Fulling

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 &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

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.....

Nightie

When I decide what we are going to give our children for Christmas, yes I do the deciding as my husband shows no interest, I like to give them four small gifts, something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read.  I try to make at least two of these, usually the something to wear and one other.  I was struggling to come up with an idea for a second 'make' for my youngest when a conversation with a friend gave me an idea.  We were talking about what we were giving our children for Christmas, as she too had run out of ideas for her youngest, when she mentioned that she had made a nightie for her daughter the previous Christmas.  My youngest had mentioned several times during the year that she would like one, I had been looking out for one in the shops as it never occurred to me to make one, but could not find one that she liked.  Soon after I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time in our local sewing shop alone, which gave me the perfect opportunity to find a pattern and material.

This was the second garment I have made following a bought paper pattern, the first being trousers which I made in the summer last year.  Despite their being some more new techniques in this pattern I  managed to make this in a day.  I knew that it was slightly more complicated than the trousers so I spent a long time before hand reading all the instructions to make sure I knew exactly what I was supposed to doing.  I find it really difficult to visualise what I need to do from written instructions I work much better from pictures.  Most of the instructions for this nightie did not make any sense but I figured once I had cut out the pieces and started to sew it would make more sense, lucky for me it did.  I didn't sew continuously during the day, I did a bit and then left it, did a bit more.

It is not by any means the most perfect garment, the hem at the bottom is a little odd in places but my daughter loves it and wore it for three days, whilst we were home, once she had opened it!  The pattern has been really useful as I used it as a base to make up some viking costumes.

Joining in with Nicole for this weeks Keep Calm Craft On, head on over to see what others have been busy making......