Another Weaving Project off the loom.

After several weeks of utter frustration in the weaving dept. I've finally managed to
put the 2nd weaving project (Christmas present) to rest. Just need to wash it and
iron it. I'm so glad to have these two projects done finally and can move on to things
I would like to do for the Harvey House show in Feb.
This is my Mother in Law's handwoven scarf in brown cotton and the Painted Desert colorway. and the bottom one is my Sister in Law's table runner in coral, chocolate and multi/teal handspun.
I really love the colors together and am already thinking of OTHER projects to do with the tons
of yarn I have just laying around.......

More Stockings to hang by the chimney with care!

Here are the last of the stockings. This one is by far my favorite and again is the inspiration to more creative endeavors. OH if only I had as much time as I have ideas .......Oh well. Seriously though, this was a blast.

Here is the the Christmas tree goat - Unfortunatley you can't see the little red ornaments all over the tree. I just LOVE being able to create! Thanks TG for giving me the opportunity!

More New Nuno Scarves.

Today was a scarf making day. I dyed 3 scarves a few days ago - Two in a dark red/purple and one in brilliant blue. This is one of the red/purple scarves that is Nuno felted with brown, teal, and red/purple wool with gold angelina fiber.

Here is a close up of the red/purple scarf. I haven't named this one yet. It might get a name if I get inspired. Next step - beading the edges but first I need to wait until it is dry.

This is the brilliant blue scarf with wisps of tropical bright colors all over it

it is fun!!!!!

Close up of the colors used: tangerine, yellow, lime green, turquoise, hot pink and a little bit of purple. I wasn't really sure I like this one until it got close to being done. Now I love it. I'm calling it Miami Brite.

Fun Project.

My knitting/spinning/weaving buddy Terri gave me a fun project to do - felt fun Christmas scenes on her stockings - Oh my goodness - this has been a blast!

Here is the closeup of the first one - an Angora goat eating the carrot nose off of a snowman. Really - the more I felt the more fun I have and I am enjoying the challenge of coming up with themes for each stocking that combine Christmas and goats/dogs

I wish there were more time in the day to do more fun stuff like this ! Off to finish more projects - with two Craft fairs coming up and Christmas breathing down my neck I have a lot to do and very little time to do it in.

I forgot my camara and Had a blast!

This past weekend I drove up to the Jemez and taught 4 women to Lockerhook for the Jemez Valley Fiber Arts Group. The setting was LOVELY, the ladies were delightful and so quick to catch on! I couldn't believe how fast the day slipped by and most everyone got quite a bit of their projects done except one very ambitious gal who is doing a rug - not a hotpad.
I was also invited back in the spring to teach another class on Kool Aid dying, carding and
drop spindle if I can learn in time. Thankfully I sort of know how and I have 6 months to practice if i can lay my hands on a spindle which shouldn't be an issue.
If you live in the Jemez - I recommend this wonderful group and if you don't - check out their classes anyway. I know they've done felting, quilting and making rag rugs.
I wish I'd remembered my camara - the class was held at the Green Acres Permaculture Demonstration farm and is awesome. They live in a yurt part of the year and also rent out the yurt if someone wants to go stay up there. They also do permaculture classes and apparently grow tons of herbs, veggies and flowers. The property abuts the Jemez River and would be a dream property! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to live in a place like this and make the upper part of the main building a studio/gallery but we'd need a miracle for that to happen plus - I love it here in Bosque Farms and would find it hard to leave our property here and all of our awesome neighbors......so yeah, probably wouldn't happen unless it's a vacation home for us! OH where oh where is that rich relative who will leave us millions when they pass away?

Novelty yarn.

I'm spinning again. I lent my wheel to my cousin in AZ and am seriously miss it but my friend and mentor lent me her wheel so I can be back to spinning until I get my wheel back. I hope they can bring it back over the holidays. I had some lovely black Alpaca from Four Pines Alpaca leftover from a different spinning project and I didn't know what to do, then as I was going through some of my stuff for a class I'm teaching this coming weekend
I found some odds and ends: about an oz of bamboo, silk hankies and some cotton sent to my from Exclusivelylindalee on Etsy.com so i spun it all u and made some Novelty yarn. It also gave me a chance to experience something new - spinning cotton. I've been told it's hard - NOT really. but then, I didn't think silk or bamboo were as difficult as everyone said either. I still prefer Alpaca and Silk to anything else.

