Gauging Felt
Before I began work on the two big gifts due later this year, I realized I needed to knit and then full at least one swatch. Normally I don’t worry about gauge and size for felted items since the fulling process controls the end result. These two gifts I’m making are a bit more complicated than a simple bag, slipper, or hat. They need to fit reasonably well, and it would be awful if I went through all the knitting and oh-so-permanent felting to end up with too-small garments.
The designer of the pattern I’m using, Bev Galeskas (of Fiber Trends fame) gives two gauges, one pre- and one post-felting. My first swatch with the recommended needles (US 10 or 6 mm) was way too small for the pre-felting gauge. So, I swatched again, and then a third time and finally achieved gauge with US 11 (8 mm) needles. (Why doesn’t the US include 7 and 7.5 mm in the standard sizes?)
You can see how different the swatch sizes are; the gray was my original, too-small swatch, and the green one is much better. After centering the swatch, I marked off both pre- and post-felting stitch and row counts. It’s only necessary to mark the post-felting gauge, but I did both for my peace of mind. Also, cotton (or another non-felting) yarn must be used as markers.
Another reason I wanted to test swatch is that this project has an edging that is knit-on after felting. I read through the directions and had a vague sense of how it worked. I thought about trying applied i-cord or an edging similar to what is used in the pattern to see how it would felt. In the end, I decided not to do this because I liked the subtly different textures of the felted and un-felted fabrics in the pattern photographs. Continue reading »
felting, knitting | 17 stitchesHappy KMKS!
The long wait is over! My kit from the Knit Mitt Kit Swap arrived last week! I had all but forgotten about it and was awaiting delivery of some shoes I’d ordered. When I saw the box, I thought, “Shoes!” and ripped it open only to find tissue paper and softness underneath. I tried to remember what I had ordered, then as I lifted the tissue paper and saw the bag underneath, “Oh! KMKS!” My kit came from Lauren of Knitting in the Desert.
bags or purses, felting, knitting, yarn stash | 8 stitchesSecret Gift Revealed
I finally got a picture of the completed project, so now I can post about it.
First, here’s a another peek that I meant to share before I got bogged down with the holiday knitting rush.
accessories, felting, knitting | 8 stitchesMoebius Basket
As I mentioned in my previous post… the felting of the Moebius basket turned out marvelous. Voici!
bags or purses, felting, knitting | 9 stitchesQuick Knits
I did manage to finish a couple of quick projects outside of Diamond Lace last week and they were such fun!
accessories, bags or purses, felting, knitting, secret pals or swaps | 5 stitches
