Originally Posted by
Prism99
The process is the same for felting wool but I think for felting you need (1) 100% wool, no blends, and (2) I believe you need to start with knitted wool. When you start with woven wool fabric, I don't think you get the edges that don't ravel. The upside is that you typically get only a little shrinkage with woven fabric; knitted wool is where you can get the humongous shrinkage. It is that shrinkage that tightens all the fibers so much that nothing ravels. I think. I've felted knitted garments only by accident.
Felting (it's more acurately called 'fulling'...'felting' is done on raw, unspun fibers) is done on processed fibers...that includes woven, knitted,
and crocheted wool and other protein fibers (angora, cashmere, etc). Fulled/felted edges don't ravel no matter what 100% pure product you start with.*
The woven vs. knitted difference in shrinkage is due to the difference in processing procedures the wool has already been through, the alignment of the fibers within the fabric/yarn (end to end or jumbled), and the straightness/kinkyness of the fibers. It is the tighter interlocking of the hooks in the fibers on shrinking that prevents the raveling.
*The exception is worsted wools. They do tend to ravel, even after felting/fulling.
More info:
http://www.quiltmaker.com/articles/f...ing_woven_wool
well that's an awkward place to break that hyperlink, isn't it!