Thursday, March 31, 2011

My creative space.

In my creative space today I am hooking granny squares for pockets. I don't think I've got another granny square blanket in me, I haven't even finished sewing in the ends of my first one, but I do love hooking these little treasure collecting pockets.

I am pattern testing a cute little pair of ballet slippers. I have just finished knitting them in the softest, most luxurious organic merino wool this morning. Details here.

But now its time to felt them and I need your help. What is your felting method? I've only ever done hand felting and I've heard something about a hot washing machine and a pair of jeans for agitation, but I'm not sure.

Help?

And of course I'm sewing some vintage sheet dresses for my shop.

I love cutting and stitching these mixy matchy dresses. The colours and patterns and styles make me so happy. And I love dreaming about their new owners and hearing their happily ever after stories. Check out Tricia's here.

I hope this Thursday brings you some wonderful surprises.

See ya. XX

38 comments:

  1. Those ballet slippers look really cute! I have felted using a hot wash and a clean/new tenis ball for aggitation - worked well for me. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. cutest little slippers!

    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. how 'bout some vintage sheet mummy tops?

    ReplyDelete
  4. You can't beat Granny Squares can you!! Nice slippers too. For felting I always put the articles into separate wash bags and add a sheet that needs washing or an old one that i've kept for felting. Don't use a tennis ball unless you put it in a bag also because the fluff does come off and then the sticky stuff gets on your machine PITA!! Put the machine on agitate and check the felting after 5 mins then every 2 mins or so to see how they are going. Usually they will felt quite quickly if they are going to felt well but sometimes it can take up to 20-30 mins. Just stay by the machine and keep checking and you will be fine. Have fun, I love seeing how things come together in this part of the process. Rinse in cool water and add a teaspoon of vinegar to the last rinse to neutralise the wool again. Wrap in a towel to absorb most of the water and then fill with bubble wrap to get the shape you want and leave to dry. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. How cute are those slippers?!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the colours you're working with at the moment!

    I've only felted wool rugs in the wash. On hot and then into the dryer. (the only time I had ever used our dryer)XX

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous goodies here as always, Kate :) Sorry I can't help with the felting but good luck anyway. Kx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had a thought the other day about grown up lady skirts for the Everything shop ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love those slippers! and that's saying something coming from a purple hater! xo

    ReplyDelete
  10. great slippers - I did wet felting in flat pieces for the first time - was great fun and i made what my boys call 'cow colour' - I guess I had better make a cow with it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I totally hear ya on the granny square blankets..I love my squares but a blanket is crazy talk.

    Absolutely adore those little slippers they are so cute!!!

    As always you have an amazing space going on..:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow felting sounds exciting! Don't think I'd be brave enough to put some handknitted shoes in the wash though. That's because it would takes me years to actually knit them in the first place!! Lots of luck.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've heard hot wash and towels. Sounds like you;ve got some great advice up there already! Looking forward to seeing the finished slippers.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The slippers are sweet - I have felted using hot wash and a tennis ball. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I cannot wait to see how the slippers turned out - cant help you with the felting as I have never done it. All those little dresses look so sweet, you must be so busy sewing at the moment!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those colours are fabulous Kate! You know, I've been seeing soooo many things on granny squares in blogland over the last few months that I think I may have to hunt out all the ones I made....ooooh my! around 30 years ago....when I was courageous enuf to think I'd get something finished.....but never did!! lol. Thought maybe I could make a bag or two with them. mmm, maybe.

    All those great ideas above for felting should work well. I can't add anything to them. :) x

    ReplyDelete
  17. funnily enough felting methods came up at our 'stitch n bitch' group on tuesday kate as one of the girls wants to felt her knitted doll she's making. a hot wash and denim was the verdict but i'm intrigued by the tennis ball idea too though. please let us know how you get on.... though surely not the ballet shoes, i'm with sarah on that one!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hot wash, litlle soap, and a few tennis balls. No points for originality, but it works...

