Rustic Box, Rustic Wool

I continually look for 'good deals' on fiber new to me...I want to try everything at least once, so I know what I am talking about! My latest purchase is Perendale/Romney blend, advertised as a great fiber for beginning spinners and for felting. I will buy more for felting, because I had too much fun spinning these fibers. They spin into an appealingly rustic looking yarn, which inspired the packaging I chose to showcase them.
I love the wonderful 'chain of events' that can spark my creativity. In this case, a friend of mine, has a friend of his, who has a simple sawmill set up where he makes planks for projects (or something!). He gives all his odds and ends to my friend, who saws them into even smaller bits, then uses them for kindling for his work shop stove. He has the loveliest stack of artistic firewood right outside his garage. Lindy lusted for those bark encrusted bits of wood. He generously let me paw through the pile. And here is the end result!

Pretty cool!
And the pin cushion creation shows no immediate signs of slowing down, let alone stopping. Here are the latest two.

Thanks for looking. Have a great week!

Fiber Freak...

I learned this descriptive phrase while reading the memoir 'Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet' by Catherine Friend. (you don't have to be a fiber freak to read, enjoy and laugh out loud at this book!)

I was recently gifted with a bag of American Bison 'fluff'. Being a granddaughter to a woman who raised two kids and a husband extremely frugally during the depression era, and the only daughter of that frugal grandmother raising me to be equally frugal, it comes as no great surprise that I will say yes to pretty much anything free...and I love trying out exotic fibers anyway!

The reason bison/buffalo fluff is so expensive? Woman hours I would think, sheer number of woman hours to clean it.

Okay, I have some consideration for my audience and refrained from taking pix of the sink full of buffalo, mud, grass, tick seed, cheat grass, alfalfa stocks and leaves and what all else was in that wool. Suffice it to say, YUCKY! But the pic above shows the buffalo drying after several soapy soaks and rinses.

The fiber got carded, which helped fling out some more debris, then spun from the batt. Rustic and lovely!
Then I spun some super soft Shetland and sat down to attempt my first 2 ply...

 

Uneven, thick and thin, truly a beginner spun skein- but I am ecstatic! That is what makes me a fiber freak!

Oh, Baby! Pincushions!

It is becoming apparent I will needle felt a pin cushion out of anything that doesn't outrun me-even teensy cute little baby shoes!

This cushion embellished with girly lace...

And this one has tatting. 'Ship's Wheel' is what my Grandma Wilson taught me.  I can still tat that if I take the time to think it through, but I never did get beyond the one pattern.

And I was able to spin the nasty wool I told you about yesterday. The problem seemed to be really heavy lanolin, so I soaked the wool in warm sudsy water (twice), hung it to dry and tried again this morning. Still heavy with lanolin! (Only soap and hot water got it off my hands) And this, after the original owner had dyed and bathed both the Merino and her Shetland...hmmm... So, though I will use it for mermaid hair, it hangs a little lank, even though over spun into highly energized yarn! 

Updated Schedule Page and Wool Pix!

     Sally, owner of Hidden Talents Art Supply, and I have the March calendar pretty well nailed down. I will let you know here if something changes.

     I am gearing up, making 'things', for The Vintage Faire (April 27, 2013 at the Okanogan Fairgrounds). So, here are the latest artistic wool creations-

Needle Felted Nest

Spring and Robins will come again, won't they?

Basket Pincusions and nest

Easter will be here soon!

More woolly pincushions ready to be finished.

And these are my newest idea. Mini clay pots holding needle felted pin cushions.

At our last Spinning/Weaving guild meeting a member handed me a bag of this wool. She had purchased some Merino wool, at a price 'too good to be true' that was horrid.
She tried to fix it by blending it with her own delightful Shetland's wool, but was still unable to get it nice enough to spin. "Here!", she said. "You can needle felt it or use it for stuffing! I don't care. At least it will get used for something!"
So, I teased it mercilessly and sent it through Greta. I think I can get an art batt out it. And if I CAN spin it, it will make marvelous mermaid hair!

Bingo! Buttons!

I swapped some of my felted pin cushions today, for a treasure trove of button boxes (tins)!

Each box held great fun for me to find!

And there was more than buttons to be found!

Pacific NW persons...did you know Tacoma had a button company?

Do you know what all these bits and pieces are?

Found a couple of pins...

Button box or junk drawer?

Remember the old advertising giveaways?

Yes, she who keeps EVERYTHING did find a few things to toss...

May you find treasure in your life, soon!

Collaboration

I have a friend who makes lovely pine needle baskets. I have a few zillion Ponderosa Pines on our property and can pretty well keep her in needles to weave. Sometimes I throw a few handfuls into the dye bath after the wool has soaked up all it can.


Her latest thing is making little 'trays' and she is having me
 needle felt the 'balls' and she is making pin cushions of them.
They are kind of cute...

So, the woolly trail I seem to be on continues!

Pixies and Elves

I have been lucky enough to have a very nice local shop, The Prickly Pear, accept some of my art on consignment. They like the large dolls, but feel smaller, less expensive options would help, so... I got out the wool and needle and let the muse go forth!
Here is what has emerged so far-

This is elf, Lana Lee.

And Pixies, Pixaleena and Patina.
A 7 year old 'customer' named Pixaleena, as I had just finished making her and she needed naming.

A robin's nest with eggs and a basket with Easter eggs have been created. Pix to follow soon!
Happy Monday!

Funky, Chunky, Thick and Thin Art Yarn

For about a month now I have been producing Funky, Chunky, Thick and Thin Art Yarn in hand spun, hand wound yarn balls. They have been going to Hidden Talents in Tonasket, and some have sold. It is interesting how much fun the yarn is to crochet into hats and scarves! All the random colors and nubs and slubs and thicks and thins make for funky, fun wear. Here are some of the balls.

 Which I spin from the really random, funky chunky wools I have created in very colorful batts!

There are sari silk threads and poly thread clippings. When you spin and then crochet there is 'stuff' hanging out everywhere. It is very cool! I will soon feature these on Bell, Hook and Spindle.

Funky yarn and resulting hat.

100* Temp

This past week of illness was long and boring. I am a 'busy beaver' type, not a lay about slug type, so every time my temp dropped to 100* or below I would spin and dye. And I actually got a lot accomplished.

I used Dharma's Electric Violet dye and the bright yellow came from tumeric/alum dye bath. I think the gold was Dharma dye...but I was feverish and some things are honestly a blur!

The gorgeous, deep red is Dharma's Fire Engine Red. Love it! I will be making lots more of THAT!

And here is the latest pic of Loki, showing how he was specially engineered to be a perfect fit in my spinning wheel setup!
And speaking of spinning, I am headed back there. It is just the perfect level of lack of thinking and gentle exercise that my healing body can handle at this time. I am so much better, but the cough lingers on, and naps sound really good... Stay well!

As the world turns...

On many, many, many of the blogs that you and I receive and read the post of the day has gone something like this. "Sorry to have not posted, but have been very ill...". Well, add mine to your list! I am not totally returned to the land of the living, but at least I feel that may actually be an option at this point. My DH, who faithfully gets his flu shot every year, thought he was 'safe' as the days passed and he was still standing. I read online (so it has to be true!) that once exposed you will start showing symptoms within 24 hours. Rick has made it since last Saturday. Any guesses how he feels this morning? :?}
So, later today I will try and post a few more pix of what I have been able to accomplish whenever my fever dipped below 100*! Take your vitamin C!