Fine Finishing — Felting

So today is going to be a day of felting.  I have been working on several projects that need to be felted to get them finished and added to the FO list!  Two are class samples (I think — I am trying them out) and one is a Christmas gift (that still has some knitting left to do).

Some might argue that felting is not really a finishing technique, but I think of it as it is an EXTREMELY aggressive form of blocking — at least when it is done on purpose!!  For me, felting is just another reason why wool is the perfect medium for knitting.  The same fiber, worked in the same manner, can be made to drape or formed into a stiff dense fabric, it is just a matter of how it is blocked.

I use felting as the finishing technique for many of my class projects because most imperfections will magically disappear once the project is felted.  And when I am teaching a class I want students to be able to focus on learning new technique instead of achieving perfection.  For that same reason, I like it for many of my gift projects as well.  So it is not a finishing technique I use for everything, but it is yet another good tool to have in the bag!!