A few New items

Here is a hat and purse I just finished. I'd like to say that they match but they don't. I couldn't find the red that the purse was made from so bought another red for the hat and they are different colors - the purse is a darker red than the hat which is more Cherry! Still, they turned out cute. I did sell a hat at an Arts and Crafts Fair 2 weekends ago - amazinly enough for the weather was in the 70s and these are WOOL! I have several hats up in Colorado for a show this weekend so hopefully they also will sell. The weather up there is MUCH colder!!!!

NEW Yarn

I just can't stop spinning. Here are 4 of the latest skeins of Yarn. A friend thinks this is Shetland wool = it was given to me in roving with no tags or anything. It is heathered brown. I spun up two skeins of single ply, then I took a workshop on spinning a few weekends ago and learned to spin thinner yarn so I did and then learned to ply. The two skeins on the right are 2 ply and turned out great - HMMM, what to do with this yarn??????

Will keep you all updated on what comes from this. I am spinning some stuff now that I hate. I will ply it and see what comes of it. It is making bumpy yarn all on its' own and it is very course. I am in the process of buying some Border Leicester/Cheviot cross wool right now. I am having so much fun spinning the different types of fiber to learn. No complaints.

D

MORE Gourds for Fall

Here are Several new gourds I've done recently. The sunflower birdhouse, the leaf bowl, the hummingbird christmas ornament, sunflower christmas ornament and a leaf birdhouse.

These are just some samples of what I'm doing. They are made using a woodburning tool and leather dyes. I LOVE the sunflower christmas ornament and the leaf bow. The leaf birdhouse isn't done yet. I still have to stain it and put the "coating" over it. These are NOT weatherproofed and are for decoration only. Christmas ornaments will run $15.00 and the the bowls and birdhouses (these aren't very big) run between $40 and $60. Hope you enjoy my gourdart!.

A Few More Felted Critters

Here is a needle felted Nigerian Dwarf goat and a needle felted "tye-die" teddy bear in greens, purples and pink. Both are available for $15 each.

Thank you for looking

Needle Felted Angora Goat

Here's the newest needle felted angora goat - this one is sold but you can see it better than the other one. I've gotta make these bigger! I will be adding a teddy bear and a Nigerian goat soon to the post. These are available by order only for $15.00

D.

Wool Washing

I have been washing the white and grey wool I was given by a lady locally. It is beautiful stuff. I also had been given some very dirty/matted mohair by a neighbor so I kept what was good and threw the rest away. Here is pictures of it being washed and dried - who knew a trampoline would be a VERY good place to dry wool - PERFECT. I am looking forward to finding the time and equipment to start carding. Hopefully by the time I get to spinning I will be proficient enough to make some really NICE yarn. Then, it will be on to learning to dye. Yep, definitely a Fiber Phanatic

Wool and newly spun yarn

Here are before and after pictures of the first yarns I spun. YES, they are tight and curliqued but who cares, they have character and I'm learning. I LOVE it. The only wild thing is, the tan one turned greeny gold colored. It's actually a really pretty color - I like it better than the tan it originally was. Very fun.

I will be spinning some black tonight and weaving this stuff on a triangular loom to make purses out of. Too much fun to be had. I will be posting my wool that I cleaned today as well.

Out with the OLD, In with the NEW

Happy Birthday to ME! The new wheel is here and the old wheel

is being retired to "decoration" status. It is an antique and it belonged to my best friend's grandma so it is staying unless one of them wants it (grandma or best friend) but won't be used. It is a neat wheel but limited in what I can do with it. Soooooo, the new wheel will take it's place. It is an Ashford Scholar. Ashford doesn't make it any more but it's a beauty, easy to use and they still make the parts for it (Thank goodness!) I will be able to ply my yarn and it's treadle folds up easily for portability so I can go to my spining group/Fiber guild meetings easily with spinning wheel in tow. Couldn't do that very well with the other one. Plus it is so nice to store. Can't wait to start spinning LOTS of yarn!!!

God is GOOD!

NEW - Felted Wool Pins

Here are my two newest projects - felted/beaded pins (lapel, brooch, hat) What fun that was to make. Now I have ideas just bouncing through my brain - If only there were more hours in the day to do all the fun stuff I'd Like to do!!! Anyway, check back often since I will be doing a lot more of these little gems.

I am trying to convince my kids to do them too since they are so fun and easy. So far no luck. My daughter is too busy learning to be a computer geek and my son would rather kill an imaginary enemy with his imaginary weapons. I don't think the 4yo is ready for this - needles are too sharp but we will be working on her learning to knit this winter. Gotta go work on one of my UFOs !

