Fulling yarn

K Triem wrote

on Apr 6, 2009 3:37 PM

Can someone provide information on the why, how, etc. of fulling handspun? I've had 3 strokes in the last year and a half with the last one "wiping" out most of my spinning knowledge - I've been spinning since the early 1990s. So, I've been using my meager Spin-Off "library" to help me regain my knowledge & abilities. There have been several articles about fulling during washing after spinning, but no instructions on how or anything about the why. Please answer in simple terms - my brain just isn't quite there yet!

Thank you in advance.

Amy Clarke Moore wrote

on Apr 6, 2009 3:48 PM

Hi Kathleen--I'm sorry to hear about your strokes--I'm glad to hear that you're recovering your spinning abilities and knowledge. The human brain is amazing.

I'm by no means an expert on fulling--but I'll tell you what I know and understand. Fulling and felting are terms that are often used together or interchangeably--but there is a subtle difference. Felting usually refers to starting with unspun fiber and making a cloth from the wool by interlocking the fibers with heat, moisture, and agitation. Soap can help the fibers get closer together and interlock more permanently. Fulling refers to this process, but in the context of cloth made from yarn. With fulling you start with a knitted, woven, crocheted item and with heat, moisture, and agitation, create a denser cloth.

Wool fibers have scales that open when heated and close when cooled--they can become permanently interlocked.

I hope this helps.

K Triem wrote

on Apr 6, 2009 9:49 PM

Amy - Thank you for your response although I'm a bit more confused now. I understand felting - this I have done. But when it comes to a spun yarn, why would this be done? In one of Spin-Off's articles published somewhere between Summer 1993 - Winter 1997 (I'd have to find it again), the yarn was "Fulled" - including slapping it against a table after the wet yarn had been spun out in the washer and then hung to dry. The article almost made it sound like this was being done to make the yarn "fluffier." And if I remember correctly, the article made from this yarn did not appear or have the look of being felted - which is why I'm very confused!

Thank you for your assistance.

spinny wrote

on Apr 7, 2009 8:50 AM

You can full the yarn if it's made of short fibers that will not hold together  when you use it.  The fulling make the fibers grab to each other and make the yarn more sustainable than it would be without fulling. And Yes fulling is like felting the yarn.  The yarn become more dense  because the fulling make the fibers shrink up.

JillW@3 wrote

on Apr 10, 2009 8:59 AM

I consider "slapping against the table" and/or just a little hand agitation with warm water in the sink fulling.  I don't know if the term fulling used in this context is technically correct, but I don't know what else to call it.  When a skein of yarn is fulled it blooms and becomes fuller and fluffier.  Years ago, I attended an old fashioned fulling with Norman Kennedy.  We took a hand woven blanket, soaked it down and laid it out on a large table.  Six or 8 of us stood around the table and tossed/slapped/squeezed the blanket while passing the blanket around the table together.  This was done while singing a rhythmic folk song used just for this purpose.  The blanket was not felted through;  it just raised and softened the surface of the blanket. It was a memorable experience.

JillyB wrote

on Apr 10, 2009 8:28 PM

Hi there Kathleen,

I think here the fulling thing refers to finishing the spun yarn - washing it to remove grease and dust if it was spun "in the grease" then the technique of rinsing in same temperature water to remove residual soap or deteregent.  A couple of rinses in same temperature water followed by a much cooler rinse will sort of shock the skein and make the fibres adhere together better (good for short fibres). It also will shorten the length of the skein.  The slap on a bench top sorts out the individual wraps of the skein again.   (Remember about the several ties through the skein in a figure of 8?)  To further straighten, hang the skein and weight it if necessary.   Hope this helps.

 Full finished cloth in the bathtub - tread it like the ancient Romans - and you will keep control of just how much fulling occurs.  It can be done in the washing machine (difficult to control, especially with a front-loader) but is more likely to go beyond what is wanted - I speak from experience here - my 4 metres of fabric ended up as 2.25metres in the front loader and ended up as a vest rather than a jacket........ 

K Triem wrote

on Apr 22, 2009 8:44 AM

First - I want to thank everyone for the replies - they've definitely helped me understand the concept of fulling although it appears to mean something a little different to everyone. I finally "refound" the article that had me a bit confused. It's in the Summer 1998 edition - article on Cashmere, under "Finishing."  Who'd of thought you could use such "brutal"  techniques on a fiber that is so soft! Then the other day I found another article in the Summer 2007 edition - Wet Finishes for Yarn - that explains it in greater detail and shows pictures of fulled yarns.

Thanks again, Kathleen T

jeanformo wrote

on Feb 3, 2010 9:56 AM

Kathleen,

Just saw your old posting today.  Recently I fulled a knitted bag I had made.  It was a very, very simple process, with no need for "beating" the knitted fabric.  While the process was going on, I sat and had a cup of coffee!  The bag I wanted to make came from a past issue of Spin-Off, and I wanted it to carry my new collection of high-whorl spindles, with enough room to also carry some unspun fibers.  I simply followed the knitting directions to knit the "over-sized" bag, which would shrink during fulling.  I popped the finished bag into my washing machine with some liquid detergent and set it to hot water wash, and cold water rinse.  I also threw in several pairs of jeans and bath towels so that the bag would have something to bump up against.  This furthers the fulling process.  After the first wash and rinse, I realized that I wanted more shrinkage.  I wanted my bag to be so solid that a knitting needle placed in it would not poke through the bottom of the bag.  I repeated the washing process two more times (3 in all), each time, checking it to see its progress.  After the last wash, I put it in my dryer....only for about 3 minutes.  Then I shaped it around an athletic shoe box....The bottom of the bag has nicely formed corners, and so this box was the perfect form for it to dry on.  My first bag turned out so well, that I have made another one.  It only needed two washings.  This kind of a project is a great way to use left-over amounts of yarn.  One of my bags contains yarn from an old sweater I made 15 years ago, and never really wore.  It was completely out of style by now.  I unravelled the thing, and now it has a second life, and will probably never go out of style!

So, to make a long story shorter:

1. Knit the item which is to be fulled.  It will be oversized after knitting.

2.  Toss it in the washer with some liquid detergent.  Setting:  hot water wash, cold water rinse

3.  Check after each rinse to see if it is fulled to your expectations.  If not, repeat the washing process.

4.  If you use a dryer, make it only for a few minutes, then lay out the item to dry, either on a form, or flat.

Best wishes,

Jean