양모섬유를 이용한 펠트 기법에 관한 고찰 - 니트 펠트(Knitted felt) 디자인을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Felt is one of non-woven fabrics entangled by wool as a result of the application of heat, pressure, moisture, and mechanical or chemical action. Felting of wool provides numerous advantageous properties to users including elasticity, heat reservance, sound absorption, lightness, flexibility, and others. Felt also has the advantages to vary in terms of fiber content, color, size, thickness, and density in order to show various types of novel fabric textures. The purpose of this research is to review the historical background of felt and the felting techniques such as wet-felt, needle felt, woven or knitted felt, and nuno felt. This study particularly focuses on knitted felt, which allows to express two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional design structures and to increase the variability of special textures. Loop lengths, take-down tensions and knit structures should be significantly considered to enhance the proper surface effects on the knitted felt. In addition, diverse knitted-felt designers and their design works are introduced and analyzed in the research. Both technical and design areas of this study are recorded and discussed. The research has implications for academicians and designers, who require information in knitted felt and related techniques.