Far too much talk and not enough knit lately. So I set to and finished all the slippers, felting and everything. Now it's night time and I can't take a photo, but here's the update.
1. The slippers were not felting in the washing machine. For those who are new to the saga, you know if you put something woollen in the washer on too hot, and it shrinks and goes hard and unwearable? That's felting, and with the slippers it is what I'm trying to do on purpose, because it makes them thick and fuzzy and hard-wearing. Possible causes for slippers not felting: lots. Probably not the wrong kind of wool, because I knitted one pair before we left Canada and they felted beautifully in Chris's mum's washer. Damn New Zealand and its crazy non-felting washing machines. Could be wrong kind of soap, not enough agitation, water not hot enough. So I set to "helping" the washing machine along with a little hand-felting.
2. Ingredients: a sink, a kettle full of boiling water, some laundry soap, two kitchen implements. Method: put slippers and soap into sink, pour on boiling water, "bien agiter" with kitchen implement 1 while the water is too hot for hands, move to violent scrubbing of slippers aided by kitchen implement 2 when the water is cooled enough.
3. I don't know who wrote The Book on felting knitting; I don't own one, preferring to rely on the oft-proven-inadequate means of a general understanding of how it works and some advice gleaned from the internet. Whatever that Book says, though, I'm willing to bet the farm it doesn't mention the use of either a potato masher or a cheese grater. I think this could be a startling oversight, though, because I put it down solely to the use of these implements that even the modicum of felting that happened, happened.
Yes, I used a cheese grater on my slippers.
What?
The final verdict tomorrow, with full-colour pictures.
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