  5. Choose a delicate mode or another program that provides for washing with large volumes of water. If it is possible to do it yourself, set the temperature above 40 degrees, spin and rinse thoroughly.

Attention! Do not enable the special mode for washing wool.

  1. To the end, the product that has not been rinsed must be rinsed in cold water by yourself, and then it is easy to squeeze it out without twisting.
  2. We take out the product from the machine and give it a shape, for which we pull it tightly onto the desired shape (a jar, a fist, a ball, a vase, a special stand for hats).
  3. Next, put on a flat surface and dry, without hanging on clothespins.

Dumped items should sit about 30%. As a rule, one cycle is enough. If the result does not live up to expectations, you can repeat the procedure up to 3 times. Each subsequent time, the washing temperature is recommended to be increased or other modes selected. Often you have to experiment for several hours before you subtract your "formula".

Opinions of experienced craftswomen

It is easy to see that ideal conditions are determined by trial and error. A kind of master class will be advice from experienced craftswomen in wallowing, ready to share their best practices. Below are opinions on the use of washing machines in the felting process:

Katerina Korshun

Sometimes I load bags and berets in the machine, but only after I have worked them out well with my hands. I noticed for a long time that without thorough manual felting, the product is often deformed and crumpled. I do this: I put my creation in the old pillowcase, knot it tight, load it with other things and set the wash for 40 minutes and 50 degrees. I pour soap shavings and rinse aid in the usual dose into the tray. But, frankly, I do this not often, because after the machine the work is not so smooth, it is very shaggy and it takes a long time to form it with an iron and steam. But for the accelerated dodging of several things at once, it suits perfectly.

Natalie Simkina

I think that if you tame the machine, it will be a good and irreplaceable friend. Personally, I have it all. Voluminous work, handbags and slippers, wash in the "free flight" at any temperature and duration. But I always hide my work in a special bag, nylon, mosquito net or tulle. But I finish the machine only after manual processing. For a light effect, I send it to the drum with the Rinse / Spin program, and then make adjustments with a needle. It is possible to patch up after washing even with quick washing at 40 degrees for 30 minutes. And when choosing 60-90 degrees, the surface becomes completely flat and does not differ from real felt. In this way I cook beads and balls.

Lada Moscow

Felting handbags and pillows in the car, and the result is not bad: everything is very smooth and without showing rows. The main thing is to make knitting as little as possible, using thick knitting needles. But not suitable for all products. So, with slippers everything is more complicated, they turn out to be much heavier and denser than manually dumped and the heat stored inside is completely different, as for me. Of course, here you need time and materials for experiments in order to achieve the perfect result. I believe that washing machines are for the lazy and very busy, as well as for hard objects.

Katerina Kubeshova

I experiment with the machine regularly, and every time I promise that I will no longer get involved in this. The last attempt was successful, however, with some modifications. It was like this: first I processed the handbag on the grinder, wrapped it in a pillowcase and started the cycle. After she was frightened - the washed thing fell out quite a bit, holes were looked through and the size remained completely unchanged. Threw this venture and remembered only two weeks later. Lather, wet, rubbed with her hands and got a great bag, thin and durable.

I think I will try again. So far, I only use the machine to regularly rinse and wring out previously-worn items - very convenient.

Ekaterina Logacheva

My machine never let me down. I always roll all the scarves in the machine. I’m doing this: a hundred times in a film from IKEA I scroll a knitted product and immediately throw it into a drum.At the output, I get perfect quality without marriage and pah-pah-pah, after straightening and steaming - you can not distinguish from factory production. Most recently, I knitted a hat for the first time, scrolled 200 times and washed it. It turned out very well! The mittens didn’t go bad! ”

If you take into account the above recommendations and the personal experience of needlewomen-professionals, then felting in the washing machine will pass quickly and with a predictable result. The main thing is to adapt to the capabilities of your washing machine and be sure to test the selected mode with a test sample.

   

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