Sunday, April 13, 2008

Felted Peguins

Here they are.....both of the felted penguins that I was working on. Both are finished and heading off to their new homes. You can definitely tell that different wools felt up differently just by looking at them. The black penguin is made from Shetland wool, with polypay wool used for the bill and feet......and a merino/silk blend used for his tummy. The blue penguin is made using a mohair/jacob blend for the body.....polypay wool for feet and bill........and a Columbia/Dorset wool blend for his tummy. The mohair/jacob blend felted so much more than the Columbia/Dorset blend giving him a big, round tummy. He also came out a bit smaller than the black penguin. I think he ended up being about 8-9" tall.....while the black penguin is somewhere between 10-11" tall. Both are very round and huggable though. Just wish I could have found different eyes for the black penguin. The solid black eyes I did find (and used) are so difficult to see. Oh well. Something to file away for next time.....and there will most likely be a next time. These were so much fun to knit up and went rather quickly.

Orange Crush Update: I finally got a start on my Orange Crush mystery quilt (although I don't know how well that name will match my quilt.....especially since I don't have any orange in it whatsoever!!). I have 50 of the 4-patches done. Just need to finish sewing up the other 100 units and I will be ready for step #2. I have decided to work on my split 9-patch in between steps. With any luck I can finish up two quilts.

Knitting Update: Since I had so much of the mohair/jacob blend yarn left....and it was surprisingly fun to work with (didn't shed near as much as I thought it would), I have decided that it would make a lovely felted teddy bear. I cast on for one a couple of nights ago. Have one arm done already. I'm using the Marigold Bear pattern by Fiber Trends (www.FiberTrends.com) . I'm doing mine so it is all one color and may even make a felted hat for it once the bear itself is done.

2 comments:

  1. Love the penguins! I haven't ever done much knitting, and have no idea how to go about felting, but these could tempt me to have a go.

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  2. Amanda, the knitting is easy on the penguins....and the felting fun. Nicky Epstein has a wonderful book on felting...."Knitting Has Never Felt Better". I would highly recommend getting it....and then be prepared to have tons of fun!!

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