More wool locks, etc.

I haven't made many things as of late.  I threw my back out and I spent several days in pain with a lot of Icy Hot patches and muscle cream along with some kind of muscle relaxer/pain pills.  I was a little out of touch.  I couldn't bend without major hurt in the lower of my back, especially on the right.  You just don't know all of the things you use those muscles for until you need them.

I finished one of the fireplace mantle cloths.  I made this one a little wider so it could be used on a buffet or a dresser.  If it is too wide, it can be easily folded on the back side.  This mantle cloth is for the fall.  It has tiny deer heads on it along with pastel leaves on a dark golden metallic brown background.  The reverse side has a burlap look alike fabric.  All along one side is long sheep wool locks.  They are kettle/rainbow dyed with primarily gold color.  There were also yellow, purple, brown, and orange colors in the dye pot.  I love the longer locks and the bling in the fabric!  I don't have a mantle, but my mom does, so I made use of it.

up close

This is a table runner I completed this summer.  I love the vivid colors.  It really makes a great mantle cloth too!

The harvest mantle cloth.  It has a blackboard-like background with vivid fruit and veggie pictures and canning jars.  The other side of the cloth has a coral fabric.  This is such a playful fun fabric.  I could see some canning jars on this the mantle or on a sideboard and this cloth used for a sideboard cover/cloth.

When making the mantle cloths, I needle felted the wool locks onto the fabric and then sewed the seams.  I think the locks will be less easy to pull off.

My grand-baby turned 2 and my mom turned 87 on 9/11.

I noticed all of the curls in my grand-daughter's hair.  All I can see is wool locks for spinning.  LOL

I hope you are all doing well.  Have a great weekend!  Dawnie

Using Wool Locks

Wool locks can be used many ways.  I am making a rug at this time.  It will be a while before the reveal.  LOL  I have made trivets and placed the locks around the outside in the last row.  I like that look, but it is not real full.  I have placed locks into the wool and let them do their own thing and I get some great results.  I really like the look of crocheting or knitting a lock in a stitch.  The middle of the lock I feel will hold the lock in place the best.  It depends on what is made and who it is made for as to the best use of my locks.  I like to use hand-spun yarn when I crochet or knit the lock in place.  Of course, felting works well too.  I recently made a trivet for someone.  Her favorite color is blue, but other colors work fine too.  In the center of the trivet is a button containing a blue bird and a pink flower.  The locks are smaller locks and come from BFL (sheep breed) and dyed in various pink colors.  The yarn I used to crochet with is hand-spun.  It is mostly blue yarn, with one ply in blue with various colors and fibers, one ply in pink Merino, and one ply in pink cotton thread.  I started crocheting a circle in the normal style.  Once I had two rows crocheted, I would catch the center of a lock in a stitch and single crochet it twice in that stitch.  I would then put three stitches between the stitches.  If the trivet gets too big, I would crochet the second and third stitch between stitches together.  This method gave the trivet some fullness.  It is very fluffy and it can be shaken into place somewhat if it gets settled down.  Yes, I like shabby chic decor.  LOL

This looks like it is about 4" wide, but it is closer to 9 inches in diameter.

In the picture below, a little girl is telling me that I have too much wool.  LOL  She is being photo bombed in the picture by little Joy, the Toy Fox Terrier.  I don't get a lot of work done when the grand-daughter is here.  She likes to play tea and sit on my lap.  Trivets under teapots come in handy at our house.  

More dying wool and spinning.

Thank you for viewing!  Dawnie

Just a spinning....

eye candy

3 months ago,  I signed up for a fiber box from  TheSpinningBox.com.  It is a Mystery Box containing several different fibers and fiber blends.   Themes and colorways change every month. It is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. You can sign up for one box at a time, or for longer commitments.  The box is worth the money.  The first box had a lot of fall colors in it, including orange.  I am not a fan of the color orange, but it gave me a lot of fun items to spin.  The next two boxes had less orange wool in them.  Usually I buy directly from the farmer and process my own wool, so it is really a treat to use fiber which is ready to use.

  

I spun a batt from the spinning box to crochet this cute little baby hat.  I plied it with gray Romney wool.  The gray fake-fur pompom also came in the spinning box!

Gift for an expectant mother.

The baby hat above is crocheted with 78 yards of most anything spinable.  It was made from many kinds of wool, mohair, alpaca, and nylon sparkle.  When you are tired of spinning a bobbin or more of one color and/or one type of yarn, do what I do.  (I know my entertainment is not the same as most people.  LOL)  I spin from 12" to 3 yards of one fiber and then I switch to another fiber, repeating different fibers until my bobbin is full.  Much of this fiber is spun lumpy bumpy or with some other technique to give the yarn a different look.   This yarn can be used as a one ply yarn or plied with a skein spun this same way, or plied with a regularly spun yarn.  This is fun yarn for hats, mittens, trivets, tea cozies, etc.  I don't use fancy fiber for pot holders if the fiber hangs down because I fear it could catch on fire.  

I made a trivet that is a little unusual.  I crocheted a regular circle with home-spun yarn and then I needle felted dyed wool locks of mystery wool fiber around the edges.  It looks kind of like it will start crawling, right?  LOL  It displays a teapot very nicely.  It is probably a little large for use as a coaster.  

I am playing with wool locks as you saw with the above project.  I am crocheting a chain with little circles.  Then I place a few locks into the circle and needle felt them in place.  This is will be a banner/bunting to string across a room or area of a room in my fiber area.  I think all fiber studios and yarn shop owners need one of these.  Don't you???  😊😊😊

More eye candy.  It is a dreary winter day and you probably need something to pick you up.

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