Adventures in Felting

I have wanted to try felting for some time. I've been inspired by the magic of felted bowls, bags and hats on Flickr. When it snowed the other day, I realized that I do not have a warm winter hat so immediately started planning my first felting project. I was scared about the shrinkage especially since I was using two different yarns! I used Bernat felting wool for the main part which said it would shrink to 80% in width and 95% in height. I tend to be one who just uses my eye for things instead of following patterns so I just decided to go for it... without making test swatches! I knew if it shrunk too much then I could just turn it into a bowl!

I put it in a lingerie bag and threw it in the washing machine with a towel on the longest hot water cycle. It was still too big when it came out so I threw it in again... it came out a bit tight the second time but I managed to stretch it out slightly so that it would fit. It's a good thing I have a small head!

As you can see from the photo it shrunk much more than 5% in height! Thank goodness I added an extra stripe! For the most part I am happy with the way it turned out. The grey wool that I used for the stripes did not felt as well as expected but i like the texture. The felting wool lost its intensity. Overall I think I prefered the non-felted look and feel of the yarn.

It was an exciting project and reminded me of my pottery days because of the suspense and magic of chance! I think all my hat needs now is a fabric button flower :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)