Saturday 31 May 2014

A little spinning and a couple of makes

I had my turn with the spinning wheel and I spun a little amount of wool only as the wheel stopped lots and that or the shuttle had to be turned around by hand needing more practice holding onto the strands of roving the teasing out before it goes through and around. There are three more weeks of the course to do yet and more practice though I think I may felt the rest of the fleece that I have left to do. I am enjoying though learning all the processes of this Sheep to Hat course.  photo imagejpg1_zps5f1ca198.jpg This is a little purse from the piece of felt I made last week.  photo imagejpg1_zps877b1b2e.jpg I have started knitting the spun fleece I may make a mobile phone case with it or a start of a bag.  photo imagejpg2_zps8c5c1d02.jpg This is as what I knitted with the amount of wool I have spun.  photo imagejpg4_zps7b6ff4dd.jpg  photo imagejpg3_zps12ed19c6.jpg I sold two cable knit cushions last week! They will used for furnishing vintage style a holiday cottage in Norfolk!  photo imagejpg2_zps4758f6ed.jpg  photo imagejpg1_zps94e0815c.jpg

Sunday 25 May 2014

Felting and using a spinning wheel

In today's lesson we were shown how to felt we saw the roving became felted then snipped and become a flower. There was a small selection of pretty brooches with various embellishments and a lovely large cream rug made with Merino wool with a darker backing colour. There was dyed roving brought in and cream Merino to buy I chose a few good colours and the Merino. We used the dyed roving to felt with a bucket of warm water and olive oil soap we brought as it is natural and so better for felting. There was time too to try the spinning wheel, a lot easier to use than the hand spinner though there is a knack in using it,I think it is faster spinning,if you want to try it. Next week it is half term and four of the ladies myself included will use the spinning wheel at home sharing it for three days each I would like to make a lot of spun wool with it in that time! Photos of the felting lesson. Some roving for felting and a flower Roving for felting photo imagejpg1_zps0062c8ad.jpg Olive Oil Soap Olive oil soap photo imagejpg2_zps9b4a509e.jpg A selection of dyed rovings after we bought a few. Dyed wool rovings photo imagejpg4_zps0d90bc19.jpg Felted Brooches and embellishments Felt brooches and embellishments photo imagejpg5_zps67e45615.jpg Two spinning wheels Spinning wheels photo imagejpg3_zps97419306.jpg This is my felted piece I will make a purse out of it where I will list it in my Crafty Create Shop  photo imagejpg1_zps8db2d84e.jpg A selection of rovings I bought.  photo imagejpg1_zps43aaf9cc.jpg

Saturday 17 May 2014

Carding and Spinning

Today week two of the very interesting Sheep to Hat course and we learnt carding. We grouped into two pairs for using the roller drum carder and the hand carder. The hand carder was easy to card the fleece with moving it to and fro one carder to the other and then lifting it all off. This will be used to spin with. We swapped to the drum carder you turn the handle and little pieces of fleece get taken under the roller and round the drum so you then get a wider amount when you are finished. These can cost anything from £250 said our tutor but she was lucky she said she got hers from Ebay for £150 We went back to the table with the carded fleece and learnt to use the hand spinner turning it with the right hand the left holding the piece of fleece higher than the spinner winding round the spinner letting it fall off with each turn until it was an even thickness. We were shown a colourful book of different sheep types sheep and their fleece, long and short and one sheep who doesn't need to be sheared because it looses its fleece naturally. We can take the hand spinner home and decide what to make and finish spinning the fleece. A lady there brought in a bag of Alpaca fleece she had given to her and said we could help ourselves, which we did the fleece was soft with colours of brown through to cream. We can use any wool to add to what we are making and next week we will learn to use a spinning wheel. There is a break after that for half term.I haven't decided what to make yet!  photo imagejpg1_zpsbf14ece5.jpg Here you can see a youtube video A Navajo Weaver

Saturday 10 May 2014

Fleece and yarns

I attended a craft class on Friday entitled Sheep to Hat. The course lasts six weeks and I will learn all the stages from fleece to hat or make what I choose. I will probably either make a hat, slippers or a bag. We washed fleece using washing powder and rinsed a few times. There were knitting books and lots of colours of dyed felt and types of wool knitted including the lovely soft Marino wool and the silken Tussah. There was a coloured chart of the types of sheep and my cream and brown fleece came from a Jacob sheep. We took our fleeces home to dry and next week we will learn how to do carding,then how to use a spinning wheel. I always wondered what it would be like to use a spinning wheel and I am soon to find out!  photo imagejpg1_zpsc41c4abc.jpg I have started knitting with this pretty blue speckly yarn and will make a purse with it.  photo imagejpg1_zps0f1a0865.jpg I came across this colourful mix of yarn half of it is wool and I will make a gadget case or something nice with it.  photo imagejpg2_zpsb7715917.jpg  photo imagejpg3_zps717093fc.jpg

Friday 2 May 2014

Finished crochet bag and two knitted bags

I finished the crochet bag.  photo imagejpg4_zpsf9c66afe.jpg  photo imagejpg2_zps7306b866.jpg Knitted Bags These pieces were stitch together from a selection of knitted pieces I've made and added calico on the back which I dyed with fabric paint also the lining.  photo imagejpg1_zpse998ea31.jpg  photo imagejpg2_zps0ee13495.jpg This bag was knitted from left over knobbly textured wool I had. The front tab with button hole was crocheted.  photo imagejpg1_zpsb6c44609.jpg  photo imagejpg2_zps40efed03.jpg

Thursday 1 May 2014

My April Makes

These are the items I made in April. April Makes photo imagejpg1_zps65298d15.jpg I am doing a craft fair on Saturday at Mylor Cornwall The Ord Statter Pavillion from 10 to 1pm Here is bunting I made for the craft table at the fair. I am very please with it. Craft table bunting photo imagejpg1_zpsf0039429.jpg