Fairmount Felted Bowls Homeware Knitting Pattern

Fairmount Felted Bowls in Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok Bundle

What is Being Made

The Fairmount Felted Bowls is a set of two small decorative bowls designed by Nancy Ekvall. This knitting project creates functional homeware pieces in two sizes: a small bowl with a finished felted outside circumference of 12 inches and height of 2 inches, and a large bowl measuring 14 inches in circumference and 2½ inches in height. These bowls are perfectly sized for holding keys, snacks, small knitting notions, or other household items. The project uses a complete Woolstok Bundle containing 21 mini hanks in seven coordinating colors, making it an efficient use of materials for creating an attractive pair of vessels.

Techniques Used

This project employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its finished form. The bowls are constructed using two strands of yarn held together throughout, which creates a thicker fabric suitable for felting. The pattern is worked in the round using circular construction, which eliminates the need for seaming. Strategic color changes are incorporated at specific intervals to create horizontal striping across the bowl surfaces, adding visual interest to the finished pieces. Decreasing stitches through repeated k2tog (knit 2 together) sequences gradually shapes the bowl from a flat base into its finished form. The final crucial technique is felting, a wet finishing process that transforms the knitted fabric into a durable, textured felt material that gives the bowls their characteristic appearance and structure.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) – The primary stitch used throughout most of the pattern, creating a stockinette texture in the unfelted state
• Knit 2 together (k2tog) – Used in the decrease rounds to systematically reduce stitch count and shape the bowl
• Cast on (CO) – Creates the initial stitches; the large bowl begins with 45 cast-on stitches

Materials

The Fairmount Felted Bowls pattern is designed specifically for the Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok Bundle, which contains 100% fine Highland wool. The bundle includes 21 mini hanks (5 grams each, yielding 12 yards per hank) in seven distinct colors: Grey Harbor, Dark Chocolate, Driftwood, Highland Fleece, Cast Iron, Gravel Road, and Storm Cloud. Three mini hanks of each color are provided, allowing for the color-work sequences throughout the pattern. Size 13 (9mm) double-pointed needles are required to achieve the specified gauge of 14 stitches and 16 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch when measured on the unfelted fabric. Additional supplies include a stitch marker for tracking rounds and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as Advanced Beginner, making it accessible to knitters with some foundational experience while still offering interesting construction challenges. The straightforward stockinette stitch and basic decreasing techniques are manageable for those beyond absolute beginner level, though the two-strand construction and color-work sequences add moderate complexity.