Addition to my menagerie :)

Just a quick post.. wanted to unveil my latest critter:

I havent got a name yet.....

My penguin doorstop :)  He is about the same height as the moongazing hare - just his beek makes him taller.

I dyed grey Norwegian wool black - it actually went dark charcoal grey, not black.  I used this for the base layers of all the black areas, with white Norwegian for the white bits.  The top layer is merino.  The dark grey Norwegian has come through the jet black merino & given it a lovely texture.. I'm really happy with that.

As with the hare he is seamless, made over a penguin shaped resist.. there was about 40% shrinkage during felting.  His flippers were formed over flipper shaped resists with dry fibre sticking out at the body end and I worked the ends into the body, in between layers as I was laying him out.  With plastic in between during felting to prevent them felting into the body.

He has a 500g rice bag in his bottom and some pretty blue wave like design cotton to finish him off.

This was my favourite project of the week.  Other than that the only felting was a scarf I played around with.. Its a collage of felt and lace fabrics & chiffon.  Havent take any photos as yet though (the penguin took over & stole the show).  Apart from that there has been work, shopping & getting work done on my car to eat the week away. 

xx

Weekly update

Well I had a lovely week last week! Even though my 12 year old was off school ill for 2 days, and I was at work for one of the days - I still managed to have a very productive week; I felted 4 scarfes and a cape - and have listed them all apart from one of the scarves (my goodness Im organised this week :o)

This little lovely is my very first entry into an etsyFAST challenge, Septembers theme is SONGS. This one is inspired by `I want you` by Savage Garden (follow the link to see the music video on youtube)

lyrics:
Ooh I want you, I dont know if I need you
But ooh Id die to find out
Anytime I need to see your face
I just close my eyes and I am taken to a place where your crystal mind and Magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chic a cherry cola

The song just keeps on going round n round in my head...just as it stops I catch sight of this scarf & off it goes again - good job I love the song :o)

This is my `Days of Embers` scarf. Ive also made an Indigo blue version, and lovely violet/purple which hasnt been listed yet (Im thinking of a name for it...)

I called this cape `Imagine`.

And apart from my productive felting week, work & poorly wee-ladie; we had a wonderful evening on Thursday!

My mum-in-law turned 60 earlier in the year, all the kids put together to buy her a hot air balloon ride as a special birthday pressie. Due to our English weather, unpredictable to say the least, its been cancelled 4 or 5 times... but Thursday she actually went up! It was incredible; we were right next to it with her, watching it being inflated OMG it was HUGE!!! There were 12 or 13 people in the basket so you can imagine it really was a whopper. I wouldnt of believed it could be so exciting just watching... When they released the balloon it went up so quickly & effortlessly - it was wonderfull & very emotional for some reason. They went upto 3,000 feet and were up for 1 1/2 hours.

While they were flying we walked around Worcester cathedral and along the river - it was nice. We didnt see the landing (which by all accounts is a very bumpy & undignified affair :). We all went for a meal afterwards, which rounded the evening off nicely. I think the whole family were on a high for the next couple of days, though we were all pretty shattered too for some reason.

We`re getting her a parachute jump for her 70th :)

There she is waving away :)

No felting today though, my son is home for a teacher training day so I have re-photographed most of the things in my shop and spent hours updating that :( boring...

Hope everybody else had a nice week xx

Day of Felt wrap

Ive managed to take some photos & thought I would share them with you :o) This is my wrap for the Day of Felt - 3rd Oct 09.

Here it is looking much more elegant without me on the photo

Im thrilled to bits with this wrap - its just what I wanted. Its felted from merino fibre in shades of red, orange & gold with golden silk fibre felted in for luck! It was also my first large scale cobweb felt project and I really enjoyed it! So much infact that I have since made another 2 of these lovely wraps... Ive just listed the Woodland Wrap on etsy; gorgeous greens - I love it!

Having a bad hair day!