Felted Hot Pad and Coaster

I have had a single ball of Paton’s Soy Wool Stripes in “Natural Slate” in my stash for a while now. I was not sure what to do with it – although I loved its silvery color and single ply, I had no plans for it. I have wanted to try making some felted hot pads because wool is antimicrobial and self-extinguishing – it would be perfect for use in the kitchen.

Here is how I made it!

Using a size 10 1/2 needle, cast on 40 stitches. Knit two rows of garter stitch as a foundation. Then, repeat the following rows until you have made a square:
Row 1: Knit the entire row.
Row 2: Knit the first 3 stitches, then purl until the last 3 stitches, then knit the last 3 stitches.

You will have a stockinette square edged in garter stitch. Measure the width of your piece (mine was 12 inches) and continue the work until your length matches your width. Then work 4 more rows in garter stitch and bind off.  Weave in the ends and felt.

I like to do my felting in the washing machine although some might prefer using other methods. I put mine in the machine on hot, with the lowest water depth, and the longest cycle. Add a little detergent and something heavy like a pair of jeans. Then just let the washer go until it has felted to its desired doneness! I don’t have a problem letting the washer finish its cycle – although some pull out the item before hand. I haven’t had a problem with an item that went through the whole cycle. You will need to shape your hot pad a bit when you take it out so that it is flat and even. And it will probably need a shave – I’ve used just a plain electric hair clipper to do this because it will be quite fuzzy.

Let it dry and enjoy your new kitchen tool!

For the coaster, cast on 20 stitches, and work a few rows of stockinette stitch.  Measure the width, and continue working in stockinette stitch until you have a square.  Bind off, weave in the ends and felt.

Toirneach Kilt Hose

I found this pattern on Knitty and immediately wanted to try it.  I do not really have the need for kilt hose as I am not Scottish nor do I own a kilt!  (Of course I always want warm socks, that never changes!)  I do have quite a large group of friends who adore men in kilts and all things Scottish, and reading The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon is helping me along as well!

The construction of this pair of hose is really neat.  It starts with the lace cuff, then it is decreased and some ribbing is knit with needles two sizes smaller than the rest of the sock.  This is the garter which helps them stay up.  Then the whole thing is turned inside out to complete the leg and foot, so that the cuff can be folded down to show the lace pattern.  It was very easy and fast as they are knit with worsted weight yarn on size 4 needles.  I chose Lion Brand Wool Ease for this project in a grey heather.  Wool Ease costs about $3 for a skein and I used about 2 1/2 skeins.  So for me, this was an economical project as well.  I do not care to hand wash socks so I prefer to knit my socks with machine washable fibers.

Here is the link to the pattern!  And for those of you on Ravelry, here is the link to the Ravelry page.

And here are the pictures.  I did not originally plan to use any ribbon with these socks but even with the knitted garter, for some reason they still kept falling down.  The ribbons look really sharp (I had seen other people wear these hose this way) and they were comfortable and kept my socks from falling down.

I had really good timing with the fresh snow today!  And they kept my legs toasty warm.

I love the way the calf shaping looks from the back.

And here is a closer picture of the lace cuff.  Only two repeats and that was it.  Very easy!