What Katie Did

More and more felt...

This must be Felt Week! I can't stop! here is today's experimenting - prefelts...

I made several of these

using all sorts of colours from my scrap box

you get the idea. Then I cut them into random shapes and laid them out onto a green base

and felted them - and going well beyond Prinkly Fingers in the process
 

then I did it all over again with pink

What to do with them now?

Can't stop now!

Yesterday's efforts photographed this morning in the lovely autumn light.

John helped me make this one - he selected the colours and the layout and helped with the rubbing and rolling - I must say it was more fun with help!

bit more of that vintage lace - don't you just love how that word transforms some tatty old bit of lace into a desirable bit of thing?

here is a peek at the scarf I made after this one - inspired by the Lizzie Houghton book

yes, dear reader, there are lumps in this one - they are marbles! All will be revealed a bit later. (as in later in the week - I am soooo busy!)
Now then, I have been invited to be a member of this group and I have been toying with the idea of joining these guys too - both have the advantage of being UK based and therefore listed in £££ which I understand better than Etsy and the dollars - can anyone give me any opinions about either of them? I would be very grateful.
just now I am getting ready to pack up and head north to the Loch Arthur Community for their craft fair on Saturday. I am really looking forward to it! cancelled - bad weather - what a shame!
John took the camera for a walk last night.

Are my pictures too big?

How I make those felted scarves

Ethel and Edna left a comment wanting to know about the felted scarves hoping to make one during half term - am I in time?
I made this one yesterday as the sun shone through the windows. I like to work in good light - I don't think I would bother to make felt if it was a grey day!
Felt can sometimes be a bit hard and unyielding. The scarves I am experimenting with are lightweight because they are felted onto chiffon and use much less fibre. The end result is still strong and durable, but has a lovely flowing drape to it, making it nicer to wear.

I was given a bag full of these scarves - the colour won't show through at the end, but I usually use something that goes. The felting process causes the fibres to shrink by up to 30% sometimes a bit more, so chiffon is ideal - it just shrivels up and forms a strong base for the finished thing.

I have a range of lovely fibre and some really interesting bits of silk and lace for embellishing.

 

lovely bits of dyed Wensleydale fleece - I got all these things from Woolfest

 

silk scraps

 

some lovely old lace - this is when it pays to be a hoarder!

 

mulberry silk fibre - so soft and delicious - it shines when felted into merino

 

so - here we are - having fun laying out the wool! I like the scarves I make to have two definite edge colours and related, yet different sides (if that makes any sense) then you get a combination of effects when you fold it longways to wear it. I know what I mean

bit of net curtain to keep everything in one place and my new felting water thingy  to deliver the hot water to the dry fibre. You can use a plastic bottle with holes in the top, but I treated myself to two of these for future workshops. (having two meant that John and I were able to have a squirty water battle which left both of us soaked and mildly hysterical - did i mention John was home - no - I didn't - well he is - and it is very nice)
The soap I use is good old Ecover Washing Up Liquid - I'm sure the Felt Police will be after me now that I have confessed to this - but it works for me - I use soap flakes too when I have them - but I don't get too precious about it.
Next - wet, hot, soap, friction here we go - take the net curtain off after everything is nice and wet
there are a few strands of silky scrap in there and at one end a bit of old lace

rubbing and more rubbing
John took this wonky one - keep rubbing
then after about ten minutes of this when all the fibres are nicely firmed up, you can start the rolling - so far - this is pre-felt and we want to continue the process now to get the shrinking and felting bit done. A roller blind from Ikea here with the fixings removed - look after it by washing the soap off after use and drying it well and it will last and last.
Hot water is good here too - so if its cooled down a bit you might want to sprinkle more hot - having lots of old towels is important.

roll and roll away for - oooh - quite a while! Keep unrolling and looking to see how it is doing - it will be shrinking - any silk fibres or bits of fabric will be puckering up in a delightful way. Turn it 45' and give it a bit more of a roll, you can't do much wrong here - be firm! Pull edges into the shape you want - not necessarily straight - I like funky edges!
When you think it is felted as much as its likely to, you can give it a rinse to get out the soap. It takes a while to dry.
This morning, I noticed that some of the Wensleydale bits were not as stuck in as I wanted so i have just needle felted them in
this is a dry process using a (very sharp) barbed felting needle - tiny tufts of fibre are evident on the other side - I shaved them off - or you could cut them carefully - or leave them if they enhance the other side of the felt.
Now this one needs a name!

