ORNAMENT
With A, Cast on 20 stitches.
Knit until piece measures 5 inches.
Bind off, leaving a tail of about 8 inches
FINISHING
 Using the large-eyed
blunt needle and tail of yarn, sew two adjacent edges together to
form a cone. Trim yarn, weave in ends.
Hold the cone so the seam is in front. Starting about the
middle of one of the top sides, pick up 5 stitches. This is
the handle of the cone. Knit until handle measures 6 inches.
Bind off, leaving a tail of about 6 inches. Using the
large-eyed blunt needle and tail of yarn, sew the handle to the
other side of the cone.
FELTING
Felting is a process whereby the wool is deliberately handled
so that it is matted into a fabric. Wool fibers
have scales and are also crimped. When these fibers are wetted and
softened and then rubbed together they grab each other and are
permanently bound together. This happens when you put a wool item
in a washer and agitate it -- it comes out much smaller and also
denser, because the fibers have bound together.
Finished ornament size depends on how much the piece is
felted. Keep in mind that you can always felt more, but once
felting is done, it is not reversible.
Wash by machine on a hot wash/cold rinse cycle with detergent
and several pieces of clothing to agitate. More about felting
Iron if desired.
If the ornament is too large for your taste, you can felt it
additionally by washing again or by putting it in the dryer.
Felting is often improved by adding about ½ cup baking soda to
the wash water to increase the alkalinity.
Tie a ribbon of your choice on the handle so the cone can be
hung from a hook. Fill the cone with a tiny bear, doll,
candy or other items. |
