It has already been a year since I put an old blue hat in the washing machine to felt it. There is a photo of the wash cycle in the FreeForm needle binding chapter. This way, an old product gets a new life again, reusing raw materials 🙂
Felting with the washing machine to make the stained glass project was a lot of work, but it was great fun to discover that you can create a new fabric this way. And then two more old hats went into the washing machine with the following result. The green hat is 100% wool.
The mottled hat is made of 65% wool and 35% alpaca.
I find the mottled hat very beautiful; the soft colors blend nicely into the shape. This lovely surprise came about by accident, and now I want to needle-bind more objects specifically to subsequently felt them.
This bowl is needlebind with natural 100% wool, and I started with 12 stitches. The stitch is the Finnish stitch 2+2, and the connection stitch is F2. In the chapter: A Beanie and also (with ear flaps) and a Hat, you can see how to start in the round, and there is also a video available. The pattern: Cast on 12 Finnish stitches and start in the round. 1st round: increase all stitches. 2nd round: stitch normal, increase 2nd. 3rd round: 2 stitches normal and increase 3rd stitch. 4th round: 3 stitches normal and increase 4th stitch; repeat this pattern up to 6 stitches normal and increase 7th stitch. Then the next round: all stitches normal. After this, 7 stitches normal and increase 8th stitch. Then the next round: all stitches normal. Next round: 8 stitches normal and increase 9th stitch. And then the next round: all stitches normal. This is how I made the bowl, but you can always make it larger.
To make the shape of the bowl, I use what I have at home, a plant pot or a bowl. When the wash cycle is finished, I immediately remove the still-damp objects and fold them around the household molds.
And then I also had a pair of failed socks that I just put in the washing machine as well.
I find these soft, round shapes beautiful and they serve as inspiration for more shape ideas that connect with my other hobby as aI find these soft, round shapes beautiful and they serve as inspiration for more shape ideas that connect with my other hobby as a sculptor :)