Just checkin' in...

woolly eggs pattern

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't published a pattern in awhile. And you may be wondering, what happened to me. Hope you're thinking of me, cause I've been thinking of you!

Covid has been hard, for everyone. My family and I have been pretty healthy but think I may of caught the latest Covid-version around the first of the year. I got hit with cold-like symptoms and recovered quickly, but my tiredness lingered for a bit too long. I am back to normal now, thank goodness, and hope you are all well too.

I wanted you to know I'm still creating, but something is changing with my art and I'm trying to figure it out. I need to play more obviously and listen to my playing. And I'm not liking what I'm creating and can't figure out why, thus new patterns haven't been coming to light. That's okay. I can feel that something new is coming and that is exciting, and I have given myself the space to create without producing, so to speak. Hope that makes sense. 

I have been experimenting with knitted eggs (not felted like the above photo) and color-knitting. Knit-only patterns pushes me to a new level of knitting, thus I have been viewing a great deal of YouTube videos, learning new stitches and techniques. Felting is so beautiful in that it hides everything! And if you embellish over it, no one notices those knitting imperfections. I am loving the challenge. I'm also thinking of taking an embroidery class and 'officially' learn to embroider. I am a self taught embroiderer so far. Embroidery on knitting is different again, and needs to be used differently as a result. 

Oh, don't get me wrong about felting, I love it and will never give it up. It isn't outdated or spent (to me at least), just different these days. I am a firm believer it is also coming back in the future. 

I'll keep you posted as I go along. I have LOTS of ideas, that is a given. And I'm confident I will be sharing something with you soon. I just really wanted you to know that I am thinking of you all. You have been such an important part of my creativity and I am personally delighted in always being able to share it with you!

Happy knitting!

Part 4: needle me this!

floral design needle felted woolly egg

Last year I started a series on decorating your woolly eggs, sharing ideas and tips to aid the embellishing process. Today I would like to add a few more tutorials to finish up the series. Be sure to check out the older series to get you and your eggs caught up:

Part 1: Woolly eggs egg-stravaganza!

Part 2: How to fill a carton of eggs

Part 3: How to stuff a woolly egg

A quick and easy embellishing technique is the use of a little needle felting and roving, acrylic felt pieces and yarn scraps to create simple designs. Below are a few examples of this technique.

The trick is simple, simple, simple. Did I mention simple? Why? Because you don't need a huge amount of 'wow' factor, especially if the effect is cumulative, meaning a bowl of decorated eggs. One or two highly decorative eggs is Grade A perfect!

So, let's say you've made your striped and solid eggs, and now all you need is a little decoration to make that dozen eggs CRACK (so to speak)! The orange egg's floral motif, above, was all needle felting using pink and orange wool roving. Wisps of roving were needle felted into a simple flower shape. Layers of color can be easily added by pulling thin pieces of roving and laying it atop of each color. I blanket stitched along the flower's edges to give it additional color. I also embroidered several French knots in the flower's center for color and texture. The leaves are acrylic felt cut into leaf shapes, then needle felted onto the egg. I embroidered these too, giving more detail but it isn't required. The curly vines are fingering weight yarn needle felted into curls and squiggles about the egg. These can be added at any time in the design.

polka dots added using wool yarn plies pulled apart

Another fun needle felting technique is to create simple polka dots using either wool roving/yarn and/or larger circles cut from acrylic felt.

The polka dotted eggs shown on the left were created using all the same yarns they were knitted with: embroidery and polka dots. To achieve this look, cut several one-inch lengths of same wool yarn and pull the plies apart for each length. Rub the plies between your fingers creating little pieces of wool fluff. The more fluff the larger the dots. Roll the fluff in the palms of your hands to dorm a small dot. Place the dot on the egg and using the felting needle, poke the roving into position. The dots can either be left slightly raised or flattened smooth with the wool underneath.

To create even larger dots, trace coins (pennies, dimes, quarters) onto a piece of colorful acrylic felt and then cut them out. Using an all-purpose felting needle, poke them down onto your wool egg until the felt lays flat and even with the wool. Your friends will think you knitted them like that! The secret is ours.

cookie cutter leaves

Fancier designs can be added using small cookie cutters traced onto felt and needle felted to your egg. The Woolly Pumpkin, shown right, used large leaf cookie cutters.  Cookie cutter designs are usually simple, making the dough easier to manipulate and get the desired results. The simple lines and detail give the illusion of a leaf and its overall shape. The vein lines were embroidered afterwards on top of each leaf, adding further detail, texture, as well as further secure the leaves to the pumpkin. Remember to secure the felt or roving to your eggs to insure your eggs can be touched, admired and bring delight for many years to come!

Happy knitting!

NEW! woolly eggs kits!

woolly eggs kits

For a limited time I will have Woolly Eggs kits available on my Etsy shoppe for sale. Just in time for a little Springtime cheer!

Each Woolly Eggs Kit includes the pattern and yarns you need to make either 5 solid-color or striped felted eggs or a mixture of both, your choice. The yarn colors are those displayed in the photo. The yarns are all 100% wool in either DK or worsted weights. Once knitted and felted, the eggs will create a medium-sized egg, about 3-4 inches long from base to top. Size 8 double point needles are recommended for the DK weight and size 10.5 for the worsted. The needles are NOT included in these kits.

The pattern includes instructions for knitting and felting the eggs as well as lots of embellishing ideas to decorate your eggs, such as needle felting polka dots or squiggles, simple embroidery and beading and more! No two eggs ever need be the same!

I am starting a series of Woolly Eggs posts on knitting and embellishing. Check it out!

FYI, Woolly Eggs Egg-stravaganza.

Happy knitting!

entering the true easter season

woolly chick with eggs

Wishing you a very

Happy Easter!

warmest knitting regards,

Marie