In the time between posts...

I've played with my washing machine, and totally completed one Christmas gift. A few posts ago I listed all the holiday knitting I have planned. It seemed like a very long list. Now, I think it's not too long, but I may still revise it. Why? Because I want to felt EVERYTHING.

I finished the purse for sis (Patons Classic in Dark grey) complete with very long i-cord strap. (You ever knitted several feet of 10 st i-cord? It is NO FUN.) It was ready to be felted.

I also had this pair of mittens that were Christmas-gifted to me by a good friend several years ago. The were handknit in Nepal of wool and bits of sari-silk (lovely bright coloured silk with a purpley-blue yarn). They have never fit properly. I have very small hands (child-sized, almost) and one-size-fits-all mittens are always just too big. The gauge was pretty loose, too, and let the wind in, so I thought, "Hey, why not felt them, too?!" I was actually pretty disappointed that I hadn't thought of it earlier.

Sooo, the purse and the mittens went into the woolite wash bag, and into a very hot wash with two pairs of jeans I don't care about too much. After squidging around in there for about 15-20 minutes, I had a fabulously felted purse, and two muuuch smaller mittens. They looked too small. Oh. Dear.

(Further backstory: this is the second pair of these mittens this friend has given me. I managed to lose one of the first pair, and when she asked if I liked wearing them, I explained the mitten tragedy, and the following Christmas - pair number two! So shrinking the second pair beyond wearing them would be very unfortunate.)

But I'd forgotten that my hands are silly and tiny, and the mittens are a brilliant fit. Perfect. I put a plastic cup in the cuff of each mitten to make sure I could still get my hands in, and a day later, dry, felted mitts.

The purse, though, is unbelievable. It's super. I embroidered little flowers onto the body of the bag, and swirls, spirals, squiggles, moons, and more little flowers, along the length of the strap, using the peacock blue wool I used for the edgeing on that cardigan I knit last month.

It. Is. Beautiful.

So what can I felt next? I'm thinking potholders, maybe in fun shapes (like letters to spell out 'FOOD') or a little pocket book (I've been meaning to get a cool one).

I've just gotten myself a cool new obsession!

Ooh, and pics to follow tomorrow!