Washing Wool

WASHING: If you don't want your wool items to shrink and felt, the proper way is to hand wash it in cold water. It really is very easy, quicker, and more energy efficient than using your machine. When it's time to wash my coffee sock and hand knit fingerless gloves, I do it in my kitchen sink!

Grab a large bowl, add a touch of laundry detergent, and fill it with cool water. In they go for a little swim! Use gentle movements, up and down, side to side, and alternate. When it comes time to rinse, they are rinsed under cool water. Here's what we don't want to do: don't twist or WRING them. That can cause the item to become misshapen. Instead, we fold the item over and squeeze. Rinse, fold, squeeze. Lay them out on a towel to dry. It could take a while, but in the end you'll be satisfied in knowing you are taking care of your wool garments and will be able to enjoy them for a longer time.

FELTING: If you're wanting to shrink and felt your wool, you're going to want to do the opposite! The purple item you see is a practice swatch for a secret project I'm working on. It has been felted, meaning that the fibers have fused together to create a solid piece. To do this I filled my large bowl with HOT water, the swatch, and a touch of laundry detergent. The soap helps, but be sure to use just a little bit. Hot water and lots of agitation are the key to felting. Pick up the piece you are working with and rub it together. You'll notice it start to change. Keep rubbing and dunking and agitating until it looks about the way you want. Rinse the soap out really well. Again, do not twist or wring! Instead: rinse, fold, squeeze. Reshape the item and lay it on a towel to dry.

If there are larger pieces or multiple pieces you wish to felt, it is probably more efficient to do it in your machine. It is recommended that you add jeans to the load as the heavy garment assists with the agitation process. Once the wash cycle begins you'll want to stand by so you can peek in to observe how well your items are felting. The results can vary from wash to wash. Some may felt faster than others, and some slower. Whichever way you choose, have fun and experiment to see which methods work best for YOU!

GRANNY SQUARE STATUS UPDATE

I'm now up to 20 colorful squares!

A Little of This and That

I'm happy to report that since last Tuesday I now have a total of fifteen squares for my granny square afghan! I get to work on these in the evening when we're settling down and getting sleepy... I think I have MANY more nights ahead of me on this project!

I'm still having a lot of fun with the rubber stamp carving, as those of you who are following my crafting adventures on Facebook know. There's inspiration for this medium everywhere! One set I'm working on is "Celebration". This is not limited to birthdays, but can be used for any event to be celebrated. My favorite piece has got to be the ice cream cone! ...or is it the bunting?

I managed a little doodle of myself. A little "self portrait" caricature of moi. This one was just for fun (and practice!)

Speaking of practice, I've dreaded having to cut letters. They're very delicate and a LOT less forgiving than an illustration if you "fudge" one. Practice, practice, and MORE practice. I can't stress that enough! I'll say, though, that I'm pleased with the way this one turned out and look forward to using it on notes and packages. With the "Citrus Festival" stamps playing in the background, this would make some really cute note paper! hmmmm...

My Very Own Granny Afghan

FINALLY! I've finally started my very own afghan - something I've been wanting to do for a very long time now. I like the look of the traditional granny square and want it to be very colorful. At first I wanted it to be pink, turquoise and white. Like cherry blossoms. Maybe I'll make one of those another time. For now, this one will be random and the monkeys will help me pick the colors in each square.

My evenings are for making a square, or two, or three... until I have the (MANY) number of squares needed to make an afghan to fit a queen sized bed.

So far I have six. That's okay... that's six more than NONE!