new crochet pattern - colour dipped oven mitts by kim miller.

Colour Dipped Oven Mitts by Kim Miller

Skill Level: Easy/Intermediate

Add a splash of colour to your kitchen with these DIY felted oven mitts. These oven mitts are first crocheted from 100% wool for felting and then felted until they become soft and fuzzy.

This crochet pattern calls for 1¾ skeins of Cascade Yarns® 220, a ¼ skein of each contrasting colour and a 4.00 mm (G) crochet hook (or size needed to obtain gauge). The pattern uses the following techniques and stitches: the adjustable ring, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and half double crochet 2 together.

The finished mitt measures cm 12.7 cm (5”) wide and 26.7 cm (10½”) long. Please note that measurements are approximate and will be affected by gauge, the brand of yarn and the felting process.

Buy Now

(Purchase this pattern using the "Buy Now" link above and receive 20% off your purchase by using coupon code "OVENMITTS20" at the checkout. Offer valid until Wednesday, October 7th, 2015)

kim.

photo gallery - felted wine bottle gift bag.

I was feeling all headachie and blah when I woke up the other morning, but then I received these wonderful pictures from Jonelle, one of our customers, and they totally cheered me up!

For the owl bag Jonelle told us that the owl that she used to embellish the bag was actually from a ring. She just cut the ring part off and sewed the owl onto the bag...the rest she needle felted on.

I love the detail on the grape leaves...makes me want to dig out my needle felting kit!

If you are interested in making your own Felted Wine Bottle Cozy you can find the pattern here on Ravelry. Also, Jonelle has generously offered to answer any questions that you may have regarding the needle felting techniques used to make these beautiful bags. Just email us at knotsewcute@gmail.com and we will forward your questions to Jonelle.

 

kim.

can you felt items in a front loading washer?

I have found that items will felt in a front loading washer, but it may take a few washings. Remember that it is a combination of heat and friction that causes an item to felt, so throwing the item in the dryer will also speed up the felting process. Although these are the easiest methods for felting there are some downsides. The biggest being that with machine felting you don't have as much control over how much the item felts.

For example, I had one pair of slippers that I didn't love enough, and I just kept throwing them in the front loading washer. I probably washed them about 3 or 4 times and in between washing I didn't even so much as give them a second glance. Unfortunately, as you can see from the pictures, I found that they didn't felt evenly.

 

The machine scrunched up the fabric in such a way that wherever there was a fold, the fabric didn't felt completely.

In the end I was able to salvage the slippers by vigorously scrubbing them by hand, but tiny evidences of the wrinkles still showed.

 

Now, to eliminate this problem I will often do a combination of hand and machine felting. Also, because a front loading washer spins the fabric until it is almost dry I will always finish off with a quick hand felting. That way I am able to shape the item and allow it to dry naturally.

I would love t hear from others about their felting experiences.



Related Posts:

what is felting?
felting tutorial.
felting gone awry.
can you felt wool by boiling it?

kim.

photo gallery - felted nesting bowls and mushroom catch-alls.

I always want to start out every blog post with "I'm super excited", but that is because whenever I am sharing something I am super excited!!! I especially love the customer photos that are sent our way because I find them so inspiring and I love to see someone else's twist or interpretation.

With all of that said, I'm super excited to share with you some extremely sweet pictures of the Felted Nesting Bowls and the Felted Mushroom Catch-alls sent to us from Melanie of Bixi and Goxi.



Felted Nesting Bowls

 

Felted Nesting Bowls

 

Felted Mushroom Catch-all

 

Felted Mushroom Catch-all

 

Be sure to visit Melanie of Bixi and Goxi and to see how this creative mom of three little ones stays busy. Melanie's blog is in German but thanks to Google Translate we can inspire one another no matter what language we speak :)

 

 

 

kim.

 

 

photo gallery.

If you are looking for one of a kind felted wool accessories or if you make your own felted creations and you are looking for some inspiration then be sure to check out Laura DeMeulenaere of LJDBags.

Back in May, 2012 we posted some pictures of Laura's beautiful hand crafted wine bottle totes here, and today we are excited to be able to share some more photo's of her work. We are sure that you will agree that Laura's colour combinations and needle felting techniques are amazing!

 

Lemon Grass and Meadow Green Felted Wool Bag

If you are interested in purchasing this felted bag or any of Laura's other high quality creations then you will be happy to know that she is having a 20% off sale for the month of August, 2012.

If you are interested in creating your own Felted Crochet Bag you can find the crochet pattern here on our blog.

kim.

new crochet pattern - felted coffee cuff by tara schreyer.

