Not Your Mama's Felting

Amy Swenson

Description

The art of felting, the process of working wool fibers together to form felt, is the ultimate in craft creativity because no two items turn out exactly alike. The first book to cover knitted or crocheted felting, needle felting, and wet felting, Not Your Mama's Felting will have you creating fashions, accessories, and gifts that will have your non-felting friends asking, "How did you do that?"

Fun and funky, this guide includes:
* The essentials: all about fiber, the tools of the trade, wet felting, needle felting, fulling, and dyeing
*

Patterns and step-by-step instructions for approximately thirty projects, including an assemble-your-own wallet kit, a bad-boy hoodie, a loopy boa, a chunky bead necklace, needle vases, and more
*

Tips to customize each design
*

Basic knitting and crocheting instructions so that even non-needleworkers can make all of the projects


Does the smell of wet sheep turn you on? Long to escape to your own private yurt? With Not Your Mama's Felting, you'll be a felt-loving material girl in no time.
INTRODUCTION.

PART ONE: How to Felt.

CHAPTER ONE. Your Daily Dose of Fiber.

Felt Happens.

Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral: Which Felts?

How to Buy Wool for Felting.

All About Yarn.

Where Do I Find this Stuff, Anyway?

Getting Your Hands Wet.

CHAPTER TWO. Suds Party: Wet Felting.

Wet Felting 101.

Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started.

Setting up Your Work Area.

Working with Roving.

Felted Snakes and Cords.

Balls and Beads.

A Roller Coaster: Your First Flat Felt.

Resist This!

Nuno Felting.

Release Your Inner Artiste: Design for Wet Felting.

Troubleshooting.

CHAPTER THREE. Poke, Poke, Poke: Needle Felting.

Why It Works.

Tools of the Trade: What You “Needle” to Get Started.

Monogramtastic: Playing with Needles.

Troubleshooting: When Good Felt Goes Bad.

Endless Poking Possibilities.

CHAPTER FOUR. Totally Full of It.

What’s Fulling? What’s Felting?

Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started.

Mad Yarn Skillz.

Fulling a Knitted Swatch.

Crochet ? Fulling Too.

Size Matters: The Problem with Shrinkage.

Recycled Felt: Even Bad Knits Get a Second Chance.

Basic Sewing Tips for Working with Felt.

Troubleshooting and Tips.

CHAPTER FIVE. Dying to Dye.

Why Dye?

Acid Dyes.

Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started.

Safety First.

Mixing Stock Solutions.

Your First Acid Dye Trip: Single Color Dyeing.

Hand-paint Heaven.

PART TWO: Patterns and Projects.

CHAPTER SIX. Never Too Many Bags.

The Ultra-Simple One-Night Bag.

I’m On The Case.

Ah! Savasana! Yoga Mat Bag.

Some Assembly Required.

Holy Smokes! (A Holey Tote).

CHAPTER SEVEN. Stuff to Wear.

Bad Boy Hoodie: New Skool, Old Skool, No Skool.

Menswear for You.

Cropped Cardigan.

Slocks.

Don’t Give The Mittens.

"Junior" Varsity Jacket.

Loopy Boa.

Sideways Striped Scarf.

Wild Thing Scarf.

Scarf for the Subzero Urban Dweller.

Featherweight Scarf.

Swing Raglan.

CHAPTER EIGHT. Quick Gifts & Oddities.

The Save-Your-Marriage Knitting Needle Roundup.

Spring Is Sprung!

Chunky Bead Necklace.

Fishin’ for Kittens.

Uber Chunky Felted Yarn.

Moleskine Jacket.

In Stitches Earrings.

CHAPTER NINE. Cozy Felt for Your Home.

Felted Soapy Blue Balls.

Get Off Your Felted Soap Box.

Who Needs Flowers? Vases for Crafters.

Rainbow Bridge Baby Blanket.

Octopillow.

PART THREE: History and Resources.

CHAPTER TEN.A Brief History of Felt.

