Felt It!

de Maggie Pace

Growing numbers of knitters are throwing caution to the wind and tossing their wool creations into hot water washing machines, watching as hats, bags, and pillow covers shrink away to a fraction of their original size. The result is a soft, cozy felt, and it has tremendous allure for many knitters. From the purely practical to the wonderfully fun and frivolous, the 20 projects in Felt It! are irresistible examples of what is possible with wool, needles, and hot water. Charming, fuzzy flowers take center stage, with appearances on brooches, evening bags, bracelets, and pillows. Felted hats are the warmest toppers for the coldest days, and the appealing texture of felted wool is perfect for sturdy bags and backpacks. Appealing to a wide range of knitters, felted knitting is a fun technique for beginners to play with and offers enticing challenges to more advanced knitters. For the beginner, the Simple Stripes belt pattern requires just a few hours of work for a colorful felted accessory to wear with jeans. The truly adventurous felter will love the Night-Star Wrap, an elegant shawl that matches rich color with the warmth of alpaca and perfectly sets off a simple black evening dress.