Blue Morpho Designs

Good evening, friends.
I'm taking a class in which we are creating felted tote bags. It's going to be lovely when it's finished, I just know it. I will post an in-progress picture at the end of this post.

I've decided to test some felting ideas with Red Heart Super Saver yarn. It's 100% wool as far as I can tell from the packaging, so it should felt nicely. The yarn I'm using for the tote bag is from Michael's and is by Patons, created specifically for felting projects.

The plan is to make several small rectangles out of the Red Heart yarn with various hook sizes and stitch sizes. I am using the G, I, and M hooks and single, half-double, and double crochet. So I will end up with 9 swatches in the end.

Some of them are going to be felted by hand in the kitchen sink with dish soap, since I don't own a washing machine in which to do it properly. I've been told it is possible to felt this way, however it is time-consuming, so I go into it knowing this.

The rest of the swatches will be thrown in with the next load of towels or jeans which go to the laundromat. The idea is to see how things turn out, and take detailed notes for future reference. The tote bag will go in the washing machine properly since I'm spending so much time creating it.

I figure if I can felt small things like pouches and such at home that would be convenient even if a little time-consuming. Larger projects will go in a washer.

I have added some items to the shop, and I have plans to create some nice, but affordable business cards. I would like this to be more than just a hobby. I'd like to turn it into a crafty, crafty enterprise. It takes a lot of work though, but I know this, and I don't mind.

In the works also is a plan to contact the folks who facilitate the Farmers Markets in the summer. If I have enough products to make it worth it, I may set up shop there a few times and see how things sell.

After the felting experiments, I would like to work on adding a line of laptop cases and tote bags to my inventory! Have a great evening, and I'll talk to you all later. It's time for me to head off now.