Felt the day away
Kathleen Taylor makes felting accessible in I [Heart] Felt
By Meghan Murphy Gill
Published: February 25th, 2008 | 9:16pm
From items that are ultra-functional (such as slippers and hats) to just plain whimsical (felted, stuffed fruits), I [Heart] Felt features knitting patterns that are sure to get any knitter out of a rut.
One of the reasons I've always been apprehensive to take on felting projects is that without my own washing machine (coin-operated monsters in the basement are what I use), having to run a machine multiple times just to get the right texture could get costly. Scrounging for quarters once a week is already a hassle when I'm just trying to do laundry!
Kathleen Taylor's book has done two things to help this aversion: One, some of the patterns are so awesome that multiple cycles of the washing machine is less of a deterrent, and two, a handful of projects call for light felting (only one cycle needed).
Taylor, who wrote the beginner's guide, Knit One, Felt Too, devotes one chapter to "the basics." In this introductory section, she begins by noting that "this chapter is going to feel very yadda yadda to knitters who've been felting for a while." Her self-aware writing makes the "how-to" section much less boring than others of its kind. She explains what exactly felt is, what you'll need to be successful at felting, and how to select yarn prior to felting. Her literal mandate to readers to swatch reminds me of most other knitting books I've picked up, as if this stance on swatching is shared by everyone who writes a book on knitting. "Swatching: it's mandatory," she writes. "You heard me: Swatching is mandatory. Period."
Following a few more tips on felting cables, intarsia, and fair isle, Taylor dives right into the patterns: stand-out items in bold colors and soft knits. (The patterns you'll find in this book are as bright as the hot pink and neon orange cover, so if neutral colors and basic knits are your thing, you may want to steer clear.) Most of the patterns are for smaller items, a handful of hats and scarves, a few bags, and a couple of patterns for slippers. Since felting requires the knitter to knit up things multiple times bigger than the finished product, smaller things like these are a much more welcome challenge.
I love the "Toddler Earflap Hat," the "Cabled Tote," and the "Berries & Vines Slippers," but the best and most interesting pattern is the "Zig Zag Hat." This hat is knit in a basic tube. Once felted, the top is cinched together and then sewn. Taylor notes that it's a good hat to try "if you're nervous about Fair Isle and stranded knitting." Equally adorable (although much less wearable) are the tiny gourds, pumpkins and squash. Knit up in colors such as Brown Sheep Lamb's Autumn Harvest, Oregano, Lemon Drop, and Tiger Lily, these little guys assure that you'll always have a colorful cornucopia on your table. Another great feature of the book is that Taylor tends to call for easy-to-find, inexpensive yarns.
I [Heart] Felt is a great resource for knitters who are bored or just want to take their regular hats and scarves to the next level. The photographs are excellent and the instructions are simple and straightforward. In the dead of a gray Chicago winter, this book's patterns are a welcome punch of color and style.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
I [Heart] Felt
(Taunton Press)
By Kathleen Taylor
176 pages
List price: $19.95
Issue #35
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