Felting- Before and After

When I started crocheting, I had no idea what "felting" was. Now it is one of my favorite techniques! I love the fact that I can make a bag, felt it, and then I don't have to add a lining , and I have one of the most durable bags ever.

So, my newest excursions into felting land have been with jewelry. I've made some bracelets and a ring with some wool crocheted beginnings. In one of the above pictures you can see the before and after of some bracelets that were eventually felted.

I don't usually felt things in the washing machine anymore (for those of you new to felting, it basically means that you wash something wool with hot water, and rinse it in cold. Adding soap and agitating it in the hot water helps too). Nowadays I heat up some water on the stove, pull on some think yellow kitchen gloves, and plunge in. I use some dish soap, and scrub my creation in the how water for usually about 15-30 minutes (depending on the size and amount of felting I want). Then I rinse it it cold water in the sink, and lay it out to dry! I like being able to see my creation shrink and get that cool felted texture!