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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Woolens...

As I mentioned, last week an old friend came visiting with her girls.
They used to lived across the road and we spent many years drinking tea,
playing with dogs and horses, mushroom hunting and her girls spending
summer days with my sisters girls when they visited.
Now those dear friends live on the mainland and we've only seen each other twice in
the past 4 years. We are all creative souls and funny enough, her oldest
has been experimenting with wet felting as well so after a trip
to the city for wool, we couldn't wait to get out in the studio to play!
I wanted to make a bigger bowl than the first one I had made a
few months ago so I started in on that process...
...while Boo started in on making me a pair of gauntlets (fingerless, long gloves)...
Wet felting is a long, labour intensive process which has many steps and
takes many hours. I was trying to pay attention to Boo as she had done
seamless gauntlets before, while making my bowl but before I knew it
she was pretty much done and I hadn't caught the whole idea 100 per cent.
They turned out so beautiful!
 The colours I chose were a deep eggplant purple, smokey grey and
coral and gold curly locks for an accent...
The inside are a gorgeous pewter blue colour..
Turning raw wool into fabric by simple means of soap, hot water and muscle is magical.
Even the younger Taisha was creating something combining wet and needle felting...
Later after dinner we attempted a second pair with whites, greys, ocean greens and blues...
Unfortunately the wool I used for the inside of these was not
Merino and therefore VERY itchy so they have already started an up cycled
life as something else.
This week it's off to the wool shop again for some Merino and
another attempt at a pair for a Christmas present.
Speaking of the wool shop... after we had drooled and shopped our little hearts
out we came out of the shop to a most magical sunset with this
incredible mist hanging over the playing field...
So let's see...gas to the city, $10.
Wool for felting, $23.
Seeing old friends...
Priceless.
 
 
 


5 comments:

gz said...

so good to make things together.

Have you tried a wool alpaca mix? I've knitted mitts (short fingered gloves) of this and it felts well

Valerie Brown said...

Those gauntlets look fantastic! Since I've only done a teensy bit of wet felting I can't really imagine how to make them - but really, it's better to have someone else make them for you!!

the wild magnolia said...

WOW. I am impressed. I think both projects to be beautiful.

A sunset as if made to order. Special visits are, well, special.

Love the pics.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cobalt Violet said...

Beautiful! Did I miss the bowl?
I would love some of those gloves. I seem to be becoming like my mother over time where things are itchy that never were before. She's pretty down to good cashmere. Poor thing! Hah! ... although I that would get very expensive.

Anyway! HOpe you are well! Glad you had a nice visit. So good to see old friends!

farmlady said...

Oh, how I love wet felting. It's my favorite thing to do. It is a magical process, that's for sure.
Love the gauntlets. Must try some.
Did you use a form on the bowl? Please do a post on this. I see some fabric with the wool. Are you doing some Nuno felting?
Love this post... old friendships are the best.