The Finished Bag....and what I learned!

Well, here is the finished bag.  It's not bad, but not great!  It looks unevenly felted to me, and the stitch definition is still slightly there - not ideal for knitted felting!

So....what did I learn from this second attempt?

• Use a mesh lingerie bag - not a pillowcase bag. Not sure where all the loose fibers went - it may have been yarn that didn't emit lots of fuzz - but there was none in the pillowcase as I transferred the piece to the mesh bag. And it could be that the pillowcase works fine and I just didn't give it enough time.
• Do NOT use tennis balls with holes.  I haven't tried un-holey tennis balls, but the ones I used threw out their rubber innards in tiny, little pieces.  Those tiny pieces of rubber infiltrated the wool and had to be picked out painstakingly!  I did end up using two hard dog toy balls, each with two large holes in them.  I think this worked!

• Add only about 3 drops of soap.  I used Woolite, but I've heard that just about any detergent will work.  There is soap designated for felting, but it's not necessary!
• Use HOT water.  I added some almost-boiling water that had been microwaved.  The water level should be no more than 3 inches above the item being felted.  Too much water will not work!
• Check the process every 5 minutes or so.  Be sure the wool is not felting to itself.  If it is, pull it apart right away. You do NOT want what is supposed to be a bag or slippers or whatever to be felted together.  I haven't looked yet into some type of resist to prevent this.
• Check too to see how evenly (or unevenly) the piece is felting.  Smooth out and vigorously rub areas that seem NOT to be felting as fast.  I did a bit of final rubbing by hand to try to even out and smooth the piece.
• I didn't do this with this piece, but I ironed the first one after it was finished, because it seemed so uneven.  Pull the piece into shape.
• Placed in a towel on the floor and stomp all over it to remove the water.  I do not rinse my felted pieces.

The experiments continue!  I'm still looking for a seamless way to do this type of felting that I LOVE(d) - pun intended!  Too bad it takes so long to knit something to try all over again.  I will not give up, but I am mourning still the loss of my old, trusty washing machine.  And I WILL post additional tips as I continue to try to produce a bag that somewhat resembles the results from my older washer.

Here again is my Ode to Wonder Washer!

Ode to Wonder Washer

Wonder Washer is its name

Felting in it - not the same.

Give me back my old machine.

Felting magic, clothes get clean.

This contraption is a hoot!

Sloshes, churns, and gives a scoot.

The finished bag, uneven and creased.

Came out OK, and so I ceased.

My motto stands: Nothing is simple!

Not a crime if there's a wrinkle.

A simple bag, once distressed,

Now is dressed:

Nuno, knit, and needle blessed.

3-felt bags are my goal.

Process/product is a whole.

Oh, PLEASE help me get a life

Reduce the stress for far less strife.

Wonder Washer is its name!

Felting in it - not the same!

But I prevailed and so I stand

A fan of this amusing brand!

The Felting Saga - Part III

Had to try Wonder Washer again!  This time, I tried a few different tricks.....not knowing what the result would be.  Here is the knitted bag BEFORE the start of the felting process- about 10" x 10."  It's mostly knit with crocheted flap edging and strap. First problem.....I ran out of the teal-colored yarn, so I had to improvise to complete the bag!

I normally leave all the cut ends of the yarn hanging out during felting.  Once felted, they (usually) can be simply cut off, leaving no trace of the cut.  I like to leave them on - especially at the corners, so I can pull on them to reshape the bag.

I placed the bag in a small pillowcase (I cut it down from a standard pillowcase), added hot water and then additional microwaved water, and a small amount of Woolite to the Wonder Washer tub.  I set it to agitating and pulled it out of the water to view the progress about every 6 minutes.  Nothing much seemed to be happening for about the first 15 minutes.  So I added two tennis balls (with holes drilled through).  Next check....some of the rubber from inside the tennis balls had seeped out from within, and there were tiny pieces of rubber merged into and through some of the felt.  In addition, parts of the bag were felting to itself, and other parts were unevenly felting.  OMG!!!  Another disaster, maybe!!!!

