This and That for Studio Tour

Along with yarn, jewelry, and fiber, I've compiled a heap of vintage items that I'm setting up under the 'Vintage Vibe' tent. A few painted spindles....

 and lots and lots of letterpress letters. I adore these letters, so it will be hard to let them go. You never know when you want to spell something awesome.

I have this really great world atlas from 1941 when there were countries that aren't even around now. Who doesn't like old maps? There are so many things to do with them.

  (all map image projects courtesy of Pinterest)

OK, maybe I won't get rid of the maps!

Maps are soooo cool!

Love the muted colors

I've bundles up some cool retro pay cards and rulers, great for collages, projects, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Back to the yarn...I've been skeining miles of Happiness yarn in about 6 different colorways. These really will make you happy!

and for all you spinners out there who want some wool roving that's farm raised, farm praised, dyed right here in the studio and really wonderful,  I have paaa-lenty to go around.

 I've packaged them up in grab-and-go bundles, with a sweet tag to describe who you're buying it from. Includes a little bio of the girl who grew the wool...

The girls are growing more wool as you read this, so they'll be so happy that you got something right
off their backs.

Take it Off, Take it ALL Off!

 Last Monday was Shearing Day, a day to be celebrated by the wooly beasts and me too. It's always nice to have this chore behind us. When Farmer Anne arrived, I told her that I have a bad knee and she'd probably have to go in to get them, which I always help with. She said that she has a bad back due to being thrown on the ground the day before by an ornery alpaca. So I had a a little lecture for the girls in the pen. "See here. We are two old ladies in our 50's, one with a lame knee and one with a bad back, so you all better be on your best behavior. No shenanigans!" They looked at me attentivley, nodding along, so I thought we had an agreement. 

I only have them sheared once a year now, which is too long for a couple of them.

 For example, Mocha, my Rasta sheep. I don't know how she could even see, with those dreads hanging in her eyes.

 Farmer Anne got right to work.

But Mocha was a handful, apparently hadn't paid attention at the lecture, and kicked (what Anne calls the 'bicycle move'), twisted about and was just a bad girl.

 

Ann had to pause to catch her breath. The girls are still at Ann's pasture so we sheared in her barn, with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background and horses grazing nearby.

I cold hardly lift Mocha's fleece. This is just a third of it. (notice the green water bottle near the top to give you perspective)

 Sparkleberry was much more relaxed...

...until the blades started. She wasn't as bad as Mocha though. But Anne kept running into dense lanolin in the fleece, which just grips the blades and she has to push and push to get them through the wool. She's seen this a bit this year and doesn't know what causes it. She went onto a shearing forum to ask what do when this happens. The answer, "Shear the sheep and have a beer!" Well, when we got done with my 7, it was definitely wine-o-clock! My knee held out (I even went in to pull the sheep out), Farmer Anne's back held out and us two country girls got the job done. And the ewes feel soooo much better!

mOre TEasErS

The 100 tulips that I planted in January are now all up and making me smile. But I can't dither too long looking at them as I have to get me butt in the studio.

 Still firing up that little kiln every day and cranking out buttons.
I have single buttons to put on a hat or bag....

 or 4 in a group for cardigans.

 I've added more ArtCards, photos from the farm and beyond

 Spring flowers: crocheted flowers in many styles and sizes

 to put on toeless socks (fingerless mitts, so why not toeless socks? great with sandals)

 I just finished normal socks (to keep you tootsies warm) in the softest yarn I've felt, it's  superfine merino wool, ahhhhh! There's a free pattern on the label. Offered in 5 self-striping colors.

Plenty of handspun.

Hope you can come out and see the tulips.

More Random Sneak Peeks

Over the years I've collected vintage slips. They're fun to dye, as they take the dye differently and it's always a surprise to see how they turn out.

 I've been known to wear slips as a dress and this one would look smashing paired with this flirty, ruffled blouse.

I've been felting a bit, not nearly as much as I'd like to. Those darn dye pots keep me sequestered in the basement! But I finished a couple. This one is in the 'Pansy' colorway.

 Nuno felted shawl in royal blue.

 Along with the dying, I've been cranking up my little kiln in the studio. Brooches.....

 .....and buttons

 and while the kiln is going, I dare not leave it or I'll have a puddle of glass seeping out, I make jewelry. These little resin flowers are all the rage now.

 Scrabble necklaces are perfect for the woman/girl who loves to knit. Hung from a silver bail on a silver ball chain. They just slip over you head.

Put a bird on it! Darling silver bird earrings.

And they go with this 'Rainy Day' necklace, a silver cloud with 'rain' chain falling down, with 3 little crystals attached.

Keep checking back for more fun stuff!

Eggs-citing Fun

We did egg dying at Crafty Friday last week. No kids were involved. Just women and wine, oh and one man. He brought crayons and more wine.

 We had natural ingredients like turmeric, beet juice and paprika. Krista wrapped her egg in a leaf, then in a nylon (so many better uses for nylons that don't include wearing them on your legs!) and dipped them into the dye.

 Ann has a thing for food coloring. (You should see her angel food cakes!)

We used hot glue to act as a resist.

We didn't dye these, but aren't they just amazing? They're dyed with wine! Not sure how they got all those colors with wine. We decided to drink our wine and not waste it on the eggs!