Craft Club: Felted Foraging Bowls and a Meditation on Touch

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Happy Wondercrew Wednesday! This week I have a wonderful winter project for you. I've made several of these bowls and keep them in my foraging basket for more delicate herbs in the springtime! They are also great for stashing art supplies or even serving bread. You'll need a little elbow grease for this project, but the workout is worth it!

Felting is very ancient magic indeed. With the application of a little moisture and the right kind of touch, soft wool can be transformed into anything from stiff vessels to warm clothing. Felt is the oldest-known textile and the use of felt is ancient, with the oldest-known remains dating back to at least 6500 BC.

The properties of felted wool make it a valuable and useful product even in modern days. Wool is one of the most hydrophilic fibers, which means that it can absorb up to 33% of its weight in water without being wet to the touch and while retaining its insulating effect (why do you think wool socks are so popular?) Wool may also have varying degrees of permeability; very tightly-felted fibers may be impermeable even to liquids, while other densities may allow it to be used as a filter for dusts or gas or separating solids from liquids. Wool is resistant to ultraviolet light and many chemicals and acids, allowing it to hold up well over time. It is also resistant to abrasion and repeated blows (as from a hammer, for example.) Wool is incredibly fire-proof, and only ignites at temperatures above 1040F. It is also a high-quality insulator, as anyone who has ever worn wool long underwear can tell you! It offers natural protection from both hot and cold conditions. Up to 80% of the total weight of felted wool can be air, making it a powerful isothermal as well as a lightweight option for clothing or vessels. Finally, felt is natural and sustainable. It eventually biodegrades and returns to the earth, making it a much nicer option than plastic or synthetic fibers in my opinion.

Felt is absolutely the perfect material for making small bowls or baskets to take out foraging! These baskets offer an absorptive vessel for holding damp herbs and will insulate them to keep them cool longer than a paper bag or wicker basket. (They are equally wonderful at holding warm bread on your way to a gathering!) They are lightweight to carry and can be rolled up into a small ball without harming the shape of the basket. They’re easy to wash and will retain their original form when dried. They’re resistant to fraying, cracking, splintering, or burning. And on top of all of this, they’re rather beautiful!

The felt-making process is simple. Water and heat open the scales on each fiber up, and by rubbing or rolling the wool the scales interlock. A shock into cold water causes the scales to close, creating a strong fabric which doesn’t fray when cut. With a couple of hours and a little elbow grease, you can have your own beautiful and functional wool bowl.

Felting is an exercise in touch. You start out very gently and delicately, pulling out and laying down wisps of roving (wool that has been cleaned and brushed), sprinkling them with warm water, patting them oh-so-softly. Then you press and rub more and more vigorously to get the fibers to bind. You roll your pieces, beginning with light pressure and ending with firm. You rub the piece against itself strongly, then it all crescendos as you throw the wet piece firmly against a hard surface. It pays to be mindful of your level of touch when creating these felted bowls, as the wrong level of touch at the wrong step can have a huge impact on your finished piece. Creating something that takes that level of touch awareness is a good reminder to be mindful of touch in other aspects of your life as well.

When I’m harvesting the wild plants that these felted pods will contain, I always consider touch. Soft flower petals like wild rose and violet take a delicate, thoughtful touch while digging stubborn roots out of compacted soil requires a good degree of aggressive pulling, digging, beating, and shaking. Certain plants demand our respect more than others - thorny hawthorn brackets full of ripe berries, or stinging nettle with its famous spines. One can harvest stinging nettle bare-handed, but only if you are cautious to touch only the tops and sides of the leaves, avoiding the spines on the bottom. It is a delicate job and only to be done when you are in a patient and gentle mindset. Too rushed or aggressive and you’ll pay your price.

As you are crafting your own foraging pods, pay special attention to the degree of your touch at each step. Think about what plants that you like to harvest match that kind of touch. Do you naturally gravitate towards a certain kind of touch? Do you associate seasons with a particular level of touch? I have found this to be a helpful way for me to engage more fully with the plants I am harvesting and to become more mindful of the way my body interacts with its environment. Plus, there is a sensual beauty in being more aware of your touch. As Diane Ackerman expresses in her wonderful book A Natural History of the Senses:

“Great artists feel at home in the luminous spill of sensation.”

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