In this technique, special needles are used to make felt.
These needles have barbs (notches). As the "poking" motion (down and back with a prependicular motion to the base) the barbs intertwine the wool fibers with each other, until they become a compact and hard block - the felt piece.
The three most common needle sizes are
1. Thick needle (Pink) - the first needle to be used - is used at the beginning to join the wool fibers more quickly (if the piece is small and the wool has already been well conditioned, the medium needle can be used, or if the piece is very small, the fine needle can be used).
2. Medium needle (Blue) - 2nd needle to be used - when the piece has a medium consistency - used during most of the work
3. Fine needle (Yellow)- 3rd needle to be used - when the garment is stiffer/compact - for finishing and details
How to start Felting with Needles?
Start the work with the thick needle (G).
(this will pick up a larger number of fibers)
As soon as you start to feel some resistance when poking, you should change to the medium needle (M).
(this is because if you insist on using the G needle, it will break)
Most of the work is done with the (M) needle.
(at least the wool assembly/base)
Again the same situation, as soon as you start to feel some resistance when piecing, you should switch to the finer needle (F).
The detail work and finishing is all done with the (F) needle.
Note:
The needle should always be handled perpendicular to the workpiece being pricked. Force exerted at an angle can bend or break the needle.
Caution:
Needles are extremely sharp tools and their pricks are very painful. They should not be handled by children without adult supervision.
As for adults, they should be felt away from the TV (the #1 cause of finger pricks) and always on top of a sponge or pad.
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