Needle Felting

I am still playing with the needle felting machine.  In this case, I crocheted a coaster from lace weight handspun yarn.  I used a cream and brownish ply for most of the center and a cream for the outside.  I kept looking at the coaster and the felting machine along with some new dark brown BFL locks.  I placed similarly sized locks under the coaster with the lighter side of each lock toward the outside.  I tried to space the locks the same all around. Then I  felted with the machine needles around the entire coaster just before the decorative edge.  When the needles went through the cream fiber of the coaster, small parts of this cream fiber came through the locks and felted them to the coaster.  I went around one more time just to make sure all was felted well.  The decorative edge is not felted and it rises just a tad bit.  I liked this look.  I may sew a vintage or vintage looking button in the center of the trivet.  

On my back deck airing out.  Ready for me to shake and wash.  It is a white-gray color.

What is on your needle, hooks, work in progress (wip)???  Thank you for viewing!  Dawnie

What is it?

A couple of months ago I started a project.  It was going great until I got 3/4 of the project done.  My problem is that the fiber locks tend to matt and connect to each other.  I probably got a little carried away with using the number of locks I used.  I also used both ends of each lock and the part of the lock that was toward the sheep does not stay together like the other end of the lock does.  If this project is made for me, it is not an issue, but someone else may not want to separate the locks prior to each use.  I really need to attach each lock a little differently in my next project since these locks are able to pull out too easily.  I crocheted around the center of each lock.  I really needed to use the center of each lock as part of the stitch and it would stay in place better. 

You are probably saying what is the project?  Well, I started out making a tea cozy.  Some of you are still saying what is that?  A tea cozy goes over a teapot to keep the tea warm. If you ever watch Brittish TV, you will see tea cozies on most kitchen tables.  This will still work as a tea cozy if it is used with a smaller teapot.  This can also be used as a hat.  I am modeling it for you.  It could also fit over a lid of a pot or casserole dish.  If any of you are from the older generation, you may have seen crocheted chamber pot or toilet seat covers.  LOL  This reminds me of one.  I just need to string a chain stitch through the outside edge to keep it on the chamber pot.  My grandmother had chamber pot covers in a stack of her old crochet items made by her and her mother. 

This could also be a hat.  There is a lovely model in the photograph.   Yes, it is me.  LOL
  

Over A Teapot

The colors are mostly a seafoam green with some teal, turquoise, and lavender.  The outside locks were dyed in a rainbow dye and are BFL.  The inside was crocheted with a yarn that has two plies and it is close to lace-weight.  It was spun from a Shetland fleece and died a light seafoam green.  

Add caption

Inside

What a lovely model.  LOL

This tea cozy goes real well with this teapot!

Two-tone yarn

I had to try spinning Coberger Fuch (German Fox) and Rhone wool.  I just got this wool from Sherry's Fiber Farm.  This is a small skein of yarn I made.  It is not a soft wool, but it is not really rough either.

I hope you are all doing well.  We are all fine.

Dawnie

Soap Mold Supports and a Trivet

I have dreamed of making some kind of support for my silicone soap molds.  They go wonkey when they are full of soap, so I support them with jars and kitchen gadgets until the soap sets up.  I have designed several in my head, but never made any.  I purchased a few different sizes of boards and I finally made a prototype or two.  This is what I came up with:

I am not a woodworker, so don't expect perfect.

I hope these help my wonky molds to behave.

New crocheted trivet hand spun and hand dyed using Shetland wool.  I used the microwave to dye the trivet after it was made.  The trivet was varied in cream colors so the dye came out that way too.  I really liked the way it turned out.  My sister made the little jewelry decoration on the edge.

Thank you for viewing.  Dawnie

PS  Don't forget to go to my website at: https://www.slipperywhenwetsoaps.com or my website at: https://www.custercottage.com or my Etsy shop at:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CusterCottage

Dying Wool

If I purchase wool or yarn at the yarn store, I miss out on a lot of fun.  I like to purchase wool directly from a farmer.  I scour the wool.  Then I place wet scoured wool in a pot of water treated with vinegar or salt, depending on the type of dye I plan to use.  This will allow the dye to activate and stay on the wool.    I like to place a stripe of powdered dye across the pot on one end.  Then a couple inches away I place another stripe of powdered dye.  I usually make 3 to 5 stripes of dye.  I keep in mind that blue next to yellow will make green.   Yellow next to red will make orange.  Green next to red will make brown.  Too many colors will make a big pot of muck!

Drying freshly dyed Shetland.wool.

I also like to purchase a whole fleece.  It is usually a little less expensive that way.  My favorite wool to spin is long, white,  kid mohair,  It costs as much as $65.00 per pound in some places.

Happy day!  Dawnie