Felted Needle Book (part 1.)

Buried deep in my yarn stash I had a knit kit for making a felted "Sushi Wallet." Yes that is right, a wallet that has little embellishments on it to look like sushi rolls. The kit appealed in every way, clever packaging, unique design and beautifully colored yarn.  The only problem was that it was a felted project, which I was interested in trying but had only done unintentionally to date. So even though the project looked intriguing, it got lost for a few years in the black-hole of yarn.

Very recently I came across a charming pattern for a felt needle book. My plan was to use some 100% wool felt I had left from a market bag project I did as a Christmas present a few year ago. The more I thought about it though I figured that maybe it was the perfect excuse to try felting.

 Out came the sushi kit. I quickly worked up a square in each color. Then I sought a little guidance from the internet on how best to felt the pieces by hand.  I was not sure if they were big enough to felt well in the washer. I had to felt them in three batches because I did not want the darker colors to bleed into the lighter colors. It was hot, splashy and minimally messy, but oh so much fun. It was amazing to watch the yarn go through the felting process. I am sure there is some awesome science behind it. I think that when my kids are older and I do not have to worry so much about hot water safety, I will let them try their hand at making their own felt. For now I have four cute little felted rectangles that are drying so they can be turned into a needle book. When it comes to transformation projects this experience was one of my personal favorites.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

P.S. Tomorrow will be the wrap-up of the Felted Needle Book. Then on Friday I will walk you through how to do your own felting by hand. So stay tuned.