Undeliverable

I can look at today in two different ways. The first way, it was a disaster. Half a day working on a nuno scarf on which I did everything wrong, apparently. This, on top of the blue bunny purse, is two flops in a row.

On the other hand, I reminded myself that I spent a lot of time in the basement, tidying up and re-arranging tables and lighting. I figured out how to get reception on the Sirius radio down there. I took a shower and washed my hair. The scarf isn't great, but I learned some of those vaunted "hands on" lessons.

I shouldn't beat myself up so much. Today was really fine.

Orange, red, and brown print silk with orange-red wool. 

Learn Lock Smithing at Home

I feel better today. Yesterday, my body ached as though I had been in a small car wreck. Small as in wreck, not as in a wreck in a small car. I slept most of the day. Today I feel well enough to actually clean house a bit, and be the Domestic Goddess.

I hate housework.

I did not stop at 20 of those cup carpets. I may stop at 35. They are so soothing and satisfying to make and done in 15-20 minutes. They need to be fulled yet, but I will do that all at one time. I could see making a baby blanket out of washable wool from these squares; that is the sole project included with the instruction booklet.

I will be teaching a baggie fabric dyeing class at the art center in two weeks, so one thing I did get done yesterday was a trial run. It has been years since I have used procion x dyes. I learned my technique from this book over 15 years ago, and it is still a good reference.

I seldom dyed solid colors. These seem more interesting.

In September, I will give a talk about natural dyes on wool, although I will have a little bit of hand-on experience, too. I'm looking forward to that one. Really.

Sorry not to be more interesting. Like I said last post, I feel pulled in too many different directions lately. I have to be thinking about my guild's sale in November. I've done it once, so that part of my nervousness is gone, but I will be putting in my felted hats and purses, and they're a new thing and will have to be juried and priced and I need to make new and better hang tags and I need to make more flowers because I will be teaching that next month and my ears won't quit ringing and my feet ache from the neuropathy and I need to prepare for the board meeting next week and we need more board members and I need to warp the rigid heddle loom for a Community Weave project at our library and Autumn Fest is September 26 and some days it's all I can do to drag my sorry ass out of bed. 

That's what my head feels like. Too full and too scattered. It makes me tired.

Safety First

I have been doing stuff. Only most of it is not blog worthy.

I went to see a talk by Pam de Groot at The Foundry Centre in St. Charles  just this side of St. Louis on Sunday. She is a 'famous' felt maker and she is teaching a couple of intense workshops there this week. I like her work, but she is not a good public speaker, being unable or unwilling to project her voice in a small space. I learned a few things anyway.

There is also a felt maker in one of the upstairs studios, and through her, I have sent in my membership to the St. Louis Weavers' Guild. They have recently formed a felt study group, and she invited me to attend. Her work was lovely; delicate silk and wool nuno pieces with interesting design and use of color.

I made the large bag I wrote about in my last post, which turned out to be denim blue. A learning experience, that. It's a bigger project than I am comfortable doing just now, and a lot of work for a piece that didn't turn our entirely as planned. Oh well. I will think of it as a very large sample.

I ended up tucking those little feet to the inside, which was an improvement. It is not stiff enough across the top to hold its shape, and I am wondering if I should add something there - make it a 'design feature.' The rabbit turned out okay, but the handles I ended up cutting down and adding a rope strap. I made the flap separate and felted it on later, maybe too much later because it was a bear and it doesn't look very polished.

So. I wanted to do a little something totally not felting for a few days. Can I tell you how much I don't like Martha Stewart? This was a knitting and weaving loom I found at the Art Center, a donation. Not that well made, the instructions are poor, and it costs too much for what it is. On the other hand, it has been pleasant enough to sit and rather mindlessly weave a bunch of mug rugs, or cup carpets out of old bits of my handspun wool. They end up between 5 and 6" square when filled, depending. I think I will stop at 20.

