There are some things that just feel like winter. Making Crock Pot dinners, for example, or Kahlua and coffee. In knitting, it's alpaca yarn, Aran Sweaters, and felted items such as bags and slippers.
I love felting. It's so much fun to knit something on giant needles (that ends up looking pretty horrible, by the way!), then to pop it into the washing machine and have it come out looking wonderful!
There are a couple of different types of felting. The knit-and-wash type, and the needle-felting type. I like to use both felt knitting techniques—and you can use both on the same project, too. Knit and felt a project, and then use needle felting to embellish it. Any of the felted knits shown here could be embellished with needle felting, making them even more beautiful!
My friend Cate Prado, of Cloth Paper Scissors Today, loves needle felting as much as I do. She even has a needle felting machine. (Yes, please!) Here are some tips from her for making your needle felting embellishment really special.
1. Keep it moving. When machine needle-felting, you have to keep the
fibers moving beneath the needles. If you leave the needles in one place too
long, you'll create a hole (unless you want to create a hole, in which case,
this is a good thing). Also, the more you felt the piece, the more the fibers
will merge and the colors and textures will blend. You can also flip the piece
over and machine felt from the back, which will push the bottom colors and
fibers up toward the top of the piece.
2. Use a variety of fibers. With craft felt or pre-felt as your base, play
with different kinds of fibers and felting supplies. Fancy yarns, snippets of
lace, and wool roving all work well. But don't pass up interesting dryer lint,
snippets of batting, or trimmed threads. Dyed cheesecloth creates interesting
textures, and silk is heavenly! Tip: Check the piles of old neck scarves at
church bazaars and thrift shops. You can often pick up slightly damaged silk
scarves for a song.
3. Experiment and ask, "What if?" What if I felted this white
lace onto a white base? What happens if the base is a dark color? What if I
twist the fibers? What if I felt from the back? (Sometimes you flip the piece
over and the back looks better!). Keep samples of your experiments and make
notes.
4. Embellish. Hand or machine needle-felted fibers can be beautiful, but
add a few beads, some embroidery, or found objects, and you have a real work of
art!
I've learned a lot about felting from Cate. So take advantage of her expertise and try some felting embellishments this winter. Put it on your Knitter's Resolution List like I did!
Happy new year,
Do you enjoy needle felting? Share your experiences with us in the comments!