We all have aches and pains and what a great way to soothe them than with a heating pad. To create your own knitted or felted heating pad, begin with natural fiber. Acrylics are likely to melt with heat. If you are not sure how the material will react to heat, make a swatch and apply a hot pan to it. If it melts/scorches, don’t use it. If felting, use 100% wool. Other materials will not felt as well.
For the heating pad above, choose three colors of 100% wool yarn. I used Galway from Gabriella’s knit shop. Gauge does not really matter because of the shrinkage, but the gauge in this case was 5 stitches x 4 rows = 1 inch with size 7 needles.
Cast on 50 stitches.
With colors A,B,C
Row 1: K2A, K1B, K2A, continue to end
Row 2: P1A, P1B, P1C, P1A, continue to end
Row 3: K1A, K3C, K1A, continue to end
Row 4: P1A, P3C, P1A, continue to end
Row 5: K1A, K1B, K1C, K1A, continue to end
Row 6: P2A, P1B, P2A, continue to end
Work these six rows until it measures about 14×9 inches.
Work another panel as you did above.
Sew these two with right sides together leaving a small section 2-3 inch section open.
Turn so that right side is facing out.
Throw it in a pillowcase rubberbanded closed or zippered shut. Place in washer machine to felt. To felt, put washer machine on lowest water setting with highest heat setting and use a pair of jeans or tennis balls to help with agitation. Put longest cycle and check regularly. Finished project should be about 11×7 inches, unless otherwise desired. If necessary, let machine cycle again- do not let it go into rinse cycle. Take felted project out, rinse manually, and allow to completely dry. (See my entry on felting https://knitwerks.com/2010/02/20/felting/.
Fill with buckwheat husks (better at maintaining heat), rice, or beans. Sew up the small hole and toss in microwave. Relax.
Knitwerks 