See Jane. See Jane Felt.

Legends and Heroes.

Old, but Not Passe.

Modern Applications for Wool Felt.

Getting your Fill of Fulling.

Felt in the Mainstream.

CHAPTER ELEVEN. Happy Procrastinations: Cool Felting Resources.

On-Line and On-Land.

Stash Enhancing Fun.

Guilds, Festivals, and Courses.

The Wonderful World of Fiber Arts.

Felting Online.

CHAPTER TWELVE. Crocheting.

Common Abbreviations.

The Basic Stitches.

Working in the Round vs. in Rows.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Knitting.

Common Abbreviations & Definitions.

The Basics.

Advanced Techniques.

Putting It All Together.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. It’s All About the Magic.

Designer Bios.

Index.

Sujets

• Couture et Tricot
• Needlework
• Crafts
• Hobbies

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 12 juin 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470140956
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

not your mama s
felting
The cool and creative way to get it together
by Amy Swenson


Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Copyright 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, Not Your Mama s, and related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising here from. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at [phone], outside the U.S. at [phone] or fax [phone].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Swenson, Amy, 1977-
Not your mama s felting: the cool and creative way to get it together / by Amy Swenson.
p. cm. - (Not your mama s)
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-09518-8 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 0-470-09518-0
1. Felt work. 2. Felting I. Title.
TT849.5.S94 2007
746'.0463-dc22
2006101038
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Book design by Elizabeth Brooks
Cover design by Troy Cummings
Interior photography by Matt Bowen
Illustrations by Joni Burns, Shelley Norris, Rashell Smith, Jake Mansfield
Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
This book is dedicated to Boo, my darling baby cat, who napped on the piles of merino fiber while I was hard at work.

Free bonus pattern available online!
Can t get enough felting? Access one more Not Your Mama s Felting pattern at www.wiley.com/go/notyourmamas .
Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE
How to Felt
CHAPTER ONE
Your Daily Dose of Fiber
Felt Happens
Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral: Which Felts?
How to Buy Wool for Felting
All About Yarn
Where Do I Find this Stuff, Anyway?
Getting Your Hands Wet
CHAPTER TWO
Suds Party: Wet Felting
Wet Felting 101
Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started
Setting up Your Work Area
Working with Roving
Felted Snakes and Cords
Balls and Beads
A Roller Coaster: Your First Flat Felt
Resist This!
Nuno Felting
Release Your Inner Artiste: Design for Wet Felting
Troubleshooting
CHAPTER THREE
Poke, Poke, Poke: Needle Felting
Why It Works
Tools of the Trade: What You Needle to Get Started
Monogramtastic: Playing with Needles
Troubleshooting: When Good Felt Goes Bad
Endless Poking Possibilities
CHAPTER FOUR
Totally Full of It
What s Fulling? What s Felting?
Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started
Mad Yarn Skillz
Fulling a Knitted Swatch
Crochet Fulling Too
Size Matters: The Problem with Shrinkage
Recycled Felt: Even Bad Knits Get a Second Chance
Basic Sewing Tips for Working with Felt
Troubleshooting and Tips
CHAPTER FIVE
Dying to Dye
Why Dye?
Acid Dyes
Tools of the Trade: What You Need to Get Started
Safety First
Mixing Stock Solutions
Your First Acid Dye Trip: Single Color Dyeing
Hand-paint Heaven
PART TWO
Patterns and Projects
CHAPTER SIX
Never Too Many Bags
The Ultra-Simple One-Night Bag
I m On The Case
Ah! Savasana! Yoga Mat Bag
Some Assembly Required
Holy Smokes! (A Holey Tote)
CHAPTER SEVEN
Stuff to Wear
Bad Boy Hoodie: New Skool, Old Skool, No Skool
Menswear for You
Cropped Cardigan
Slocks
Don t Give The Mittens
Junior Varsity Jacket
Loopy Boa
Sideways Striped Scarf
Wild Thing Scarf
Scarf for the Subzero Urban Dweller
Featherweight Scarf
CHAPTER EIGHT
Quick Gifts Oddities
The Save-Your-Marriage Knitting Needle Roundup
Spring Is Sprung!
Chunky Bead Necklace
Fishin for Kittens
Uber Chunky Felted Yarn
Moleskine Jacket
In Stitches Earrings
CHAPTER NINE
Cozy Felt for Your Home
Felted Soapy Blue Balls
Get Off Your Felted Soap Box
Who Needs Flowers? Vases for Crafters
Rainbow Bridge Baby Blanket
Octopillow
PART THREE
History and Resource
CHAPTER TEN
A Brief History of Felt
See Jane. See Jane Felt
Legends and Heroes
Old, but Not Passe
Modern Applications for Wool Felt
Getting your Fill of Fulling
Felt in the Mainstream
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Happy Procrastinations: Cool Felting Resources On-Line and On-Land
Stash Enhancing Fun
Guilds, Festivals, and Courses
The Wonderful World of Fiber Arts
Felting Online
CHAPTER TWELVE
Crocheting 101
Common Abbreviations
The Basic Stitches
Working in the Round vs. in Rows
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Knitting 101
Common Abbreviations Definitions
The Basics
Advanced Techniques
Putting It All Together
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It s All About the Magic
Designer Bios
Index
Acknowledgments
T o the great folks at Wiley, who are probably quite sick of me after working on two books, back-to-back, thank you for your advice, assistance, and general whipping-me-into-shape. Mandy Moore and Edie Eckman deserve special acknowledgment for doing a stellar job on the technical editing of the content and the patterns in this book. Huge thank you s are also owed to all the fascinating fiber artists who I encounter every day at Make One Yarn Studio. Your creativity is a constant source of inspiration. My partner Sandra couldn t have anticipated how much this book would consume not only my life, but also our kitchen, backyard, and basement. Months after the projects have all been finished, and the supplies have been moved back into the studio, we re still finding bits of fleece and abandoned felt everywhere.
Introduction

