Feltmaking like you've never seen before

Tonight at Panera Bread several member of our knitting group were discussing the process of making nuno (Japanese for fabric) felt, one of the workshops offered at the recent knitting retreat. Chris's scarf was lovely but she admitted it was a lot of work -- lots of throwing the scarf on a table to make the felting happen.

This made me think of a couple of YouTube videos showing how Mongolian tribes create felt for their yurts. It's completely labor intensive and void of any technology. Interestingly though, no one looks like they're put out by the process. Take the time to view these two videos -- you will be amazed like I was. Be sure to watch the BBC video first because it helps explain what is going on in the second video. Don't forget to have your volume up!

BBC video and Mongolian Felt Making

Now that you've seen how felt is made using the most rudimentary techniques, here's a video from HGTV showing you how to make a nuno felt purse. Although I wasn't at the knitting retreat this year, this video probably uses most of the same steps that were used in making the nuno felt scarf.

Makes me want to get started on this craft!