I removed the tennis balls and added instead two hard rubber balls that belong to our dog, Griff.  They each have 2 large holes so they bumped around suitable, I think!  I also scrapped the pillowcase bag and resorted to the mesh lingerie bag! The heck with loose fibers!  I need this process to work seamlessly - both literally AND figuratively!  After what seemed like an eternity and the addition of more microwaved hot water, the bag emerged, looking like this:

It is now about 7" x 8," so it has definitely shrunk, but the felting seems uneven to me.  It's not a perfect process or product, and I am discouraged since this type of felting has been such fun, such a pleasure, with occasion surprises.

OK, so NOW I am too disgusted to write my tips and strategies for felting with the Wonder Washer.  I promise to do that.....tomorrow maybe....along with photos of the final result - which I think will get some needle felting of yarn, roving, and pieces of silk.  Stay tuned for the final product!

The Felting Saga - Part II

Please read part one here for a bit of background on this felting fiasco!  

So it became obvious that I needed to find/develop some product or technique for felting knitted pieces that WOULD work for me - or abandon that aspect of my felting career for good!  I am fascinated by felting and "felt" unwilling to give it up.  Back to Google and lots more research on various knitting forums, Amazon, You Tube, and more!  Anything that could possibly help me arrive at a competent felting process without enormous physical labor on my part.

Enter Wonder Washer!  Yes, it's one of those products "SEEN ON TV!"  I had never seen it, however!  It got so-so reviews on amazon.com - but those were from apartment dwellers and singles who wanted something in which to wash their clothes! NOT!!! I have a brand new washing machine for that purpose!  I needed to look much further and deeper to find reviews from actual felters!  And I did!

There are actually two kinds of portable, countertop washers: one is manual, the other electric.  I opted for the electric model at around $45 (including shipping!) from amazon.com.  Now mind you, it doesn't add water; it doesn't heat the water, it doesn't rinse; it doesn't spin, and it doesn't empty itself!  But it DOES felt!

It's a cute, little contraption that I put into my sink, heated water in the microwave, added (too much) Woollite, and three tennis balls with holes drilled into them, and then added the newly knitted bag in a pillowcase.  And I let her rip!  You can open the lid, turn it on and off, add water, peek at the progress, rearrange the bag within the pillowcase, and lo and behind, it felted! Maybe too much!  And maybe a bit unevenly!  B U T...............it felted!  

Included here are some before and after photos:

Stay tuned tomorrow for TIPS for FELTERS USING the WONDER WASHER!

3KCBWDAY7- Balancing Your Craft!

Crafting Balance 
Are you a knitter or a crocheter, or are you a bit of both? If you are monogamous in your yarn-based crafting, is it because you do not enjoy the other craft or have you simply never given yourself the push to learn it? Is it because the items that you best enjoy crafting are more suited to the needles or the hook? Do you plan on ever trying to take up and fully learn the other craft? If you are equally comfortable knitting as you are crocheting, how do you balance both crafts? Do you always have projects of each on the go, or do you go through periods of favouring one over the other? How did you come to learn and love your craft(s)?

Freeform Knitted Lace with Freeform Crochet Edging

I guess you might say that I am WELL-BALANCED!  I am both a knitter and crocheter!  I learned to knit at about age 8 from my great aunt, who was Belgian.  I believe my mother taught me to crochet - don't remember when! I am about equally committed to both, plus a little felting thrown in there to truly create the balance. And the felting consists of knitted, nuno, and needle types, sometimes all three combined!  And then I recycle and like to create something from other functional objects, as in my Upcycle Scarves and Funky Fabric Scarves, the Rag Bags, and the Plarn Bags.  

