revel designs diary

Misadventures in Felting II

So once again the felting bug bit me. I thought I would try something a little easier.

 wool roving+ jingle bells

 = jingle balls.

I wrapped about 6 bells in each ball.

wrapped it up in wool yarn.

 tied them in toddler tights like a string of pearls.

 after a run in the hot, soapy washing machine.

it was fun cutting these out because I was not sure what to expect.

well, here they are. and there is one guy that can’t get enough of them. his favorite toys!!

Misadventures in Felting I

First off, let me start by saying that I watch way too much TV. I love my craft shows! Felting has been quite a highlight on a couple of those shows. I became very intrigued by the idea of felting and tried to give it a shot. Let me give you an idea of the sort of gal that I am… Most people would tell you that I am a wonderful gourmet cook. A sort of food snob that loves made from scratch items like bread and pasta. Do you want to know a secret? I am selectively lazy!! I only do it to keep from going to the store! Hours of cooking in lieu of a 5 minute car ride. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I never claimed to be sane!!So with that being said, I did all of my experimenting with what I had around the house. Yah know, that may have been the problem!

A friend had given me some wool roving awhile back. I never knew what I was going to do with it, but I thought I’d hang on to it anyway. Well, it turned out to be the key ingredient to my felting adventures! After seeing it done on TV, I decided to try my luck at a scarf.

1.  I cleared off the kitchen counter and placed little “strips” of the wool in a long rectangle. Then I placed more wool at a 90* angle to the rectangle and trimmed it up.

2.  I generously poured hot soapy water all over it and massaged it for about 10 minutes. I carefully flipped it over and gently massaged the other side for what seemed like an eternity…probably 10 minutes. I could tell that the fibers were starting to fuse together, but it was still very fragile. And this is probably where the bamboo mat would have been helpful. To roll it in a more secure way. But I didn’t have one, so I just went on.

3. This is the point where I wrung the water out and put it into a washing machine full of hot water… and VOILA!!

Sad, I know. That’s what happens when you are a rebel crafter! Following directions is not one of my fine points. So I started ALL over and when I got to step 3 I carefully wrung it out. Dunked it in ice cold water, wrung it out. Dunked it in a large bowl of hot water, wrung it out. I did this about 5 more times. And then I went back to step 2 and started it all over again…even put it back in the washing machine.

 This is what I ended up with after trimming the sides. It was a pitiful sight. Only about 4 inches wide. But I swear it was half an inch thick. Think Brillo pad!! After all this effort, I couldn’t turn back now. I proceeded to needlefelt some wool yarn onto this scarf. That was pretty quick and easy, but it seemed a bit of a waste. “You can put lipstick on a pig, but you can’t call it a lady.”  I had alot of fun doing it, but I don’t think I’ll be trying it anytime soon. It is alot harder than it looks. After all that, my hands were orange and dry, my kitchen smelled like a barnyard, and my baby sister has a new stylish scarf. BUT SHE BETTER NOT SAY THAT SHE GOT IT FROM ME!!!!