Felt Balls from Scrap Yarn

I have been knitting predominantly with wool and alpaca yarns lately. It occurred to me that I do not have to throw away all those little scraps of yarn because they will felt. So, I started collecting a pile of loose yarn scraps to make into little felt balls. They can become beads, cat toys, buttons, or whatever you like.

Step 1: Collect supplies

Materials
wool & alpaca yarn scraps
dish soap
hot water
cold water

Comments

[Lettucehead]

Thats so cool I would have never come up with that! Now I can clean up my yarn scraps from all my knitting into another craft I love; beading! By the way my cat would love one of those!

[kangel1]

you could wrap you yarn around a couple catnip leaves and the felt that. bet your cat would go nuts.

[ansleybleu]

I did keep a few in a baggie with loose catnip to "infuse" them with catnip scent. The kitties liked it.

[kangel1]

ever thought about winding the strands around a coffee straw/stirrer to keep a hole in the middle?

[ansleybleu]

You could do that, but it would be very difficult to keep the balls round that way.

[bohemeanne]

What kind of needle do you use to stab a hole through the felted balls to make jewelry out of them. I've been needle felting for a long time but when I go to make jewelry out of my balls I can't ever get anything to go through them. Can you give me a tip?

[ansleybleu]

A long thick very pointy needle works good. I believe they are called yarn darner needles. It works best if you just string them while piercing them rather than making a hole to string later.
Best wishes,
Ansley

[Diane825]

What does the vinegar do?

[ansleybleu]

It helps rinse out soap and adjusts the pH of the wool.
Cheers,
Ansley

[Mauigerbil]

Thank you for posting this!!! I think this is the one and only non-knitting/crocheting project in the yarn section. I  love yarn crafts without  it! you just made my day :D

[lchampion1]

So are you taking the scraps and then just mashing them into a ball and felting?

[ansleybleu]

Sort of. I like wrapping the pieces around a mushed base to help form the ball. Wrapping also helps you somewhat control how the colors are distributed.

[catiehade]

Are they durable? Or, um, i don't know how to word this...Do they stay composed after several times you wear them?

[ansleybleu]

Yes, felt is very durable...like a dreadlock ball.

[catiehade]

okay, Thank you so much!

[porcupinemamma]

Very pretty!!! What did you use for the small green disks between the beads? How did you thread the beads? (what did you use? wool, thread? dental floss?) Was it difficult to thread them? can't wait to see more of your Instructables!!!! :0)

[ansleybleu]

Thanks Everyone!

The disks between the felt balls are buttons.

To thread the felt balls, I used a long sharp threaded needle such as a yarn darner and used leftover yarn.

Cheers,
Ansley

[janettetsmith]

That's it!  Oh wow, this is great!  Thank you much for posting!  I make jewelry and I am definitely trying this!  Thanks again ...

[mole1]

This is great! A necklace of this sort would be perfect for someone who can't take any pressure on the back of their neck... or for those not allowed to have any high resale value jewelry in the hospital or nursing home. It's pretty and festive.

[gia]

The same technique works with other, raw fur too.
I've used it to make a few balls of cat fur - making a whole necklace of just cat fur will take a while but so far so good. :)

Other than cat/dog/rabbit fur, you could make a big felted ball for a cat toy too with that same technique.

[mooseinakilt]

I'll have to give this a shot after the winter holidays -- I'll have ten tons of scrap yarn by then :) Thanks!

[ClaudiaRN]

Very good- simple and straighforward- tho some wool doesn’t felt up very well is a good thing to remember. I f you unravel the wool quite a bit before doing the squishing, it felts together even better! -Smoother look. Like the added touch of a button between them too!

[elimasmx]

The necklace looks really cool! I just need to get some yarn..