DIY Tutorial: Wool Felted Garland

Hello! Katie here with a fun Christmas craft!

Have you seen those cute garlands made out of wool?

Well I'm going to show you how to make them!

I found a sweet and easy tutorial from the Purl Bee.

I'm going to use her guidelines to show you how to make your own with our personal tips and tricks I discover along the way on our first wool felting project.

I have wanted to try felting for a while but was always terrified I would spend hours on a project and it turn into more of a cat ball than a cuddly stuffed animal.

But a felted garland seemed like a task I could handle and not screw up!

First cut a piece of wool about 8 inches long.
Then pull the wool apart width-wise slightly as shown.
Do this with two pieces of wool and then cross.

Start by folding the edges in and then make a loose ball out of the wool.
(These were dyed by Julie!)

One at a time, place the wool into the stockings and tie a knot at the end of each section.
Choose a pair of stockings you will not miss!
Then throw your stockings into the washer and wash on a hot cycle with mild detergent, then into the dryer for 10 minutes.
Once they have been washed and dried (which felts them) cut each one out of the stocking.

I was slightly embarrassed by the appearance of them when I first cut them out of the stockings.
They do not come out as a smooth ball. Instead they have an open crack down the back of them.
I decided to use my yarn darner to felt them even more (use a felting tool if you have one) and by picking at the wool ball, the crack became less noticeable. (I noticed that the wool that was tied looser in the stocking turn out to be the better looking ones and hid the crack easier)
I then threaded the yarn darner and strung the felted wool on.

This is how they turned out; Quirky and misshaped in a variety of sizes.
But I am happy with their crafty appearance! (And I'm fairly certain they are not meant to look perfect anyway! But I'm a perfectionist!)
All in all they were fun to make!
A great idea for a holiday project that is kid friendly!

You could even dye natural color wool into the color of your child's choice.
Get them involved by dying the wool with Kool-aid rather than a harsh, unforgiving store bought dye.
Check out this color formula chart to help you mix your dye: http://www.dyeyouryarn.com/kool-aid.html

When you are feeling like you have successfully accomplished the garland, try making critters!