Felt Daft

I don't have a picture of my felted bag today but I do have a picture of another felted project. Two years ago I took part in an International Yarn Swap on Ravelry and received a lovely package from Norway.

The hat pattern is a traditional Norwegian design and there was enough yarn to make two hats, one for each of my twins. I quickly cast on and completed the knitting of one very quickly. Then it sat and the bottom of my knitting bag, unsewn and not felted.

My New Years Resolution is to finish off any WIPs before I start any new ones, so this was an easy one to finish off as no knitting was required. After sewing it looked like this

After washing in the machine on a 60 minute, 40 degree wash with a pair of jeans for company, shaped and left to dry overnight it looks like this:

She loves it!

I feel a sense of acheivement as another item is complete, and I also remembered how much fun these swaps can be so I've signed up for the next one!

Felting

So here is my second attempt at posting this, after yesterdays disaster.

I have always been intrigued by felting. The thought of putting hours of work into knitting something to then throw it in the washing machine and cross your fingers that it will work out terrified me at first. The finished effect, when successful, is very pretty though.

My one previous attempt years ago to make a felted bag didn't work too well. It was knitted in Twilleys Freedom Spirit. Here it is before felting -

and after

I can't even tell you where it is now.

So I was surprised when I found myself drawn towards a felted bag pattern in an issue of Simply Knitting Magazine last summer. Calling for 5 balls of Twilleys Freedom Spirit, I somehow got confused and bought 5 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed, but thought,"Well, its the same DK weight, should be fine". After months I cast on and was really surprised at how quickly it was knitting up, and how little of the wool I was getting through. I consulted the Oracle (Ravelry) to discover the printed instructions were wrong and it should have read Twilleys Freedom Spirit CHUNKY. I had no clue such a yarn even existed.

I was at the point where I felt I had gone to far to rip it all back but was reluctant to continue if it was going to be a mess. Something in me decided to keep going so I did, then began to worry that the Felted Tweed wouldn't felt. Even searching on Ravelry didn't ease my concern, there were no felted projects using the yarn which I could find.

So I finished it off, sewed it up and it looked like this -


I put it in the machine on a short 40 degree wash. It didn't do much. So then I put it on a 60 degree 60 minute wash. With a pair of jeans in for good measure.

And how did it turn out? Tune in next time..........

AAAARGH!

Promised myself I was going to blog every day.

I just sat and spent 20 minutes composing a post.

Went to sort out the pictures and this stupid mouse side swiped and went back to the previous page. It asked me if I wanted to return to the previous page with my blog post on and I clicked ok, it then didn't load the page. I'm not about to spend another 20 minutes trying to find it so am giving up.

Might be back tomorrow with details of my felted projects.

Back to the blogging!

Well it's 2012 and I have not blogged for years.....

Knitting has happened and I have tended to keep track of my projects over at my project page on Ravelry but for 2012 I thought I'd dip my toe back into blogging to keep a more detailed account of my endeavours.

To start the year the way I mean to continue I have began to clear out my knitting stuff. Though I haven't yet thrown away very much I have came across a number of unfinished projects that I have vowed to finish before I begin anything new. They are.....

1) Fingerless gloves in Rico Poems. One is complete but not sewn up, have yet to start the other.

2) Kids hat which needs sewn up and felted. The wool and pattern were given to me as part of an international swap on Ravelry and came all the way from Norway, it's a traditional design and I hope it still fits one of my twins once it's felted!

3) A knitted tunic dress, which I started for my older daughter in 2007! I got fed up as the pattern was confusing me but I reckon I could work it out now, just in time for my younger daughter to fit into it.

4) A garter stitch shawl, which again I acquired through an international swap. This time from the USA, the poor shawl has been finished for ages waiting for the ends to be woven in and blocked.

I also have a Baby Surprise Jacket waiting on buttons, a baby cardigan waiting on snap fasteners and a felted handbag which is drying as I speak then will need a fastener.

So....lots to be getting on with before I embark on some new projects, of which there are many bubbling away. Like many other knitters at this time of year I am intending to not buy any more yarn this year until I use up that which I already own. But we shall see.

Jolly June Swap

IMG_0999, originally uploaded by Fizz14.

As part of the UK Random Acts of Kindness group on Ravelry, I received a parcel today from Maddy18 containing a cheeky chimp face pack, tiger pencil, ladybird keyring, monkey stitch markers, some sweety teeth & lips, 100g of gorgeous purple Bamboo cotton and best of all a handmade chimp lavender bag.

It is a bit bizarre receiving presents from someone you dont know or have never met but it's lovely at the same time. Like when a stranger gives you a cheery 'Hello' or a smile when you're out for a walk.

Ahoy there!

Having lost my knitting mojo when pregnant, it's back! My twins Sally and Tommy are now almost 16 weeks and I've taken advantage of my precious hour or so of me time before I go to bed at night to get back into my knitting.

Last year I started knitting Barnacle Bill from Simply Knitting and have sewn him up and finished all the twiddly bits. I didn't make the parrot as I didn't have any suitable colours.

How quick was that?

After posting the other day about where I was on the Ravelry waiting list, I got my invite this morning!

Have only had a quick look but have found out already it only supports photos from Flickr at the moment, though there are plans to include other photo sites I think. It's a wee bit of a pain as I tend to use photobucket. And you have to make sure your pictures are marked as public on Flickr or it can't load them up.

But apart from those minor things it looks like a great resource. Hope you don't have to wait too long if you're still on the list (yes you Bronte!)