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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Feb 1, 2015 13:26:43 GMT
January flew by, so let’s start off February with a daily dose of fiber! Yesterday I played with tapestry wool, trying to create a color wheel but did not succeed because I lacked the primary colors, which are the basis for every color wheel. Secondary and tertiary colors were fun to play with, but in the end, all of the wool went back into the neat little containers they arrived in.
Today, we have a huge snowstorm in Chicago, but I had planned to stay in anyways to make a custom cat mat and some fingerless gloves in black for my sister, Shar.
What are you doing today for your daily dose of fiber?
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Post by halay on Feb 1, 2015 14:12:39 GMT
Yesterday and today I have been felting a jacket, again experimenting. First of all I wanted to find out how much wooll I need to make one. Since I don't have larger quantities of wool I combinedd three basic colours of merion and put some embellishments on the top as well as cotton gauze for the lining. I followed the instructions from the book by Lizzie Houghton "Felting fashion" (I highly recommend it to anyone interested in making garments). The only drawback is that she doesn't mention how much wooll you need. I am trying to make a jacket consisting of 5 parts (back, two fronts, 2 sleeves) which I would like to join by stitching together and then felting the seams so that it should look like a seamless jacket. The reason I decided on this type is that I have limited space and I was using my kitchen counter. So far I have only made the basic parts, tomorrow I'll do the stitching. I'll report about the outcome.
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Post by Frances on Feb 1, 2015 14:33:17 GMT
Cathy - if you lived in my neighborhood I would drop in with a pot of Chicken and Dumplings which I am making today for our Daughter and her husband who are coming for a visit. Sounds like you need some warm comfort food in the storm.
I finihed glueing flat glass beads on a cutting board and am picking glue off my fingers. I have my table now and have not had time to felt yet - maybe tomorrow.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Feb 1, 2015 18:29:38 GMT
Now I am drooling, Frances. The best chicken and dumplings I ever had was in Norfolk, Virginia when visiting my friend’s grandmother. In the morning, we went to market and got a live chicken and you know the rest. I didn’t watch the proceedings but I did enjoy the meal.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Feb 2, 2015 21:40:41 GMT
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Post by MTRuth on Feb 2, 2015 22:23:57 GMT
Seems like you're doing well with your cat mat business
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Post by Frances on Feb 2, 2015 23:54:16 GMT
Cathy - You are making me feel guilty - two of our children have cats and no mats! How large are they, what type and how much roving do you need to make one. And how many layers of roving.
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Feb 3, 2015 1:26:32 GMT
My smallest mats are about 14 inches square, but most of them are rectangular measuring about 16 x 20. Most folks lately have been ordering the larger mats, which are custom. I don’t usually measure the amount of roving--rather, I eyeball what I think I need (since I have made so many of them). I have some very colorful mats awaiting sales, but strangely, people seem to like the neutrals, which I also favor personally.
I always use 4 layers, except in the very small mats which are laid over a couch or chair back and do not need extra cushioning. My largest custom mat was the one I made yesterday, which measured 18 x 30 inches. I did weigh out the roving this time, which was 8 ounces. I used most, but not all of it. I like to use combos of sheep’s wool, including Shetland, Corriedale, Churro and Domestic 56s.
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Post by Frances on Feb 3, 2015 3:35:47 GMT
Thank you Cathy - my list keeps getting longer!
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Post by Pandagirl on Feb 3, 2015 3:49:06 GMT
As you know from today's studio blog, I'm making booties.
Cathy the mat is nice. Nice combination of fibers.
Frances, I can't remember the last time I had homemade chicken and dumplings. Yum! You will love the bead board. I've been using mine to quicken the process of making these booties, I also have a nead board with a handle. I'm thinking I may use both to facilitate the process further.
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Post by zed on Feb 3, 2015 12:50:38 GMT
I love the mat, Cathy I haven't had chance to felt lately. I did learn to knit, though, so I spun some raw Jacob, which I'd carded, made some needles out of doweling and then knitted a strip, it was only 10 stitches wide, it's about 3.5 x 7 inches long. It looks really nice though.
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Post by Frances on Feb 3, 2015 14:48:39 GMT
For fans of Chicken and Dumplings - I no longer make my own I use www.annesdumplings.com/ - they are thin flat dumplings which we like. There is a store locator on the web page. I add a chunk of butter to the broth just before adding the dumplings (still frozen) so they do not stick together: 'slippery dumplings'. There are other brands but Anne's in the best. They are usually located with the frozen biscuits, bread, etc. One box makes 12 servings so I just use a partial box at at time. You can let the chicken stew - while you felt!
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Post by luvswool and dyestuff on Feb 3, 2015 23:11:33 GMT
Thanks, ladies, for your nice “cat mat” comments. Although I didn’t felt today, I ordered some black Churro on Etsy. That counts as a daily dose, doesn’t it?
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Post by zed on Feb 4, 2015 11:06:08 GMT
Not really, Cathy, better order something else
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Post by halay on Feb 4, 2015 12:33:34 GMT
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