Skill Level: Easy

I'm all for using a regular re-useable to-go cup but sometimes you simply forget or are in such a hurry that you don't have time to grab it on your way out. But when you find yourself in the coffee shop for your morning coffee, you can at least pass on the paper sleeve. You can use a re-usable cuff that you have created instead!!

This is a crochet and felting pattern. The designs on the coffee cuffs in the pictures have been needle felted on and the sketches for a dragonfly, butterfly, and ladybug have been included in the pattern if you desire to use them. But really, there is no limit to what you can design on them.

Some basic knowledge of needle felting is required as the pattern doesn't explain the process of needle felting. However, you can find information right here on our blog (far down in the posting).

The pattern calls for 100% wool and is crocheted using simple stitches. After felting, the coffee cuff measures 2.75" high and 5" wide. It should fit most medium or large to-go coffee cups.

The pattern also includes figure pictures and simple instructions on how to felt.

Buy Now

tara.

photo gallery.

If you are looking for handcrafted, one of a kind, finished product then you need to check out the very talented Laura DeMeulenaere of LJDBags. Following are some pictures of the wine bottle totes that Laura hand crafts and sells. 

 Laura specializes in hand knit and crochet felted wool accessories and in addition to the wine bottle totes she also makes purses, lap top bags, and brooches.

 We are sure that you will agree that her workmanship and needle felting is amazing and worth checking out!

If you are interested in making your own Felted Wine Bottle Gift Bag you can find the crochet pattern here at Craftsy.com.

kim.

felting gone awry.

Over the past 4 years I have done countless felting projects and although I usually get consistent results felting is always a bit of a wild card, and sometimes there are surprises! For example, I was recently working on a crochet bowl (prototype #1) for an upcoming pattern.  I made about 6 increase rounds, and 3 plain rounds holding two strands of Patons Classic Wool. I was excited to see how the felting process would transform the bowl, but I was in for a bit of a shock. My nicely shaped bowl turned out not to be bowl shaped at all, but rather it was as flat as a pancake.

Yep, that's my bowl...

...not very pretty, but I figured that this would be a good opportunity to talk about some ways to recover a felting project that has gone awry. My first thought was to needle felt on a funky design and use it as a hot pad for my pots, but I was curious as to how much I could reshape it. While it was still wet I placed the felted wool over an upside down bowl and I gently stretched the fabric into shape.

Much to my delight I was able to reshape the fabric back into a bowl and once the wool is dry it will hold it's shape.

What do you do, though, if your project is impossible to reshape into a useful object? Well, I recently came across Jan Howel, a designer that sells sewing patterns that utilize the wool from recycled sweaters. You can view her lovely creations here. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on saving all of my felting mishaps and I look forward to transforming them into something new and wonderful!

You may also be interested in:

What is felting?

Felting tutorial.

Can you felt wool by boiling it?

kim.

new crochet pattern - grab and go project bag.

Not only is this bag practical and fun to make but it is perfect for transporting your current crochet project!!! This bag opens up nice and wide for easy access and keeps your yarn clean and secure while you are crocheting. Then when it's time to run, simply toss in your project, grab the drawstring handles and away you go! This bag would also work great as a purse or a lunch bag.

This detailed crochet pattern calls for 1 ¾ balls of Patons® Classic Wool in Natural Mix, scraps of Deep Olive, eight 1” eyelets, and one 1½” button. The felting process creates a beautiful dense fabric so there is no need for lining. The pattern is complete with colour illustrations and directions on attaching the eyelets. The finished bag measure 29" in circumference and 11" from the bottom center to the top edge.

Buy Now

kim.

sneak peek.

grab and go project bag by kim miller 

 

 

Perfect for the crafter on the go, the crochet pattern for this wonderful felted project bag should be ready for release any day now...

kim.

knotsewcute myth busters - can you felt wool by boiling it?

Sometimes we get questions about boiling wool to get it to felt. Since it is a combination of moisture, heat and friction that causes an item to felt I'm a little sceptical about the boiling method, but I'm still hopeful. Anything that would make my life easier is worth a try.

Using Patons Classic Wool I crocheted a 7x7" test swatch.

I placed the test swatch in a pot of water and set it on the stove to boil. Since I was a bit nervous about a kitchen fire I kept a close eye on it and using tongs I swished it around once in awhile.

So, how did I make out? Well, after an hour of boiling...

...nothing!