I sold 'Heaven and Hell' and 'Cry Me A River' at the weekend to a lovely visitor! This one will be going to the Loch Arthur craft Fair on Saturday.
But not without a name! I am liking the strange names you come up with! And would love to see any felt you make if you feel inspired to do so after reading this - Please contact me for clarification if I have confused anyone!

edit - see - I did confuse someone - yes - turn the whole thing over once you have laid out and wetted the first side and rubbed it for a bit - for a long thing like a scarf if is infinately easier to have a helper - good old John - then lay our the second side in the same way - the rubbing and felting then follows. Sorry Sheila - anyone else stuck?

and Lucille left a comment with the name for this one - it is now called 'the Sun Never Sets On The British Empire' or just ... the sun never sets..... love it

Felted Apples and a good night out

A couple of weeks ago I made felted apples at Wark Apple Day. I was too busy making to be taking any pictures. A visitor to the event asked me to run the same workshop for her Parents Group in a village nearby. This was my treat of an evening last night.
Fibre, soap, hot water and elbow grease is all that is needed to make great felt. I never cease to be amazed by this! I had made apple shaped bases out of strips of old blanket onto which the apple coloured fibres were felted. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
and they made some very realistic looking fruit!
complete with stalks and leaves







and in a bowl please

(lots of time for pictures this time!)
Didn't they do well!! Everyone had Prinkly Fingers!
And to continuing the felt theme, I have this fabulous new book to inspire me even more! Loving this!
The light is OK again today - how much that affects my mood!! I will try and get some decent photos of the three scarves I made the other day - I like the names people are suggesting for them. It is important to name things well, so hoping to post later and have an official naming ceremony!
Take care today - whatever you are doing.

And now for something completely different...

You would be forgiven for thinking that I have stopped making things altogether judging by the content here but nothing could be further from the truth. I have craft fairs coming up here and here and have been making all sorts of things for them. Also I have some courses to teach before Christmas and have been planning them! Today is the perfect day for FELTING! It is bright and sunny but cold out so great light but no desire to go for a long walk.
Here we go
FIBRE!

lots of lovely fibre. So some new scarves are in order. I was given some chiffon scarves a while ago and used these as the base for three new scarves today.

this one is called 'volcano' for obvious reasons and I have 'cry me a river' in progress as I write this (my hands need a rest from rolling!) The 'nameless one' is drying - I'll have another look and find it a name - or maybe you can think of one - this is the fibre - what do those colours say to you?

I am having such fun!

oh yes!
if the light stays for a little while longer - I'll nip back and post the end results. Good to be back!

Later

 

here are two of them hanging in the greenhouse - I need to add some silky embellishments I think - but this is the next stage

Now suffering from that strange condition - 'Felters Fingers'

A New Post For Paul Parker aka John

This blog is turning into an important link with my far flung family and this post is for John as the garden post was for Owen.
The boys are travelling the world, John is currently on his way to New Zealand - South Island and Owen is off to India. They have been all round South East Asia together since July and now they are going their separate ways. I think about them a lot. An awful lot.
John - here is a cheery hello from

Pete
  and a more reserved Hi from the brothers, who don't like their pictures taken any more than I do.

No such shyness from Fran

The chaps at the workshop enjoy a good laugh. They miss John, and wish him well.
OK Martha - what do you want me to write about?

Autumn Sunshine

These two girls watched as I climbed to the top of Herbie's Hill the other day when the sun was so gloriously autumny.
Rewarded at the top of (the quite small) hill with views like this

It's another day like this today so I am off to sing in Allendale Village Hall with this bunch - we heard them sing in Hexham Abbey last night so we are in for a treat today when we get to join in. I might cycle!

I did cycle, it was a treat - shape note singing, African chants, Georgian love songs and even song with its own dance! If you get a chance to hear this group please do! Northern Harmony from Vermont, check the link for the schedule.

I didn't cycle back though - its all up hill. I cadged a lift from the chior's coach driver who put my bike in the boot, took me to the top of the hill then let me off to free wheel all the way home! A perfect day!

Auctions

On Saturday, we went to a charity auction to raise funds for this project. There were pledges and lovely things and silly things - you know the sort of auction. I bid for an envelope with this written on

and for five pounds I ended up with .....

Ha!
So you would think that I had learned my lesson when this came up

No-one else in the room was willing to bid after seeing my result a few minutes earlier, but I had a feeling. I bid for this envelope and won it for one pound.

This is Adam Smith. He is on the back of every one of these

Smug.
But we went four times over our agreed budget at this auction so not so smug after all! We did get some lovely things though - this is a glimpse of the beautiful bowl I bid for and won - lousy light today - so not a better picture

and we had the most entertaining afternoon! The charity ended up with nearly £2000!
Two days later we were at another auction - the local Harvest Festival auction off the monster veg at the end of the service.
We got some nice apples and a huge turnip

and speaking of apple - it is Apple Day at Wark tomorrow and I will be making felt apples with the people who turn up to have their apples identified, go apple bobbing, do apple things - whatever!
See you there?