The felt is not very thick, but since it takes a while for the dye to absorb, the front side doesn't look like the back.
I finished this scarf this week... Well, actually I finished weaving it last month. You might remember when it was on the loom? I just finished the ends and now I'm going to do a "wash" of sorts to soften it up. Look for it soon in the shop!
The last week has left me frustrated beyond belief. I went to dye a bunch of felt to find that I was mostly out of the color I wanted. Although it didn't matter because I was out of felt. What the eff?
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| Via Dharma Trading |
Talk about adding salt to the wound! When ordering ready-to-dye supplies, I could have sworn I had included some doggie hoodies. Yeah, go ahead make fun. EXCEPT EVERYONE LOVES THEM. Who can resist a dog in a hoody? It's ridiculous. Ridiculously cute, that is.
Guess I have to go make another order.... Rough! Ruf.
I used the leftover yarn from this project and decided to make it into a huge-ass cowl.
All ready to dye!
Over Thanksgiving, I asked my mother to teach me how to crochet. I stunk at it. I'm not trying to brag here, but I pick up things relatively easily and this was something that I just could not grasp. Literally. My fingers cramped up, I couldn't figure out which way was the proper way to "yarn over". Clockwise? Counterclockwise? How do I get it through the loop without catching everything else? What part of the stitch do I put it through?!? I don't get it!! And my lovely mother took some well deserved cracks at me and my lack of comprehension. We shared a lot of belly aching laughs. And that was the end of crocheting for me.
Except that I am a stupidly determined person, and when I'm terrible at something it makes me want to learn it more. (Groan. I know. Maybe someone should have told me I would be a terrible investment banker.) Anyway, I sat down with my Teach Yourself Visually book - note: I do not get anything for endorsing these books, they're just great, um, visually - and single crocheted my heart out. Then double crocheted and before long, I had a few example swatches.
It was as if a light had switched on - I just "got it". Before long, I had made a few snowflake ornaments for our non-existant tree.
Okay, not a few. More like a gagillion.
And now I understand why people like this so much. Yes, it is quick (more so than knitting?) but it is much easier to fix mistakes not to mention easy to hide mistakes.
The problem I'm having is how to bring it into the 21st century. I'm not really interested in making hats or tea cozies and all the patterns I've been finding look dated in a not-so-cool way.
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| Via Exhibition Site |
Yesterday, after meeting two fabulous friends for lunch, I scurried my way in the freezing cold to the museum at FIT.
The special exhibit? Select pieces from Daphne Guinness, heir to that fabulous brewing family across the sea. Yum. If you want the general run down: she's a fashionista who will wear anything, including the crazy couture stuff that doesn't normally make it off the runway.
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| via exhibition site |
Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures, and these were just a few of the ones that I could pull off the site. Doubly unfortunate for the NYCers reading this is the fact that it's closing in two days.
But the most fortunate part? It was free.
Undulating twill is a great weave structure that gives a little visual interest to something that otherwise might look flat. Usually I use it with solid colored yarn because the weave structure is so interesting that it will take precedence over the color. This time around, I wove up a grey version of my favorite undulating twill pattern for a scarf. But the grey was felling a little dull, so I decided to spice it up a bit.
...comes from one of my favorite antique store I've mentioned before: The Chicken Barn! This old 8-track player presented itself - it folded onto itself like a brief case and with the eight track player at top. The speakers had this funky woven fabric over top.
Don't you just love the color combo? I might have to lift it directly for my next woven piece!
I know this is trite, but I suppose there's a reason why people say it: sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful. Yep, nothing deep there. But the other day I went on this massive dyeing excursion, and of course I created little samples to make sure I didn't mess up anything. 
