Spinning for Summer Sweater

Yup, I think summer is coming! And I am not going to go all Johnny Cash  this year. I'm gonna at least cover up the black and white with some colour!

Mary sais, Mudder you is nots a newspaper.

                                                                                   

 I spun these out of this eclectic collection of locks and fiber and big bags of this and that semi rovings I dyed one day. Doneal, who I listen to completely, suggested I spin them together.
I did not comb or card. I just picked it up as it came changing colours as I pleased. Then I plyed with royal blue cotton I had for ..... ahem...... thirty years.
I love the way it looks and can't wait to swan around in it!
Off now to draft a pants pattern. Hope YOU are doing something for yourself today! Get off your computer...ok? Life is waiting for you.

Dye Measures - This = That

Click photo to make larger

Today's Murder and Formula

To make Little House Wren simply prepare 1/8th yd of natural wool by wetting it with a touch of surfactant, like jet dry or shampoo.
 Dissolve 1/128 tsp + 1/256 tsp Majic Carpet Orange and 1/128th tsp. Seal Brown in 1/4 cup boiling water.

Add this to cool dye bath on stove top, no lid. Turn on heat, 9 I use high)  add wool, stir occassionally.

Wait until most of the colour has gone into the wool, then add 1 Tbsp. vinegar or 1/32 tsp. citric acid.

 Stir a bit more, turn off heat, cover and return an hour later. Rinse.

No murder need be committed to use this formula.

Blogger is strongly suggesting we make the change to the new format before they do it for us!

Ugly Wool

If you believe like I do that all wool, no matter the colour, is valuable wool you might have a stash of truly ugly wool you have NO idea how to handle.

One of the best things about wool is it's transmutable behaviour. That's an old word they used in alchemy, transmutable. Instead of searching to make gold we search to turn our wool into something more valuable, the colour we are looking for!

This week on The Welcome Mat I've re-issued my article, Taming The Uglies, there are about 8 good ways to deal with your ugly with dye. Surprising and interesting uses of colour abound. Pictured above is a black and white check that is spot dyed, it is called Impressionistic

The ideas work with found, inherited, and even the uglies you made yourself in the dye pot.

We are having a contest right now to see who possesses the ugliest wool. I'll be make it pretty as a prize and one of our members, who has a deep and generous heart , will be giving this person an brand new ugly.

I'm also looking at the colours of Norman Rockwell this month and translating them into formulas. Here is this week's inspiration:

I'm looking at the wall, the woman's coat, the couch, the paisleys on her dress and the rug. I love the emotions depicted and the beautiful rendering of her knees. Although it is not apparent at first the blacks in this work are derived from purple and not just his black eye!

Get up and get creating! That's an order!

Are you letting it happen?

Is clicking on this pretty picture keeping you from wool working?

Really ? Really.

Stop it - get creating... instead of being an observer be a partaker!

That is unless you need coloured balls.

Go here if you do.

Oh the Colours

I love spinning because of the new colour combos I can stumble on without even trying.

Escaped

Yesterday I escaped. To fiber heaven.

Yup.

Camilla Valley Farms

Tencel, bamboo everything a girly wants and needs.

And then to Chapters, a rare treat

I bought a second copy of Pantone Guide to Communicating with Colour, it is a great book to help you decide what colours to use together to create certain moods in your pieces, like classic, or energertic Only 4.99 a savings of almost $45.00 off the cover price.

Norman Rockwell inspired these colours in my column in The Welcome Mat, Dyeing Matters.

I like the way they look.

I'm working towards beauty and balance and I hope you are too!

This Week's Dye Formulas

The Dyeing Matters Column in The Welcome Mat this week:

Many Thanks to Julia C R Gray!

A message from

Aaron Scamihorn

That's what I'm doing right now, I hope you are too.

Aaron Scamihorn

We'll be right back after this brief test of the Emergency Network

There is just no time to write. Got three classes running online at once and my heart making took all spare minutes.

So instead I'll show you a thing or two.

Mary had her "kittens"

This is her birth announcement.

Yea, hai Sea, and Nessas I'se beat you and heres is my babis, see dau quilts I makes dem too.
Des sleeps a liots.
All days and nights too. Very goods de ares. Presents is welcomes.
Ok byes
Ps des names is Winkings, Dinnys and Donkos

signed Mistress Mary Ding Dong.