Funky Fabric Scarf

Upcycle Scarf

I like freeform!  Organic designs, contemporary styling as well as classic, or organic, freeform within traditional styles - all are part of my repertoire.  As noted throughout this week of blogging, because I sell my work, I need to constantly be mindful of my audience, my followers, and the public in general - in terms of variety of color, texture, basic design, and styling.  So you might say that I dabble in everything (master of none??)

Bloomin' Neck Garden

Plarn Bag

I find crochet allows me to be more creative than knitting - maybe because I have not tried my hand at a some advanced stitches in knitting.  I can create 3-dimensional artwork with crochet; I can pull out parts without destroying the entire piece with crochet.  I can create freeform designs more readily with crochet.  Do I like it best? Not at all!  The balance of fiber art in my life is important.  I bore easily, like to work quickly, and often like combining my two or three interest areas.  This has become my life's work and work that I truly love!  As a career counselor too, I know how important this is and am grateful to have found this balance in my life - particularly during this time of retirement!

All my work is viewable on flickr!  Please take a look if interested!

3KCBWDAY6 - Improving your Skill Set

Day 6 and I'm tired!  But I intend to complete this mission through tomorrow!  YAY!!!  I do love writing, so blogging is not a major chore for me, but every day???  Not going to happen! After this week, do not expect to see me blogging for another week!  I do have in mind to write the ENTIRE recent saga of the demise of my washing machine and its effects on my felting career!  BUT I DIGRESS!

I'm supposed to be blogging today about improving my skill set. Interesting topic for me.  I am a great believer in learning (been an educator all my life!), continuing ed and continually adding to my own skills.  To that end, I always WANT to take advantage of workshops, trainings, classes, You Tube videos, Pinterest photos that lead to instruction, and sometimes I do.  I like to be taught.  I've never liked just reading directions (I never could put together my kids' toys or teach them to play a new game! Usually they taught me!), so visual learning is important to me.

A recent experiment with short rows and 3 different kinds of felting!

Local trainings are limited.  Ones that require travel are difficult for me. I did win a most wonderful week-long workshop in France last year - the whole experience was beyond amazing! (Thank you, Krishenka and Lizze Hulme of Chateau Dumas!) While I loved it all, it wasn't related to knitting, crocheting, or felting.  For the most part, I cannot afford to participate in such workshops, although I always have a Jane Thornley one on my wish list.

So while it would be interesting to learn intarsia, or broomstick lace, or Tunisian crochet, I COULD do that online.  I use Pinterest to seek inspiration; I find new ideas, designs, styles, and then work to adapt them to my own style of knitting or crocheting or felting.  I've recently experimented with short rows and needle felting.  I recently purchased a 1975 book called "A New Look at Crochet" by Elyse and Mike Sommer that surprisingly has a great deal of contemporary designs and ideas for freeform crochet - my ideal!

I am frequently inspired by the work of MizzieMorawez aka FridaKahlo on Ravelry, Myra Wood, Prudence Mapstone, and Mardi Alamudeen.

So that's it for today!  My motto:  Keep on learning no matter how!  Happy Learning!

3KCBWDAY4 - A Knitter/Crocheter for All Seasons!

THAT'S ME!  It helps to be such a knitter when you sell your work!  Your product has to offer something for everyone.  So I am constantly developing new ideas, new designs, new styles of old designs.....and on and on and on!  The creative process never stops and doesn't depend on weather or season.  To some degree it does depend on color predictions for upcoming season, so I always check with Pantone and check the design blogs to know what's 'in!"  But basically, I knit what I like AND what I think my client base will most appreciate.  And I always keep in mind that accessory selection, in terms of color and design,  is very personal, so it behooves any designer of women's handcrafted accessories to include a variety of choices.

 My customers are from all over the world!  My local gallery, Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, is in a wonderful location in beautiful downtown Wilmington NC, in an historic building (The Cotton Exchange), near the river, the Convention Center, the Hilton, and lots of other desirable interest areas for touring and shopping.  So seasons are not necessarily a factor for my work.  WHEW!!!  Happy for that, because I like to work with all manner of fibers no matter the season.

