I was talking with a friend recently about felting. She was making felted bracelets and I was knitting a bowl for felting or so I thought. Apparently I wasn't. Felting is the process of laying down layers of raw unspun fibres and using water and soap to make the fibres hook together. Fulling, on the other hand is knitting, crocheting or weaving with spun fibres an oversized project which is machine washed to shrink it. So I was fulling not felting.
I have made several small bowls which I have fulled but I wanted something a bit larger to store nature finds on our seasonal table. The small bowls are little on the deep side for this, I wanted a bowl with a wider, flat base. I used the original pattern as a basis to create my own.
The yarn you use needs to be one that can be fulled/felted, it must be 100% wool and not super wash, this inhibits the fulling/felting process. I used a roving yarn, this pattern used 75m of the yarn on four 8mm, Size 11 double pointed needles.
Fulled/Felted Bowl     
Cast on 100 stitches, divide between the needles, join in the round being careful not to twist, place marker.
Round 1: K
Round 2: P
Round3: K
Continuing knitting rounds until work measures 3"
Shaping
Round 1: *K18, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 2: *K17, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 3: *K16, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 4: *K15, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 5: *K14, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 6: *K13, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 7: *K12, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 8: *K11, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 9: *K10, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 10: *K9, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 11: *K8, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 12: *K7, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 13: *K6, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 14: *K5, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 15: *K4, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 16: *K3, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 17: *K2, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Round 18: *K1, K2tog, repeat from * to end of round
Break yarn leaving a 6" tail, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches, pull tight and weave in.
Place the bowl in a mesh bag or pair of tights and put in the washing machine with the rest of your washing. It is not true that you 'need' to have a top loading machine to do this as so many websites seem to suggest. I have a front loading machine and have successfully fulled/felted many projects including unintentional ones! I use my own washing powder made of bicarb and borax, bicarb, I have read, can assist with the felting process. Felting/Fulling is not an exact science but it is good fun and I will definitely be making more of these and experimenting further with different sizes.
Joining in with Nicole for this week Keep Calm Craft On, head on over to see what others have been making.....