Thursday, September 10, 2009

Creative Scarf Project



I'm always thinking of new things to try. I've designed and created several projects with Nuno felting, and so, have been pondering in that realm. I had been wanting to use the felting capabilities of wool creatively, intermixing this with a fabric that will not shrink.

So, off to the fabric store, to find a fabric that is an open knit. I wanted to be able to thread wool through holes in the fabric, and then felt the project. My idea was that the wool would shrink, and pull in the scarf fabric.

So... here are the basics..

Begin with the choice of fabric. Look for an open knit, or some fabric that will not ravel, and yet has openings that allow you to lace yarn/wool through it. The yarn or roving needs to be 100% wool, and "shrinkable".


Now, decide on the dimensions of your scarf and cut the fabric.

Here you can see two sets of fabric and yarn, plus some of the tools used.

Using a knitting bodkin, thread the yarn and weave it through the openings in the knit.

and pull it tight to ruch the piece.






Now... into the hot soapy water, followed by an ice-bath.



Then, place the scarf in a laundry bag and use the high heat setting on your clothes dryer. This will felt the wool yarn easily.

You can see the final scarf above... This was definitely a quick and fun project.

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