Peg Loom Sampler

I received a lovely peg loom kit for my birthday...

                    ...and 'wood burned' numbers into both the pegs and the loom...

                      ...(so if several of the pegs pull out at the same time during weaving...

                                 ...they can easily be put back into their proper holes).

                               Warping the loom with strong linen cord in two colors.

                                                         Beginning to weave...

                                      ...using various kinds and weights of yarn...

                                                  
                                                     ...and sari silk ribbon.

                          It's fun to see how each type of yarn looks and 'behaves'...

                                                ...in a finished (woven) project.

                                                     The completed sampler...

                         ...made from both synthetic and natural yarns and ribbons.

                                              Because it was just the right size...

               ...the finished sampler has become a nubby cushion in my cat's bed.

                                                A photo of Erykah (age 18)...

                                      ...enjoying her soft and cozy new bedding! :)

'Della Robbia Wreath' Swap Shawl

My glorious swap gift...

...with yummy, fringy details.

Knitted leaves and dyed locks...

...and 'spun-in' flower accents.

So many kinds of fibers were used in making this hand-spun yarn...

...and look at the cunning little knitted fruits!

You'll notice that it's in all of my favorite Fall colors...

...and each time I wear it, I continue to discover new kinds of fibers and little knitted surprises! :)

My sweet friend Melissa and I arranged a swap together...

...and this is the amazing shawl that she made for me!

It's WILD and colorful and full of various textures and fibers...

...and I continue to discover new surprises each time that I examine it!

This scarf reminds me of a Della Robbia Christmas wreath...

...chock-full of knitted seed pods, fruits and leaves!!!

I know that this project was a long and complicated undertaking...

...and I am so grateful to Melissa for this delicious gift!!

"Sampler" Needle-Case

Felted needle-case with beads...

...sari silk waste and sari silk ribbon.

With the ribbon closure tied...front side...

...and back side.

Green felt pages (left-overs from my 'couture jacket')...

...sewn in with bead accents.

While I was in Michigan for the Creative Felt Gathering...

...I took a little time on our 'free afternoon' just to play around with wool.

One of my fellow students had a lovely felted needle-case with her...

...and I thought that it would be a quick and fun project to try!

There were also several felting techniques that I'd been dying to attempt...

...so I decided to incorporate them all into one case, like an old-fashioned 'sampler'!! :)

My friend, Kim often felts ribbon or lace into her felt...

...and then uses it as a tie closure.

My friend, Nicola uses beads, threaded onto a narrow piece of roving...

...to felt beads into a project without sewing.

And my friend, Pam, who was, luckily, also present at the CFG...

...stitches beads to the 'fold lines' of her finished needle cases...

...to prettily hold the pages in place.

I cut a small foam resist and covered it with layers of wool roving...

...then added strips of sari silk, holding them in place with wisps of wool.

(If you wet the strips of silk first, it helps to flatten them out for proper placement.)

I found a needle that would fit, easily, through the holes in my beads...

...then threaded it with a thin strand of wool roving, and pulled beads onto the fiber.

I laid these out onto the project surface, along with some sari silk waste...

...and began felting.

I treated this project like a  mini-bookcover...

...but cut a slit, instead of an oval, in order to remove the resist.

I cut pages of finished felt to fit the case...

...and attached them with bead accents placed on the inside and outside of the case.

As it was a 'sampler', I wasn't too concerned with design or element placement this time...

...but it did give me a good idea about how to use these techniques in the future!

Yarn Giveaway--Winners!

For Fiona.

 

For Fiberdance.

 

For Nicola.

 

For Countrymice.

 

After reading at all of the lovely comments on my last post...

...I decided that I couldn't have just one winner...

...so I chose four!!

Congratulations!!

Winners, please send your full name and postal address to my e-mail...

...woollove-fiberart(at)hotmail(dot)com.

A Tale Of Two Spinnings-Yarn Giveaway

Lincoln locks spun into yarn on a spinning wheel.

 

Yarn made on my drop spindle with locks and other 'add-ons'.
(Double click on the photo if you want to see what each is made of!!)

 

Yarn made with dyed Finn locks...close-up.

 

Locks spun with sari silk ribbon.

 

The top photo is of yarn that my friend, Linda, and I made together on her spinning wheel...

...using dyed Lincoln locks and (for part of the skein, anyway) a 'core' of wool- blend string.

I found it quite interesting, trying a wheel...

...because other than driving a stick-shift car...

...I don't normally do things that require both my hands and feet at the same time!!

I must confess that I don't think I'll be buying a spinning wheel any time soon...

...not just because of my ineptitude ;), but also because I really don't need to produce yards and yards of yarn at a time.

I did learn some new ways to make my 'spindle-spun' yarn better though...

...and it was a wonderful experience, overall!

If you'd like a chance to win an assortment of my hand-spun yarn...

...for felting or other purposes (remember, they are small quantities!)...

...please leave me a comment on this post.

If you let me know your color preferences...

...I'll try to give you some in that color range (if I have it!!)

I'll close the giveaway on Sunday, June 26th at Midnight (EST)...

...and please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you're the winner!