I'm a Felting Fanatic

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Originally uploaded by lilybug1

As Jack would say: "WOOK it! WOOK it!"

Look at my pretty knitting basket. After completing Jill's purse kit, I was itching to try another felting project. Thank goodness that I'd done Jill's project first!

I got this pattern for free on Ravelry. The knitting portion of the project was very easy to follow. I worked the project on 32" circulars and the only alterations I made were to make it a few inches taller than described and instead of purling in rounds after completing the bottom, I knit in rounds to practice my continental style. I doubt that knitting rather than purling made any appreciable difference, though.

Once it was complete, the directions said "Felt." If I hadn't done Jill's project, I wouldn't have known what to do! Felting knitting is completely different than felting wool fabric, which I do for my rug hooking projects. For one thing, felting wool fabric takes a lot longer and requires a cycle in the dryer. Felting knitting only takes 1 or 2 five minute wash cycles and there is no dryer involved. I formed the shape by pulling the project over a bucket. It stands open on its own.

Love it.

This is How I Felt

Ta-da!

I finished my first felting project, and I've decided I need to do more, more, more!



Here it is as it looked after my vacation.

My crafty sister-in-law Jill gave me a felted handbag kit of her own creation for Christmas. It came with the yarn, the needles and a lingerie bag for felting the project. I knit about half of the bag during my vacation, but then sickness and life in general intervened, and I didn't really pick it up again until March. Since it was knitting in the round, and it was on giant size 15 needles, it served as the perfect project for me to practice my newly learned Continental style knitting. I think I finally picked up the knack, since my left hand doesn't get tired out any more.



Here it is in its knitted-but-unfelted state.

This project could easily be done in a weekend and is just perfect for beginning knitters and/or beginning felters (like me). I couldn't believe how fast the bag shrunk in my washer! I only ran it for 10 minutes total and it shrunk to about 2/3 of its size. The variegated colors of the yarn sort of ran together and look like an impressionist painting. As soon as it is dry, I'll update this post with a picture of the finished object.

I opted to knit a longer I-cord for the handles, since I wanted a small shoulder bag rather than a handbag. With two kids, I don't really have a free hand that often. Now I'm wishing that I felted some crocheted flowers to decorate the front of the bag -- I may try to add them later. I'm definitely going to add a closure of some kind across the top.

A+ on the kit, Jill!



Oskar thinks the bag is his, of course!