rosiepink

Woolly Wonderwool and Sunny Wales

Annie

Just had a lovely weekend in Wales with my husband and a couple of our friends - the plan being that the girls would disappear to Wonderwool for one of the days and the boys would do whatever boys do, then we would go walking on the other day depending on the weather.

 

As Saturday was predicted to be the best day weather wise it was decided we would walk (and I would have to contain my excitement about Wonderwool for one more day - agony!).

We went walking in the Elan Valley - it was absolutely beautiful.  We walked 11 miles and I took lots of photos.  The best bit for me was the gorgeous little lambies...

...so cute.  The best bit for the boys was when a huge convoy of Aston Martins drove past while we were having a lunch break.  For me the lambs would win every time!

The scenery was lovely, lots of beautiful countryside to wander in.

Although I spent a bit of time focussing on the small details (a bit like when I visit a museum or gallery I tend to look at the mosaic flooring and intricate ceilings as much as the exhibitions - I find those things just as inspiring!)

I really loved all the bright limes and greens especially the lichen on the bridges...

...but especially this perfectly formed 'mini-forest' growing on the end of a fence post...

At last on Sunday morning Kim and I ventured off to Wonderwool - all the fluff, fibres and knitting yarns you can imagine.  It was like a massive sweet shop!  Trouble is our feet were killing us after walking on Saturday so unfortunately we had to stop for a large slice of cake and a cup of tea half way round (the food stalls were great too!)

I could easily have bought the whole show home with me if funds would stretch that far but I had to limit myself to a reasonable bag full (to share with mum of course - although I have told her that she can only rummage in the new stash with her hands tied behind her back!)

Here are the details of the lovely people I bought fluffy stuff from:

Nepps and Slubs (bottom left) http://www.lindseytyson.co.uk/index.htm

I spoke to Lindsey for a while - a lovely lady - she says she is not doing supplies so much now but more focussing on making her beautiful pieces of art and textiles.

Silk hankies and hand dyed silk degummed cocoons (bottom right) from Oliver Twists.

They said they didn't have their own website but would be on Etsy soon - they had a huge range of all kinds of fibres and lovely things.

Silk caps, silk noils, carded cocoon strippings (middle left) www.mandacrafts.co.uk/Fibres.html

Turquoise, lime and orange silk noil (middle right) http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/HilltopCloud/Home.html

Chunky purple wool boucle yarn and yellow mohair chunky yarn (middle right)  http://www.fivemoonsyarns.co.uk/

Pink sari ribbon (top left)  http://www.threshingbarn.com/

Organic cotton slub yarn in yellow Persian berry (near the top)  http://www.mulberrydyer.co.uk/

and a few lengths of merino wool top (at the top) from http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/

I also bought some beads, some buttons and some undyed silky bits n bobs to dye cos I've got a bunch of procion dyes I rediscovered recently.  So many things to play with! 

And here is just one last picture - of some of the gorgeous sheep at Wonderwool!  They deserve a mention but I didn't catch their names unfortunately!

Pod Tutorial Update and a Felty Stitched Butterfly Picture!

Annie

Hi there, just to let you know mum has been a busy bee and has updated our free tutorial on "How to make a wet felted pod".  It is a very popular tutorial so we thought a little revamp with improved instructions and clearer pictures was in order! Old links to the old version will still work, but there is a new button in the sidebar for the shiny new version. Here is a picture of the star of the updated tutorial pictured on mum's very own private beach.....

...although the pod kind of takes up most of the beach given that it's only about a two foot square and in a tray, but hey ho!  You gotta have a dream :-)

I decided to treat myself to using some of those beautiful silk threads that my Nan-In-Law gave me.  I started to make a card to say a bigger "Thank You" (better later than never) but it got slightly too large and is now more of a mini wall hanging!

To make the butterfly I cut up some felt I made a while ago for a large wall hanging that failed to meet the ideas in my head!  It was one I made, then cut up into strips, then played with, edged on the machine, couldn't decide what to do with it, then put away for later! I do love the colours in it though and can see many new uses for it now.  That's the great thing about felt - over the years you build up a stash of leftover bits and bobs and the odd 'failed' projects that you can use again.  It's disappointing when a project goes wrong but great when it means you get to add some pretty handmade felt to your stash.

This is the felt from the discarded wallhanging:

 

Anyway, to finish the butterfly piece I just need to sew another bit of calico on to the back for stability and a little hanging loop and I may gift it to myself for the wall of my craft room!  

I was a bit stingy with the threads on this piece because they are so beautiful I only used them for a tiny bit of hand stitching - the silk feels absolutely wonderful in your hands as you sew - I hope they last forever.  I promise I will make Nan a pretty smaller picture for her thank you card and make sure that I use enough thread so she can actually see it!  I both love and hate to use my favourite things - in equal measures.  It's like wearing your favourite pair of shoes - proud to wear them and show them off but you don't want to scuff them or wear out the heels!

Am I mad?  Or do you have favourite craft supplies you can't quite bring yourself to use up? I've got plenty - there's a piece of pink silk chiffon scarf that I'm nearly at the end of that I am treasuring, I have various beautiful wool yarns and scraps of fabric that are almost small bits of art in themselves - so I just look at them then put them away!

Perhaps what I should do is make a fabulous "scrapbook" picture of all of these special pieces - sort of like an artwork shrine to the most beautiful things so I can use them without having to let them go!

I hope you understand :-)