Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Roving - I LOVE this stuff.

I just couldn't help but but another picture up of this roving. I am tickled at how this turned out and I just cannot wait to spin it up!!!! The colors are lovely and I love the way they work together. NOW I just need to come up with a catchy name for the colorway. REALLY don't know what to call it. Nothing has just jumped out at me like Johnny Jump Ups or Mixed Berries. I have other ones in my head all name but this one just HAPPENED!!! That' s what happens when roving just jumps in the dyepot and wants to be a certain color (or three).

Friday, November 14, 2008

Another Fun Dye Day

Today I had a fun dye day. I just wanted to do some Silk Scarves so that I could begin my adventures in Nuno felting which I never got too by the way. While I was at it I threw in some beautiful white roving and this is what happened - Brilliant Blue, Emerald Green and Chestnut Brown.
Here is the circle tie dye scarf in Emerald

And the gorgeous Chestnut Brown one.
Can't wait to see these done!


Thursday, November 6, 2008

First Peek at Lockerhocked Rug


Here it is drawn out and about 1/4 of the way hooked. It won't look like what is drawn exactly as I have decided some elements won't work for it but it is a good start. I will take another picture soon since I am about 1/2 way now. It really is starting to take shape and the blue/turquoise I dyed for the goat came out EXACTLY the color I want it!!!! Too exciting. I dyed a dark charcoal grey roving a brilliant blue/Turquoise mix and it is so beautiful. OOOH, AAH.
Can't wait to post the finished piece.....but that will be another week or so - AT LEAST. This is most certainly a lesson in patience if nothing else. I just want to see it done.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

More Lockerhooking

So, curiosity got me on the web early one morning and I began looking up the history of Lockerhooking. Originally it appears to have been done in England using 6ply wool yarn but the expense of producing rugs this way was too time consuming and expensive for most folks. A man visiting England took the technique and supplies home to his mother in Australia, who began experimenting to find an easier less expensive way and came up with the style I learned which is to Lockerhook with roving. Indeed - EASIER!!!! I think Lockerhooking is one of the easiest fiberarts there is - Way easier than the British method of course. One would have to process the wool, spin the 6 ply and then lockerhook the rug! This method requires a minimal of supplies - Canvas, yarn (2ply works fine and I am using some of my early UGLY 2ply as it gets covered up anyway and some not so NICE wool) Roving, Tapestry Needle and of course a Lockerhook which looks like a Crochet hook with a needle opening on the back. Oh, and at least some geometric imagination!!!!! REally- you can draw on the canvas and then Fill in with whatever color wool you want. It really is incredibly fun. Are you guys bored with posts with no pictures yet? They are coming - I promise. But I want to do a little more work on the rug FIRST! You'll just have to come back - that's all!