I've been feeling kind of beat lately, and it seems that there are too many things tugging at my sleeve, all at once. I need to put on pants and walk the dogs right now.

Why wait?

Nancy NeverSwept suggested blanket stitch to edge the coasters. It looks okay, but as I am as slow as Christmas at needlework, this technique will never work if I want to sell them. Not that these are retail-worthy.

I made two this morning and felted the raw edges and blocked them. They look fine. This woven pre-felt business is something I will have to explore further. These are actually purple and green, but the purple goes grey against the green.

I am going to attempt to create a larger handbag this afternoon, and I will flatten the bottom some so that it will sit upright. That's the plan, anyway. I have some jade green merino to use. I have an idea to use a separately nuno felted flap for it, that can be attached by felting once the purse has been cut open. I have been slowly accumulating silk fabrics for just such a thing. Should I sample first? I might.

So. I have a few flowers that I grew from seed - cleome and coreopsis. And the Naked Ladies are early this year; they usually come up in August. 

Also! I heard from the Ozark Fiber Fling today, and I will be teaching my purse there this November. It's only just over an hour to get there from here, for which I am very happy. I sent off my workshop proposals to the Fiber Retreat in Jefferson City, MO  which is in March.

Example of an indoor plant that I haven't killed. So far.

Genuine Cast Iron

I don't feel well at all, but it's nothing serious. More annoying than anything. Sinus headaches, congestion, tinnitus, and achey feet from the heat, even though I stay inside. Tomorrow, it's supposed to reach 97, hotter than it's been in awhile, so I am sure I won't feel any better then.

Small felt pieces from scraps. Disappointing.

I have tried to be productive in spite of, because I am a mid-westerner of a certain age and I feel that I must do something constructive every day. I futzed around with felt scraps Saturday, and then last night, I wove some pre-felts strips and made coasters, I guess one could call them, and are about 5 inches square.

My question is, Is it okay to have un-healed cut edges on felt? I have left them on these four because I wanted to retain the integrity of the square and I was afraid that further felting could take them out of shape.  I am going to leave them as they are. I like the colors.

Tomorrow I will dye more roving; I want reds and oranges to work with.





One good thing - our new renters in Indiana have really done some nice work in the house, painting and sanding and re-flooring. This makes me happy - the house needed a young couple full of energy and optimism.

I don't do windows.

Two bags done.

Also? Earrings! Took a class on wire working last week.

Late fee is waived.

Oh, lord, I do get weary. Lots of small things are worrying me, and I cannot disengage and hide. I mean, I have already had to speak to a policeman in Indiana this morning regarding a crazy person there who won't stay off our property. My amorphous anxiety floats thickly around me. I wish I wouldn't let people and events bother me so much. But if I were more thick skinned, I reckon I wouldn't be me.

I made another little purse. These bags are cute as can be, and of course, I am not satisfied completely with any of them.

So. I decided to do a different kind of purse with a larger format to allow some creativity in decoration. I have used this template before, but the embellishment is inspired by Klimt and Andrea Graham. I worked on this last night, to the point of removing the resist, and so will full and finish today. Felting is good exercise - my shoulders and upper back ache slightly. (As an aside, I have lost 10 pounds since the first of the year without doing anything differently save for felting. And going off my happy-pills.)

I think I will do a similar bag, but use pre-felt for the lines and circles. I want that part of the design to be more defined against the loosely-laid green. In the meantime, I have been dyeing merino then drum carding it.

Our neighbors here accidentally ran over and killed Bunny BooBoo, which is another cause for my mental distress. But her progeny are all over the neighborhood and I've not heard one person say anything against them. These two, (I think they are sisters,) spend a lot of time in our front yard. I call them Blondie and Not Booboo. Booboo herself lived a good life; she hated hated hated being caged and I was glad she got to live in the great outdoors for three years. I am able to feed Blondie and Not Boo bananas by hand, just like I did their mother, but they are by no means tame.