This one is Black Alpaca with silk spun with coils. There isn't much but was thinking -hmmm - wouldn't that make an interesting and unique addition to a woven scarf.....

Here is the Black Alpaca, cotton and bamboo. Again, not much but enough to make a statement in some sort of woven scarf.....I think I feel a few more new projects coming on. I guess I best finish the table runner on the loom and get it off so I can weave some more fun and wonderful objects. CRACK that whip!

Taos Wool Festival

This past weekend was Taos Wool Festival, I was able to catch a ride with some of the girls (Terri, Wendy and Myra) from my Bosque Farms fiber posse and the most wonderful chauffeur there is - George, Terri's wonderful hubby. Those of you who visited my blog last year know I came home with a LOT of stuff last year. I scrimped and saved and had the most fun blowing a wad I've ever had. This year, not so much. Between medical bills, loosing my cleaning gig and saving up for some trips I didn't have much to spend and my goal was mostly to get stuff for projects for christmas or for Christmas presents. So off to Taos I went as a tagalong. Okay, so I could not help spending a little bit o money but really - I did good. From top right to bottom left is my new treasure pile: the bag on top left is 40z of BFL roving for spinning called Tapestry - I just love spinning BFL so this was a WANT!!! Next is a 2.5lb cone of ?? tan for warping my loom - I've got a few christmas presents in mind for this and at a whopping $1 per lb. I didn't feel like I'd go over budget on this one!!! Next is the cone of salmon colored perle cotton - a little more expensive but it is for Christmas presents afterall. Underneath is Alpaca roving - felting projects in mind for this - I bought some of 3 different colorways: ?? River Valley, Thin Mints and Fudge (are you seeing a theme here? ) from LonesomeStone Alpacas. LOVE it!

I couldn't help but take pics of some of the critters there as well.

These are the two Pygoras (or Nigoras).

The baby alpacas - oh, if only I could bring one of these precious babies home with me.....(well, actually 2 since they need a buddy-)

And these two woolies I thought were babyAngoras but they had blue eyes so I'm not sure they were purebred but oh the soft fleece these two have - melt!!!

They were so precious I wouldn't have minded loading them up and taking them home. Thanks

girls for letting me tag along and play with you in Taos!!!!

Gallery Shots

The Gallery Show at Tome Gallery in Los Lunas opened last Friday and I am finally getting some Gallery shots with some of the other work that is also on display there. Here are two of my purses - Hanging behind is the beautiful woven and sewn vest by my friend Mary of Four Pines Alpacas (she has a website and does some beautiful work!!!!)

Here are the scarves and the other purses by Deb Schwirtz who does a lot of other things: Felting, Nuno Felting, Cobweb Felting, Dichroic Glass, and weaving along with her Hubby Greg.

Here is my Lizard gourd and just to the left are some awesome purses by Jo Phillips - above the purses are her artwork - these are all felt but they look like watercolors!

Here are the felt pictures next to Tony's unusual handwoven scarf and purse - the scarf is woven with feather from her Sebastopol Geese who look like their feathers curl.

here is the rug and pillow and above it are felted critters and people by Greg, Pat Poole and the Scarf and purse by Tony as well as a lot of beautiful yarns created by

the Dows. The show ends this coming Sunday. I hope the artists have lots of sales and things go well for the gallery! Thank you Greg and Deb for inviting me to attend this show! I' m honored to be in a gallery show with the pool of incredible artists that are there also!!!!

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More Gallery Items.

Wow, this looks like a riot of color on the computer. This is a short scarf with matching pin - silk Chiffon Nuno Felted with Merino and Mohair which adds crimp and shine to the scarf. I tried to do a lot of fall colors so wine, orange, dark green and gold.

I LOVE this piece. IF it doesn't sell it is going up in my house. I think this is by far one of my favorites. I used a black fleece and added the cool combo color

roving to it and felted away getting this very nebulous (it actually reminds me of some of the photos the hubble has sent back from deep space) cloud of color on the dark background then the gourd piece is lightly sanded, woodburned and colored. I NEED MORE SHADOW BOX frames!!!!

a funky cool pin made from sculpey and felt.

Another one.

This is a dark brown Nuno Felted scarf with swirls of pastel colors.

The ends (not show here) are beaded with two rows of seed beads in a rainbow matte of blue/purple and rosy pink. I will be taking this load of stuff to the gallery a little later today for the show. NOW it is time to get busy for the Christmas show season making soaps and MORE scarves. We will also be working on the products pages of our website soon so you can check there often for items for sale. www.cbfnigeriangoats.com or feel free to email me

if there is something you want or would like to order something similar if an item is sold.

