Yo Ho, Yo Ho

Just got back from Pirates of the Caribbean - At Worlds End. It's Bobby's birthday so I skipped sit-n-knit to go to the first showing of it at 8PM with him. Funny how knitting has affected my life. All I kept thinking about every time Johnny Depp was on screen was

I wonder what yarn they used to felt that hair? Sheep, llama, alpaca, a blend? Did he have allergy issues? Did they braid it? I cord? Straight roving? What size needles?
Didn't I see that pattern on the Lion Brand site? Knitty?

Kinda changes your perspective, knitting does.

I just realized my Sheep and Wool post was still in edit and I never published it. And now, for your viewing pleasure . . .

The Felt and I

See, I started this oven mitt as a project in one of my Stitches East classes. Since I'm a sloooow knitter, I made a miniature and just recently completed the full-sized project. I learned how to use dpn, create a gusset for the thumb while using two stitch markers, transfer to a stitch holder, increase and decrease for mirrored slants, bind off with three needles, pick up stitches and finally (drumroll please) FELT.

• Before 12.5 x 9.5 inches
• After 9.75 x 6.75 inches

My secret to success?? I turned up the hot water tank 30 minutes prior and ran the tap at the sink in the bathroom past the washer to bring the hottest water to the load. I used a zippered pillow case, two shoes and a pair of Bobby's jeans with some Tide and Oxyclean. I kept the water level low. I heard from everyone how you had to wash several times so I automatically washed twice before checking. If anything, I believe I should have washed only once with my secret (shhhhhh!) method ‘cause the oven mitt is too small to give to my husband now. Oh well, next time it's once and done. It was even a little over felted and required a bit of separating. I used a big 'ol 15 wooden needle and scraped along the inside of the matted fold with the point. Sometimes I slid the point under the stretched fibers and worked them free.

With the left over yarn, I made a cute coaster based on a pattern from Frugal Knitting Haus which recycles an old CD. The original pattern wasn't intended for felting and uses plain worsted weight yarn while I used Lambs Pride bulky, but I thought the modification would work. Oh I am a clever girl. I need to email them with my results.

• Prefelting 5.5"
• Postfelting 4.75"

It looks like a snowflake and lays nice and flat. I took both projects to show off at K1P2 on Thursday and got many oohs and aahs. I also picked up a cute little sweater shaver this weekend to trim some of the fuzz - especially for the oven mitt which had been frogged and re-knit. I am a genius, it tamed those Albert Einstein eyebrows in no time!

I now feel I can put the felting notch in my knitting belt. What's next? I wonders does I.