I finished my knitting project yesterday…my first attempt at felting! It was a lunch bag made out of this yarn.
It turned out really nice, except I put the handles on the wrong side, and I couldn’t unstitch them without running the risk of cutting holes in the knitting :smack: and it’s currently sitting on my kitchen table, stuffed with towels, finishing drying.
Only question I have…can I wash it again without it shrinking even more?
My next project is a cell phone holder for my son, then I order more yarn to make elf slippers, another felting project.
Felting is fun! There is a limit to how much the yarn will shrink, but its pretty hard to know before trying if that limit has been reached. I woman in my old knitting group made a bag MUCH too big and just kept trying to re-process it, but after a few goes through the process it had no effect.
Basically, the more smoothly felted it appears (with no sections of partially felted stitches) the less it will shrink in future washings.
BTW, if you don’t know about them, a store called KnitPicks has Peruvian wool that felts up great… $1.99 per 50grams!! 42 colors. Great stuff.
Oh, KnitPicks and I are old friends. I love thumbing through their catalogs…there’s so much stuff I didn’t know I needed!
The felting instructions did say to rinse in warm water to stop the felting process. It’s pretty well felted…no stitches at all. I think I’ll wash it in warm water as needed and then drip dry.
I’m about to knit some socks out of this self striping yarn in a teal based colorway, which isn’t in the picture. I’ve been practicing my knitting in the round in preparation for this (it’s a class).
I finished my first pair of toddler sized socks and they are on their way or in China right now to an orphanage.
I did a practice Felted Christmas Stocking from a Knitting at Knoon Design Freebie and have been working on the actual one ( in gray’s as the mc with blue and red in there.) and have ripped it back to the heel at least 7 times because of screwing up the decreases. It isn’t that hard. I’m just moronic or something. I have until the 1st of August to make a pair for a wedding present for my husbands cousin in Germany. I don’t like the traditional red and green stockings or red and white stockings one bit.
After that, I plan on doing mittens (something with a nordic motif .) and socks
( with yarn purchased from Etsy
I’m working on some stuff for my baby, who’s due late next month. I just finished the cute little Puritan-style baby bonnet from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, and I’m working on another hat from Kate Gilbert. And I’m working on a knitted bunny for him – this pattern. Then I have to decide what to do next – I’m really tempted by this blanket from Knitty, but it’s an awful lot of stockinette.
It doesn’t help that it’s 90-someodd degrees here today – I don’t feel like picking up yarn!
I’m kind of half not knitting right now (I have the travel pair of socks that are almost done. I tried to keep them interesting by doing as many slightly odd things as I could think of at once with these socks. But socks really are never interesting, are they?), but instead trying to finish the hardinger embroidery project that I started 3 years ago (or so).
i just finished a sweater class last month. i knitted one sweater in class, then one for my cuz. i’m doing another now. i knitted a beach bag for a friend’s birthday and have 2 knitted pillows going.
i’m a knitting fool. i have upstairs and downstairs projects. keeps it interesting.
Can a crocheter join in? I’ve tried to teach myself knitting, but just can’t get the hang of it (I can cast on, but that’s about it). Any recommendations for books or videos that might help?
I’m currently crocheting an afghan in a log cabin pattern for a wedding shower present. I hope to have it done in time for the shower in early September. I’ve been working on it during my lunch hour at work, while I wait for appointments, at stop lights, etc. but I just can’t seem to make much progress. Probably because I’ve had to frog more than one “log” when I realized I screwed up the color positions. I suppose using a pattern would be easier, but what’s the challenge in that?
Once I’m done with that afghan, I can work on the pink/orange striped blanket for my college-bound niece. I also have scarves to make for Christmas (everyone gets one whether they want one or not) and I’ve been wanting to make a tote bag for a while (as a way to use up all this cotton yarn I don’t remember buying).
Ooh! This is a great website – free videos, both English and Continental style! Otherwise, go to your local yarn shop during a slow time, and see if the staff will help you learn.
Ungggh. Binding off the top of a triangular shawl right now. Forty odd stitches to go. Yarn running short. Will hang self with own yarn if I have to do a russian join in the middle of a bind off.
Has anyone made cotton socks and if so do you have a favorite brand of yarn? I’m allergic to wool, which made my stint working in a yarn store less than fun.
Ive finally finished the second sock of my first pair, and I used Moda Dea’s Sassy Stripes. It’s acrylic, and these are boot socks. I’m working on a new pair in a cotton wool blend from Sockotta.
I have entirely too many things in the works right now. On the needles, I have two pairs of shorties (wool diaper covers) - one is green & white stripes, Cascade 220, the other is a heather blue Cascade 220. I have yarn to do a couple more pairs of shorties and four or five longies for this winter. I’m currently looking for a good simple embroidery book so that I can embellish some of these pants.
Also on the needles is a Debbie Bliss Striped Sweater done in rainbow colors (Shine Worsted from Knitpicks). This is for my youngest.
I have alpaca sock yarn from the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (purple & grey) to make myself a pair of socks and some laceweight yarn from there, too, that I’m going to use to make something for my mom.
I have a pattern for a cardigan for me that I’m going to order some Peace Fleece for.
I just got the Harry Potter knitting book because I want to do the sweater with the H on it…my youngest is named Harry.
Um, that’s all right now. I should probably get started, huh?
Idlewild, your shawl is beautiful! I love the color.
stargazer, I’ve been looking at that Knitty baby blanket for ages, but I suck at sewing, so the backing on it makes me nervous. I think it’s so cool, though.
I’m done with my son’s cell phone holder (my own design, for what it’s worth) and now I’m twitching because I can’t order yarn for my elf slippers yet. I’m feeding my addiction by knitting i-cords with left over yarn so I can give them out as hair ribbons for the kidlets. My daughter wanted a black one, and I’m knitting pink ones for my nieces.
*
Twitch, twitch.*
Idlewyld, the shawl is gorgeous – such a lovely raspberry color! Is that you modeling it?
I’d love to learn to felt, but being between jobs right now, I’m not buying anymore yarn; I’ve plenty of acrylic (Red Heart, Caron, etc.) to work with while I wait. I remember a magazine article I saw when felting first became popular. Two pictures: before, a group of women out in the snow in front of a building, with these funny-looking things pulled over their heads down to their shoulders; and after, same location, quite lovely ladies wearing quite lovely felted hats.
I picked up some wool on the cheap at the solstice sale to try and felt a purse or two. Lonely skein bin, 50% off and each enough for Amanda’s Squatty Sidekick on the knitting daily website. I figure if the one for me turns out the second can be a purse for my younger cousin for Christmas (see? Planning ahead!).
Currently on the needles is the second sock in a pair, A Cardigan for Arwen (from last Fall’s Interweave and which it is way too hot to work on currently) and the Montego Bay scarf from the latest Interweave Knits.
The last is great right now. Light and easy to carry with me… I just need to learn to knit and stop stroking what I have already knitted up…