Little Needle Felted Nigie

Here is my second needle felted Nigerian Dwarf goat (yes, she has a little udder too but you can't see it). I am working on another little Angora as we speak. I still don't like this one as well but will keep working on them. I want to do Pygmy goats and maybe even Alpacas etc. Dee's Menagerie. I just can't keep them around long enough to actually take a picture of more than one!! This one is sold and heading to Colorado.

My first skein of yarn

Well, I finally did it - I spun my first yarn on my old creaky in bad shape wheel. i wanted to finish it before the new wheel gets here tomorrow and I spun the last of it today. It's lumpy bumpy curli Q-y but it's my first. My plan is to use the yarn to make a triangle weave purse. This stuff should look really cool felted so I am hoping to get a small purse with and I Cord handle.

Fun Stuff!

Goatie Gourds

These are the latest gourds. The first picture is a trophy for the SWNDGC State Fair show. the second will be used as a prize as well but it is a pair of earrings (post style) and pin. I will be making many more of these for sale.

MORE Hats!

I have to thank my kids for being my "hat heads" for pictures. Here are 3 hats made from Lion Brand Suede yarn. This stuff feels amazing (even though I usually hate working in "un-natural" fibers) It is so soft. I've made 4 hats out of Ecru and Chocolate or a mix thereof. Three of the hats have sold already! I'm working on another one now. It should be done by end of today and is Ecru. This yarn was given to me so normally I wouldn't have bought it but this was a good thing to have fall in my lap, it is very soft and warm.....Great for winter! I have one more hat not pictured that is purple and black cotton. Hope to get it up this week too!

The Finished Shawl

Here is the finished Shawl with the peacock colored hat. The Shawl is made out of Lion brand Ribbon yarn in Copper Penny. I love the "fall" colors in it. The Peacock hat is made out of Cascade 220 "Heathers" in peacock blue. It is light in weight than most of the hats I've made from the Brown Sheep Co. wool/mohair blend. I love that it is 100% Peruvian Merino so it is still very soft without the Mohair.

Weaving Project

This is my first project on the triangular loom. I am working on a shawl using Lion Brand Incredible Ribbon called Copper Penny. I love the luminous soft fall like colors in this ribbon. It is making a very drapey nice shawl. I am hoping to finish it in time for the Bosque farms Fair in two weeks. It is close to being done.

I will post a picture of the finished shawl when it is done but this will give you an idea of what a finished triangle on the loom looks like. Thank you Mary Curik of Four Pines Alpacas for teaching such an AWESOME class on weaving on the triangular and circular looms. I hope to have a project from the circular loom up on here soon as well, I'm working on it when I'm not working on this one!!!

Tulip Gourd

I just finished this tulip gourd for an order - I love the way it turned out. I used woodburning and leather dye for the color.

I will seal it today and it will be off to it's new home soon. I hope to post a horse I am doing for my one and only riding student.

soon, it is almost done. I just need white and dark brown leather dye to finish it. I just love the way this one turned out though, it is one of my favorites so far.

Black and Red Hat.

Here is a cotton hat I just finished. I think it needs some big beady flowery pin to dress it up but it is one of the softest hats I've ever made. It is out of Cascade's 100% cotton yarn (red) and some nice black cotton I was given (didn't have a label). Hope everyone likes it!!

D.

The Felted Angora and Soaps

This picture is of some of our handmade goat's milk soaps in Cucumber scent with a needlefelted Angora goat that was more fun to make than you can shake a stick at. I think I will be doing a LOT more of these.

They turn out so cute. I had to take a picture before this order went out so I had a record of the little angora.

Hope you like it!

Two More Hats

Two more hats. The one on the Right is another Mohair/Wool blend from Lamb's Pride. Unfortunately you cannot see the beaded design on it very well. There are light purple "sunburst" designs all around the hat. The other hat is made of cotton. Both are crocheted and ARE currently for sale. The Cotton hat will fit a bigger head than the pink hat. The pink hat will fit a small adult or larger child. Brim on pink hat can curl up all the way around.

I love doing these hats. I have another one done, that is on order from a customer but may go up for sale if she doesn't pick it up soon. It's red, so all you red hatters out there....