So Thea wrote back:

Hi Mary:

I hate to break it to you...but those "babies" are just made of felt. Did you ever notice that they don't cry very much or ask for milk? That's because you are mentally ill, and you invented fake babies so you could get attention. I think you need some pills, Mary.

By the way, where did you get that bird's nest, Mary? Did you kill some real mother's babies to get it for your fake babies? You are really sick.

-Thea, MA, MLIS

Mary said:

Sea, Whys you spoils me lifes?

I's is minding my babies and dey is filled with sheeps milks cos de b lergic to mines.

Why is you not fills with happiness sor your sister?

Oh dears pills, I cans surscribes dems and knows who can needs dem too, you got mirror? ....

Mistress Mary Ding Dong, MD, DMin, B.S. Psy D.

Nessa brought Mary's "Kittens" teddy bears:

Oh Hai- after the sheeps milks de kittehs is looking ver helvy yah?

Dat Sea.

Dr. MMDD

This week's colour formulas on The Mat's Dyeing to Know column

Hearts came by the dozens for my birthday - great happiness came too

This one by Cynthia Young

My friend Claude finished her rug, well done for so many reasons Claude.

Colour Perfection.

Latest Most Interesting Rumours:

I'm not selling wool anymore, spinning has taken over my life, I'm not into hooking.

I'm going blind, I'm naked and quivering in my house, I'm divorced, rich, poor, toothless, had plastic surgery, moving to Argentina, fat, skinny, pregnant and a lesbian, you heard me right!

No wonder I'm so busy!!!

Take your pick and pass it along as quickly and as erroneously as you can.

Let's see what comes back.

Sunday Suntimes

Homefront

It snowed! It snowed! making every February dream come true.

Serious Snow Play

Let's you eat Valentine Chocolate without reprecussions

Last week end I was an Outdoor Educator wider woman.

Here Man gets down and pretends to see a rare beasty on ice and fools local paper:

Man Kerr, left and Ange Flynn, right, along with other participants examine an insect on the ice at Spry Lake during The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario winter conference at The Institute for Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies near Wiarton on Saturday February 04, 2012. WILLY WATERTON/OWEN SOUND SUN TIMES/QMI AGENCY

What we can notice from this photo woolworkers, Man is not wearing his town wife's hand made, dyed, spun and knit mitts or hat.

__________________________________

Celie told me Mary thinks she is having kittens.

She is in a good position to know.

I found an email Mary wrote to Thea, it is as follows:

Seah?

Dis is Mary.I sink yur babies need dat and i wants it toos, I's is hasing kittens dis Mays, dey needs dis.Tell mudder.http://www.ohsweetbabies.com/accessories-flower-headbands.php

Thea does not let Mary down easy,

so Mary says:

Seah? Is dat you?

Really's? I gots teef and I has felt your flesh tween them afore sos I'b nice, u razed bys dem wolfs?

Be very nice, I could harm you also wif my poops.

But I don't wants to decause I am nice.

O you is means.

I always knowed dat. Why be surprise?

resigned to trufs, Mary

Thea thinks Mary is just Fat. I see a sibling rivalry issue blooming.

Meanwhile I found these in Mary's sleeping nest.

Such a knitter, our Mary!

I'm going to start closing my laptop before retiring

And leave the dyeing and knitting to Mary from now on.

Happy Valentine's Day!

( I know this is a strange heart to get from an life long abstainer but I can see the pretty in anything)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Makings

Here is this weeks only spinning BOOHOO

Although I'm happy making hearts, spinning does something for me deep inside, will the wool winds, I unwind. Just to do something for the pure joy of it is very special for me.

Big Big manufacturing of hearts here of all kinds

They are wax and wire wood and wool

chenille and fur, velvet and calico

And some are gifts from afar. There is some wonderful movement afoot and each day I'm getting heartier and heartier. People are sending me wonderful delightful crafty artful hearts in the mail.

What fun and what a blessing!

I've never had such a joyful February.

I'm making 50 hearts and it is keeping me hopping 2 a day soon balloons if you miss a few days.

But yesterday I started sewing this outfit. It is for the next coven meeting. I made tights to wear with it too and I'll make my shirt for it today.

It has a double vest look. On is a sheer light knit, that is angular the other is lambswool, an old Gap sweater I bought second hand, cut the sleeves off added a few godets at the hips. All can be work as separately too.

The skirts is a patch work affair with a side zip.

I also got some boots from Reiker that actually fit my calves (A MIRACLE) all that walking bulks them up.

