How to make a felt scarf

Ever tried wet felting? Make a gorgeous wool scarf for yourself – or as a gift for a friend.

Wet felting is just one way you can make felt from wool. It’s fun, it’s simple, and it’s fashionably stylish.

Materials

250g wool roving/top (we’ve used a mix of corriedale and merino-silk blend)
1 x 90cm (35 inches) x 210cm (85 inches) roll-up bamboo blind
2 x net curtains
Plastic squeeze bottle
Dish detergent
Dressmaker’s scissors

Step 1

Remove strings and fittings from bamboo blind. Lay it on the ground (outdoors in a wind-sheltered spot) and place one of your net curtains on top. Start to lay out wool fibres for centre of scarf. Pull off pieces of fibre and lay them down lengthways, with the fibres running in the same direction and overlapping slightly. Lay them reasonably thick – you don’t want any holes in your scarf. Once laid down, press your hands onto the fibre to check for any weak spots, which may form holes in the felting process. Fill in if necessary. Make the scarf longer than you want it, as it will shrink when felted. We laid ours out 160cm (63 inches) long. The finished length was 146cm (57 inches). The width of the central piece we laid out at 18cm (7 inches) wide (for the red scarf).

Step 2

Lay out the edges. Lay fibres (same colour or different colour) at right angles to the centre piece, to ensure they form ruffles. The fibres at the centre of the scarf, if laid out in the direction of rolling, will shrink faster, causing the edges to ruffle. Overlap the edges onto the centre piece. At this stage you can also place more fibre in the centre of the scarf if you wish, for either colour or depth. Trim the edges with scissors to ensure an even finish. Or you can leave the edges wispy if you like.

Step 3

Place the other net curtain on top of the fibre. Fill bottle with warm water and 2-3 drops of detergent. Sprinkle soapy water over the netting and fibre. Do this gently to ensure you do not disrupt the fibres and leave holes. The fibre should be reasonably wet but not soggy – something akin to towel-dried hair.

Step 4

Roll up the bamboo blind, then roll backwards and forwards, like a rolling pin, 100-125 times. Unroll the blind, then roll it up again from the other end. Roll backwards and forwards another 100-125 times. You need to do this 5-6 times for the fibres to knit together.

Step 5

Once you’ve completed a reasonable number of rolls, unroll the blind and pull back the top layer of netting. Do a pinch test. Pinch the fibres together and lift slightly. If individual fibres come away on their own, the felting process is not yet complete. You will need to roll some more. If, when pinching the fibres, the entire piece lifts, it’s ready.

Step 6

Now you need to shock the fibres. Place the whole scarf in a tub of hot water and swirl it around a bit, then place it in a tub of cold water. You can do that once more if you wish the scarf to shrink further, or leave it at that. Then rinse in a tub of lukewarm water with a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar added. This eradicates any soap residue. Rinse once more than hang or lay the scarf on a towel to dry. Once dry, iron the scarf on a wool setting.