DIY Felted Stone Mat
23 Aug 2010
Last night was one of those cool, clear, crisp late August evenings. I will not lament about the end of summer, let’s just enjoy what’s left and notice what is knocking on summer’s door – autumn. Lovely!
It is a rare weekend that my family (daughter, son and their boy/girlfriends) is all together. We have a late evening tradition of dipping into our wood-fired hot tub when the temps are not sweltering. All summer I’ve been padding around the hot tub barefoot. But, last night was chilly and I wished we had a mat next to the tub.
I’ve coveted the beautiful, earthy-colored Clustered Felted Mat (above) from VivaTerra for a while. How beautiful is that? It would be just perfect on my deck right next to the tub. While I have purchased items from VivaTerra in the past because I love their commitment to the environment and for using pure and stylish materials handcrafted by artisans, this mat is just too pricey to put next to the tub (large mat – $695). But…they can provide the inspiration for DIY possibilities to create something similar to this:
This tutorial from Craftster uses felted leftover yarn balls. The creator of the DIY rug explains her process:
“I started making balls out of my stash of leftover wool. (You know that stash of wool you can’t bear to part with but don’t have enough to actually knit/crochet a whole project?) I used a combination of hand and machine felting, and sewed the stones together by hand with a nylon twine.”
Made in neutral stone-colored tones, I think this method for creating a similar mat, might just be what will keep my feet toasty after those evening dips. Certainly worth a try, don’t you think?
Credits: VivaTerra, Sea Otter Designs, Crafster
elizabeth Taza
Aug 26, 2010 @ 04:38:44
I am new to your site, I just adore it, it inspries, it is beautiful, thank you.
I would love to know more about your wood-fired hot tub if this is possible, your location looks wonderful
A happy reader
Ronnie
Aug 26, 2010 @ 06:33:42
Welcome, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your kind words. econesting is a new site and it really means a lot to me to know people are enjoying it.
The picture of the hot tub is from Sea Otter Designs (link above in credits). That is the same tub we have. It is situated on a deck like the picture, but ours overlooks a pond. After the initial cost, the hot tub is virtually free since the wood we burn comes from downed trees on our property.
Now you’ve inspired me to write a post about it!
cathy S
Aug 26, 2010 @ 16:35:49
Great idea for a mat. Wow, what a backdrop for that hot tub!!!!
Ronnie
Aug 26, 2010 @ 18:54:45
Thanks for your comment, Cathy!
Sea Otter Designs is really not your average hot tub. Here is what they have to say about the advantages of their hot tubs:
“They’re beautiful, rustic, traditional, they are very deep and feel wonderful. Since they are assembled on site, they can be easily shipped and fit just about anywhere. They are aesthetically pleasing. Traditional, natural wooden tubs offer a silent steaming refuge from the stresses of modern life. They are deeper than plastic spas, giving you complete immersion and feeling of buoyancy. Deeper tubs have less heat-losing surface area. The cedar smells sweet and wonderful. And they are NOT mass produced and made of plastic.”
These guys have a reverence for wood and make quality products. I highly recommend them.