Also new in the shoe closet GREEN Mary Janes

This is a big change from my usual RED shoes.

Green the colour of renewal! of course I did not technically make these and so are in the wrong place, but do belong with Coven wear.

The Welcome Mat

This week our dye offerings included these beautiful colours inspired by

Big Raven by Emily Carr

Our inspiration for new colours this coming week:

This week we will talk about love of wool and loss of inhibition and the great love we all have for working with wool. Don't miss my love letter to hookers. There are so many inspiring rugs to see, we have over 8500 photos to look at. What an splendid array!

The Mat is a cosy home for rug hookers and woolworkers of all kinds.

Visit The Welcome Mat

You can see my boards if what interests me interests you here:




I'm tweeting some faith formulas each week right here ( you got to have faith in me because there are no pictures)

I'd love to be your friend on facebook or anywhere really and you will get notices of my tweets and blog post. I rarely post anything else there and NEVER play Words with Friends or Bubble Witch Saga.

Couch Side Chat

 I'm away from my desk and sitting at the couch, that's like a day off right?

Makings

 This week  February came and with it an exciting new art project. In honour of my 50th February I'm going to make 50 hearts this month.  Here are my first 4, I plan to make 4 more today.

Heart Felt

Thin as Paper Heart

Wooden Lace

Pure Heart

I'm also collecting doilies to make this beautiful runner, I'm almost there, picture next week. Isn't it pretty?

My friend Jen won the Wool of Fortune last week and I spun this wool for her chosen prize, finger less mitts.

It was spun from this collection of wool I dyed on Monday! I had the Springmount Spinsters here for the whole afternoon, what fun and what pleasur,e they dyed like geniuses! It is a blessing for me to have such terrific people to share my hobby with.

The Home Front

Here is what breakfast looks like and the girls don't take kindly to interruptions, don't worry that's not Bootsie on the plate, he is not allow to ascend to the counter. He is down on the floor.

Yup that's the kinda house we have, cats on the counter, this one anyway, not the others. I mostly use that one for dyeing and feeding livestock.

It has been a busy week here.

I did get a chance to read a bit.

Here is the list:

Blackberry Wine -Joanne Harris

Once Upon A time There was You- Elizabeth Berg

Until The Real Thing Comes Along- Elizabeth Berg

Junky Styling- Annika Sanders

1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips - Deepika Prakash

I could hot link these for you but it is good for you to google, good for your health and mind.

Who knows what flights of fancy you might embark on from the search?

The Studio

My studio looks like a bomb went off.

We had such a great hook-in this week. Frequently a theme emerges and this past Thursday it was how to make buildings look 3D.

Lots of times we get very hung up on tiny details that are not as important as structural matters.

If you are hooking a brick house from some distance do you need to worry about the bricks showing up or the pointing?

No you don't! Another thing we all noticed was we sometimes don't pay close enough attention to details that create  depth and structure, we will also substitute light areas we see for dark or vice versa and destroy our depth of field. We are so fascinating and I'm sorry to say very predictable in our tendencies!

I was unable to take photos, too busy with a full house.

Another thing we learned, if you want a simple pattern to use up scraps don't let it contain more then a couple of subjects like a tree and one house.

The Mat

This beautiful Emily Carr painting will be the subject of the dye Matter s column this coming week, it is a great one to make a concerted study of. How is attention drawn to the central figure, look how the amazing curves and triangles and straight lines create a symphony!

Our annual online free class has started on The Mat, the subject is stained glass, today I explain 4 ways to get your wool ready, two ways to dye it with a possible third and also how to gather up what you need to hook it from scraps and stripes or textures or the specially dyed wool.

Our weekend challenge on the Mat, try in a small way to loosen up even a tiny long held belief. Freeing your mind will free your hands to work more creatively.

New Skills Monday- Is what you think about what you see more important than what is there?

How to hook realistically.

Portrait Study Class- Not on the Mat but Close
There was a hue and cry for me to open up my face class. If you are already a member in good standing in The WandaWorks studio you can start, finish or continue where you left off, no additional fee. If you want to join in as a new student.... cost $100. This is a graduated class, you have to complete one part to my satisfaction before you can move to the next part.

 If you did your work and want further study I'll open up a 4th section for you to work on your own projects with my assistance for $50. This will be open until July 15th.
Interested? Write me wlm@bmts.com

My tip for the week?

Man's tip? You gotta be flexible

Take that any way you want.