Felted Bowls

Hey U-knitters,

For those of you who'd like to try felting and/or contribute to a UUC project (the gift of a felted bowl to the young people who've completed the Coming-of-Age program) here's a basic pattern. It's from Leigh Radford's book, One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet - a great addition to your library.

Basically, using yarn that's not meant to be washed, you'll make something which will look a like a little hat. Throw it in the washer and voila! You've got a bowl.

This pattern requires that you know how to knit in the round - an easy skill and one I'm happy to share at our next meeting if you need any help.

MATERIALS:

1. Chunky weight non-washable wool. I recommend Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. When it comes to felting, this yarn is a sure bet; it felts beautifully. If you're going to experiment with other yarns, BE SURE TO KNIT A SWATCH AND TRY FELTING IT FIRST. Otherwise you may find that you've produced something which maintains its textural integrity. In other words, you won't have a felted bowl, but you will have a very cute little knitted hat. :-)

2. Size 15 24" circular needles and a set of double-pointed #15 needles.
NOTE: Some people find the 24" needles too tight for this project. It's true that the cast-on and first rows are a bit tight, but the work does loosen up as you go along. However, you can also easily start right off with double-points if this is more comfortable for you.
ANOTHER TIP: I finish my bowls with a smaller needle (#11). In my experience, the smaller needles produce a tighter result for the bottom of the bowl. It doesn't seem to affect the way the bowl felts, and I find the smaller needles less awkward to work with.

3. Stitch marker

4. Tapestry needle for finishing

Exact gauge isn't critical for this project - that's the beauty of felting! These directions are for a smallish bowl.

DIRECTIONS:

Cast on 45 stitches. Place marker and join for working in the round. Work even in Stockinette Stitch (knit every row) until piece measures 5 1/2 inches from cast-on edge.

Shape bottom: Decrease as follows, changing to double-pointed needles when necessary (I usually do it here, before the work gets too tight.):
Round 1: *Ssk (slip-slip-knit), k5, k2 together; repeat from * to end of round (35 stitches remain).
Rounds 2 and 4: Knit.
Round 3: * Ssk, k3, k2 together; repeat from * to end of round (25 stitches remain).
Round 5: *Ssk, k1, k2 together; repeat from * to end of round (15 stitches remain).
Round 6: *Ssk, k2 together; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1 (8 stitches remain)

Break yarn, thread tail on a tapestry needle, gather through remaining stitches, pull tight, and fasten off. Weave in loose ends. Felt and shape as desired.

FELTING 101:

Some experimentation may be required to actually get your bowl to felt to your satisfaction.

To begin, wash your bowl on a warm setting with a small amount of detergent, adding either a couple of pairs of jeans or tennis balls to the washer to speed up the felting process.

It's important that you check on your bowl every now and the to see how it's doing. (This will save you from the unpleasant experience of pulling something out of your washer that looks like a leprechaun's yarmulke.)

It could be that the warm setting will felt your bowl; it could also be that you'll need to set your washer to "hot" to really get a good tight felt.

In addition, you might find that one wash cycle isn't enough. Washers do vary.

DO NOT DRY YOUR BOWL IN THE DRYER. Simply remove it from the washer, wring out any excess water, and shape it by placing it over an appropriately-sized, overturned bowl or tupperware container. It will air dry within a day or two.

If you want to get fancy, you can add stripes and/or beads.

If you want to boost the colors a bit, you can give your bowl a haircut by trimming the fuzz. Or leave as is.

Felting is such a forgiving art form; any mistakes come out in the wash. It's also a process that's full of surprises. I've used this pattern with a number of different yarns and no two of my bowls are completley alike!

Have fun!
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