Grey Felted Alpaca Hat

This is a hat that my sister in law ordered (Thank you Megan!) It is a charcoal grey felted Alpaca hat. I bought 600 yards of Prime Alpaca in Charcoal. I crocheted it double stranded for a little more bulk and it is sooooo nice and soft. I'm so excited about this as I've never worked in Alpaca before. It fuzzes a little differently from the Wool/Mohair I've been using but it is so much softer than anything I've worked with. I think I like working in Alpaca. Good think since my next project is that OZZY scarf out of Ozzy the Alpaca's Auburn wool!

Grey Hat out of 100% Angora Rabbit

This picture is kind of dark but it is of an 100% Angora rabbit hat crochet for a friend of mine. She asked if I could make this hat and sent me her rabbit hair, already spun. This is the finished product. She requested a "flapper" style hat so here it is Jeannie!!!It turned out pretty good considering I was pretty worried at a certain point because the brim kept curling. Once I added the weight pulled it down and the brim did what it was supposed to do. It is on it's way to Colorado as I write this.

Baby Hat

I just finished crocheting this baby hat for a friend's baby. I LOVE this yarn color. It's a variegated pastel cotton that I bought after Christmas. The little flower is holding up the brim which is slightly "ruffled" but you can't see that. I wish I had a baby to model the hat! I have some yarn leftover that I may try to do a newborn hat out of. I also started last night Knitting a scarf out of "OZZY" an auburn alpaca yarn. I found the pattern of Isle of misfit patterns and it's a lacy scarf with a leaf pattern on it. I will hopefully be posting a picture of the scarf and Ozzy, my favorite Alpaca at FourPines Alpacas here in Los Lunas. Thank you Mary for letting me have first dibs on Ozzy's yarn!

Alyssa's Mitts

My daughter seems to have caught the knitting bug as well. She wanted to make a pair of fingerless gloves as her second project. She chose a chocolate brown wool (can't remember the brand) in worsted weight and turned out these little mitts in less than a week while learning the stockinette and rib stitches. Way too Go! Now she is on to a pair of leg warmers that match her mitts in Chocolate brown worsted weight Wool-Ease by Lion brand Yarn.

Little Red Purse

This is the before and after shots of a felted purse I recently finished. It is knitted in the garter stitch (I finally learned how to decrease!) on size 8 circular needles. The yarn is Top of the Lamb from Brown Sheep Company (I LOVE their yarn). It is already sold and somewhere in California. I sure enjoyed knitting this purse. I am hoping to do another one for myself one of these days soon - probably not it red. The clasp is a black bead held on with a red bead. Not too shabby for my first purse.

Set Up at Harvey House Fiber Show

This is my display at the Harvey House Museum in Belen for the annual fiber show. It features quilters, fiber artists, needlepoint, rug hooking and silk painting. I have a set up with my felted hats, scarves, crocheted washclothes, goat's milk soaps and some beading.
Everything is for sale here.

An Early Gourd

This is one of my first gourd birdhouses done in a hummingbird design. I've done a lot of these recently for orders and changed my design to have more color in it using leather dyes and wood stains. This one is in acrylic paint with a clear coating on it. Most of these are meant for decoration - not functional! Since this one I've done, horses (woodburned and stained), goats, roadrunners, flowers, SouthWestern designs, and beehive. Currently I am doing a tulip bowl and Kokopellis. I've sold gourds from $15.00 up to $175. Depending on size, materials etc.

Crocheted and Felted Cherry Hat

This is one of my first projects. The hat is 100%Wool from Lamb's Pride in ultra Blue. The hat is crocheted in the round (Fiber Trends pattern) and then felted. After felting it is blocked on a styrofoam head and dries. Then I needle felted the cherries on it. I love making these hats. You'll see a lot of these posted on here. I usually sell these for $45.00 and up. This one isn't sold, runs smaller than most of mine and I reduced the price to $35.00. It is currently showing at a Fiber show in Belen, NM at the Harvey House Museum.

Fiber Phanatic

I have been looking for a place to journal about my adventures in Knitting, Crocheting, Gourd creations and what other crazy artistic endeavors I can dream up. I think I finally found my place. If you found this place, I'm honored you'd even bother looking at my feeble attempts at Fiber Creation and Gourd Art. I eventually hope to add things like weaving, beading, and rug making to the list but for now I will be posting pictures of my crocheted and felted hats, knitted and felted headbands, scarfs, purses and gourds. Everything I make is for sale. I rarely "hold onto" my creations. I create because I love to do it. I am more than happy to (more or less) make something similar to something sold if someone wants one. So, Welcome to my creative journey into Fiber and Gourd creations.