Creature From the Black Lagoon Felted Wool Potholder

I love classic science fiction films and books. The monsters, robots and adventurous fantasies were always a fun way to spend saturdays. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of those iconic images. I make a lot of felt and so thought making a decorative potholder would be an excuse to hang a monster in the kitchen.

Supplies

Wool Rovings and/ batting (5 oz should be more than enough)

Plastic and/or bubble wrap

Paper and pen for pattern

scissors

Soapy water

Felting surface (shelf liner, bubble wrap, a sushi mat.... anything textured that you can roll wet wool in)

Water for rinsing

Step 1: Making a Design and Resist

Draw out a pattern being mindful that the middle of the potholder must remain open for a hand to fit inside.

In this case that is the mouth.

Take the outline of that pattern and plan what you want to be seen through the hand hole, in this case the mouth interior.

Then cut a piece of plastic that will fit within the boundary of that pattern.

Be mindful that there is at least half an inch around between the edge of your design so that both sides will felt together.

Step 2: Lay Out Back

Begin laying out the back side of the potholder starting with the plain exterior first in this case black.

You can do this directly on your felting surface or move it later.

Use at least two crosshatched layers if you use roving or one will work if you use colored batting.

Then lay two thick layers of wool batting or 4 crosshatched layers if using roving ...rememeber this is what will actually protect the persons hand from a hot pot when actually used.

Finally lay out the partialy visable interior being sure to put the finer detail only on the top. You may find the wool too fluffy to get a design neatly on top so you might wet it by sprinkling soapy water and carefully smashing with the piece you cut for the resist. Slide your design off paper and onto water resistant surface before adding any water. This is a good time to add a loop at the top. I forgot to add one. It may help to wet smaller pieces of wool to get them to stay in the shape of your design.

Step 3: Insert the Resist

Place the piece of plastic or bubble wrap you cut to fit inside pattern to prevent the two sides from felting together.

Make sure to leave edges uncovered.

Step 4: Top Layer

Lay out top layer starting with the black to match the back and leaving the hole in the center of the mouth empty. Be sure to put the black around all the edges fully covering the internal batting. Do two crosshatched layers if using roving, one if using batting. Wet the wool slightly if you have trouble getting the hole clear.

Then add a layer of batting almost up to the edges of the pattern. Sprinkle surface with water and press down to make surface more flat and easier to design. Clean up edges of design making sure black edge is visible around entire edge.

Lastly and most importantly, add the details of the face. Use very small tuffs of wool and slowly draw your image.

Step 5: The Felting Process

Gently saturate your potholder with cool very soapy water.

Cover with plastic, felting surface, or plastic wrap.

Be sure not to disrupt your design when wetting or covering. Gently press your image making sure it doesn't shift.

Turn over onto plastic and make sure other side is wet thoroughly. I forgot to put a loop on the back so I added one at this point.

Make sure bubble wrap or felting surface on top before flipping back over.

Do one last check of your design.

Now rub the suface through the plastic for a couple minutes carefully lifting covering and checking design few times in the process.

Flip over and rub revese side a couple minutes... lifting surface to insure it is sticking to itself and not the surface.

Check to make sure nothing in design has shifted .... and correct it if it has.

Repeat rubbing process two or three times until there is no movement in your image and you have corrected all details.

Now roll it up carfully.

Roll it back and forth for half a minute.

Then unroll it and reroll from the opposite side

Then unroll it and roll it from the left

Then from the right.

(If you potholder has already begun to shrink you may have to remove the resist from the inside depending on how fast your wool felts) When you do this it is a good time to enlarge your mouth hole if required.

Then flip your piece over and roll all four directions again.

You should be able to remove resist.

Note, some wools felt very quckly so if your felt has shrunk more than 25 -30% at this point you may want to stop rolling.

If your wool is not shrunk too much roll the potholder from the four sides without the resist.

Then flip it over to the back and roll from the four sides again.

Rub around the egdes to be sure they felt as well.

Be sure to stop if your pothold is getting close to your hand size.

Step 6: Rinsing and Fulling

Many instructions about felting will tell you you need to violently throw the piece while using hot and cold water to shrink it up or harden it.

If this were a pair of boots that would be more important but this is a decorative soft flexible peice that doesn't really need to harden to that extent.

I find that rolling and squeezing my piece between my hands under warm and cold water a multiple times will work and rinse out the soap at the same time. This may work because my peices are so soapy it takes many rinses and rolls before the water runs clear.

If your potholder has shrunk to the sized of your hand already..... do not roll it further or you won't be able to use it. Rinse it without changing water temperature. Stretch it to proper shape then press between towels.

If it has not shrunk too small, you can roll it out pretty firmly between towels a few times until it is quite dry. Make sure to use an old towel because even once rinsed some wools will bleed.