BEGINNER'S FELTED FLOWERS

Posted by CraftFoxes Staff on Sep 05, 2015

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Take your style up a notch by piling on layers of floral accessories. These flowers can be made into decorative brooches or hair clips. Making these flowers is easy, seamless, and quick, so you can create a bunch of them in no time. This well-rounded project has you knitting, felting, and sewing, so there is lots of opportunity for personalization.

Step 1

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Small flower: 61⁄2 in/16.5 cm square, before felting Large flower: 9 in/23 cm square, before felting Leaf: 21⁄4 by 31⁄4 in/5.5 by 8 cm, before felting YARN Worsted Cascade Yarns 220 (100% Peruvian Highland wool; 220 yd/183 m per 100 g): 9421 Blue Hawaii, 2433 Pacific, 7804 Shrimp, and 7802 Cerise For 1 small flower: approximately 40 yd/36.5 m For 1 large flower: approximately 75 yd/68.5 m For 1 leaf: approximately 4 yd/3.7 m NOTIONS Tapestry needle FELTING Hot water Pot or kettle to boil water Bowl Cold water Clear soap Putting Felted Pieces Together Scrap paper Pencil Scissors Sewing needle Coordinating thread (to match yarn colors) GAUGE 16 sts and 30 rows per 4 in/10 cm in garter stitch, unblocked

Excerpted with permission from Knitting by Design: Gather Inspiration, Design Looks, and Knit 15 Fashionable Projects

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Small Flower CO 25 sts. Knit all rows (garter st) until piece measures 6½ in/16.5 cm. BO. Fasten off. Weave in ends with the tapestry needle.

Step 2

Large Flower CO 35 sts. Knit all rows (garter st) until piece measures 9 in/23 cm. BO. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Step 3

Leaf CO 3 sts. Row 1: K1, kfb, k1—4 sts. Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10: Purl. Row 3: K1, kfb, kfb, k1—6 sts. Row 5: K1, kfb, k2, kfb, k1—8 sts. Row 7: K1, kfb, k4, kfb, k1—10 sts. Row 9: K1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1—8 sts. Repeat rows 9 and 10 two more times—4 sts rem. BO. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Step 4

Prepare the hot and cold water baths. I usually boil the water on the stove to make it really hot and then let it sit for a bit so I don’t burn myself. The hotter the better, but be careful!

Step 5

Fully submerge your knitted piece in the hot water. Stir it around for about 10 minutes to get the fibers agitated, open, and ready for felting.

Step 6

Remove from hot water, wring out, and put into cold water. The process of going from hot to cold shocks the fibers and tangles them together permanently. Remove from the cold water, and squeeze out the water.

Step 7

Put the piece back into hot water. Begin to scrub your piece within your hands, using a bit of the soap to provide the perfect amount of friction. Do a com¬bination of rubbing, rolling, and scrub¬bing. The process is slow at first but keep at it and be patient! One thing to be careful of is loosing the shape of your knitted piece as you felt it. It’s very easy for it to take on a life of its own as you rub it every which way. Keep your eye on the shape throughout the process and smooth it out if it starts to morph.

Step 8

After a few minutes, put it back in the cold water and squeeze out the water.

Step 9

Continue steps 4 and 5 until your piece is fully felted: it will take on a solid texture in which you can no longer see stitches.

At this point, you should have a felted leaf and a felted square (small or large depending on which size you’re making).

Step 10

Enlarge the template (if necessary), cut out, and place it over your felted square. Pin in place.

Step 11

Cut out the flower shape.

Step 12

Starting at any point on the shape, cut in a spiral toward the center, following the outline of the shape. Once you near the center, finish the spiral off with a small circle that will act as the bottom of your flower. (One joy of working with felted wool is that cut edges don’t ravel, so you won’t have to finish the edges of the spiral.)

Step 13

Thread the sewing needle with a color that coordinates with the flower you’re making.

Step 14

Take the outside end of the spiral and start rolling it tightly until you reach the end on the inside. As you do this, you will see the flower come to life as a rosette. The small circle you made in the center will act as a platform for you to attach a brooch pin or a hair clip, if using.

Step 15

Sew the flower together, starting at the bottom. Work around until all the petals are secure. You can check this by gently pulling on different layers.

Step 16

To attach the leaf, thread the sewing needle with a coordinating color. Decide where you would like the leaf to sit on your flower, leaving enough room to attach the pin back or hair clip. Sew the leaf securely in place.

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Step 17