And then there is Facebook and Ravelry and flickr (where I inventory ALL my work!) that have drawn in people from around the world.  I am happy to say that social media has been very good for my business.  This is a business of LOVE first and foremost - a love of knitting, crocheting, and felting!  But it IS a business too!

KCBWDAY3 - Jane Thornley, One of My Knitting Heroes!

  

I've written about Jane Thornley before!  In fact, we've written about each other.  Here is an excerpt from the first of two blog postings I wrote about her this past January:

"Do you ever wonder how/where/when you’ve met someone?  After a while those recollections fade (and really don’t matter!), but when I asked my guest blogger to recall, she had the same response.  We just don’t remember how we “met!”  However, I can say that Jane Thornley has been my inspiration, my muse, my fierce Scrabble (on FB) competitor, and my “kindred spirit” for a number of years.

I am honored and humbled by her coining the term “Kindred Spirits” about our work.  We do think we discovered one another (not sure who!) on Ravelry where she manages several knitting groups.  Amazingly, our work is quite similar in its love of nature and natural materials, use of color and texture, and combining fibers and stitches to produce wearable knitwear.  She is far more skilled, inventive and innovative, published, adventurous, and recognized than I, but surprisingly, we share many of the same attributes.  I can always find her up EARLY to play several of our on-going Scrabble games! ;-o)" 

The second part of the interview with Jane is here.  And now I should add novelist, travel writer, knitalong developer, retreat and workshop planner and expediter, jewelry designer, AND most recently, buyer of MY work - to her auspicious list of talents!  Well, actually we traded!  She "bought" one of my Upcycle Scarves and then sent me this most delightful package of goodies from her stash!

Wild Thing Upcycle Scarf

A lovely trade, I would say!

Goodies from Jane!

    

I believe this is the design by Jane that I first saw that so reminded me of my own line of Bernadetta scarves.  Hers is a free pattern, so you are most welcome to read it and try your hand at it.  I had already been producing my own Bernadettas for several years, so it was astounding to me that someone else in the world thought about color and texture in ways so similar to my own.  These first two photos are Jane's Free range scarves; the last photo is one of mine! 

And this is one of mine: 

 More of mine can be seen here.

PLEASE VISIT JANE'S WEBSITE!

  

3KCBWDAY2 - Photography Challenge Day - Birch Bark Bernadetta in The River Birch

Well, a photographer I AM NOT!!!  I struggle constantly to get good photos of my work and then doubly hard to get acceptable ones for my gallery's website.  So today's challenge almost got substituted with the wildcard topic.  However, I decided to take this as a challenge and try to get photos (that is.....ONE photo!) that might possibly tell a story.  Of course, I am much better with words than pictures (except when I'm trying to learn something new!), so there has to be a story that goes along with this photo!

The scarf is one of my own, one that I will keep forever, but one that could be sold EVERY time I wear it!  I have sold a handful of similar ones to those who almost insist on my selling this one, and there is indeed a story to the name.  The Bernadetta Scarf has its own story, the likes of which can be found here on this blog if you are so inclined to read about the origin of the name.

But Birch Bark seems to be a very popular color combo, one that I have repeated over and over again.  So I decided to try to take a photo of this very popular selection of browns, taupes, cream, white, grey, gold and silver tones, and black among the branches of the only birch tree in our vicinity.  It's actually our next door neighbor's tree, but it occupies a sizable portion of our property along the golf course.  Yes, that's a bunker in the background.

This is a River Birch, not at all like the beautiful northern birches we had in New England, but it's the closest I can find here in southeastern North Carolina.  And it does have beautiful exfoliating bark.  My color inspiration, however, came from RI where we lived for 30 years.

