A tale of two bowls

I'm the proud owner of two new bowls.

I received an earring bowl for Christmas.

Now that my earrings are sitting where I can see them, rather than tucked into various jewelry boxes, I'm sure I have a better chance of actually choosing a different pair now and then, rather than wearing the same pair day after day because I'm too lazy to search for a neglected pair.

The bowl is made by a Maine potter who belongs to the United Maine Craftsmen. I met him at a craft show in September and knew I needed one of his earring bowls. I passed along this information to a friend who came through for me.

He also sells his various pottery items on Etsy, so I've included his business card here, in case anyone is interested.

My second bowl is entirely different but just as useful.

It's a knitted and felted bowl.

I used the free Large Shallow Felted Bowl pattern by Deborah Gray, available on Ravelry. The only modification I made was adding 6 or 7 rows of single crochet to the top edge. I did this to give the edge more definition and also to make the bowl curve in slightly at the top.

I used two yarns held together throughout the knitting and crocheting: one skein of Noro Kureyon and one skein of Paton's Classic Wool. Both yarns are worsted weight.

The felting process took roughly 30 minutes in my top-loading washer. I checked frequently until I knew the bowl was felted to the degree I wanted.

I rinsed it by hand in cold water, then spun it in the machine to remove much of the water. I then shaped it by hand and set it on a baking rack to dry naturally.

I like the result.

I "moved into" the bowl this morning: it contains my most-used knitting essentials.

So those are my two new bowls. Unrelated but definitely useful.