Nothing But Knitting!

Wow, everyone seems to be rather taken with the felted clogs! Thank you for all the compliments; but I have to say, without any false modesty, that my “talent” lays in my ability to follow a pattern. I was taught the basics & have learned the rest by reading what others have written & tested. In answer to several inquiries, here are some specifics:

• Yes, they are pretty simple; you just need follow the pattern as written & to know how to ‘make one’
• The pattern was written by Fiber Trends & you can buy it at a local shop (they have a list online) or from one of Fiber Trends mail-order resources
• I used Celtic Green Cascade 220- it’s one of the best for felting- the amount needed varies by the size you are making. I made US Men’s size 11 & used 3 ½ skeins, knitted with two strands on size 13 circular needles.
• They were completed in 2 weeks, start to finish; I worked on them during free time at lunch & home, alternating with a pair of socks I’m knitting as well.
• Felting is a process of treating a knitted garment. An item is knitted in a larger scale, of 100% un-treated wool, then washed & agitated in hot water. This causes the wool fibers to shrink & mat together, forming a dense, water-resistant fabric- it’s similar to tweeding woven material, such as tartan or jackets, which makes it warmer & more durable.
  

I have to share that I have lived every knitter’s fantasy: last week, I was paid to sit & knit at work! Most of us have to grab opportunities to pursue our craft while living our “real” lives- lunch or coffee breaks, waiting at an appointment, riding in the car, watching television, while listening to the Sunday sermon at church (don’t give me that look- Pastor puts the Scriptures on the overhead & I’ll stop to take notes of things that speak to me!) This is why I like to work on smaller items- I can always carry one of my small totes with a project or two to work on when the chance presents itself. Last Wednesday, our company began the process of changing our computer system to a new & better server. The IT guys decided to start with our satellite office, which is only open 3 days a week, but they needed someone to be there while they did the conversion & testing. I volunteered, since the girl who is usually there was needed at the main branch. I was told it would take about an hour, so I took an hour & a half worth of non-computer stuff to work on (no small feat in itself- I do 90% of my work on computer). As I was walking out of my office, my supervisor mentioned that I might want to take my knitting along, in case I ran out of things to do. The hour-long conversion ended taking 3 hours; once I ran out of work to do, I had official sanction to sit & knit, while they finished the testing. Oh, yes, life is good!