knitting (felting) question...

[Lisa]

I'm fairly new at knitting, and I've never felted anything before. I know how to felt with wool, but is that the only fiber that will felt. Is it just animal fibers that can, or can cotton/synthetic fibers also felt? And if so, is the process still the same as it is with wool?

[amyhinct]

Jumping in here....natural animal fibers are the only things that will felt, although I've heard people have had mixed results with combined fibers (Woolease Landscapes comes to mind) but most bleached wool will not felt correctly as the bleaching damages the fibers and causes them to lie flat and not stick together correctly. Some wools felt better than others depending on how they're spun and dyed. My favorite felting wool is Cascade 220.