Knit or crochet a hotpad - PEP BB textile.sand.hotpad

Jojo Cameron wrote:Before I start this: Is acrylic acceptable, or does it have to be wool-wool?

There's a very good reason to use real wool for a hotpad: acrylic wilt melt when it gets too hot!
And of course there are more reasons.

Here's my hot pad.  It's still 10" across at the shortest point, despite my attempts to felt it.

What am I doing wrong with the fulling?  I've had it in boiling water, swirled it around, tumbled it by hand, had it damp on a hot radiator and hand-tumbled it intermittently, and put it in two spin-and-drain cycles with hot water.  Does it need more time, or water, or what?  Is it the way I've knitted it, or the fact that the wool's doubled up, or is that not related.  Halp!

No, I didn't.  The instructions stress the heat and movement part, but not the cooling part.  Unless I missed it, which isn't unlikely.  I'll give it a go -- thanks for the note!

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Well, I've tried it, but I think the problem might be that I've double-knitted the wool, and the stitches are too tight for felting.  Does anybody know more about this?

Jojo Cameron wrote:No, I didn't.  The instructions stress the heat and movement part, but not the cooling part.  Unless I missed it, which isn't unlikely.  I'll give it a go -- thanks for the note!

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Well, I've tried it, but I think the problem might be that I've double-knitted the wool, and the stitches are too tight for felting.  Does anybody know more about this?

Hi Jojo. I don't think it's the way you knitted it. I think it's the wool. There are many different kinds of wool, from different sheep (races/breeds). Some wool felts very easy and beautifully, some wool felts in an uneven way and some wool does not felt at all.

I knitted this hot pad in the round.  Does that count for the badge bit?

Here is my yarn


about half done. time to change colors


ten inches long


eighteen inches in circumference

I had a lot of coaching, encouragement, and even some much-needed gentle pressure to keep at it when I wanted to quit, as I’d “have to eventually to get to PEP2”
What’s more, I was gifted the locally grown and harvested, hand made wool yarn

For these things, I am deeply grateful!!

Despite some funky edges, due to the change in the size of the yarn when I ran out of pink and had yet to reach the 10x10 minimum, I’m quite proud of my very first crochet project :)

Nicole Alderman wrote:knit (or crochet) a hot pad out of wool yarn.

To document completion of the BB, provide proof of the following as pics or video (< 2 min):
  -  Show your wool yarn and needles or crochet hooks
  -  Show your hot pad in progress
  -  Show your completed hot pad
  -  Unfelted, it should measure about 10 by 10 inches (If you felt it, it will end up smaller, and that's okay!)

I purchased super-bulky, 100% hand-spun wool at a farmers market and bamboo circular knitting needles. I've never knitted anything before and I was relieved that, ~30% through this project, I didn't have to closely watch every move.