Felt Finale

Yes – this is my last felt post.  For now – that is!  There is much too much to blab about to stop entirely.  
Today I will focus on a few felty functional finds for the home 
This felt rug is made from left over bits of yarn.  What a great way to use those strays that just take up space in the yarn basket.  Combine them together and add some elbow grease and look how pretty they can be! You can find more info about this rug here.

Your whole home can be a rock garden if you add some of these very convincing felt (or are they stone?) stools. You can buy them here if you think you are short on the elbow grease it might take to make one yourself.

When I first saw these images of Dana Barnes work in a New York Times article I was blown away!  Roving is crochetted and then felted together to make these amazing floor cushions.  She makes rugs too and other fantastic things.  The scale is a thing to behold.  Look at the size of that crochet hook!
 In case you forgot, in only a weeks time you can learn the ways of felt in a workshop at the Knit Cafe.  Keily Stewart- the creator of the King of Beasts that is currently hanging in the Knit Cafe’s window is teaching a felt-making class here. We are stoked to learn how the heck you mold and shape fleece into slippers  like these.

Felt Slipper Class
Thursday August 18, 6:30-9pm
@ The Knit Cafe 1050 Queen St. West, Toronto.
$30 plus materials
There will be a small materials fee for a felting kit of $2.75. Students will also need 4oz of roving which the Knit Cafe has stocked in an abundance of colours.
Call to register 416 533 5648

Just to get you in the mood↓
 Look at those cute felted feet I found in this Japanese Felt Book

That’s all the felt that fits to print (for now)
Craftily Yours
Kristin 

hot times – felting in the city

Felt is a perfect summer activity.  Especially wet-felting where you muck about with water and soap and fleece.  When all is said and done you are left feeling very clean, with a well satisfied inner child and a pleasing felt form before you.  A win-win-win situation!

These felt slippers are by Keily Stewart who is teaching a wet felting class at the Knit Cafe this August.

      Felt Slipper Class
Thursday August 18, 6:30-9pm
@ The Knit Cafe 1050 Queen St. West, Toronto.
$30 plus materials
There will be a small materials fee for a felting kit of $2.75. Students will also need 4oz of roving which the Knit Cafe has stocked in an abundance of colours.
Call to register 416 533 5648

For other wearable felt items you might want to take inspiration from Shan Shan from Tokoyo.  Her Etsy shop dadaya is full of imaginative felted goods, expertly made.  Here are a few examples

craftily yours
Kristin 

well rounded

One door closes and another opens.
Today is the last day of the Knit Cafe’s summer sale.  I will be packing it all up in a short while. I will take down the signs and reshelve the yarn, but I am happy to take that sale sign down.  Happy – because I know it will be replaced with something lovely.  We are so lucky this month to have a guest artist to exhibit her work  in our Knit Cafe window. Keily Stewart is her name and felting is her game.
Pictures will follow at a later date of the exhibition itself but for now and for the next few weeks I thought I would devote some time to exploring the wonderful world of felt!
Expect some eye candy, some art, some DIY projects, and expect the unexpected. There is a whole big bad felt world out there and when I say “bad” I mean good, in a Michael Jackson-esque way.
For day one of felt fodder lets begin with the most simple of felt shapes: the sphere. Balls!
Pretty crafty wreath! Find it on Pickles with a little “how to” to go with. 

and here↑ a ball is transformed.  See how it is done in this tutorial on needle felting animal heads also from Pickles. Hooray for Pickles!
For ones more sophisticated side you might want to try this↑
This trivet under teapot  provokes imaginings of chilly, white, bright mornings in a homey Swedish abode full of birch wood and white paint, colourful ceramics and of course felt.
There is a tutorial for this project too. Have a look and see at the Purl Bee .

More felt fun to come.  Till then-
Craftily yours
Kristin