More Finished Projects.

Nothing like deadlines to make you finish a bunch of projects.
I forgot that I had this purse partly done so I felted a flap and made a button for it. and it's done!

I still needed to finish two gourd trophies for the State Fair Goat Show so here are the two Reserve Champion gourds. This is the Senior Reserve Champion and below is the Junion Reserve Champion. I did a lot of felting yesterday and was able to incorporate the felting into the gourds.

I think this one is my all time favorite.

Sorry, this is a little hard to see but I had to tilt the camara to avoid glare - This is a petroglyph goat on a felted background in a frame with a piece of turquoise and a feather. It really does look pretty cool - in person. Well, I need to go felt a few more scarves.

Nobody Told Me....

AAAAAAH - No one told me how much fun wet felting was. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I am having more fun than you can shake a stick at - Okay so this morning I woke up and the felting bug bit me hard. I wet felted all morning (and let the munchkins sleep in!) I had made these cool horses out of super sculpey (way easy and way cute!) and then put them on the felted background and framed them in shadow box frames and VOILA! This one is titled Spirit Horse - I have another one waitng for the felted background to dry and then I have two other felted backgrounds that go with Spirit Bear and Lizard. Once they are all done I'll post more but I was so PSYCHED I had to get one up. I also have a felted purse that is being worked on. I get more and more excited about this show the closer it gets. I still have several more felted scarves to finish up and of course the pictures and purses. I will try to take pics at the show too once everything is up and ready!!!!! BACK to felting I go!

Gourd - Lounge Lizards

Okay - I finished another piece for the show this coming friday and finished beading another scarf - Lollipops! Here is the piece that I put aside nearly a year ago and worked furiously to finish up in time for the show. It is called LOUNGE LIZARDS and has 4 needle felted lizards on the gourd. I LOVE THE LIZARDS. They are to cute and they really all have their own personality. So this piece got me really fired up to do a lot more things......MORE to come later. This was so much fun! I have ideas for about 3 more floating in my head but first I need to bead some more scarves, felt and bead a few more AND finish another 4 pieces of felted art for the show. Busy, Busy, Busy!!!!! If I'd had half a brain in my head I would have had my friend Jeannie send back my felted hats and ski bands from Colorado but I guess I didn't think of it so she'll just have to keep them for her shows up there this year. I hope they sell. I had planned to get a lot more stuff done but it did not happen.

3 Lazy Lizards

Here is the trio of lazy lizards I am needle felting. they are going to be attached to a large gourd (there will be more lizards as well!) I"m loving these little guys, they all have their own personality and face. AWWWWWW. ) I will take a picture of the finished piece after it is put together....this felting is too much fun!!!!
So if anyone is wondering - The Fiber Arts show runs from Sept. 11 to Sept 20 at Tome Gallery in Los Lunas. Please come see the show if you are able. I have my felting, nuno felting, and Lockerhooking there. This should be fun and the artists' reception is Sunday Sept. 13, 2009 from 2-4 - snacks and drinks provided.
Thanks Deb an Greg S. for inviting me!!!!

Busy at Fiber Phanatic!

As you can tell from the pictures I've mostly been in my cave (aka living room) creating like crazy but haven't posted in a while. I was asked to do 4 trophies for the upcoming State Fair Goat Show (donation) so here are the two finished (sans clear coat to protect gourd). I do NOT like how the river turned out using stain so I'm trying to figure out how to fix it. These gourds are carved with Faux stone inlayed and woodburned wording and the goats are woodburned except the inlay.

This is a finished scarf which should be famous now since it hit the Valencia County News-Bulliten Caliente! section which features local artists, musicians, and other interesting stories from in and around the County. I was invited to be in the Never Felt Better Fiber show at Tome Gallery which opens next Friday (now you know why I'm in my cave creating like crazy!!!!) which is featuring Felt Fiber artist from Valencia County. This Nuno Felted scarf is shades of green/yellow and a teal with beautiful beadwork on the ends - I call it Avonlea

Another Nuno Felted Scarf for the show - still needs to be beaded.
This one is called Lollipop

And beading. I wanted to make beaded bracelets for my friend Linda and her two girls to thank them for all the help they gave me during Alyssa's treatments, and for organizing fundraisers and meals for us during her hospitalizations etc. I finished one a long time ago and here are the other two. This one is a turquoise blue with black swarovski crystals at either end. I love the way this one turned out. I sold one just like it recently to a gal in New Hampshire! I think that's the farthest my work has gone.

