Suggestions for 1st felting project

#1

Hi all you experts out there! :smiley:

Iā€™ve been out here reading and looking at all the cool felted projects that everyone has done and I now have the itch.

Can anyone suggest an easy 1st time felted project? Iā€™d love to get the method and figuring down pat to maybe make some felted bags for gifts for next Christmas. (Everyone was in awe of the scarves I made for them this year! So fun to say, Yep, made that!!)

Thanks in advance!! And Happy New Year !!

Kim

#2

Iā€™m no expert, butā€¦
I just finished making two of these for Christmas gifts. They knit up really fast. I think I finished each one in a couple of hours. I loved how they turned out and will probably make one for myself soon!

There is also the booga bag. This was one of the first things I knit, so it took me a little longer. Itā€™s still a great bag that is easy to make.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

#3

Hi lisak! Thanks for the suggestions. Like I said, Iā€™ve been lurking out here checking out everyoneā€™s beautiful work and now Iā€™m a ā€œwannabeā€ :smiley:

Both bags are really cute! Any suggestions for wool to use for these?

What did you do for your bags, solid or striped? Have you used varigated for anything felted?

Thanks again!

Kim

P.S. Love your pooch picture! I really need to learn how to do that so I can add mine! :wink:

#4

Hey Kim! No problem!

I used Plymouthā€™s (I think itā€™s Plymouthā€™s) Outback for my booga bag, but I ended up hating the colors. It took a LONG time for it to felt too and I actually want to felt it some more, but Iā€™ve kinda tossed it aside for a while since I donā€™t like the colors.

For the Lopi tote, I used Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks and held it double stranded. (I think I actually held the Outback wool double stranded as well.) I made one bag in plain black and the other I did red and black stripes, just making the stripes up as I went along. I think both of those turned out great and they felted very quickly! I wish I had pictures of both to show you, but they are still sitting on my camera or computer waiting to be resized so I can show them off!

I definitely recommend Wool of the Andes. It is so cheap and comes in so many colors. I know a lot of other folks on the board use it as well. Iā€™m sure your LYS will have many different brands of wool too if you have one around.

Hope that helps! :slight_smile: And thanks for the compliments on my doggie (Jackson)! Heā€™s my baby! Good luck with posting an avatar for yourself! If I can figure it out Iā€™m sure you can too! :smiley:

#5

Lisa,

Thanks a ton! Iā€™m really excited about starting this so Iā€™ll be sure to post what happens when I get it done. :happydance:

Thanks again & Happy New Years to you and Jackson! :smiley:

Kim

#6

There are several patterns for felted items hereā€¦

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/felted_items.php

And from that list there there are these adorable little bagsā€¦and there are actually the instructions on HOW to felt with, more than just the pattern.

http://www.knitkit.com/SpecialCompanion.htm

Iā€™m in the process of trying my first felted project too, planning it to be a cell phone carrier of my own design. Iā€™m trying Lion Brand Landscapes since the tag said it felts when machine washed and dried (I suspect the drying on this may be the key on this particular yarn since itā€™s a 50/50 wool/acrylic blend). Even if it doesnā€™t felt, it will still be a nice small bag. I hope anyway.

#7

the marsupial tote from stitch and bitch was my first felting projectā€“very easy and quick.

If you want some REALLLLLLLLLYYYYYY simple, why not try some coasters? Just knit a few squares, thrown them in the wash, and presto!

#8

I finally got around to getting my photos off my camera! Here is a picture of the lopi tote that I made for my niece for Christmas.

I like it so much I want to make one for myself if I can ever get around to it!

#9

Iā€™ve done a million of these and theyā€™re easy and fun.

Lotsa room for creativity too, once you get the hang of it. :wink:

The pattern can be found here: http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2005_01.html

#10

Lisa, that Lopi tote is beautiful!!

Iā€™ve decided that the Lopi is going to be my first felted project too. Iā€™m thinking about using that Crystal Palace Yarn ā€œIcelandā€. Itā€™s so beautiful, but expensive! I think the woman at the lys said ā€œCascade 120ā€ is 100% wool too and that was half as much.

Great job, I canā€™t wait to make this! (umā€¦after I deplete my stash some more!)

#11

Thanks Jive! :slight_smile:

Please post some pics when you are done! I want to see that yummy Iceland yarn!

#12

Thanks a ton everyone! Especially for the pictures of the end results. Iā€™m so excited.

I also took Lisaā€™s advice and ordered some wool of the andes. I canā€™t wait until it gets here. :smiley: Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried a little sample tote last night and threw it in the wash a couple of times. It looks ok considering I really donā€™t know what Iā€™m doing. :shock: When I finish it up Iā€™ll post a picture of it. I just went to my LYS and picked up a couple different types of wool yarn to try. They didnā€™t have a large selection so I didnā€™t have much to pick from.

Hereā€™s a question for you guys. If the yarn I picked up is 68% wool, do you think it would felt ok? I figured it wouldnā€™t be as nice as 100% but it may work ok. If not, oh well.

Thanks again everybody & Happy New Year!

Kim

#13

It probably will felt, at least some. It depends what the rest is made of, too, Iā€™d imagine. Rather than knit something big and not have it felt, maybe you could knit a square and throw that in the washer. If it felts, youā€™ve got a coaster; if not, you know to use the yarn for something else.

#14

Thanks Ingrid. Iā€™ll give that a try and see what happens. Iā€™m just so impatient sometimes and want to start on something cool right off the bat. I wanna be like you guys! :smiley:

#15

Hi all! I thought Iā€™d share my very first felted project.

Itā€™s just a tiny little bag that I used a part wool yarn. It felted ok, not the best but Iā€™m pretty proud. :smiley:

When shared with coworkers, they loved the colors and thought the bag was pretty cute. And I could say, Yep, I made that.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and guidance! I can not wait until my wool of the andes shows up. They are going to have to surgically remove the knitting needles. :lol:

Thanks again !!!

Kim

#16

Way to Go! :cheering: It looks great and those colors are awesome!! I love that blue that stands out!

#17

Thanks Lisak. I used a yarn from Joanneā€™s (2 strands together). The blue you see is actually a blue/purple combination. Very pretty colors. I may have to run and get more to make a bigger version.

Iā€™m hoping to perfect this a little more so I can make some cool bags for birthday and christmas gifts. Iā€™m known around the teacher circuit as the mom with the ā€œcreativeā€ gifts. :happydance:

Thanks again for the help & the pat on the back. :smiley:

#18

Here is my attempt at Wool of the Andes. Itā€™s funny how these things never really turn out how you expect them to. I ran out of yarn for the handles so Iā€™ll have to figure something else out for that. Oh well.

Thanks again everyone for all your help! I think Iā€™m hooked on felting. :smiley:

Kim

#19

Hi Kim,
Did you do that bag with JoAnnā€™s Cosetta in Dark Multi? I love the way it turned out. If you canā€™t remember donā€™t worry about it.

April

#20

Hi April! Yes, my first bag was in Dark Multi. Good eye. It did turn out very neat looking. Iā€™m in the process of doing another one with a tan, blue and the Joanneā€™s Dark Multi. Should be neat to see how that one turns out. :smiley: