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Woolly Deliciousness


Hi guys :)
i've just realised it's been rather a while since i did an update on what i've been doing with my Woolfest bargains :)
So settle in, there are rather a few photo's haha :)

This is my cushion, it's kind of a showcase of how my spinning has progressed, ranging from thick and lumpy to extremely fine, with emphasis on natural colours, either from the sheep or or nature dyes, the rather bright orange was actually from red onion skins! They were solar dyed, i boiled them up, strained them and just plomked them in a jar with the wool and left them to sit for 3 weeks.

How i'm going to turn it into a cushion i do not know! it's shrinking haha :)

A smallholder at our textiles group gave me some of her lovely Blue Faced Leicester last Saturday and ooh my goodness the difference between this and the Shetland i bought at Woolfest is amazing! It is sooooo soft! i can't begin to describe it. It is a delight to spin with, so i'm very much a Blue Face Leicester fan now :)

I also had a play with blending the two, darks from the Shetland and lights from the BFL to make a delicious grey :)


I had a go at making some green dye from nettle 
(the neighbours probably thought i was a complete kook sat on the back door step picking off nettle leaves, no surprise there mind you) 

I also foraged some blackberries and made the most lovely lilcacy-pink wool from the dye. 
Even though the picture looks really dark, it's much lighter, like in the next picture, even though this one looks too light! 
Technology *sigh* :)



Me and some friends went on a 6-7mile walk yesterday and oh my, the views were stunning!
It was definitely worth it! 


In garden news, the rosemary is growing nicely, still a bit skinny, but i did harvest quite a bit to dry
it looks rather mutant-like with a few large stems sticking out 


And these....
Believe it or not this is my potato harvest... to be fair though, i grew them from scraps and they were in a wicker basket and were generally rather left to their own devices the poor things haha
good job i'm not relying on the yet!

What have you guys been up to this week? :)



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Comments

  1. Jules2 October 2015 at 05:37

    The cushion will look great when finished. Iove the changing colours and textures. I looks like you had some beautiful weather for your walk. Where did you go? X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown2 October 2015 at 14:47

      i hope so! problem is, i don't know if i want to make it long enough to fold over , or just make it a long cushion with some of plain fabric on the back, so i can show off all the colours and variations :)
      oh it was, it was roasting hot, we paddled our feet in a river at the end :) It's a place in Co Durham called Hamsterley forest, it's huge! it's such a beautiful place to walk, incredibly peaceful and wonderful views :) xx

      Delete
  2. northsider 2 October 2015 at 13:02

    Six to seven miles is a good distance to walk. It's great to walk with friends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown2 October 2015 at 14:50

      it's just enough, so you feel like you've had a good workout, but without feeling like you are going to pass out at the end haha :) it's much more fun with friends, you get such a good laugh, and varied conversation :) xx

      Delete
  3. Unknown6 October 2015 at 03:30

    have fun making your cushions it great seeing you use your own natural colouring. well done on the walk and your potatoes enjoy them if you haven't already done so, dee x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Susie - secondhandsusie.blogspot.com17 October 2015 at 13:37

    Wow, you're so clever with all your spinning and dying, your knitting is looking great and will make a fine cushion cover I'm sure! :)

    ReplyDelete

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