Fulled Tillandsia Pots

I recently purchased several new air plants (also known as tillandsias) to decorate my desk. Three are of the Ionantha variety, two are Xerographicas, and the last is a fluffy Tectorum. If you would like yo see more of these tillandsias, I included a link to my new air plant blog post here.

For the two larger Xerographicas, I plan to make to wall hangers to display them in. For the smaller tillandsias, I decided to make felted pots. I was inspired by both sea urchin pots and pineapple pots for this design. My first tillandsia came with its own pineapple-shaped pot, but although cute, I did not want five more pots exactly like this. I also just wanted to crochet another small item that I could easily post on my blog.

This was also a chance for me to practice felting knit and crochet pieces,  which I have not done much of recently. I typically needle felt, so this project was a chance for me to do something different. I did not have a lot of neutral colored fellable yarn in my stash, so I decided to try Icelandic wool, which is new to me. Recently I have been trying to work with a greater variety of fibers  and colors as well.

The pots are, in technical terms, fulled. The term felting is often used interchangeable with fulling, but there is a slight difference. The main difference between fulling and felting is whether or not the fibers have been manipulated (woven, knit, or crocheted) before the shrinking process. Because the pots were crocheted with yarn first, they are fulled. So, anyways, here is the pattern for the fulled/felted pots. I included instructions for three variations. There is the solid version as well as the striped version.

© Kari-Elyssa Designs 2020-2022. All Rights Reserved. This pattern is strictly for personal use only. You are not permitted to sell finished versions of the pots without written consent to do so. Do not copy, translate, alter, reproduce, redistribute, share, sell, repost, or distribute the pattern or pattern page in any way or any media format. Use of the feature photographs is prohibited.  Thank you!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Difficulty Level

Easy/Beginner 

Materials

Yarn
Feltable Worsted weight yarn, shown here in Lopi Léttlopi Aran (100% wool; 109yd/100m per 50g/1.76oz) 1 skein each of Black Heather #0005, Ash #0054, and Grey #0057.

Hook 
 US H (5mm) or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions

• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Equipment for felting, such as a wash basin, wool detergent, rubber gloves, boiling water, etc.
• Small tillandsias (air plants) or small artificial plants

Finished Size

Before felting/fulling: 3.25 in. (8.25 cm) tall and 8 in. (20.32 cm) in circumference at widest point.
​After felting/fulling: 2.5 in. (6.35 cm) tall and 6.5 in. (16.5 cm) in circumference at widest point, with a 1.25 in. (3.17 cm) opening.

Pattern Notes

• The pots are worked entirely in the round. Join each round with a slip stitch unless otherwise stated. The slip stitch at the beginning of each round does not count as the first stitch.
• It is important that you crochet loosely, otherwise the pots will not full/felt properly.
• These pots are not meant to hold soil. They are meant as holders for small tillandsias (air plants), which do not need soil to grow and are not watered like other plants. T. Xerographica air plant varieties are too large for these pots, but small or mini T. Ionantha, T. Butzii, and other similar varieties should be fine. You can also use the pots for small faux plants.
• Use caution while fulling/felting due to extreme temperatures.

Abbreviations

• Sc: Single crochet
• Inc: Increase (2 sc in 1 st)
• Dcr: Decrease (1 sc over 2 sts)
• Rnd(s): Round(s)
• St(s): Stitch(es)
• Mc: magic circle
• X: indicates the number of repeats.

Gauge

9 sts and 9 rows/ 2in (5cm)

Pattern Directions

 For the solid pot

Rnd 1: Create a magic circle. 6 sc inside mc. (6 sts).
Rnd 2:  Inc in all sts. (12 sts).
Rnd 3: (1 inc, 1 sc) x 6. (18 sts).
Rnd 4: (1 inc, 2 sc) x 6. (24 sts).
Rnd 5: (1 inc, 3 sc) x 6. (30 sts).
Rnds 6-14: Sc in sts.
Rnd 15: (1 dcr, 3 sc) x 6. (24 sts).
Rnd 16: (1 dcr, 2 sc) x 6. (18 sts).

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Weave in any remaining ends. 


For the striped pot, variation 1

Begin with first color
Repeat Rnds 1-8 of the solid pot.
Switch to second color
Repeat Rnds 9-16 of the solid pot.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Weave in any remaining ends.


For the striped pot, variation 2

Begin with first color
Repeat Rnds 1-12 of the solid pot.
Switch to second color
Repeat Rnds 13-16 of the solid pot.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Weave in any remaining ends.

Fulling/Felting
Full/felt the pots until they are the finished dimensions stated above. I began the process by using detergent and a mix of hot and cold water, scouring the pots until the stitch definition began to fade. I then placed the pots in the dryer on the hottest setting for between 15-45 minutes. I repeated this process several times until the pots were the size and shape I wanted. The final time you place them in the dryer, leave them in until they are completely dry.  However, you may use any method you are most familiar with to full/felt the pots. Make sure to flatten the bottom of the pots so they can stand up without support. You can do this by placing them on a hard surface while still damp, then allow the pots to air dry for a few hours.

Finishing
When the pots have completely dried, if desired, you may trim any access hair from around the pots using small scissors. Place the tillandsias or other miniature faux plants inside. If using real plants, be careful not to force them too far into the pot to avoid breakage.

I hope you enjoyed these plant pots! If you have any questions or concerns regarding the pattern, please feel free to contact me here. While I work extensively to make sure patterns are free of errors, no one is a perfect machine, and mistakes happen from time to time. I will gladly make an update or post an errata link if needed.
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Happy crocheting!