FELTMAKING
There are several techniques under the category of Feltmaking. I was introduced to felting several years ago. I took part in an afternoon class at the Grounds for Sculpture - a New Jersey sculpture garden. We worked with loose unspun wools called roving. 
Using sharp, barbed needles, we poked through the fibers, entangling them into a dense mat shaped to our liking. I created my version of a flying bird, not perfect but cute..
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The technique that I use for my projects is actully called Fulled Knitting. This is the process of knitting something with wool yarn, usually with large, open stitches, then shrinking it by throwing it into the washing machine. This process commonly called felting is actually fulling. It is based on the same idea that has been used for centuries by weavers; slightly shrinking and tightening premade cloth to improve the insulating quality.
My mother taught me how to knit and crochet when I was a young girl. She was an extremely talented knitter, using all types of techniques to keep the grandchildren in afghans and sweaters.
I came upon some instructions for a felted hat and thought I would give it a try. It called for knitting an oversized wool hat and then washing it in hot water to shrink the fibers (similar to all those knit sweaters who lost their life in a hot water wash). The shrunken wool is then reshaped to form a hat, purse or any other artistic creation.
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