New Necker

My new necker and experimenting with undulating rolls and restraining channels and not knitting short rows to get the effect, it is alot easier this new way.

The yarn is a cone yarn from Texers a boucle acrylic twist which holds the design very well ,did sample this up in merino and it just does not look good ,the trilby on my glass smodel is anew felt design soon to be released.

I know

I do watch ‘Britain has got talent ‘ and after today I know what Simon Cowell feels like when he sees real talent. Today I have been priveleged to spend the day with a group of very dedicated talented creative ladies who take yarn and fibre craft to better heights and make me really want to stay in this world even when I get disillusioned. Where was I ? I was a guest of Janet over at the Threshing Barn http:www.threshingbarn.com and we had fun and learnt new things .

What did I learn ?–I learnt an important lesson that outside of the world of publishers and magazine editors the crafter is there ,the honest crafter who just wants to share and learn  and grow, they inspired me with the skills they had and the passion for fibre.

The whole shop is a wonder world of products for your chosen craft, samples galore to inspire you to try them, and a book selection better than Waterstones craft section.  

Janet is passionate, hard working and so generous with knowledge that if you live in England and do not go there at least once a year you are missing out big time .

I hope I go back, it will be a privelege to teach there again, I will be back to shop and buy some of the fibres and silks that Janet dyes, the yarn she cards and spins, and maybe I will get to see a 1 minute old chick again  which was awesome .

So I was so happy coming home and Lent is over so went to Ikea and bought some Dime bars which I love, along with a host of other bits I obviously feel I cannot live without including the best peeler in the world .

My darling husband cooked my dinner for me and rounded off a perfect day which started with me seeing my daughter and son in law to be before I left home and ended with a good meal and my blog —’Goodnight crafters wherever you are, ‘Threshing Barn Ladies thank you.

felted slippers

Oh sometimes I wish I had never knit any felted shoes,slippers, shoes, etc the hunt is on again and it always shows in the stats the trawl for my patterns all over . Patterns which are free are on the download pages here and in Ravelry and those which I charge for are available through the proper channels and stores which stock me .I now have a fabulous American editor to do all the pattern checking and writing which also helps with copyright and documentation needed.

It is enough to put you off knitting but every designer goes through this I hear, so I persevere and try to stay optimistic. well to a more cheerful note I have just finished all the felting tests on a brilliant felting yarn more to come on this –it really is worth looking hard for the best yarn that will not lose its colour as you machine boil your knit to felt projects ,and will not pill up and ruin your knit effects .

  I find Louet loses colour as does the ‘Knit 4 fun’ yarn –this used to be good as I used it in my first felting book not happy now with the colour tests .   Oh bring back Maya .

Promised pictures

Ok at last I have sussed out the computer and the camera –actually easier than I thought so more piccies could be he order of the day.

Yes I do felt a lot as well as knit so for the felters who have asked ,here they are some piccies from the felting folder –mostly w i  p pieces

.shibori  felt  stitched into felt         

      arriving in provence (ready to go in felt)

  painted bondaweb ready to iron to felt

  stitching in felt

  burnt and cut silk ready for nuno

         

 silk shibori dyed laid into felt