The process of matting together loose fibers (typically wool or fur) using heat, moisture, and pressure to create a cohesive cloth.
From 'felt' (verb) plus the gerund suffix '-ing.' The process name reflects the action of matting fibers together, with roots in Old English and Germanic languages where similar felting techniques were used.
Felting works because wool fibers have tiny scales along their surface—when you heat, wet, and agitate them, these scales lock together like tiny gears, permanently bonding the fibers into a fabric that gets tighter the more you manipulate it.
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