[retirednelda]

I bought some Manos de Uruguray yarn that is 70% wool and 30% silk at Tuesday morning store, can I use it to make a felted hat?
sorry, went to check and I THOUGHT IT WAS MANOS but it is Coliumo Multy by Araucania...still has the 70/30, has anyone used this? it is a beautiful yarn....

 

[Joy Marshall]

The only way to know for sure is to knit a swatch and try felting it by hand.

 

[arwenian]

Should felt but best to test it.

 

[arwenian]

Should felt but best to test it.

 

[mama879]

Usually it needs to be 80% wool to felt but you can always make a swatch then felt it to check it out.

 

[spinningjennie]

Yes it will felt but may be you may end up with a textured felt not smooth as the silk will not shrink like the wool. Do a test piece first you might like what you come up with.

 

[courier770]

It will felt and you won't get a textured result..but you also will get a slightly softer felt..not rock hard. Depending on the style of hat this could be good, or not so good. A very "shaped" hat, like a fedora style with a defined brim and crease at the crown may not work for this yarn, while a more "relaxed" style of hat might be better suited for the yarn.

I design felted hats...one of my favorite things to do is knit a hat out of one strand of worsted weight 100% wool and a strand of superwash sock yarn...yes I said superwash. When felted, the result is a wonderful, slightly "nubby" texture but the felt is firm enough to hold shape.

 

[AmyClaire]

Silk is going to take a beating during the felting process. It gets very weak when it's wet and has a tendency to break if wet *and* stressed (agitated). It's also likely to lose its color.

You will probably get a very interesting texture.

Unless you know a lot of people with different head sizes you could give the finished hat to. you should sacrifice some yarn for a swatch and felt that, then decide how big to knit the hat.

 

[retirednelda]

Thank you everyone, especially courier770, for the replies. I do only have 285 yds to work with so that is why I was asking instead of doing a swatch... lovely to have a great batch of KPers to rely on when needing information

 

[courier770]

Amy, I have used wool/silk blends for felting and not had problems with breakage or an unusual texture.