I just started the washer for what I think is the last time felting the super-secret surprise. And it seems to be working! So far, the size, shape, and proportion are looking good. And the cascade is felting nicely.
I have one of those crazy low water washers. I love it for laundry. We've saved a ton of money on detergent and water since we got it. I can fit more in a load than my old super capacity washer (almost twice as much!), and it uses less detergent per load. It was a challenge to find the HE detergent I needed in the brand we used, but it's been well worth it.
The only problem I have is that less water, detergent, and aggitation means much slower felting. And much slower diaper washing. I've had to run some items through the washer 5 times. The cloth diapers went through that many times when we were using them. I plan to start cloth diapering again soon... But that's another story. The current felting project is on it's fourth trip through the washer. I've tried adding extra rinses, the stain treatment option, the soaking option, you name it, I've tried it. And none of it seems to make things felt faster.
Wish me luck! I hope I don't have to start the washer again for this project!