Friday, April 12, 2013

Felting projects

Well, I completed a third baby hat last night!  Hooray!

I am going to take a break from those for a bit, I think, and make myself something.  I have only done one felting project so far - a draft stopper for my door.  It turned out alright, though I did shrink it too much.  So I am going to try again.  I need to finish a second draft stopper which I have already begun, but I am also going to work on a felted handbag for myself.  It is going to require me to pick up some stitches, which I haven't ever done, but what is the worst that can happen?  I have to tear out 6 rows?  Meh.

The door stopper is a super easy pattern.  This is what it looked like before I felted it.

That is a quarter on top of it so that you can get a sense for how long it was.  It is now shorter than the opening on my door, but again, that happened because of my inexperience.  I wont shrink the next one quite as much.  Plus, my front door is larger than average, so that doesn't help much. I will try to get a picture of the finished thing at some point here.  But I work it in the round, so I just continue knitting until it is time to change colors.  It is a good project for when I just want to keep my hands busy, though the changing colors is annoying.  I just need to suck it up and finish my second one so that I can just be done with them.

Because of how much 100% wool shrinks in a hot washer the item has to be made much, much larger than what you want the finished size to be.  So it is a lot of extra knitting, but then once it has shrunk/felted down it creates a slightly stiff material that does not show any of the stitches and no longer has even tiny holes that stitches create.  It certainly has its uses, and it is fun to watch it change!  

I think I am also going to start working on Christmas presents for next Christmas.  I know, I know, it's only April.  But I have 5 siblings, as well as many in-laws or nearly in-laws of my siblings.  So, even if I just make one gift per person I should have at least 13 gifts that I should be making - and that is if I only do a single project per person!  And that doesn't include friends and others!  So, starting in April really isn't that big a thing.  I think I am going to go with a general theme for the girls, at least, but I can't actually tell you what it is because some of them read this.  So, you'll just have to wait patiently until Christmas time!  By which time I am sure you will have forgotten, ha!  It will still be fun, though.

So many projects to do, so little time!  I wish I didn't have to work or go to school and could just knit until my heart is content.  Alas, stupid life.  I think I need myself an Italian sugar daddy!  Hahah.

2 comments:

  1. Barbara it's good to see you smiling face in picture form that is. Miss you at knit night hope classes are going fast. Can't wait to see to gifts come to life.

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  2. Cricket! So glad you found me here. I miss knitting night, too! Just another couple of months and hopefully I can be a regular again!

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