And another (with many thanks to Wooly)

Looks good - I am in the process of trying something similar so wish me luck.

Judy

You'll be fine and if not, the felting process covers a multitude of sins. :)

Mine didn't felt all that evenly, I'm not sure how to fix that except maybe interfering with it more during the washing process. Actually I wondered how laborious it is to felt such an object by hand? It seems to me that at least by hand you'd have greater control of the process.

Do please post a picture when you are done with your project. I'd love to see it.

VP

Well, I think that it is lovely! Thanks for sharing.

Higs, Katherine

It looks good to me!

It's something which looks easy but isn't always. I think you did a good job.

You're lucky you have a machine which WILL fill with hot water, no new ones here do (UK). It's a bone of contention among those of us who have solar water heating :-(

I think cross stitch is dull too - the making that is. Some beautiful pictures are produced but it takes so LONG! I admit to not having the patience.

Mary

That is odd. All UK machines are front loading too right? I suspect it's an NZ/AUS thing to have top loaders, but I can't imagine felting in a front loader - it's not like you can just pop the lid open, fish out the item and then pop it back in. The only time in the wash cycle I can't get into my machine (to add that forgotten sock etc) is during the spin cycle.

We would really like to get solar water heating in future, it's becoming more affordable so one day maybe, in the long run it's clearly cost effective but having it installed means finding a wad of cash from somewhere.

I've done a few pieces, but I'm not really keen on it. I'm doing this one piece for mum because I think she'll like it and because it's a significant birthday for her I want to mark it with a grand gesture. I much prefer crafts that make useful things.

VP

Almost all. I daren't say ALL because I don't know and someone else will :-)

It's more time-consuming but it can be done. On the other hand, the 'wishy washy paddle action' is probably better for felting.

Surely you can switch off and open it?

We weren't concerned about the pay-back time, after all, we don't consider that when buying clothes, knitting yarns, chocolates etc. do we? We want our lives to be as little damaging to the environment as possible. As it happens, I think it IS cost effective. They're certainly more expensive this year than last, when we bought ours. Being pensioners we had enough cash, the money comes in and doesn't all get spent because our needs are low and we don't want anything we don't need. We're boring folk, don't go on holiday, have only had two items of new furniture in our lives, are still using bed linen saved for and bought before we were married ... our only luxury is a bottle of wine a day.

I used to have a continuing supply of (simple) cross stitch kettle holders made by grand children but they seem to have dried up, perhaps such a craft is not regarded as cool enough these days.

Or perhaps modern kettles are plastic jug types, not like our ancient copper one!

Felting is what one does with random wool fibers. Fulling is what one does to a woven or knitted item.

You're welcome. The stitch markers are quite handy, btw, and if I haven't already said it, many thanks :D

Nothing I make *ever* looks exactly as the example in the pattern's photo. Often when I examine $item closely I'll see that it doesn't actually match the pattern as written, either, then I don't feel so bad.

Then again, I don't often use patterns...

ones in the photo on the pattern (the pattern is free, > the link to it is on the above page), more practice is needed before I'll consider myself to have cracked this felting lark.

I like the pattern and I think you did a great job.

could only think about my power bill and I set the > machine to fill with hot water - we here in NZ don't wash with hot, most of us do cold washes all the time).

With felting (fulling) you don't need to FILL the washing machine. Actually, the process works better with your water at the "low" level, (or just enough to wet your project), and a tiny bit of laundry soap. Perhaps you didn't really fill the machine - maybe it was just an expression you are using. Using the lower level fill will help your power bill too (smile). Here in Canada, I usually wash with warm water and a cold water rinse. Even though front loading washing machines are the rage here now, when I recently replaced mine, I purposely bought a top loader for my felting projects (laugh).

Here's another funny - I remember years ago (maybe 40) my parents buying a front loading washer/dryer combo to save space. So really, front loading washers are not a new idea (giggle).

Keep on with your felting - it can be loads of fun....

Shelagh

Oh yes, what I meant was I can't leave the lid up in the spin cycle.

Absolutely that's a concern, but we only bought our house (our first) four years ago and are still paying it off and it's important to us to get that done A.S.A.P. We're doing what we can in the meantime to make the place more economical (and therefore more environmentally friendly) to heat, but significant capital expenditure has to wait really.

VP

Indeed, I only set it to fill low, I used "fill" for dramatic affect. Even on low though it still seems like a lot of hot water. :)

VP

Ellen replied to me directly with a link to an interesting fulling article, I thought I'd share it here for you all to:

"I do remember reading a nice write-up about not using a machine and of course I cannot find it but I think it mentioned a bucket and a clean toilet plunger ....

ah wait -- this wasn't the article but talks about using a plunger:

Oh it is CUTE!!! I think it came out great!

LauraJ

I should think so! It took us about thirty years to pay off our mortgage :-) But by the time we did we were paying so little a month that we didn't notice the benefit when it came to an end. I expected a great ceremony when we were given the deeds but the envelope was just handed over by a junior clerk, a bit of an anticlimax really :-)

Still, reading the deeds was fascinating, they weren't just about our house but about the land it was built on, it was the history of a family - a wealthy family but prey to the same arguments as any ordinary one.

Nowadays we don't have deeds for houses in England, ownership is recorded on a registry, it takes out all the romance :-( I hope that our children will keep our documents and pass them on.

Oh - sorry to divert!

We've made many changes to this house to lessen its carbon footprint, not all were expensive, in fact we now have more money even on a small pension than we can spend. Or, rather, want to spend.

I wish you well!

Mary

Not at all. Our first washing machine was a front loader. It was also combined with a drier - in the same tub. That was in 1965 I think.

I wish I could do it. I watched some Faroese Vikings making felted balls in Iceland and was filled with enthusiasm but I couldn't do it properly :-(

Mary