Cerpent Moms Knitting Hints
How to Felt Your Knitted Puppet
Set your washing machine on small/medium load, hot water, and cold rinse. Add a bit of laundry detergent. Put your puppet and an old terry cloth towel into the washer. (The towel helps to add friction and aids the felting.)
If your washer allows, stop the washer after the wash cycle and before the water empties. Remove your puppet, adjust the shaping, and determine if more felting is needed. If you cannot stop your washer in the middle of the cycle, shape and examine the puppet after the full cycle.
Because variables such as water temperature, water hardness, and washer agitation affect the outcome, you will need to experiment a little to determine how many wash cycles it will take to felt your puppet to the desired size. It may take one washing, or several!
When the puppet is the desired size, allow it to go through the rinse and spin cycles. Remove it from the washer and shape it. Now is when you can have some fun and determine the shaping of your new friend's face.
Air dry. A paper towel in the head helps it stay round. We find that putting the puppet over a large bottle will help it stand up while it dries.