03 October 2012

shrunken hood

Remember this?  It's the Through the Woods hood that I crocheted early this year.  In the post linked to the pattern name I commented that I like the pattern and design but complained about the end result being too large.  I'd used Berroco Ultra Alpaca which was probably too soft of a yarn to hold much shape.  It's been mostly not used due to the disappointment.  I'd considered altering it but the only way to do that would be to completely undo it and start again.


I saw it again in my drawer last week and pondered again what I could do to salvage it.  Then another idea came to me.  Washing can shrink things.  Well, I decided I would never grow satisfaction for the hood as it was so I tossed it in the washing machine by itself to see how it came out. 

Did you know Berroco Ultra Alpaca felts really well??




 So, still not sure that I'm happy with it.  On the positive side, the tangled fibres let less wind through so yay for the warmth factor.  I stretched it out as much as I could with a big bowl under the hood part and pinned it down to dry.  It's really stiff though which is not so great especially in the neck area where it needs some flex.  It doesn't quite sit as well as I'd like and it's also a bit smaller than I was hoping for.  Anyone know of a way to soften felted products?

Oh well, what can one do?  Experimentation always comes with a risk.  Not sure if this one improved it or not though. He he.  New knowledge gained though.

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2 comments:

  1. Alrischa5/10/12 00:55

    I wonder, if you brushed the inside of it with something like a wire brush or a pot scourer or something, could you thin it? (I'm assuming by 'softness' you mean 'drape'.) The only other thing I can think of would be to somehow punch holes in it (especially if it took out little circles of felt), all over the neck part, like lace, you know? Sounds drastic... hehe :)

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    1. kelgell5/10/12 05:04

      Yes, I mean drape. Hmm, It might be worth a try. I like the lacy idea. It's already not meeting my satisfaction so a little more experimentation shouldn't hurt much. Ideally it would be nice to stretch it a little as it shrunk just a little smaller than I'd like it. But I can't alter it much more than I have now.

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