Felting Wool Yarn

Any yarn made of untreated animal fiber will felt — 100% wool that is not labeled superwash, and wool blended with mohair, alpaca or other animal fibers. Hot water, soap and agitation lock the fiber's scales together, and the fabric shrinks by roughly a quarter to a third and turns dense and wind-proof. Every yarn on this page is one we have felted ourselves or the mill sells as feltable.

What will not felt: superwash wool (the coating that makes it machine-washable is exactly what stops it), cotton, linen, bamboo, silk on its own, acrylic and nylon. A blend with more than about 20% of any of those felts unevenly or not at all. Knit a swatch, felt it, and measure before you commit a bag or slippers to a new yarn.