Knit-felting: Want a more pliable, soft fabric for a coat/jacket

Annnaa wrote

on Jun 17, 2012 11:20 AM

Hi everyone,

I fell in love with Jane Slicer-Smith's Metro Coat from "knitting the colours of Australia". But I am an addicted knit-felter, dreaming of producing a fabric that would be the strength of a good outdoor fleece jacket, not quite like a medieval knight's armour.

Well, taking the yarn I get here (Germany), the knight's armour type is good for slippers, mitts, hats, bags etc but much too stiff for bigger garnments. I turned from the 8mm-needle yarn to the 5mm type but got the same result and a shocking shrinkage of 50% in heigth on my swatch:16st/22rounds unfelted became 29st/53 rounds, each 10x10cm. While the horizontal shrinkage of 25% seems acceptable, the other is definitely not. I used the same felting conditions als always(40°C, 1hr, "water plus", 1000 tumbling turns). I must admit that instead of loading quite a lot into the machine (normal: 4-6 mitts or slippers, plus 2 jeans), I had only 1 jeans and that swatch.

Do you think it's a machine loading problem or related to the yarn? I am afraid of waisting more yarn on swatches using other (bigger?) needles. I took "Rellana fine" which is for 5mm needles with 200m/100g, 100% pure wool.

Please tell me anything that could be helpful, I want to make this coat! (Google it and you will know why)

Thanks a lot!

nati.mbl wrote

on Dec 16, 2012 5:55 PM

Hi Annaa,

Have you managed to make a fabric ":that is strength of a good outdoor fleece jacket"? I'd currently thinking of making a knit-felted coat for myself too.

Rgds,

Natalie