Latest Felted Project

Here's the latest thing off the needles: a felted backpack in olive/dusty brown made from Dale of Norway's Heilo.

Now, I really enjoy felting -- because you can have such fun with it. If you'll notice, I have a felted I-cord drawstring to close the bag. Once I felted everything and put it together, I needed to trim the cord as I'd made it too long. I took that cord, made a loop, sewed it to the inside of the bag and now I have somewhere to clip my keys! I also added a small, button-flapped coin pocket on the outside and a long, multi-pocket piece on the inside.

The straps are doubled, 10-stitch wide (like a really wide I-cord) and knit right onto the backpack (from the base to just under the flap at the top). Knitting them on (altho a bit more cumbersome than knitting them separate and sewing later), ensures a good strong bond to the backpack. The "X"s at the top are more decoration than for utility.

Here's the bag with one strap done and the pickup for the second strap. Here you can also see the pre-felted size. It was HUGE! The felting will shrink the knitting (so you can't see stitch-definition) about 40% (with more shrinkage in the length than the width). The final product -- as you can see above -- is a nice, wide bag that will be used by me ALOT!

Felting for Beginners

Felting -- the process of taking a natural-fiber knitted piece (wool, alpaca -- any fiber that will shrink) and washing it by hand or machine until the fibers cling together, making a thicker, non-raveling piece. Felting often will shrink the garment about 40 percent (more in length than in width). Fulling is doing the same thing, but with a WOVEN piece of natural-fiber.

I love to felt my knitting things -- it's very fun to be able to mindlessly knit a huge sack that will ultimately be something quite useful. I usually felt bags or backpacks, but I've also tried felted slippers (which are amazingly warm and sturdy); I've even been known to purposely felt something that I didn't like, cut and sew it into something completely new -- just ask my MIL: I made her a gorgeous Christmas tea cozy with matching coasters from a fair-isle vest that I hated once I was finished with the knitting. Felting gave it new life.

Felting is also a GREAT beginner project because you can alter the shape of the finished product and hide small mistakes (like a doubled stitch or uneven gauge). Felting is a very do-able action with your knitting that exponentially increases your design possibilities!

If you're interested at all in finding out more about felting, here are some of the best (IMHO) books on the subject:

• Felted Knits by Beverly Galeskas -- this wonderful book is written by the established "queen of felting". Galeskas is the designer behind Fiber Trends, the folks who were trying to get everyone felting their knitting back in the '90s (actually 13 years ago)!
• Felt It! 20 Fun & Fabulous Project to Knit & Felt by Maggie Pace -- I like this book! The designs are a bit too funky for my tastes -- wait till you see the "Night Star Wrap"! -- but they are extremely varied and unique. More importantly, she has great tips and techniques that will save new felters (or even those "experienced felters") quite a bit of time and effort. This really is a great paperback!
• Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits: Wonderful Wearables & Home Accents by Jane Davis -- has such wonderful projects, with nice clear directions and information. Like Maggie Pace's book, you get so much more than the unique designs -- you get helpful advice from a woman who has felted many items and so knows how to do it right!

There are MANY other knit-felting books out in the stores. If you browse Tattered Cover, you'll find nine others (plus the plethora of felted crochet books).

How to Stay Warm and Cozy this winter

I mentioned this in an earier post -- the one suggesting using a bobby pin as a "needle" -- but never got back to posting about it.

Based on a pattern from Amy Singer's book, Knit Wit -- a collection of sometimes goofy, sometimes groovy knitted objects -- these slippers are a dream to knit and really are cozy (trust me, on the hardwood floors in early Fall mornings, they are GREAT!).

I made mine toe-up, two-socks on two-circs, using Lion Brand's Wool , using Ocean Blue Prints. Here's the before felting picture: note that the slippers are more than 12 inches long. The patterning is pretty cool, but does "puddle" a bit.


The felted version is now my foot size (9.5 inches, roughly) and the patterning is much more muted. My slippers are reverse stocking stitch with short row toe and heel.

These slippers took two skeins of the LB Wool, with just a bit left-over yarn. When doing two socks on circs, I always use two skeins -- that way if I have left over I can either make a matching hat or use the yarn as a detail in another pair! I also love to do toe-up socks so that I can make sure the sock will cover my foot and then I just keep knitting until the yarn is almost gone.