This is a new pattern I found in the recent issue of Bead and Button and boy does it make a pretty netted cuff. I wish the picture could show the beads upclose! They are a rainbow metallic seed bead that is in triangles and makes almost a wagon wheel pattern. Then I used two Czech firepolish beads in a rosey gold color that matches great!

And that's not all folks.......More to come!

Lockerhooked Pillow is DONE!

I know some of you have seen the front view of this pillow but it is finally done both front and back and sewn together! I love the way this turned out.

The most interesting part of making stuff like this is getting ideas for your next project AND see what you'd do differently next time - Like making the design on the back bigger maybe using some more colored fiber!!!!!!

This project didn't take near as long to make as the rug did and I really like the way the pillow came out! I think I'm going to have to make another one.

YES, this is for sale!!!!! IF it is sold before Sept 26, 2009 it is $75.00 and $25.00 will be donated to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. After that it will be on my website for $100.00

Also, for those of you who buy soaps. I will donate $1.00 per soap sold to LLS between now and Sept. 26, 2009.

I have a lot made and will be making lots more so get your orders in now. I have cucumber, clary sage flax, jasmine green tea, strawberries N creme, pure & basic, rosemary, lavender, and will be making tea tree oil tomorrow.

New Yarn

I have hardly spun at all since this ordeal with my daughter's cancer began so this last month I was inspired to start spinning again (oh yeah, and having my friend's LOVELY Lendrum wheel - DROOL< DROOL! has helped a ton!) . This is what I finished today. I don't have a name for it and frankly can't remember for the life of me what the multi colored stuff was - just that it had angelina in it and it might be Merino. The blue/green stuff is some BFL I ordered from Somerhill Farm - oh this is lovely stuff and I even have a project for it but at the risk of revealing a Christmas present I'll be keeping that hush hush for now......

New Lockerhooked Pillow.

The front is done, and I have the back about 1/3 of the way done.
I really like the way this turned out and am anxious to finish it. First I have an order for two
bracelets that I need to get done. This pillow again is made from only locally grown and processed wool. I'm bummed because I contacted the lady I got the fleeces from and the one that produced all of the lovely white wool died. I love that wool! I blended it with a little blue
to get the mottled background and then used grey/brown shetland from my friend Sue, and the goat is out of dark grey overdyed blue/turquoise from the same lady that had the white wool.
I have to process a little more wool to finish the back of the pillow.

Two New Scarves.

Here are my two latest Nuno Felted Scarves. The pictures don't make them look the right color. They are actually Cherry Red with Black Merino Fiber. This one is Carmen (yes, after the opera) It has gold Angeline carded into the black Fiber and then felted in. The beads are cherry, black and gold. Carmen sold yesterday!

This one is Opera - has a classy look to it and the felting is more simple. It is just in swirls. It has black and cherry red beading at the bottom in a simple pattern. This one doesn't have any of the gold. I really love the way this turned out. It is still for sale. I am about to have them up on my website as soon as I learn how to make the links work and how to publish it on the web. If you contact me before the website launch it is $40.00.

Price is $45.00 on website. (Ask for the Friends/Family discount if you are a friend/family!)

I dyed 4 more scarves the day I did these two so there will be more on the way soon. These two were for an order. I just wanted to give her a choice.

Spring Scarves

Most of my new spring scarves are finally done - a little late but I still think they a beautiful! This one is sold. I made it for a friend who ordered for a birthday present. It is light green, yellow, teal with green beads and some crystal cubes.

This one reminds me of my roses in the front yard - If I knew the name of the rose I'd name it that but I don't know so I just call this one Orange Sherbet. It is yellow, light salmon orange and an orangy pinky color. with two rows of beading in yellow and salmon

This one is Plum. It is plum, pink and light blue with blue and purple beading. I love the way this one turned out.

Last but not least is Alyssa's favorite - Peacock. This has purple and a little teal with silverlined purple beads and freshwater pearls in purple at the edges. All are for sale except the first one which is sold (Thanks Pamela!)

Hows this for a riot of color!!!! I do take orders for these. They are $40 each - more if I use swarovski crystals in the beading. I have one more to finish for an order and while I was up in Pagosa I got a few "ideas" for new scarves so I'll be working on some new ones. But - I have soap, scarf and bead orders to get out first and then a pillow to finish.

BACK to WORK!!!!