So that's my story!  Other examples of the Birch Bark combination of colors include the pieces below, and additional photos of my original Bernadetta scarf are here and in the subsequent photos on flickr:

 

Knit & Crochet Blog Week - 3KCBWDAY1

Colour Lovers

"Colour is one of our greatest expressions of ourselves when we choose to knit or crochet, so how do you choose what colours you buy and crochet or knit with." 


Color (or colour, as our guide spells it) is the spice of my fiber arts life!  Along with texture, that is!  There is nothing that inspires me more than the rainbow of colors, tones, hues, intensity, spectrum, and other words used to describe color.  As one who has NEVER studied color theory, I often feel at a loss to explain to those who often ask me about my choices, decisions, combinations, etc. just HOW I buy, select, and utilize the colors in my stash.

Here are some facts about me:

• I LOVE color!
• When I travel, I always work around black and white....and maybe another color!  This most recent trip was an exception - it was all built around grey, white, and mauvy pink, colors I almost never wear.
• When I work at my gallery, I only wear black, and use that as the background on which to display my work.  It WORKS!!!  No one can sell my work as I can, and I'm sure that's very common.
• For many years, I was entirely committed to taupe.  That IS a good color, but when my students asked  if I had any colors besides "brown," I realized I had better think about my personal use of color.
• Now my wardrobe is quite varied, but I always gravitate to teals, hot pinks, black, gray, brown.  The only color I almost never wear is blue - except for jeans and whatever goes with them.

So....to finally get around to the topic of my stash and the accessories I create.....they are almost always in colors other than black, although I often use black as the accent color (or vice versa).  I have an almost unmentionable amount of yarn in my stash in every color, texture, and type.  It is mostly sorted by color and/or type.  I wish it were far more organized.  But I can usually find what I'm looking for and know what's in there - or somewhere!  LOL!  

I also have an huge amount of silk scarves and lingerie for use in my Upcycle Scarves - not knit or crochet but created entirely of recycled materials.  They start with t-shirts and from them as a base, I tie various silky materials, beads, yarn, ribbons, etc.  I now have a stash of men's tee-shirts in every color.  Those designs are VERY colorful and user-friendly!  Today I made two of them in colors that were inspired by recent acquisitions of some gorgeous, highly colored, silk scares.  I put their photos on Facebook, and they are now sold!

I LOVE yarn!  I hunger to see, touch, and even smell yarn in a yarn shop, but alas, my local ones are limited and pricey, so I have to resort to my favorite online, discount sellers.  So when I look at these website, I go crazy over color and texture.  Pinterest has piqued my interest for inspiration and the color I crave.  Ravelry has been another source of inspiration but also a wonderful place to find coveted yarns from other knitters who wish to stashbust.  Wish I could do that!  Flickr holds my inventory of completed work.  I think you'll find many examples there of my color sense.

Final thought for the day:  color is personal.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!  While I might like to concentrate on my personal favorites, this would be unwise for someone who sells her work.  I always have to remind myself that I HAVE to work with colors that I might personally dislike, because there is always someone out there who might love it!  

BUSY MARCH!

I see that it's been far too long since writing here.  No real excuses....except that I was away for almost two weeks in two separate trips.  One was to FL to visit two of my dearest friends - Venice and Naples - sounds exotic, doesn't it?  Not so exotic, but a lovely change of routine, catching up with old friends, lots of consignment shopping, running around and relaxing!

I was home for a few days and then off to visit one daughter and family.  She had had surgery, so we helped out with kids, cooking, laundry, driving, groceries, etc.  It was a lovely visit there too, and I'm happy to report that our daughter is now doing MUCH better!  I also had an opportunity to visit with a high school and college friend whom I hadn't seen in several years.  Busy month!

But while I was busy traveling and then catching up with work at and for Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts (managing their Constant Contact newsletter, FB, and blog!), I also managed to have the best March sales record I've ever had!  I can't account for reasons why this has been such an active sales month for me, but I am certainly NOT complaining!