Get Felt Up and Full of It!
D o you want to try out the world s oldest textile art? How about taking your knitting or crochet to new and crazy places? Do you love the smell of wet sheep? Do you already know that wet alpaca is one of the worst stinks aside from a durian fruit?
Whatever your reasons for picking up this book, I m so glad you did.
You see, magical things happen when you mix hot water and wool. You can make sheer, lightweight scarves and shawls. You can make the coziest of blankets or warm woolen mittens. You can turn a simple knit sack into a delightfully strong and waterresistant bag. Yes, these are a few of my favorite things.
I m guessing you picked up this book because you re curious. Maybe you ve already knit and felted a few things. Or maybe the clueless laundry dolt in your life has inadvertently felted your best sweater in the washing machine. Maybe, you re a dedicated lover of art and saw an exhibit on felted sculpture. Or maybe you re just looking for something new.
Whether you ve come to this book on the rebound or because you re already well enchanted with the idea of felting, I hope you find some inspiration and fun in the following chapters.
How to Use This Book
Not Your Mama s Felting is designed for anyone from crafting novices to Martha Stewart-worthy experts. No matter how many felting projects you ve worked in the past, you re likely to find something new within the next 200 or so pages.
The first part of the book, chapters 1 through 5, teaches you most of the essentials: all about fiber, wet felting, needle felting, fulling, and dyeing. In the second part, you ll dig into some incredible, fashionable, and fun patterns that your mama will be jealous of. For felting fans, both new and true, the third part of this book gives all the geeky details for where to go next.
You ll notice that the patterns and projects in this book cover knitting, crochet, sewing, wet felting, and needle felting. Even within each of the skills, we ve included a range of projects to suit any skill level. If you ve done knitting or crochet before, you ll notice we left off any difficulty ratings. It s my belief that there are no easy or hard felting patterns. Instead, our ratings are done based on time commitment.
Flirtation These projects are quick, easy, and great for experimentation.
Summer F