Warm & Cosy No-spin Scarf
No time to spin? Try knitting directly from the sliver to make a stylish felted scarf. The bonus is that the colours remain separate - with all the changes in the sliver preserved.
One scarf will use about 150-200gr fibre, depending on length.
Once you've tried the scarf, think about extending into any bulky item - vests, wraps, even jackets. Just remember that you will get a fairly open, bulky fabric.
One scarf will use about 150-200gr fibre, depending on length.
Once you've tried the scarf, think about extending into any bulky item - vests, wraps, even jackets. Just remember that you will get a fairly open, bulky fabric.
Tools and materials
Materials and tools needed:
1 Merino sliver
2 Calico bag
3 Jumbo knitting needles
4 Finished sample
5 Drawn fibre
1 Merino sliver
2 Calico bag
3 Jumbo knitting needles
4 Finished sample
5 Drawn fibre
Drawing the fibre
The first step is to take manageable lengths of fibre and split them lengthwise into at least eight more or less even thicknesses. Don't worry too much about the evenness as irregularity in the final fabric is part of its charm! See a short video about splitting the yarn here.
Now take each length and draw it out between your hands, a little at a time. Work gently, holding your hands at least 10-15 centimetres (4-6 inches) apart. You should end up with a length of fibre about two-thirds the thickness you started with. See a short video about drawing the yarn here.
At this point I usually roll the individual lengths of fibre up into little nests and pop them into a cotton drawstring bag. This is just to protect it from moths, in case I don't get to the project for a while. Before you start knitting, toss all the balls about to mix them up a bit, then take them out at random. This will spread the colours out evenly.
You can incorporate yarns into the scarf, knitting them up into the fabric; just remember that many yarns that don't felt, such as viscose, will become detached from the surface and hang in loops; this gives great design possibilities! Wool yarns that are not superwashed will become like boucle yarns in appearance. All these possibilities can be tested in the sample.
The first step is to take manageable lengths of fibre and split them lengthwise into at least eight more or less even thicknesses. Don't worry too much about the evenness as irregularity in the final fabric is part of its charm! See a short video about splitting the yarn here.
Now take each length and draw it out between your hands, a little at a time. Work gently, holding your hands at least 10-15 centimetres (4-6 inches) apart. You should end up with a length of fibre about two-thirds the thickness you started with. See a short video about drawing the yarn here.
At this point I usually roll the individual lengths of fibre up into little nests and pop them into a cotton drawstring bag. This is just to protect it from moths, in case I don't get to the project for a while. Before you start knitting, toss all the balls about to mix them up a bit, then take them out at random. This will spread the colours out evenly.
You can incorporate yarns into the scarf, knitting them up into the fabric; just remember that many yarns that don't felt, such as viscose, will become detached from the surface and hang in loops; this gives great design possibilities! Wool yarns that are not superwashed will become like boucle yarns in appearance. All these possibilities can be tested in the sample.
Knitting the scarf
Beginning to knit the scarf (knit side).
You will need to make a sample square first, to work out the correct number of stitches and rows of the finished size of your scarf. Because you're going to felt the knitting, you will need a felted sample to do this as the size and the proportions are likely to change a lot. Choose needles by winding the wool twice round your index finger. The needle should just cover the 'yarn'.
You will need to knit relatively tightly because as the wool felts, the sliver will become much smaller in diameter. I used 9mm needles for the sample square.
You can knit in any stitch you like, but remember the finished scarf will be quite bulky so choose a stitch that suits that look. Openwork lace stitches may close up a lot during felting, so make sure you use a very open stitch if you want a lacy look. Openwork is more flexible in the finished fabric.
Cast on by any method and knit at least 15 stitches by 20 rows, joining in a new length of 'yarn' when it gets short. I usually overlap yarns by three stitches, like Kaffe Fassett.
Purl side - note the loose ends where yarn overlaps.
Now felt the square...see directions below.
Once your finished felted square is dry, measure it - this will give you the gauge for your project. Divide the number of stitches by the width to get stitches per cm/inch, and the number of rows by the length to get rows per cm/inch.
Cast on your chosen number of stitches loosely, using a finished edge method. You may want to attach a knotted fringe later, so the edge needs to be loose.
Using your chosen stitch pattern, keep knitting until your scarf has as many rows as you have worked out from your original sample. I know this seems a bit vague, but everyone will have a slightly different gauge, so I can't be more definite than that!
Once your finished felted square is dry, measure it - this will give you the gauge for your project. Divide the number of stitches by the width to get stitches per cm/inch, and the number of rows by the length to get rows per cm/inch.
Cast on your chosen number of stitches loosely, using a finished edge method. You may want to attach a knotted fringe later, so the edge needs to be loose.
Using your chosen stitch pattern, keep knitting until your scarf has as many rows as you have worked out from your original sample. I know this seems a bit vague, but everyone will have a slightly different gauge, so I can't be more definite than that!
