A question on using two yarn together..

[JoBug]

I recieved two skiens of Pattons classic wool from my spring swappy Janet, AKA AUntbubbles, one is chestnut brown the other Merino, I looked and looked at the wook, and decided they would look great crocheted together, and wanting a "well traveled bag" my niece snatched my first one up.... I started it and it is working up fab, I am however changing it up a BIT, by using all hdc, as no color changes are needed... so thus, on with my question, will it felt the same as using ONE strand, or will the shrinkage be less, I want to know because I don't want my bag to be as tall as the original, so wondering if anyone here had done this...thanks friends!!!!! Oh yea, I KNOW it takes more than two skiens, I got my 6 Micheal's coupons (hubby works at a hotel), and we went on two family trips this week, lol, three of us, three coupons, the only way I can afford to make this...

[JCB]

I would suggest you crochet a swatch and felt it first. Two strands held together (of different colors) looks different when felted than unfelted.

 

Joan

[JoBug]

I would suggest you crochet a swatch and felt it first. Two strands held together (of different colors) looks different when felted than unfelted.

 

Joan

humm, I thought of that AFTER I started the bag, so I maybe should do a swatch before I have the whole thing done, only to find I don't like it...ty!!

[Mary Jane]

Hi JoAnn

I am a professional designer and do have some experience with this. If you use 2 strands of yarn together, the purse will definately not shrink quite as much as when you use 1 strand of yarn. I used 2 strands (hdc) with Patons Classic Merino wool, on a purse, and it didn't shrink as much as I wanted it to, even after putting it through the wash 4 times. It looks good though and I'm calling it a Tote bag. It will be in my book (Positively Crochet) that will be released in August. To see the cover of my book you can go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble website and put the title in. I will post that sometime to Crochetville if I'm allowed to advertise:)

I have also used the Patons wool with other felted projects (a scarf in the book) with 1 strand and it felted better. I just finished another smaller purse (with Patons wool) for another book I'm working on and it shrunk alot more than when I used 2 strands. But then again since I wanted it to felt more, I poured boiling water into the washing machine right on top of the pillowcase (the purse was in) I think this helped it to felt more. I also did that with a felted bowl that will be published in a book. I have used Nashua Wooly Stripes to felt with (iPod case in the book) and it worked great too. I hope this helps!

 

Mary Jane

[JoBug]

Hi JoAnn

I am a professional designer and do have some experience with this. If you use 2 strands of yarn together, the purse will definately not shrink quite as much as when you use 1 strand of yarn. I used 2 strands (hdc) with Patons Classic Merino wool, on a purse, and it didn't shrink as much as I wanted it to, even after putting it through the wash 4 times. It looks good though and I'm calling it a Tote bag. It will be in my book (Positively Crochet) that will be released in August. To see the cover of my book you can go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble website and put the title in. I will post that sometime to Crochetville if I'm allowed to advertise:)

I have also used the Patons wool with other felted projects (a scarf in the book) with 1 strand and it felted better. I just finished another smaller purse (with Patons wool) for another book I'm working on and it shrunk alot more than when I used 2 strands. But then again since I wanted it to felt more, I poured boiling water into the washing machine right on top of the pillowcase (the purse was in) I think this helped it to felt more. I also did that with a felted bowl that will be published in a book. I have used Nashua Wooly Stripes to felt with (iPod case in the book) and it worked great too. I hope this helps!

 

Mary Jane

Thank you Mary Jane, I suspected it wouldn't felt as much, or shrink as much, but that is actually the look I was going for...your book looks fabulous!!! I will definatly put that on my wish list!! TY!!

JoAnn

[auntbubbels]

JoAnn- I am glad that you are making something with the yarn I sent you. I once did a bag and I really liked the way it looked before I felted it and should of left it that way, but I felted it and I don't like it as much - oh well

[Mary Jane]

JoAnn, I also wanted to add that the looser your stitches are, the more your project will felt. I normally use hdc (in a felted project) and I use either a J or K hook. (I crochet loose anyway-on purpose) Since using 2 strands makes the project thicker, and not as many spaces for the fibers to fuse/mesh together, that's why a project using 2 strands won't felt as much.

Thanks for the compliment on my book!

 

Mary Jane

[JoBug]

Thank you Mary Jane, you know your stuff, but of course, your a designer!! I admire you all that have such talent!! I tend to crochet too tight, I used a K hook, and I got the bag felted tonight, and I have to say I L-O-V-E it!! I have to felt at work, because my cheep hubby wont hook up the HOT water to our washer.....so I do it on work time..but its not like it takes away from me doing my job...lol

I can't WAIT to show pics of it, it is drying now, I ran it through hesitantly a second time, because I was slightly displeased at first, but the second washing made it PERFECT!!!!! And it took MUCH less wool than I anticipated, maybe because the other one I did was made from SWS, and you don't get as much per skein, soooooooo I am getting long winded again..lol..going to Hobby Lobby tommmorow to pick out the lineing material for it, and will line it up this weekend, I am too excited, I made this with my alzheimers raffle in mind, but I dont think I will be able to PART with this one!!! TY TY TY

[Mary Jane]

Glad your purse came out okay JoAnn! Can't wait to see the picture!

 

Mary Jane

[JoBug]

Thank you again Mary Jane, your a doll! I will proboly have it done for pics monday!!

[JoBug]

Pics posted in accesories!! OR you can go to my blog, I posted pics there too...ty ty ty ty ty!!

[Mary Jane]

Your felted purse is beautiful, JoAnn! Is that your son? He is very, very good looking!

[JCB]

That came out great! Love the colors and the pattern it formed. Which yarn did you use?

 

Joan

[JoBug]

Thank you Mary Jane and yes, thats my boy, 25 years old, and I am fairly tall at 5foot 7, makes me look like a shrimp hu?

The yarn was Pattons classic wool, in chestnut brown and ..urgggg I cant remember the name of the varigated, it felted MUCH nicer than the soy wool

TY TY TY!

I decided I am going to use it.....lol.....hard to give away purses isn't it??

[tygger428]

Hi Mary Jane. I think I recognize you from one of my Yahoo crochet groups. I did pre order your book on Amazon and am looking forward to it. It is hard to wait that long for it (Sept?) I am sure it has you impatient as well LOL

 

My sole felting experience is a crocheted hat for my Crochet Guild chapter workshop (a class at the instructor's home, my washing machine here in my apt complex has NO hot water, so I would have to either boil a small item on my stove (an LYS owner tells me this is the only way she felts and it works fine for her), or use my stainless steel kitchen sink (our tap water is fairly hot).

 

Here is a link of our before/after pics:

 

http://www.baycrochet.com/photo2.htm

 

I have some wool and a knit fiber trends hat pattern I bought from the LYS whose owner told me just to boil it in a kettle, stirring and checking frequently until the desired level of felting (some have told me that boiling it is actually fulling; felting involves hot water, then cold, then hot water, etc. until it felts).

 

Another interesting thing she gave me was an article describing how to "unfelt" by using a specific ratio of vinegar to water, I intend to swatch some wool and test this theory at some point. To felt, and then attempt to "unfelt" a swatch.