Pumpkin and Manos -Since I really finished my Christmas Knitting today - I tried some felting to use up some left overs - tried doing some felted bowls for little gifts. My felting just doesn't work well - the washer just doesn't get hot enough.
The red bowl is two strands of Manos, the black is one strand of Brown Sheep and the box is one of Manos - they just didn't get stiff enough. I ran them through the washer in hot water twice with a pair of old jeans and a towel or two.
Also the bottom of the bowls is kinda pointy - although I'm drying them with a heavy class inside. It was fun experimenting!! Any hints would be appreciated. I like the small bowl idea - maybe if I made the sides shorter I'd have better luck. Will keep trying till I run out of left overs!!
Busy week coming up I guess so hope all is well with everyone. Knit on!
4 comments:
I made a small bowl this weekend also. But instead of putting it into the washer (I only had one bowl) I put it in a rubbermaid washpan with hot water & dish soap. You used soap also right?
Then I used an old fashion washboard. Anything water proof & bumpy is fine. Then I rubbed & rubbed the bowl against the washboard surface. Did it lots & lots of times ... rinsing & checking & dipping it into the pan & rubbing it over again. The sides had to be worked at a lot & I also turned it inside out to get it good inside. The friction is what felts it along with the hot water. Try this out & see how it works for you.
Mine is drying now & I'll take a picture before the week is out. But I think it felted up pretty good. It's not as thick as I thought it would be, but I'm going to use some roving & line the inside a little and needle felt it for a design on the inside. Good luck with yours!
Your little bowls are charming! Try sticking the wet, soapy bowl in the microwave for a minute, then (Wearing heavy rubber gloves) scrub it vigorously between your hands, then dunk it in ice water, and toss it back into the microwave.
I read your entry about felting. You mentioned the water in your washer wasn't hot enough. How about boiling water on the stove to use in the machine?
Vera
I agree with Vera - just add some boiling water to the washer. That usually does the trick!
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