Nadine, you were right: Full o’ Sheep felts up funny.
Despite being a smooth yarn, it produces a surprisingly bumpy felted fabric, as if the yarn were a bouclé. The effect is slightly more pronounced with the yellow yarn – maybe because it was bleached before being dyed, and this affected its ability to felt?
This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with the fabric. It’s sturdy enough, and the Full o’ Sheep felted easily enough. If I wanted a felted fabric with lots of texture, Full o’ Sheep would be my go-to yarn.
But it’s not quite what I was aiming for this time around. The bumpy, bouclé-like texture is obscuring the colorwork patterning a tad more than I care for.
So, if I were to do this again, I’d pick a bigger, bolder pattern that would show up better even after felting. Or I’d pick colors closer to each other – say, a couple shades of a warm, natural brown – for a subtler effect. Or I’d stick with tried and true Lamb’s Pride, for a smooth felted fabric.
Oh, yeah. And I might felt a swatch before committing to the entire project. Maybe.
But beyond the “could haves” and “should haves,” I still haven’t decided just what this item is. It could still be a bag – I could still punch holes just below the top rim, and thread a cord through for use in closing and carrying the bag. DH says it could be a hat, but last I checked, Dr. Suess still had plenty of hats of his own. A third option: it could be a wastepaper basket. My office could use a wastepaper basket. Or, with a weight in the bottom, I suppose it could be an umbrella stand.
What do y’all think?
Tagged: FO.
Put some yarn in it and call it a soft sculpture.
Personally, I like it.
» Janet Szabo
I recommend trying some Shepherd's Wool next time. Felts up beautifully without being "hairy" and stays soft. :)
As for this one? I vote for throwing some yarn in it and calling it a basket. :)
» Cindy Abernethy
another vote for "yarn basket". it may not be what you wanted, but it's definitely interesting! i like the mix of colours.
» JudyG
I agree with the others, a good object for fiber storage. I also agree with Cindy, the Shepherd's Wool felts up very nice. The patterns are clear. The fabric is softer than Lamb's Pride or Cascade 220 (one of my go to felting fibers). which make sturdy fabric for bags.
» Nadine Foster
Long ago I knitted fishermen's mittens that were suppose to felt and become beyond warm - I lived in Maine and my husband was outside everyday in snow - well ... I followed directions, no felting. I put them through the dryer on high heat, no felting. I boiled them on the stove, no felting. The "natural" yarn - Bartlettyarns [a Maine company and the yarn recommended in the pattern] was bleached and therefore would not felt. If some of your yarn was bleached it doesn't felt well ! We learn by doing.
» Paula P
Wow! It seems we have a consensus: a soft-sculpture yarn basket it is. Hmm. I suppose it could hold all those socks I’ve been meaning to darn...
» JC
Or put spindles or straight knitting needles in it...
» Kourtney