Felting a Hat with a Ball
with Permission from Stephanie Allosso
There is no knitting or crocheting involved in wet or needle felting. A few people who have visited my site have asked for patterns to knit and shrink hats. Technically speaking, that is called “fulling.” What I do is called “wet felting” or “needle felting.” Usually I do a combination of both.
Here is my process for how to make a felted wool hat hood (some people call them cones or bodies) using the "needle to wet felting" technique:
This is going to be a snug little cap for my husband. He chooses to be bald most of the time, which leaves him chilly most mornings. I want the cap to be super soft for his scalp, so I am going with a Merino/Silk blend (about 2 ounces.)
First, gently fluff out and pull apart the roving (or batting) and completely cover a needling form (at right).
I tack the fleece to the form using a needle tool. I love these tools! My husband saw me stabbing fleece on a form one day and could easily see why I like it so much! It definitely provides an outlet-- creative or otherwise…
Once the first layer is done, I apply a second layer of fleece in the opposite direction.
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6363.jpg)
Every layer of fleece should be going in an opposing direction to the preceding layer. This gives the fleece the best chance of felting together when friction is applied. I am using 3 layers for this project.
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6364.jpg)
Then I separate the needled fleece from the form. It kind of looks like a bag when it's pulled off the form.
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6365.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6366.jpg)
Next, I put a 12-inch inflatable ball inside the needled fleece 'bag" and inflate it.
![Lissome inflatable ball](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6370.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6371.jpg)
Now it is time to grate olive oil soap and dissolve it in hot water...
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6373.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6379.jpg)
The amount you use depends on the characteristics of the fleece you are felting with and your water ph.
I have found that adding a squirt of dish soap seems to speed things up (Ajax, in particular). I've had great success using only dish soap, but after a few days of serious felting, my hands were extremely chafed. I use mostly olive oil soap now.
I put the fleece-covered ball into a kitchen trash bag.
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6374.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6384.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6385.jpg)
Because the three layers of fleece are needled together, I am able to pour the hot soapy water directly from the bowl onto the project without any displacement (which I would have to worry about if this was strictly a wet-felting project). I then tie up the trash bag and start felting. This is a great opportunity for family fun!
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6389.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6393.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6398.jpg)
As you can see, my wet felting technique is very scientific!! Dribble, pound, rub, slap, ride like a horse, bounce on a trampoline…
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6406.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6407.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6408.jpg)
After about 30 minutes of “horse play,” the fleece is nicely felted around the ball. Deflate and remove the ball. Rinse off the felted fleece and prepare for fulling.
![Lefse Roller](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6412.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6414.jpg)
My lefse roller is the perfect tool for fulling. I fold the hat body in half and place a piece of plastic over it to prevent my roller from tearing up the fleece.
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6416.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6417.jpg)
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6418.jpg)
After about 15-20 minutes of rolling, I check the hat body's size. This looks too big. So I put the hat in boiling water for a few minutes and repeat the fulling process. 10 minutes of rolling, tugging and stretching and the hat body is complete!
![](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-all2n9o8xo/product_images/uploaded_images/img_6420.jpg)
This hat body could be used to make all sorts of hats. With minimal trimming, it could be a stocking cap (which is what this one will become.) Or it could be stretched over a hat block and sized to make a very rigid hat. It cost me less than $2 to make this hat body/cone.