Fit for a Princess

Ahhh, felting. Beautiful, yet nerve-wracking. How hard it can be to spend hours upon hours knitting up a project, just to throw it in the wash and shrink it intentionally. It can be so hard to let go, to put your hard work into that washing machine, close the lid and start the hot wash cycle, and wait for the agonizing 20 minutes to see if your project survived.

Now that I've done it though, I am hooked. Felting is the neatest process. I started pretty easy, with this felted crown, a freebie from Lion Brand Yarn (you will have to register or log in to access the pattern). I used Lion Wool Yarn (perfect for felting!) in Goldenrod.

Here is the project before felting:


After felting:


And finished:


I had to wash mine on hot twice to get the desired amount of felting. Once wasn't quite enough. I opted not to run it through the dryer though, it shrunk enough! While it was damp I was sure to pull it into the shape I wanted, and then I let it dry. The pattern suggests using a hook and loop closure on the crown (think velcro). I figured velcro + felt = disaster if it ever came undone, so I opted for a pair of 7mm snaps that I just hand-sewed on with a sharp needle and a golden thread. Voila, a crown fit for my little princess.