From what I understand soap makes water more soluble and the felting process occurs more readily when the pH level of the water is higher so I thought that I would try again, but this time I would add soap. I opted for a bit of laundry soap so that I wouldn't   have bubbles boiling all over my kitchen.

...still nothing. So, unless I am missing some crucial step, "boiling your wool project in a pot of water on the stove does not work"! The only thing that I accomplished was that my entire house was scented with the "knot sew" delightful smell of wet sheep :)

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Boiled wool is a special type of fabric primarily used in berets, scarves, vests, cardigans, coats and jackets. It is created using a mechanical knitting process which involves a set pattern that is then shrunk. It can also be a woven fabric which is shrunk, compressing the fibres together." Sounds an awful lot like fulling or felting to me.

I think that the misunderstanding arises from the term itself and it is perfectly understandable. If someone told us to boil some eggs...we would never throw them into the washing machine on the hot cycle :)



You may also be interested in our other felting posts:

What is felting
Felting tutorial

kim.

first friday freebie.

felted colourful caterpillar - crochet pattern

by tara schreyer

With this crochet pattern, the possibilities are endless. Switch up his colors, felt him if you wish or simply leave him crocheted. Give him some character with eyes and a smile. Insert a bell to make him even more interesting to your little one.

He works out to be approx: 12¾ cm (5”) L x 7¾ cm (3”) H x 4½ cm (1 ¾”) W

Free Pattern

enjoy!

felting tutorial.

I am in need of a new hat so I thought that I would make myself the Ladies Felted Chapeau as this would also give me an opportunity to do a felting tutorial. The pattern calls for 2 skeins of Cascade 220 and the colour that I chose is called Chocolate (2403) which is a deep rich brown with a purple undertone.

If this is your first time felting then I would recommend starting out with a smaller project where the finished size is not going to be an issue. Even though I am making my own pattern it is still important for me to follow and check my gauge.

As you can see from the picture the pre-felted hat is large and awkward looking but once it is felted it will shrink down considerably and the stitches will not be as prominent.

It is always a good practice to write down the pre-felted measurements. According to the pattern the hat should shrink about 4" in circumference and the finished hat should measure about 22" in circumference so the pre-felted hat should measure about 26" in circumference.

I prefer to felt by hand as I like the control, but because this is such a large project it is going to take a lot effort to get it to felt so I am going to start the process off by washing it in the machine. To be on the safe side side I going to place it in a colour fast pillow case. I've never had a problem with Patons Classic Wool, Lion Brand Wool, or Cascade 220 but if you are felting with Alpaca it sheds like crazy so you will always want to put it in a pillow case when you are machine felting.

These are the materials that I use for hand felting. I would recommend that everyone try felting by hand at least once just so they can get a feel for the process. I wear rubber gloves so that I can tolerate the hot water. Remember that it is the friction and the heat that cause the fibers to bind together so their is no need to worry about being gentle. I have even used a scrub brush and a wash board.

I start by soaking my project in hot soapy water. I use straight hot water from the tap and dish soap.

The scary part is that sometimes your project seems to grow at the beginning and it is hard to imagine that it is ever going to shrink down to size. This hat has already been through a wash cycle so it didn't stretch out much.

It is the friction and the heat that cause the item to felt so use whatever reasonable means you have to create friction.

When I first started felting I was very gentle with my project but it is really amazing how much abuse the wool can take.

Try gripping the fabric between your hands and rubbing your palms together.

I also find that periodically going from really hot water to really cold water sort of "shocks" the wool and speeds up the felting process, but it is important to remember to keep the hot water from cooling down too much.

As you can see from the photo the stitches are not as definite.

Keep scrubbing and alternating from hot to cold water.

Okay...at this point you are probably discouraged so feel free to take a break. As I said earlier the wool takes an amazing amount of abuse.

Back to scrubbing...

...and alternating between hot and cold water.

At a certain point the fibers will really start to bind together. As you can see from the photo the stitches are barely noticeable and water beads form on the fabric. I only took one small break and the process still took me about an hour, but it was worth it.

For a really professional look it is a good idea to spend a some time shaping your project. To help maintain the shape while your project is drying try stuffing it with fiberfil or a like item. Also, as you can see from the picture the edge isn't very even...

...so pull and stretch your project into shape. The fabric has some stretch so think about the shape that you want your finished project to be.

I just used an old bowl to prop up the hat so that it could dry. Depending on the heat and humidity it may take 2 to 3 days for your project to dry completely.

There's still some finishing work to do but I'll save that for another day and another post.

For additional information on felting see also:

what is felting.
felting gone awry.

kim.