My friends were looking at me REALLY funny as i crocheted this giant “hat.” I mean giant. Huge. Really massive, indeed! This, in fact is what it looked like when i tried it on:
No wonder they thought i was a nutcase. But i’m not a nutcase at all! (well, actually i kind of am, but that is beside the point) This giant hat was destined to be felted down to a normal hat size… and it almost worked. This was my very first felted hat experiement. I followed a pattern i found on Ravelry.com, and mostly did it right. The resultant hat is way thick, still a bit large and will definitely keep me warm and dry on even the soggiest camping nights. I wanted a rain hat, and i got one — just maybe a bit thicker than i had anticipated. (Apologies for the blurry camera phone pics)
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| After wash #1 |
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| After wash #2 |
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| After wash cycle #3: we’ve got it! |
Here’s the original pattern:
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| Copyright Eleanor Howe |
My hat:
Not a total success, as you can see. It’s kind of cute, and very warm… but also kind of huge still. Or as my darling husband would say “helmut-esque”. Grr. I’m not sure if the yarn was too thick, my crochet hook was too big, i didn’t felt it enough, or what… I wish the pattern maker would post pics of the hat BEFORE it’s crocheted. This was a great learning experience though, and 3 wash cycles later i have myself a decent, albeit REALLY warm hat to wear when i’m out tending the future sheep. Next time, i think i’ll use lighter weight yarn. 😉 In fact, i’m about to get spinning with some gray roving that will be destined for my second try… i hope it’s a winner!
Have you ever felted a garment? Did you do it on purpose or was it a “laundry mistake”?
