What is Felt?
[[File:Felt hat.jpg|thumb|felt hat]] [[File:Kazah jurta.jpg|thumb|[[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] felt [[yurt]]]] '''Felt''' is a type of [[cloth]] or [[textile]]. It is a complex network of [[thread]]s or [[yarn]]s. They are pressed together usually when wet. This is ''matting'' [[fur|fibers]], with [[water]] and [[soap]]. It may also be made by [[Needle felting|poking the fibers]] with barbed [[needle]]s. Felt can be made by hand, or by [[machine]].<ref>Tellier-Loumagne, Françoise 2008. ''The art of felt : inspirational designs, textures and surfaces''. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28731-6</ref> The fiber can be wool or fur or artificial fibers. People have been making felt longer than any other kind of [[cloth|fabric]].<ref>Barber E.J.W. 1991. ''Prehistoric Textiles: the development of cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, with special reference to the Aegean''. Princeton: Princeton University Press.</ref> Felt can be of any [[color]], and made into any [[shape]] or [[size]]. Felt is used to make many things like [[clothing]], [[hats]], and [[rug]]s. [[Nomadic people]] in many [[country|countries]] live in [[tent]]s made of felt. Felt is used for many different things. Today, people use felt for [[hat]]-making, insulating (making warm), sound-proofing, and [[cushion]]ing. ==Felt versus fabric== [[File:Felting needles.jpg|thumb|upright|Felting needles]] The difference between felt and most fabrics, like [[denim]], is that most fabrics have a regular criss-cross, in-and-out [[weaving]] pattern, but felt is a messy [[wiktionary:jumble|jumble]] of [[fiber]]s. Most fabrics are woven for strength and smoothness: they need carding to straighten the fibers, spinning to turn fibers into long threads and weaving to make fabric. Felt only needs a carding [[comb]]. Because of this, felt was often used by nomadic people. == References == {{reflist}} {{wikt}} [[Category:Cloth]]