FINISHING
Felting slippers to sizeI felted the slippers shown here by running them through the wash cycle of my washing machine set on 40 C [105 F] with a tablespoon of a mild liquid soap and a towel for added agitation. It is essential to check the status of the slipper every few minutes and stop the agitation process when it reaches the desired size.
Riiiiiiiight. So here's what happened.
For some reason completely beyond my mental grasp, I decided to do a test-felting before I even started the fuzzyfeet. Because ... well.... I wanted to make sure the yarn would felt. Nevermind the fact that the label on Paton's Classic Wool clearly states, "Ideal for knit, crochet and felted projects." We are not so much into reading labels. Crazy talk. So I knitted a test swatch, took a picture with a scale, and ran it through the agitation cycle inside of a sock closed with a hairband. With two towels, or something. Anyway, I ran it a couple times through the same portion of the cycle (the beginning) and dutifully took pictures. This is science, people.
Before....Felted Magic.
So given the fact that I'm a complete dork and went through all these trials, one would think that I would take even more care when I actually got around to felting giant socks. One .... would be wrong.
I was so excited to get felting on Saturday morning that I threw those suckers right in and started cooking breakfast. The washing machine is practically in the kitchen so this is not in essence a problem. There is a door between the washing machine and the kitchen, and we NEVER close it while the washer is running because if the washer decides to take a walk we'll never be able to get back into that room without breaking in through the window. Paul came to keep me company while I made eggs. They were done shortly.
We sat down to eat.
I heard the washer's distinctive clang as it stopped spinning.
Paul had shut the door.
When the door is shut, you can't hear a thing, except for that clang.
Since I couldn't hear the washer, I forgot it was running.
I ran - which is difficult in the gauntlet that is our kitchen - to the laundry room and rescued the fuzzyfeet. There was luckily no walking of the washer so the door wasn't shut forever. In one pass through the whole "heavy" cycle, up to the rinse (which thank goodness it didn't get to) the feet shrank to about 7 inches long. Pre-felting, they were 13 inches long. We spent a few tense moments stretching them while wet - I know you aren't supposed to but I had nothing to lose - and their final dry length is 7.75 inches. They were intended for Paul's grandmother, whose size 6 foot is supposedly 9.something inches long. Not... so much.
So, here they are.
They are definitely fuzzy.
Before:
After:
4 comments:
Oh goodness... I knew the horror, but it looked worse with before and after pics! I am so sorry, but hey, Paul's grandmother will really appreciate them :)
Stephanie, don't panic. Really. I was so worried that my fuzzy feet were too small but Courtney, their new own, wears a 6 1/2 and I thought the FF were going to be small. She took them home, dampened them with a spray bottle and wore them around for a couple of hours and LOVES them. She says they fit like a dream. You might want to give them a try with the grandmother.
They are beautiful, by the way.
Also, I forgot to mention, a (non-blogging) friend of mine recently knitted the fuzzy feet, too, and she accidentally fell asleep while they were felting. (She has a new baby. She is tired.) She took them out while still damp and put on 4 or 5 pairs of socks then wore the fuzzy feet over the socks and stretched those babies out. Now they are a comfortable fit. So there is hope.
Nice fuzzy feet.
You could cut off your toes
?
so you can wear them.
I just dropped by and have to ask - is that outcrop you're standing in front of? Are you a geologist?
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