Friday, April 8, 2011

Raw Locks Bedroom Rug- Part 2

Wetted out and partially felted rug.



'Boingy' Jacob Hoggett locks.



The finished piece...hanging to dry.



My new bedroom rug 'in situ'.



Working with raw fleece takes a bit of stamina...

...and it's also a pretty dirty undertaking.

I make a point of washing my hands carefully and often while I work...

...and I keep the dirty waste water well away from food preparation areas.

When I'm finished with each project, I clean my sink and equipment with bleach...

...and I've made sure that my tetanus booster shot is up to date, just in case!

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But, all that being said...

...I just love the beautiful, earthy smell of raw wool while I work!

And nothing beats the sensual pleasure of stepping out of bed each morning...

...and sinking my toes into this wonderfully-textured, soft, thick, cloud of wool!!

23 comments:

Kelly said...

It looks so nice! I love the color variation, I think it showcases the locks and naturalness of it! When I made my rug with raw fleece I worked outside on our pool deck, I could not imagine what a mess I would have made inside! :)

WonderWhyGal said...

It looks amazing! I am planning on a day with a couple of friends to experiment this technique using my raw Alpaca. Interesting about the tetnus. As much as I sort fleeces, I've never thought about that. Of course, I am such an accident prone person that it's always up to date anyways.

Love the rug!

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Heather Woollove said...

Kelly-I know! I use 'sham-wows' under my work, and I have to ring them out OFTEN so that the dirty water doesn't go on the floor!
Andrea--Oooooh..you'll have so much fun together. I loved that woven project you did with raw locks, so I know these will come out great!!

Dutch Hollow said...

I love the textures in your rug! It just beggs to be stepped upon.

Melissa Plank said...

Oh wow, that it glorious!

FeltersJourney said...

Its gorgeous Heather!
I love sitting on the edge of the bed wiggling my toes into mine - one of lifes simple pleasures :)
xx

vilterietje said...

wow!!!!! no psychic dreams i hope:)

Becky Utecht said...

Thanks for posting this project Heather. It's a beautiful day here in Minnesota and I have all my fleeces to skirt. Maybe I can make one into a rug! I know how dirty the fleece water gets, might be best to work outside.

Anonymous said...

The rug looks great! And I bet stepping out of bed onto that is wondermous! How big is it?

Voie de Vie said...

OhMyBob - I can absolutely feel that softness under my feet. I'd be mighty pleased with that, too!

Patty Biermans said...

I did not know that working with raw locks was so "dirty"! I admire your courage of felting with this smelly wool. Wish you lots of strength and a good cold (then you don't smell anything):D Hugzz..Peebee

Spinster Beth said...

Very nice!

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, ladies! Nope...no psychic dreams, but I do sometimes dream of wool and am inspired to do certain projects from dreams! :)
The rug is not large...probably about 2 feet in diameter or a little larger. XXO-

Via Verde Farm said...

What an amazing process. The rug is beautiful. Work of art! If I ever did not wear my alpaca socks 24/7 in the winter....

Heather Woollove said...

Tamara-Hahaha! I keep my house pretty cold, so I wear socks a lot in the Winter, too!

Jasmine said...

Wow, this is looking great. I have lots of raw fleece to use. Might give this a go xJ

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Jasmine!

Marushka C. said...

That's a fabulous rug -- the texture and all those varying colors make it very special.

Karen said...

such a gorgeous rug!! and the extra bonus...nobody else will ever have one the same!

Heather Woollove said...

Thanks, Marushka and Karen! It is one of a kind, and I even know the names of several of the sheep that provided the locks! :)

Tracy Markey said...

this must be heavenly for your feet! and looks great too :) how lovely that you know the names of some of the sheep who kindly donated wool.

Janee Lookerse said...

SO FUN! It looks like it turned out great!

xoxo
Janee
yellowbirdyellowbeard.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I love your new rug, but isn't it amazing that you can't see any of the orange wool that you put on there, or am I not supposed to see it? I have no doubt at all that it is warm. How could it not be? :)