"Nuttin but knittin" - that says it all, with an occasional deviation into the real world.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

A is for Apple, B is for.........

and F is for Felting Fun.  (Yes, there's a great deal of abc singing going on at my house these days! - I've regressed to the toddler/preschooler stage.)

Two more climbing bags are finished, and another one is nearly ready to felt.  Each time I think I won't felt them till I have several to felt at once (conserve hot water, energy).....but I just can't stand the wait!  It's so much fun to see the end result, and the entire process seems magical to me.  LOL - yeah, I know.  It doesn't take much, does it??  Pattern on Ravelry. 

Part of my wonder is that for so many years I avoided felting as I thought it impossible to do in a front loading washing machine (not true) and I wanted to avoid the mess and shedding that it produces.  Well, Cascade 220 does not make any mess!  I mentioned this at my LYS, and the proprietor of the shop confirmed my suspicion.  Cascade 220 really doesn't shed!
And, while I'm in a felting frenzy, how about some little spinning wheel bags?  The striped one is for me (or for Larry that is).  The stripes remind me of the old fashioned suitcase that my dad had way back when I was a small child. Pattern on Ravlery.

The blue/green one is for Melissa.  She's doing a great job learning her new spinning techniques, and I thought perhaps she'd like a little bag to hang on her wheel.  (Not sure if her wheel has a name, but it is a tradition you know.)

We had two more gals from our TNKG buy wheels last week.  Its so much fun watching people learn new skills - one which can potentially last a lifetime and give them many MANY hours of pleasure.  Fun! 

Oh, and speaking of our TNKG....the newest KAL is a shawl - pattern of our own picking.  I was initially going to opt out of this KAL (after participation in the last one I thought I deserved a break) but ran across this fun little mindless shawl pattern.  It's a great way of using up scraps, which is exactly what I am doing.  I actually like it!
I am using a double strand, one sock yarn and one an alpaca lace weight.  The colors are totally random, as I reach into the bag and pull out the next ball when needed.  I think this will be knit into a relatively large shawl and I can actually see myself snuggling up in this one - at home with a cup of tea and a good book.  Hmmmmm..... yep!  Could happen!

8 comments:

Elaine said...

What a fun shawl! Are you going to add the ruffle to the edge? I'm knitting a shawl that's been languishing for awhile. It's Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket and it's going much faster than I expected!

I haven't felted anything in a very long time. I knitted all these cute cat toys two years ago and they still are waiting to be felted! It just can't get excited about it. At this rate, by the time I do, the cats will be too old to play with them! ;o)

Monika said...

You turned into a regular felting machine! Love you little bag. The spinning wheel bags I wanted to do, since I first saw them on Shannon's blog. Never see to get to them though. I love the Sunday Morning shawl! I had to stop myself after the 3rd one, but I made them small. I'm sure I'll make another big one in the Future! :o)

Ruth in Ottawa, Canada said...

Thanks for those pattern links! I think my Lendrum needs a bag like that...and the shawl looks like a fun stash-busting project. (You forgot "C is for Chalk Bag"!)

Anonymous said...

What cute bags and good information about Cascade 220! If I had known Cascade 220 doesn't shed, maybe I would have tried felting long ago.

The shawl looks very nice - great job!

Dorothy said...

I think it's interesting to know you can felt in a front loader. We just got one last year and I had resigned myself to not felting in it. Not that I felt a lot, but it's nice to know I can. I may need to whip up a little bag for my wheel as well. Still can't figure out a good name for her (although for some reason I seem to know she's a her).

Marguerite said...

That ABC song is catchy, isn't it?

I remember singing it in the airport coming home after a visit to Granddaughter Sydney in Idaho. Just couldn't stop.

On another visit it was the Kipper the Dog song. Seems my musical thoughts are easily influenced.

Karen said...

Wow everything looks great! I haven't felted anything, on purpose, in years. Thanks for sharing the Cascade 220 info. I have mainly avoided felting because of the mess in my washer.

pat said...

I need to make one of those little bags - my stuff is all over the place (windowsills, desk, counter, knitting bags) - need to consolidate and have everything handy!
I like your new shawl - what pretty colors come out of your sock leftovers bag!!