Felting the scarf
Also use this process to felt your sample.
Run in the two long ends. Don't worry about any fluffy little ends in the body of the scarf. If they form flaps during felting, trim them off during the fulling process.
To see images and an explanation of the felting process, see the sampling slide show. For more detailed felting instructions, see the Scrap Scarf project.
Make up your favourite felting solution. I use 15 mls (1 tablespoon) Lux (pure soap) flakes to 500ml (2 cups) hot water. I dissolve the flakes in boiling water, then add cold to bring it to a manageable temperature.
For best results, fold mosquito netting or similar around your sample/scarf to protect it during the first part of the felting process. See the Scrap Scarf project for images.
Roll the scarf firmly into a cylinder end-to-end and dip it into the felting solution, supporting it carefully in both hands. Wool can absorb many times its own weight in water, and this could pull your piece apart at this stage. Squeeze out the solution into the container, leaving the piece quite soggy.
Now lie the cylinder on the bench and massage the whole piece as if it were dough, rolling it slightly back and forth towards and away from you as you go, and working from each end into the middle. Unroll the work and reroll from the other end and repeat the massaging process.
Keep the work wet and warm; if it cools it will delay the felting process. If necessary, the piece can be microwaved briefly to restore heat. Watch out for hot spots as they can cause nasty burns.
Keep working the piece - it will form quite an open knitted web. I was so surprised when this happened the first time I did this! Gently work the scarf/sample all over a few more times, rolling and unrolling it often. Then fold the work end to end and roll along the length of the scarf. Work as before, opening up the work frequently to prevent sticking or distortion.
Keep working the scarf like this until it begins to feel firm, alternating vertical and horizontal rolling and massage.
Once the piece feels firm, you can start fulling it. Trim off any little flaps made by the ends if you wish - you might like to leave long ends to make an interesting texture!
Run in the two long ends. Don't worry about any fluffy little ends in the body of the scarf. If they form flaps during felting, trim them off during the fulling process.
To see images and an explanation of the felting process, see the sampling slide show. For more detailed felting instructions, see the Scrap Scarf project.
Make up your favourite felting solution. I use 15 mls (1 tablespoon) Lux (pure soap) flakes to 500ml (2 cups) hot water. I dissolve the flakes in boiling water, then add cold to bring it to a manageable temperature.
For best results, fold mosquito netting or similar around your sample/scarf to protect it during the first part of the felting process. See the Scrap Scarf project for images.
Roll the scarf firmly into a cylinder end-to-end and dip it into the felting solution, supporting it carefully in both hands. Wool can absorb many times its own weight in water, and this could pull your piece apart at this stage. Squeeze out the solution into the container, leaving the piece quite soggy.
Now lie the cylinder on the bench and massage the whole piece as if it were dough, rolling it slightly back and forth towards and away from you as you go, and working from each end into the middle. Unroll the work and reroll from the other end and repeat the massaging process.
Keep the work wet and warm; if it cools it will delay the felting process. If necessary, the piece can be microwaved briefly to restore heat. Watch out for hot spots as they can cause nasty burns.
Keep working the piece - it will form quite an open knitted web. I was so surprised when this happened the first time I did this! Gently work the scarf/sample all over a few more times, rolling and unrolling it often. Then fold the work end to end and roll along the length of the scarf. Work as before, opening up the work frequently to prevent sticking or distortion.
Keep working the scarf like this until it begins to feel firm, alternating vertical and horizontal rolling and massage.
Once the piece feels firm, you can start fulling it. Trim off any little flaps made by the ends if you wish - you might like to leave long ends to make an interesting texture!
 Felted sample, purl side. |
 Felted sample, knit side. |
I feel that I over-fulled the sample above - it became quite stiff. After pressing, the purl side was depressingly flat. another time, I would definitely not press this side.
Once you feel your scarf is fulled enough, rinse it well in warm water and dry it flat. You can ease it into shape, just like any other knitwear. Care for this fabric just like you would for any other knitwear - wash by hand with no sudden temperature changes, spin in the washing machine or roll in a towel to remove the excess moisture, lie flat to dry.
Once you feel your scarf is fulled enough, rinse it well in warm water and dry it flat. You can ease it into shape, just like any other knitwear. Care for this fabric just like you would for any other knitwear - wash by hand with no sudden temperature changes, spin in the washing machine or roll in a towel to remove the excess moisture, lie flat to dry.
Fulling
Felt needs to be 'fulled' to make it hard-wearing. A scarf does not need as much fulling as boots, say, because it will not sustain such hard wear. It does need enough fulling to stop it stretching when you wash it, and to prevent pilling. The knitting method gives quite a flexible fabric, so you can full quite a lot and still have a nice handle to the piece. See the sampling slide show or the scrap scarf project for images and an explanation of the fulling process.