Crazy for Felt

So, I'm a little crazy about the felting process right now. Yes, yes I know, I'm late to the party. But OMG it's so fabulous!

I started out with small, using a free bowl pattern I scored at Lion Brand Yarn. 

After my initial mini bowl success, I decided to make a nested set.

They came out beautifully, and I knew I had to go larger. Much larger. 

The result: Big Pink. She's 10w x 12h (finished size)

I confess, I was a little concerned about the form's structural integrity as I made the bowl progressively larger. And I'm sure if I go larger still (and you know I will), I'll have to figure out a way to keep it from collapsing. But, in the meantime, I'm basking in the glow of my wooly success. Yay!

Want to do it yourself? Click through to the pattern and instructions for machine felting.

Stay crafty,

Krista

Yarn is Art themed Fashion Show

Turns out the folks over at Lion Brand Yarn are hard at work promoting the use of yarn in today's fashion (they might have a vested interest). Check out their latest post, featuring video from this year's contest fashion show, a showcase of up and coming designers from around the world. Holla, me likey!

 

Dress by Heather Orr

Heather Orr graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art in 2009 and currently works as a freelance knitwear and textile designer in London. A fascination with texture and structure leads Heather to create tactile, luxurious, and unconventional fabrics using crochet, hand-knitting, and machine-knitting for application in the fashion industry. Using a crochet technique and rubber hoop inserts, this garment is constructed seamlessly using one continuous stitch. A key factor in Heather's designs is that the fabric dictates the silhouette of the garment. Scale and structure are fundamental components in this design. Heather's design was made with Cotton-Ease.

Lion Brand Yarn: Yarn is Art 2012 Fashion Show

Stay crafty,

Krista

The Hook Up: Beginner's Crochet

Re- Post from Craft Classes - Written by WIE on January 10, 2012

Instructor: Krista Green
Date: February 25, 2012 12-2pm
Cost: $20 + $4 Material Fee

Never touched a crochet hook before? Hoping to refresh your skills? The Hook Up will help you crochet like a pro!

This introductory series, teaches you the basics of crochet — picking the right yarn and hooks for your projects, basic stitches (including single, double and half-double crochet), and how to put them all together to create a rectangular motif.

Gain the skills to express your individual style with yarn and a crochet hook. Learn to create beautiful cloth (including the classic granny square), measuring gauge and reading a crochet pattern.

By the end of the class, you’ll have a super cute accessory to impress your friends and you’re sure to be hooked!

To join in the fun: http://womansindustrialexchange.org/the-hook-up-beginners-crochet/

Hairpin Lace

I've been dying to try this crochet technique, hairpin lace, for a while. The tools are simple: yarn, crochet hook, and the loom to build your fabric strip on. I got my loom (Susan Bates) from a local craft store for around $5.



In hairpin lace the fabric is formed by wrapping yarn around the prongs of the hairpin lace loom, making the loops that will build to form your fabric. Those loops are held together by a row of single crochet stitches worked in the center and referred to as the spine of your work. The fabric strip that's being created on your loom can be as long as you want. The loom also allows you to adjust the width of the fabric strip.

The loom itself holds quite a bit of yarn (depending on the weight) and the bottom of the loom can be removed if you need more room to grow your strip. Once the fabric strip is long enough I'll remove it from the loom and start another. The strips can be joined to create wider fabric, that has a lightweight very air feel.


I'm not sure yet how long my strips will be, or how many I'll do, or what the final garment will be. A scarf (that's a no brainer). Maybe a shrug or wrap. A skirt; who knows?! I'm really just getting the feel of the technique right now.

I'll keep you updated on my progress. Stay tuned...
Oh yeah, when I was figuring out how to do this I used this tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPSFc8ts_g


Yarn happy!


Krista