Felting Magic

Wear wool in Southern California? Never! Knit and crochet with wool in Southern California? All the time!!!

Felting is magic. The process of knitting or crocheting an item in wool, then throwing it into the washer with an old tennis shoe and watching it shrink up to a fluffy, wonderful item is truly thrilling.

Way back in May, I bought some gorgeous hand-spun, hand-dyed wool from Christine at our local WeHo Stitch 'n Bitch gathering. This particular vision of pink and orange was named "Post Office." You'll have to ask Christine about the name. Anyway, the yarn is luscious. I just didn't know what I wanted to do with it. When in doubt, make a purse! A few weeks ago, I dropped all the various projects I was working on and knit up this little beauty. I used up positively every last inch of yarn on this project, even crocheting a flower for the front of the bag. My photos aren't too great, but you can see the fluffy miracle purse before felting (photographed on burgundy carpet) and after (photographed on a yellow background. I really only shrunk about 2 inches all around. Can't wait to use this little jewel!

To read more about felting and how to do it, check here.