    ReplyDelete
  19. lovely! talented happy creations xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Can't help you in the felting world but I do love your slippers. I so wish they were my slippers as my feet are cold even as we speak.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love crocheting granny squares too and really like them as pockets on your wild dresses. I second the idea of grown up dresses and skirts in your shop - that would be fun. I crocheted a pair of slippers at Christmas and felted them by hand, as per a class I took at Threads and More - soaked them in hot water, added lots of dishwashing liquid and then rubbed and rubbed and rubbed until they had begun to felt, then I rubbed them vigorously with a towel and then dried them in the drier. Worked fine.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow you just do the cutest stuff, and thank you so much for your encouraging comments they really make my day. I just keep telling myself all I have to do is get through today one step at a time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Those slippers are gorgeous Kate. I've never felted anything small and delicate like those, but regularly felt old woolen jumpers by throwing them each in a pillow slip, in a hot wash, with anything in a heavy cotton that looks like it could do with a hot wash (usually one of hubbys shirts). But with those slippers i'd be worried they would shrink too much using a machine felt. Unless you have a top loader that you can check regularly?

    Thanks to the link to my dress post. I'm glad you and the girls liked it x t.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Such sweet slippers, I'd be so interested to see them felted. I'm not an expert on felting but I've managed to felt a few things really well quite by accident. My method was long hottest machine wash and then hot tumble dryer.
    Thanks for the tip on Leah's new shop, it was such beautiful synchronicity. : )

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh I wish you lived next door. I need a crochet teacher/guru/instructor/helper big time. My grand crochet aspirations don't match my skill!!
    Beautiful dresses, and very sweet slippers :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sweet abundance, as usual.

    I felt with hottest setting, and an old towel, to help with agitating the fibers together. Sometimes I do it more than once.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've hot washed with jeans and felted, but depending on the yarn it's taken one to three goes.

    I reckon the mixy matchy thing you have going there means every new dress feels like a whole lot of different (types she with the attention span issues).

    ReplyDelete
  28. Don't know anything about felting. I have a friend who does hand-felting lessons...but not me I'm afraid (another thing I can't do...yet!).
    Love all your vintage fabrics...just adore the colours and flowers :-)
    xxxCate

    ReplyDelete
  29. Aww gorgeous little slippies. My mama makes the most beautiful knitted garments for the bubs and kiddies... she even knits adult jumpers, but they take her too long, so she prefers the itty bitty clothes.
    Those granny squares are delightful, I especially love the colours in the picture on this post.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love seeing what fabric combinations you come up with as well as the emotion that goes in the making of and sending away to a new life. I dont know how to crochet but I do definitely know about felting things.! P xo

    ReplyDelete
  31. I can't help you with the felting but the slippers look very cosy!

    ReplyDelete
  32. granny squares for pockets. now why didn't i think of that....

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi there Dear, are you actually visiting this web page on
    a regular basis, if so afterward you will definitely
    take nice know-how.
    hardwood floor

    Look at my web blog; engineered hardwood flooring

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was
    super long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly
    enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any points for inexperienced blog writers? I'd
    really appreciate it.

    Feel free to surf to my webpage: electrical engineering courses pdf

    ReplyDelete
  35. Howdy. I am wondering if you'd be interested in doing a link swap? I see your blog: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4573422992082776289&postID=1046277890526541781 and my website are based around the same subject. I'd love
    to switch links or possibly guest author a post for you. Here is my personal e-mail:
    hans_cota@zoho.com. Make sure you contact me if you're even slightly interested. Appreciate it.

    Feel free to surf to my web site; 4n35 optocoupler dil-6

    ReplyDelete
  36. Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and
    I was curious about your situation; many of us have created some nice methods and we are looking to
    swap techniques with other folks, be sure to shoot me an
    e-mail if interested.

    My blog hotpoint refrigerator parts

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Visit my other blog.