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Fall Weekends are scheduled and spaces are filling up, so don't wait too
long to register. Make time for one of these events--get inspired for
holiday gift knitting and winter projects. As always, relaxing and enjoyable
activities are planned.
The Seattle area Knitting Getaway Weekend is postponed, but we're
accepting registrations for NYC (NE Pennsylvania), DC, SF and LA. Call us
now at 301.766.4543.
We hope to see you at one of the weekends!
Knitting Getaway Weekends, Fall 2003
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Y2Knit Shop Opens |
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Y2Knit opened a yarn shop on a busy street in Funkstown, MD, outside
Hagerstown. With no yarn shop in the area, local knitters are thrilled
to have Y2Knit yarns, workshops and inspiration close by.
Only 70 miles from Baltimore and Washington, DC, the shop was also
visited by knitters from the metropolitan area--we all know a knitter
will travel to check out a yarn shop! Check out the
picture gallery
Knitting remains popular and lots of people are signing up for
YNotKnit, the workshop for new/renewing knitters. It's so fun and
exciting to share knitting with new enthusiasts.
If you're local to the yarn shop, please check out the workshop
schedule.
Yarn Shop » |
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Featured Item: High Five Felted Bag |
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This fun bag knits up quickly and is a lively project to keep your
attention. The kit is $21.00 and offered in four colorways: Spring has
Sprung, Sea Breeze, Purple Haze and Pink Passion. Each kit contains five
different colors of Quatro and 220, 100% wool by Cascade Yarns.
Cut the yarns into smaller pieces (instructions included) and put
them in your bag. Randomly select yarns for your own unique bag. Knit in
the round and pick up stitches for the bottom. An I-cord handle
completes the bag. These make great gifts too--either knit up or as a
kit for other knitters.
Read on for felting tips--it's easy and fun!
High Five » |
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Felting FAQs |
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 | What yarns can be felted? Most wools will felt. Wools with
lots of lanolin, which protects the fibers, and most whites and
off-whites won't felt, and some pale colors will only felt slightly.
Superwash wools and merino wools will NOT felt. We've had good success
with
Brown Sheep Nature Spun,
Cascade 220 and
Cascade Quatro. Yarns will felt differently and all yarns seem to
have a point beyond which they will not felt any more. |
| What happens when an object is felted? Wool fibers lock
together when washed in hot water and agitated, creating felt or
matted wool. You may notice, when you first check your felting
progress that your object has actually gotten larger-this is the first
step in the progress, so just let it keep agitating. |
| Can felting be undone? Nope! Felting is permanent, so weave
in ends, attach handles and pockets or whatever else you want part of
the piece before felting. |
| When I felted a square, it came out a rectangle! What did I do
wrong? Nothing. Felting will shrink the fabric more in length than
in width. We're finding with items knit in the round or stockinette
that we get about 40% shrinkage in length, 15% in width. |
| I put the bag through the washer and it only shrunk/felted a
small amount. All washers, water temperatures, and water types are
different, so we recommend checking frequently. Keep the water
temperature HOT and water level LOW. Once felting begins, it seems to
happen fairly quickly. We've had to run things through two or more
repetitions of the wash cycle to achieve the desired results-if your
washer has an extra cycle option, try selecting that or manually reset
the agitation/wash cycle before the water spins out. When you get to
the desired size, set the washer to complete the cycle. You can throw
the item into the dryer if you like. |
| My bag was misshapen when I took it out of the machine.
Gently pinch the bag/felted object into the desired shape. Put folded
towels, etc. into the bag to hold the desired shape while drying.
Don't forget to turn the bag over so the bottom gets dry too. |
| I got white fuzzy threads all over my felting! Many felting
instructions suggest putting a towel in with the felted object--DON'T.
This leaves nubs of lint all over the bag. Try instead a pair of jeans
that can withstand hot water (they aren't too tight already) or a pair
of sneakers. You want something that will help agitate/beat the fabric
but that WON'T leave any lint on the bag. |
| I've heard that felting can damage my washing machine.
Putting felting items in a closed bag will prevent the fibers from
leaving your washing tub and causing damage to motorized/mechanized
parts of the washing machine. |
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Designers/Knitters |
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Do you have a design you'd like to share or have published? Y2Knit
publishes a line of patterns, and we are always looking for new designs.
If you have something you'd like us to consider, send a picture or
sketch to info@y2knit.net.
We also need knitters to knit samples of designs. If you'd like to
earn some yarn cash, please let us know. |
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