Thursday, February 22, 2007

like it's going out of style


I've been knitting and (machine) felting - like it's going out of style.

What starts out looking like the (armless) body of a sweater sized to fit a 10 yr. old child becomes ...after a hot bath in the washing machine....


a tea cozy for a smallish teapot. A tea cozy that looks like a densely woven night watchman's cap...

HolyMoly, I expected it to shrink considerably, but not this much. I'd heard 30% in height and 25% in width. I've also been told that felting shrinkage can be 60% in height/length.
This must be closer to 60%!

Felting is full of surprises, and the process can get a little frustrating, but basically - I like it.

The unexpected is going to allow (force?) me to stray quite dramatically from the original cute English Cottage Tea Cozy pattern I set out to make, and put my own funky twist on the end product. What with using assorted leftover yarns for Tea Cosy #3 (yes, this is my third attempt at the same pattern), I've already turned it into a striped cottage. Ye Olde Striped English Cottage with Striped Roof.

Not a problem, as I'm beginning to embrace my creative process being all about the ad lib after screwing up with following the instructions...

So Ai Ya and WhoopdeeDoo.

It's not quite safe to go back into the water yet. There will be more about
my felted knitting projects in future posts. I just wanted to post 'before' and 'after' pix.

And to show that I also have the ability to turn a $1 bill into a $20 bill....
(yost keeding)

3 comments:

House Dreams said...

who does it fit?
How about a scarf made with our grandpuppie's fur? Wanna see it?!

Lauren said...

So that's what it looks like before it's been felted! Huge! Send me measurements of your completed tea cozies and I'll keep my eye out for the perfect teapots.

baffle said...

I've been curious about those sweaters n'things knitted with (shedded) fur from dogs and cats!
Imagine them to be itchy though. Particularly those made from short-haired animals - kinda pokey?

OKIE DOKIE Lauren - I'll measure and send. Or we can look for a teapot this coming weekend?