Felt Pot

For sometime I have been experimenting with different fibres and techniques to create vessels or planter pots. As they are textile based they are not waterproof so need to be placed outside where there will be no damage to furniture. If used indoors they require a waterproof container inside to protect furniture from water and soil damage.

It started out as a piece of knitting approximately one metre by fifty centimetres and knitted in old tapestry wools. The plan was to felt the knitting, tapestry wools are not treated to prevent shrinking in the same way as conventional knitting wools for garments.

The first felting, done in the washing machine (inside a pillowcase with some plastic measuring cups) on a very hot wash produced this

I was quite pleased with the result except for this

A few rows that did not felt because I used some odds and ends of conventional knitting yarn.

So I used running stitch and stitched tapestry wool into the unfelted areas and felted again.

This time the shape was distorted because of the way the running stitch felted but the felt was thick and colour beautifully muted. Some stitching on the machine and the pot was finished. All I need to do is plant it up

and decide where to put it, perhaps with the concrete cats

or maybe here.