'Flirty' Two Layer Plant-Dyed Shawl

Adding black wool roving to the edges of a plant-dyed piece of silk gauze...



...then covering the 'whole shebang' with a layer of black silk gauze... 

 

...and in the process, 'sandwiching in' a collar of roving...

...embellished with small squares of white pre-felt.

 

The finished shawl with collar and ruffled top edge.

 

A view from the back.



(The prints from the plant dyeing are a bit more visible here.)

  

The finished shawl...

 

...'on location' in Spain! :)

 

While playing around, mid-week in Portugal...

...I decided to try a technique similar to one that Claudia Burkhardt had demonstrated for us at Feltfull.

I sandwiched a border of black roving and small, white, pre-felt squares...

...between a one layer of black...

...and one layer of white silk gauze that I had plant dyed (but didn't much like).

Because the edges of the silk were not hemmed...

...I 'trapped' the silk along the top edge of the shawl with wool...

...resulting in a soft, narrow ruffle.

The finished scarf falls as two loose layers of un-hemmed silk...

...connected by its embellished wool collar.

'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!!

Fused Glass...and A Winner!

One of the fused glass 'nuggets' that I made this summer at the Creative Felt Gathering...

...and another.

The finished shawl...

...outdoors on an unseasonably sunny day yesterday...

...and here I think you can finally see its true colors. :)

The fused glass nugget photos have been lying around for some time...

...and I thought it was finally a good time to share them.

I was able to take the shawl outdoors yesterday in the sun...

...and I think you'll have a better idea, now, of the color green it actually is. :)

From a random number generator site...

...I drew the number of the winner.

Grazyna, you have won this shawl...

...please send your full name and mailing address to...

...heather(dot)woollove(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks to all who commented and entered the drawing.

Leafy Cobweb Shawl- Part 2 of 2

Adding dyed flax bits...

...here in close up.

The back side of the finished shawl...

...and the front.

Some close ups of the finished color additions...

...but they are not quite 'true', color wise...

...since the actual color of the shawl is closer to this.



In true cobweb fashion...

...this scarf sports some 'open areas'...

...read 'holes'. :)

I've taken photos over a couple of days, now...

...but some are too washed out, and some are too green!

Suffice it to say that the true color lies somewhere in-between...

...and I think it would look pretty with lots of different jackets.

If you would like a chance to win this shawl...

...please leave a comment on this post (if you haven't already on Part 1)...

...and I will add you to the list.

I will close the drawing at Midnight (EST) on 11/27/11...

...and will announce the winner on 11/28/11.

Good luck!

Leafy Cobweb Shawl- Part 1 of 2

Laying out roving...

...with my friend, Dawn, who was visiting from Michigan at the time. (Yay!)

Filling in the outline...

...and adding my own hand-spun orange yarn around the perimeter.

Wrapping wool around the yarn to make a firm edge...

...here, wetted out and seen in close-up.

While my friend, Dawn was here in August...

...we took the time to make a few projects together.

I'd been wanting to make another cobweb shawl (even had a particular shape in mind)...

...and Dawn was gracious enough to help!

It's always a treat for me, having someone to felt with, but Dawn is especially entertaining...

...the only 'down side' being that I often had to stop working to clutch my side for breath from laughing so hard!!

We laid out a single layer of variegated fresh green and yellow roving...

...then carefully placed a length of orange hand-spun yarn close to the perimeter.

We added a second layer of roving just to cover the yarn...

...and folded the roving over the yarn to encase it.

***************************************************************
Because this time of year can be especially stressful...

...(especially for those of us who make handmade gifts for holiday giving)...

...I am offering this shawl as a give away.

You are welcome to keep it...

...or 'gift' it...as you see fit. :)

Please leave a comment on this post, or Saturday's post (11/26)...

...and I will add your name to the drawing.

****************************************************************

Next time: the finished shawl...

...and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!! XXO-

Meiosis Scarf- Part 3 of 3

The finished layout.

 

After encasing the yarn in roving and wetting it out.

 

Midway through felting.

 

The finished shawl.

 

Some eggs in close-up...

 

...and some sperm.

 

The finished piece on a sunny day!

 

Well, here you have it...

...one of the strangest shawls you're ever likely to see! :)

Even my daughters think it's a little bit weird...

...and they don't believe me when I assure them that the average passer-by won't realize what it is at all...

...and will just think it's just some sort of random design!

I'm looking forward to testing my theory in a crowd of people...

...as soon as it finally cools off enough to wear it :)

Meiosis Shawl- Part 1 of 3

Laying out an outline with green yarn (not my hand-spun).

 

Filling in with a single layer of green roving...

 

...and more...

 

and more!

 

Adding white areas...

 

...to represent cellular division!

 

Now I'm sure that many of you are already shaking your heads and wondering...

..."just what exactly has gotten into her with this latest crazy project?!?!" :)

Ever since I made my Summer Shawl...

...I've been wanting to try another one!

I also ADORE science and its attendant imagery...

...and thought it would be lovely to do a series on 'creating life'...

...from the cellular level!! :)

So I laid out a single layer of green roving...

...and wrapped the edges around the piece of green yarn that made the shawl outline.

I then added two 'piles' of white roving in concentric circles...

...to suggest a dividing cell.

Next time: a cheering section of gametes!