Fabulous Felted Hand Knits

Felting has taken the knitting world by storm, and with these 30 fabulous projects, knitters will effortlessly add this stylish new technique to their repertoire. All the basics are covered and fully photographed, including which yarns to use, how to create swatch samples, and how to knit evenly. Easy-to-follow instructions, illustrations, and photos accompany each item and encourage beginners to test out new skills and experiment on their own. Start simple, with charming hot pads and coasters for the table. Warm and durable mittens feature elegant knitted cuffs. An eye-catching throw pillow comes in shades of cheery pink. Or make an ocean-blue scarf, zippered shoulder bag, or vibrant ethnic-inspired rug. From garments to home decorating items, these knitted beauties are all conversation pieces.

Crafter Maggie Pace converts avid knitters of all kinds into industrious, smiling felters in this fun, easygoing guide to the simplest of fiber crafts. Pace guides you through 20 fabulous knittable accessory projects and shows you how to transform them with a quick trip through the washing machine. From hats and bags to scarves and sew-on embellishments, this simple method produces soft felt every time, and is versatile enough to work with any knit-worthy piece you can dream up.

A guide to felting demonstrates how different fabrics react to the process of transforming wool yarn into a dense, textured material, and includes sample swatches, patterns, stitches, and techniques for creating mosaics, cables, and lace.

This fabulous guide is brimming with ideas for recycling and restyling your aging wool knitwear--simply by felting, cutting, and combining them in innovative ways. Find out everything you need to get started, from choosing the right old sweaters to the simplest, most reliable method of felting. Photographs display piecing and cutting techniques for felted sweaters, machine and hand embroidery for added interest, and sewing techniques to finish off each project. Imaginative embellishments are also here, including fabulous felted flowers and three kinds of buttonholes. With more than 30 projects for capes, vests, shawls, slippers, scarves, hats, tote bags, purses, jewelry, jackets, and even a cute dog sweater. Crafters will soon be felting away!

Knitters will find specific techniques and instructions for felting their knitting in this detailed step-by-step introduction, including how to felt on purpose and not by mistake, techniques for both hand and machine felting, and choosing and testing yarns. They'll also learn whether knitting swatches is really necessary and how big to knit a piece before felting. Twenty-four detailed projects include stylish bags, totes, hats, and mittens; warm and fuzzy vests and slippers; and decorative pillows, placemats, and coasters. With a section on embellishing felting and felting on felt (needle felting), knitters will be inspired to create these beautiful projects for friends and family, from the baby's first felt hat to the furry slippers for cold winter nights.

Master this technique with everything from felting basics to fabulous clothing to décor projects. There’s something magical about felting knits: You start with a piece of fabric that looks and feels a certain way and, by exposing it to water and agitation, finish with one that looks and feels completely different. This fascinating transformation is what led author Leigh Radford to begin felting years ago, and has kept her intrigued by the process ever since. Now, in AlterKnits Felt, Radford pushes the boundaries of traditional felting, as she did with traditional knitting in her earlier book, AlterKnits. Through 30 colorful, vibrant projects, she shows readers how to knit and then felt their own handiwork, as well as how to create gorgeous felted objects from recycled knits and unspun fiber. An introductory chapter on felting basics explains everything you need to know to make the fabulous clothes, accessories, and home decor that follow. The projects range from a quick and easy circle coin purse, to a shibori bag, to a reverse-appliqué rug, each unusual in its own way, distinguished by a special surface texture, an innovative mix of techniques, or a quirky combination of yarns. AlterKnits Felt provides every crafter with the tools to explore—and expand—the art of felting.

Craft trendy flower pins, a matching scarf and mitten set, a snuggly little bear hat, a fully functional and attractive backpack and much more.

With detailed information on fibers, a primer on technical felting concepts, and a thorough resource guide, this text shows knitters how to create ethereal fabric by combining the precision of knitting with the magic of shibori.

- Contents:Basics -- Feltmaking tools and supplies -- Layout and felting -- 3-D basics -- Dyeing -- Carding -- Flat braiding -- Projects / Designs by Chad -- Airy fairy scarf -- Mr. Saturday night -- Boa boa -- Bark scarf -- Blackbeard -- Inge's fancy -- Dread nauts -- Lily pad wrap -- Magic muffler -- Bubble boa -- Designs by Jorie -- Dip dyed party scarf -- Fallen leaves collar -- Father's Day braided muffler -- Honeycomb scarf -- Granny Warner's lace shawl -- Wedding stole -- Lei collar -- Link muffler series -- Chalk drawings muffler -- Snow people scarf -- Rainbow ribbons.

Knitters who already love knitted felt for its softness and durability take their skills to new heights with these wonderful projects for garments, accessories, and home fashions. By incorporating Shibori, the Japanese art of manipulating fabric to create unusual textures and color effects, these projects delight with their fanciful bobbles, pleats, ruffles, and embroidery stitches. Designs include a delicate frilled scarf embellished with beads, a pair of Turkish shoes, an embossed throw, a pleated cape, a water-bottle cover, and a striped "bump" bag made by tying marbles into the fabric before washing to create a bubbled texture. A guide to felting basics, lists of yarn types and equipment, and washing-temperature charts to ensure exact shrinkage are included, and beautiful photographs, step-by-step instructions, full-color illustrations, and sidebars filled with tips and techniques make the projects easy to envision and complete.