Felted Wool Hat

A few years ago, a friend shared a pattern for making a knitted wool hat.

I have made hats through the years, but this one was felted.

It is a curious thing about wool fibers.

When they are wet and agitated, they cling together and make a tight weave of their own.

Well, I started this hat well over a year ago.

Because it uses two strands through the knitting, I measured out what I thought I needed

and rolled it up into a ball and started knitting away.

Just about the time I needed to decrease for the crown,

I ran out of yarn.

I had more, but,

I had put it somewhere,

somewhere safe.

And, I couldn't remember where that somewhere was...

I found the yarn, measured out more to roll doubled into a new ball.

I finally finished knitting it at a retreat/gathering we attended

over the holiday weekend.

There were others working on crochet, some knitting various projects.

And, there was me.

When I was asked what I was working on and replied that it was a hat,

there would be a startled look and then they would look quickly down, 

sometimes glancing to the side at their neighbor to see if they, too, felt like I was working on a

doomed project.

I asked my granddaughter to hold the hat after I finished knitting it

and she pulled it down over her head...

Here she is holding it up.

And, to be fair, it did look somewhat like a doomed project,

except

I have done these before.

In fact, I sold one just the other day.

When we got home and I had caught up on most of the other laundry,

I put the washer on hot wash, cold rinse and agitated it for about 20 minutes.

It then ran through the rest of the cycle and came out looking like this.

Much, much smaller than when it went into the washer.

I needed to stretch it out over something and used this tupperware container.

It was also very, very fuzzy.

I gave it a "haircut" with some scissors

This is the finished hat

With the same granddaughter obligingly modeling it.

This is another one that was done a year or so ago.

If you do try out some patterns you can find on the internet,

be sure to use 100% wool (no extra fibers)

if you want it to felt.

A fun project, and it will keep your friends wondering if you have lost your mind.