Yummy! Wet dog!

I'm obsessed with felting. I am so obsessed that the smell of felting is a wonderful smell to me. "What smell?" you ask. "That stinky wet dog smell," says I. After all, wool yarn is just animal fiber.

I made this bag from a pattern in my head. I've been working on it about a week. This is the pre-felt stage.

I'm a little nervous about this project. I've taken the skills and techniques I've learned from other projects and applied them here. The bottom of the bag is crafted using the technique from the large blue and green bag I made for Jill. The strap was made using a technique from the first bag I made. The dimensions, flap and stripes I made up on my own.

The first felting is certainly not what I had envisioned, but that's not surprising considering Jill's bag took 4 feltings - it IS the level of felting I anticipated for the hat(s) I made for Peter. I'm starting to wonder if it is the yarn, more than the felting technique. This yarn is old yarn Peter's mother gave me. It was purchased in Canada about a zillion years ago. It has very short fibers that make it very rough & fragile.

Aha! The second felting is bringing us very close.

But I want to try it one more time. It's always so nerve-wracking.. Should I stop? Should I go on and risk ruining it? Once more. I tried it once more...

I like it! :)

But perhaps I should have stopped with two..