Felted Fascinators
By Nancy Hay
Fascinators are all the rage right now, having been given a boost in the run up to the Royal Wedding. Steampunks, Goths and others like the feminine touch it gives their costume. It is a small hat, either clipped to your hair, held on with elastic, or on a headband. Some take the form of small top hats or bowlers; others are a plain base with frou-frou added. Here are two simple patterns, recipes really, to make the eye-shaped base. After felting, you would glue or sew on a clip, then go crazy with the frou-frou. Go wild!
Dimensions – pre-felting 8” long x 3” at widest part, post-felting 5.5” x 2” Measurements are approximate.
Large knitting needles, US 8-13 (size isn’t critical since felting is involved and we are knitting to size)
Felt-able yarn, usually 100% wool (not superwash), or other animal fiber, about 20 ounces. (It’s a great way to use up leftover yarn!)
Felted Fascinator #1 Short Rows
This one is knit lengthwise. There will always be 24 stitches on the needles, but you will knit fewer and fewer of them as you go, until you reverse the process. If you find that 24 stitches are too many, just use fewer.
Wrap & Turn
When you get to the place where you will do the W&T (on a Knit row), move the yarn to the front. Slip the next stitch purlwise. Move the yarn to the back. Slip the same stitch back to the left needle. Turn. The wrapped stitch will be on your right. Notice what it looks like with its little collar. Continue to knit the row. The wrap lessens the hole that would result if you just turned in the middle of the row.
Picking up Wraps
After you have reached the halfway point, you will pick up the wraps and knit them as if a knit 2 together (k2tog). Insert right needle into wrap’s back loop and put it on left needle as if it were a stitch, knit together stitch and wrap like a k2tog. On double-wrapped stitches, pick up both wraps and knit together like k3tog.
In this pattern you will W&T about half of the stitches, 6 or so on each side. You are knitting to measurements, so this is inexact.
Cast on 24 stitches
Knit 1 row
Start short rows:*knit until 2 before end of row, Wrap & Turn (W&T)*
Repeat from * to * once.
**Knit to 1 before the last wrapped stitch, W&T**
Repeat from ** to ** until middle is 1.5” from cast on
***knit to next wrapped stitch, pick up the wrap, W&T the next stitch (there will then be 2 wraps on this stitch)***
Repeat from *** to ***, picking up wraps until all the wrapped stitches have been picked up.
Knit 1 row
Bind off, using your favorite method. No need to weave in ends. You can cut them after the felting.
Felted Fascinator #2 Increases/Decreases
This one is knit from the short end, getting wider, then knit plain, and then getting narrower.
Cast on 1 stitch
Knit the stitch, yarn over, knit again through back loop (3 stitches)
*Knit in the front loop, then the back loop (KFB), knit to end.*
Repeat from * to * until the stitches on the needle are 3.25”. This is the width of the fascinator before felting.
Knit each row for 2 more inches.
Now the decreases.
**k1, Knit two together, knit to end of row**.
Repeat from ** to ** until there are 3 stitches left.
Slip 1 stitch as if to purl, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over the previous stitch.
Break yarn, pull through last stitch.
No need to weave in ends. You can cut them after the felting.
Felting
Put your large, floppy pre-felted fascinator base into a lingerie bag that zips or otherwise seals. A pillowcase you can tie off will do. This protects your washing machine from excess blobs of loose wool. Put the lingerie bag into a washing machine with a towel or pair of jeans for it to rub against. Set the washer on hot and the most vigorous setting. Check it after 10 minutes, then every 10 minutes until it has shrunken to the desired size/texture. I let mine finish the cycle, but others say to take it out and rinse it yourself. If the shape is wonky, pull and stretch it to the shape you want and let it dry. A padded chair edge is great to give it a slight curve.
After a day or so when it is dry, you can add the clip and frou-frou to your heart’s content. If the size is too big, felt is very forgiving and won’t ravel. Just take the scissors to it. Have fun!
