Just a Little More Time...( Felted Tie Pattern)

How many times have you said that , or at the very least thought that very same thing? I seem to be thinking it and saying it too much these days myself. I have been trying to figure just exactly how to find more time in my days, but unless I decide to give up on sleep altogether I cannot see any way to add more hours to my day... maybe Congress could vote some more hours in for me? LOL!
I have been working on getting my craft room in some semblence of order, a daunting task indeed! But on the bright side I actually FOUND an entire bin full of yarn that I did not remember having!
I am working on several projects at the moment-- crochet, knit and cross stitch, as well as trying to get my online store launched. Still have not come up with a good name for it... My hand-crafted item site including Jewelry, Purses and accessories is called DHDesigns, but I was hoping to come up with something a bit more catchy for an online store. Hopefully I can come up with something that works in the next day or 2 and get my store opened!

I promised a FREE PATTERN so here is the first one. It is easy and requires no real gauge.
I used Paton's Wool in blue and it looked like one I saw at the Mall before Christmas that was on sale for 59.99.... It took about 1/3 of the ball of wool for this project.

Crochet Felted Teacher's Tie

Supplies:
Size H hook
Worsted Weight Wool of choice ( real wool not acrylic)

Chain 32, turn
hdc in 2nd chain from hook and each chain to end (30 stitches), chain 2, turn
continue this pattern until tie is 48 inches long
Final row sc across to end and bind off.

Finishing :
Place tie in basin of HOT water with 1/2 tsp of liquid dish soap. Squeeze and agitate the tie in the hot water for 6-10 minutes then rinse with warm water until runs clear. Roll tie up into a ball and squeeze as much water out as possible.
Repeat this process until there are no visible spaces between stitches so that tie appears to be made of a solid fabric. It may take 3 cycles of hot water and rinsing to acheive this depending on how loosely you crochet. The tie should be about 1/3 smaller than when you started if you have felted it completely.
When you are satisfied with your felting and have sqeezed as much water out as possible fold a bath towel in half then lay the tie out on the towel with the tie folded in half. Roll the towel up with the tie inside applying pressure to the towel as you roll. Do this several times to remove as much moisture as possible from the tie.

To dry the tie unroll it and block it so it is square on each corner and the sides are straight and let it dry over night. To finish use an iron set on wool setting and lightly press the tie by placing the iron on the tie for several seconds beginning at one end and moving it along the tie to the other end. Be sure to lift the iron and set it down in the next spot- Do Not Slide it along or it will make the tie look uneven or crooked along the edges.
Voila'! You have now made a hand-crafted wool tie comparable to those found in high end retail stores for upwards of 100.00!!!
Great for gift giving with a nice Tie Tack or Tie Clip