I love making things for other people, the problem is I really want to be sure that they will actually use it. In the past I picked out a different hat pattern and yarn choice to fit each person's style, but now with limited time I can't devote myself to 15+ bespoke gifts.
Last Christmas I really wanted to make handmade gifts for my family, but with a new baby I needed something quick but also useful. I looked into getting thick industrial felt, but the cost was too prohibitive for what I wanted to do. After a few trials I came up with these simple trivets. To me they seemed almost too simple, but my family loved them. They were all so confused on how I had made them, the technique of felting is a pretty magical trick.
The lamb's pride bulky knit up really quick, and I felted them in batches. The contrasting heathers created a multidimensional texture when felted, which helped them feel less "homemade." I picked charcoal, light gray, and blue heathers and created color-blocked versions, but I love them plain or embroidered as well. I ended up making about 15 in about a week and a half.
To cut the cost even further, I was able to pick up all my yarn through destash on ravelry, and found the colors I wanted through people selling what they didn't want anymore, at about 50% off. Other colors that I used: M03 grey heather, M04 charcoal heather, and M82 blue flannel.
I think Álafosslopi yarn would also be a great choice as a substitute, and using the Plötulopi to embroider the felted product. I plan on using these for my next batch. It would be a great base for a wooly tattoo, the possibilities are endless.
