Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Yikes! My Sister's Felted Scarf

Here is Eileen's scarf after felting! You can't see any individual stitches; it's all smooshed together.
Above: This is what she'll see when she opens the box! Yikes!
Below: This is the "before" photo, so you can see it started out pretty normal.

At Thanksgiving my sister Eileen told me that she has started wearing brown these days, a new thing for her. So naturally, I decided to knit her a brown scarf for Christmas. (I recently saw an ad suggesting that giving a scarf is like giving fruitcake. But Eileen's son plays football at Brown University, so she's out there in the cold and needs a brown scarf, right?)

I just knitted the scarf with no fancy pattern, since I planned on felting it anyway (and knitting fast is so much fun). I used size 7 needles (4.5mm) and regular worsted wool. Then, I threw it in the washer and dryer on the hot settings. It's as thick as a carpet! And the fringe reminds me of Chewbacca, from Star Wars! It won't lie flat, even though I steamed it a little and tried to flatten it under my upside-down Big Board overnight.

Yes, this scarf is a little scary, but I'm wrapping it up as if it was a nice scarf. The card even says "I made this for you with my own little hands." I hope we laugh ourselves silly; that will be worth it! I'll keep you posted.
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6 comments:

SandyQuilts said...

What a cool idea and so unusual. I think I'll have to take up knitting. LOL

Merry Quilting oops I mean

Merry Knitting

Becky said...

Well, I'm no felter....but I think the scarf looks perfect! I know she'll love it. Becky

Chris Dahl said...

I think it looks great! I am a knitter but have not tried felting yet. A bit afraid of the results I guess.

Although I have had some strange results with some of my knitted scarves already depending on the pattern I chose. Like curling, or tails that won't stay hidden. Any tips on that?

I am sure the recipient will love it anyway I know I would just for the fact that it was made for me with love and the best intentions. She will wear it proudly I am sure!

Kimberly said...

I think it looks great too, cozy and warm and handmade. I have read about felting so I wonder if you used diswashing soap with the water when felting it? Maybe if you didn't, adding that would have helped it lie flat? Thanks for sharing your crafts and stories. Wishing you Christmas cheer! Kim

Selvage Quilter said...

Hi Kim,
I "felted" the scarf by adding it to a regular dark load in the clothes washing machine. I just used clothes washing detergent.

Hi Chris,
The way I deal with tails is to just add more so it looks intentional! Also, I'm planning to make a tutorial about the fan quilt.

Good to hear from you all!!

Carrie P. said...

I like the felted look.