As you may have read in previous posts, I really like felting. I’ve designed patterns that felt knitting and that felt crocheting. And, I’ve written a post with my tips for felting. In this post, I’m going to talk about some yarns that I’ve felted with that are really great. That doesn’t mean that these are the only yarns that felt- these are just some that I’ve tried and can attest felt really well.
Shepherd’s Wool by Stonehedge Mill Fibers
There are a couple of yarns called ‘Shepherd’s Wool’, so I try to be careful to specify that this is the yarn produced by Stonehedge Mill in Michigan. This is a 100% merino yarn, and it is super-soft! Words typed in a blog post fail to express how soft this yarn really is. It’s the yarn I used in my Yuki Felted Boots. It’s sold in a lovely array of colors, and is a really good value.
Ella Rae
I really like Ella Rae. It’s a 100% wool yarn that comes in an amazing array of colors. Ella Rae is the yarn used in many of my felted animals, as in Denis the Felted Duck. As you can see with Denis, even the white felts. In many yarn, the bleaching that is done to get the yarn so white ruins the yarn’s abilities to felt, but not here!
Plymouth Galway
Plymouth Galway is another great value, solid-ly felting yarn. The yarn comes in worsted weight and chunky. Even though I haven’t felted with the chunky, I’m willing to wager that it could be used in place of two strands of worsted weight yarn (which many felting patterns call for). It also comes in a really wide range of colors, so you’re bound to find what you’re looking for. You’ll notice in the photo that Plymouth is changing the label- no worries, same great yarn.
Louet Riverstone
This is another yarn that comes in both worsted weight and chunky. Although the label for the worsted weight says ‘light worsted weight’, I’ve used it in combination with other worsted weights, and never found a difference in thickness… so, feel free to mix and match. This yarn also comes in some truly beautiful colors.
These are ones that I’ve used and can vouch for. There are other yarns that I’ve heard (or read) felt very well, so I’ll list them without endorsement (and you can tell me if they live up to the rumors!). Noro Kureyon (which is a gorgeous yarn, but a little scratchy), Paton’s Classic Merino, Cascade 220 (not the superwash!), and Malabrigo. Feel free to share your experiences, or add others!
I am searching the globe for tips on felting.
I am one heck of a crochet wiz, but felting is a completely different science, and i honestly prefer not to knit since i would require a pattern, and i generally dont like to use someone else’s pattern. I have oodles of Ella Rae classic yarn available to me, and would plan on using that, and my goal is to make some fancy clog slippers. ive heard about using both ends from the ball and making it extra thick, and i hope to try that. i guess im intimidated and dont want to purchase a ton of yarn and be dissappointed with my project. do you have any tips on how crochet felts? roughly how much does your guage shrink, and im sure its different widthwise and lengthwise. oye. im so confused… and all i want to do is make these stupid clog slippers!!! HELP
@Jessica: You might want to check out this blog post for some felting tips. Most pieces are crocheted with a double thickness of yarn.
As for % of shrinkage, every yarn is different, so the best thing to do is crochet and felt a gauge swatch. 30% is pretty common.