On one recent Saturday that I happened to be working at our gallery, I sold two of my highest priced items - that always makes for a great day/month.  This Turqs & Teal Wrapsody went out the door!

Wrapsodies have now become a custom design only! 

Made to order only with specific colors designated and/or sent to me in paint chips.

And this Birch Bark Schroodle also sold!

LOVE making these!  More of them can be seen here on flickr!  

I completed one last night in lovely shades of green.  Photo later today!

A lovely thing happened yesterday too!  I went to see my good friend and milliner, Jan Wutkowski of aMuse Artisanal Finery.  Jan carries a few of my things, and she happily told me that she had sold some during March.  I stopped by to collect my funds.  As I entered her gorgeous shop on 2nd Street in downtown Wilmington, I heard her say to a customer, "And here is the designer of that piece coming through the door right now!"  The woman had buttons in her hand that matched the dress she was making for the Kentucky Derby - the real Derby, not some local party!  The buttons perfectly matched one of my small shawls that Jan had displayed over a chair.  After showing her the various ways to wear it, she bought this one, lovingly called "Azalea Shawl."

It's been a great month!  I hope it continues through the year!  Got to get back into the creating mode!  I am making something new in bags, but I'll save that story for another post.

GRIFF Graduates!

So many of my readers knew our Max, our 11.5 year old PBGV who died in September '08. His loss is still with us. However, after six months sans dog, we adopted another PBGV, whom we have named Griff! Griff is now 5.5 months old, quite different from ole Max, but adorable and fun nonetheless. WE'RE JUST OLDER!!! (read that "Too old!" perhaps!)

Griff was born on January 20 in Florida at Charlen Kennels. He came home with us on March 17. There are a number of earlier photos here in the set labeled "PBGV." For those who don't know this breed, it stands for Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. Now doesn't that help??? It's a French breed, the translation of which is literally Small Basset Hound from the Vendee region of France. Full grown, he'll be about 35-40 lbs, non-shedding, with a diverse voice, and a happy personality.

Griff is about 20 lbs now, so he has a ways to go.....um.......in growth as well as in comportment! BUT.....he DID graduate from Puppy Pre-School last week, and here are photos from his graduation "ceremony!" Going to these four training classes at Dog Train in Wilmington NC were the highlight of my weeks. At a difficult time in our lives, this weekly hour of training, discussion, and free play made me laugh my head off. Pretty lame to have this the highlight of my week, but so it is and c'est la vie!

Here is a group photo of his GRADUATING CLASS!

Mmmmmmmm Felt!

Two new offerings in felted fiber from Scarf It Up!

Muted Loveliness Felted Scarf

Into the Deep Felted Scarf

Warming Up Treasury by Sending Love Gallery

How lovely to find my Pink Curlie Cutie Necklace amongst the 'HOT" items in this awesome Treasury - just in time for warm, summer weather! Every piece of Sending Love Gallery's jewelry could fit right into this treasure trove of summery confections. To thank Sending Love Gallery for including my work in her Warming Up! Treasury, I'm choosing Golden Apricot Freshwater Pearl Bracelet...Large Pearls to showcase.



Thanks, Sending Love Gallery! And good luck with your Etsy Shop!

Work of the Week!

Scarf It Up! Work of the Week!

The Year-Long Rag Bag!

It's been several days since posting - too many doctors' appointments, commitments, tennis, etc.  It's not that I haven't been producing; it's just that I haven't found time for the blogging. 

So....here are some photos of the latest work, all being held here at home for the November 13 show at Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts.  Sara Westermark and I are the hosts of this show, called "Holiday Show of Wearable Art."  It's to be held at the gallery in the Cotton Exchange in Wilmington NC from 2 - 8 PM on November 13.  

Sunset Haze Scarf

Sac Sauvage Rouge

Holiday Loop Bag

Lavender Blue Cachecol, available on Etsy right NOW!!