Friday, July 30, 2010

Felting 101: Part 1

Hello all!

Haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would just share one of the things I've been working on with you -- a crocheted and felted stash bag!

Felting (otherwise known as "shrinking" when done by accident) is the process of knitting or crocheting something out of wool yarn and then throwing it in the washing machine on hot with some detergent. After running it through a few cycles, the item will have shrunk, the stitches will meld together, and the fabric will become very dense and durable.

I will write up another blog post in the next few days explaining this process in more detail, and I will also show you the second item that I felted today! But for now check out the following:


Stash bag, "before": large, lumpy, and shapeless


Close-up of the stitches before felting


Stash bag, "after": smaller, smooth, and shaped to perfection!


Close-up of the stitches after felting!

Check back in a couple days to see my knitted entrelac bag!!! :D