Felting Outside the Box

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TheBeasKnees, member

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A hand bag I made for my daughter-in-law, Liz

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Many of my knitting friends have yet to try it, but I love felting! It is one of the most forgiving crafts I work with. Although I approach knitting with the same meticulous manner that I do everything else, felting after the fact hides all but the most atrocious of errors. If you are a loose knitter, it will pull the work in and if you are a tight knitter it felts even faster. The only requirement for felting is that you start with 100% wool. Otherwise, it just doesn’t felt properly.

I got the idea for this bag from a Lion Brand pattern. It called for a different yarn, but I had this color on hand and it was 100% wool, so I decided to go for it. After the bag was fknitted, I made a long tube - approx. 10 feet - and then felted them both. I always felt in my washing machine on the hottest temperature setting using a hand washing fabric soap. I like to use one that is lavender so my pieces smell yummy when they are finished. It really adds to the piece. I felt the pieces as many times as is required to get them to the size and tightness that I like. When properly felted, you can cut a knitted piece into anything you want and it won’t ravel.

After both pieces were felted I sewed the tube to the rim of the bag at evenly spaced intervals and added beads to embellish and hold the tube in place for a better fit. Then I added a pair of my favorite handles and a nice matching bow to give the piece that special handmade touch!

To get the feel of felting and remove the fear, beginners may want to start out by knitting a huge square or rectangle that can be felted and then used as a piece of fabric. Make a pattern for a pair of mittens, then cut 2 sides per hand out of your felted fabric. Sew them together just like you are making an article of clothing and voila, you have a very special pair of mittens! You can also try felting an old wool sweater and use that to make your mittens!

I also enjoy needle felting and have a few pieces for sale on my Etsy site:

The Bea's Knees Needle Felted Pincushions

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Crafts made of Fish,Coal,Birch  

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