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JannyW
New Pal
USA
28 Posts |
 Posted - 01/04/2007 : 09:00:00 AM
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I made the cutest bag! and I think it would be an amazing felting project. I know that the rule of thumb is that felting shrinks your fabric by one-third; so to adjust the pattern, should I just increase the stitches & rows by one-third as well? What about the needle size? do I need to change that?
Appreciate any & all help :) Thanks! 
~~Jan~~
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
-- John Lennon |
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kbshee
Permanent Resident
USA
4130 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2007 : 09:14:57 AM
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Jan,
Everything felts differently. I'd do a swatch of your yarn and measure before and after. Use bigger needles than you did for your regular project, it's important that your swatch duplicates your final project as closely as possible. This will give you an indication of how much it will shrink both width wise and length wise, which will probably be different. Then you can figure out how much you need to add on to make the bag. Hope this helps. If you need more math advice after you do your swatch let me know!
kim in oregon
http://kbshee.blogspot.com |
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JannyW
New Pal
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2007 : 4:05:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by kbshee
Jan,
Everything felts differently. I'd do a swatch of your yarn and measure before and after. Use bigger needles than you did for your regular project, it's important that your swatch duplicates your final project as closely as possible.
Thanks, Kim :) The first bag I made was with worsted-weight acrylic from my stash, so I know the gauge will be different. I have used Patons Classic Merino, double-strands, to knit another bag and was very pleased with the results. I may just use that for this pattern to see how it works out.
Appreciate your input! I'll let you know how it works out :)
~~Jan~~
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
-- John Lennon |
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Hulagirl
Chatty Knitter
174 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2007 : 12:10:38 PM
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Jan, I'm inclined to think, it all depends on how much effort and
success you want out of your project. I'm putting together a felted
vest pattern I wrote up, decided to felt it at the beginning.
I'm a stickler for swatches/gauges...knowing the # of stitches per inch, once I decided on the needle size because I already knew the
yarn I would use, I knitted a swatch, took measurements before and after felting. Did a LOT of mathematical calculations just like you
see in the magazines of the knitted garment! Proceeded from there.
Now I'm doing the same vest, a much larger size, different yarn,
same size needle. My first vest came out perfect, I'm about 2/3's of the way through my second vest..when I'm done with this one,
I'll probably do a third vest with yet another yarn and again go through the math calcs.
Did I confuse you, hope not, I love felting!!!
Michele in Marietta |
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JannyW
New Pal
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 3:45:31 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Hulagirl
Did I confuse you, hope not, I love felting!!!
Michele in Marietta
No, you didn't confuse me ... not too badly anyway!
I bought some beautiful hand-dyed wool (on sale) that I think is going to work up beautifully. I'm going up one needle size and using double strands.
This yarn, being hand-dyed, has some slight varigations in the color. Is there anything I need to be concerned with as far as color integrity whenn I felt it, to maintain the color variations?
Thanks :)
~~Jan~~
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
-- John Lennon |
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JayhawkKnitter
Seriously Hooked
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 3:54:57 PM
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quote:
I'm going up one needle size and using double strands.
If I'm reading you correctly, from a regular knitted bag pattern, with a single strang, you're going up one needle size and double stranding?
If that's the case, I have to ask - did you swatch?
Most felted patterns are knit at a very loose gauge - the yarn has to have some room in which to move around during the felting process for the adjacent stitches' fibers to grab hold of each other so felting can occur.
Maybe I just misread you, though.
In any event - good luck!
**********
Check out my blog!
http://www.knittinhoney.blog-city.com |
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Hulagirl
Chatty Knitter
174 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 4:23:42 PM
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Hi Jan...good that you understood!! If you're making another bag,
double stranded, you may want to go up 2 needlesizes instead of
just one. Couple of reasons, after felting, the finished bag may
end up kind of stiff but if that's what you want, it would be
okay, another reason...with two strands and only one needle size
larger - your bag is not going to be significantly bigger than the
original you've already made. Also, here is some I've learned
over the course of many felting projects, if I use a doublestrand,
2 needlesizes up - it may only take one cycle through the washer to felt to the effect I want - if not....I then put it through the
washer a second time.
The effect I like for felting items is to use a 2 strands, one
the darkest of the color, and the 2nd strand would be significantly lighter....Also, I did bowls for Xmas presents, and used
4 different shades of color....and then knitted in an I-cord around
the top of the bowl in a contrasting color!!
Are you having fun with this? Michele in Marietta
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JannyW
New Pal
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 5:06:16 PM
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Okay, yes, going up two needle sizes makes MUCH more sense! Will do a swatch tonite to check gauge :) Thanks!
~~Jan~~
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
-- John Lennon |
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agastier@aol.com
Chatty Knitter
143 Posts |
Posted - 01/08/2007 : 7:21:10 PM
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| The swatching might also answer your color questions--I just finished one of those "use it up " projects--I used two strands, one plain teal and the other a teal with tweedy specks in bright colors. It was so pretty before I felted it--and after, all the tweedy flecks lost their color. It's still nice, but it was so much prettier before! ...Annhope |
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JannyW
New Pal
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 06:57:54 AM
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Just one more silly question 
Would you increase the number of stitches for the felted bag, or just knit per the original pattern? If I'm going up two needle sizes and using double strands, I would think that would allow for the increase in size pre-felting without having to increase the number of stitches(does this make sense?). Or am I completely off the wall here? maybe just not completely awake yet ...
~~Jan~~
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
-- John Lennon |
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Hulagirl
Chatty Knitter
174 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2007 : 2:49:38 PM
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Hi Jan....re: the questions of additional stitches....you could
increase the number of stitches, remember tho' that if you have a
pattern of sorts....you'll have to accommodate for this. IF the
knitting is done flat, and you have to join the sides, etc., by whatever method is recommended - I as a general rule to ALL my knitting add 2 stitches (beginning and end) sort of as selvedge
edges, that way I'm not taking away from the total number of
stitches I need for the item I'm knitting....did you get that?
For the most part, except for shawls/scarves,socks (I think that
is pretty much it)....I knit circular - having to convert my patterns
from 'flat knitting' to circular, but that's okay...let me know
how you're doing!!!..Michele in Marietta |
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