the last of the traveling projects

These are the last of the projects I made on my last trip.  I really like the yarn store in Ashland.  It does not help that it has spinning wheels and such.  It just fits who I am when it comes to fiber.

They had a kit there for a Blue Sky Alpaca knit hat kit.  I hate knitting so i crocheted it.  The package said it was a slouchy hat but it reminds me of a Rasta hat.  I like it because it keeps my head warm and it goes over my hair easily when my hair is up.  Which it is most of the time!

I also really liked the yarn that I made the Bear's ear flap hat from.  I used the last bit of his and mine and made a cowl for me.  It is not a cowl that you can twist twice around your head and hangs to your waist.  It is just a simple close fitting cowl.  I could have probably made it even closer fitting but it keeps my neck warm well. 

These two bits of wool, my Carhartt's, a cardign sweater, and a t-shirt and I did not need to put a heavy coat on all the way home.  With my mirrored aviators, I looked strange.  But that is okay.  I was warm and covered in wool.

Today has been a scattered day.  I went with a friend to the farmer's market and then we did a bit of shopping for her.  I had to walk a few miles to try to make my hip feel like it was working.  Then I ran out of embroidery floss!  The hand sewing and embroidery has caught me very hard.  But that is life sometimes.  i am not so much at my sewing machine but that is okay.  Changing things up a bit is a good thing!

t-shirts

I find t-shirts are a difficult piece of clothing for me to purchase.  Part of it is color.  Part of it is fit.  Part of it is quality.  I want a t-shirt to be able to hold up to more then a couple of washings.  I do not wish to be choked.  I like long sleeves.  And every time I find a t-shirt that fits those parameters, the company who made it changes something in their process or stops making what I like.  My best friend has the same problem.

I have a treadle sewing machine so fabric that stretches is not really the right choice usually.  Recently I went down a rabbit hole at the Alabama Studio sites.  Such a bad thing.

Hand sewn t-shirts.  Organic cotton jerseys.  I decided to give it a try.  It was a lovely calming process. Such that I wish to do more hand sewing.

Felted seams.  Herringbone stitching.  My best friend has a t-shirt to try.  I have a t-shirt to try.  I am now working on Christmas gifts that are teaching me reverse applique.  I just keep trying and learning new things.  It is a true rabbit hole!

And just because.  Flowers from my garden.

cabbage and hibiscus

I seem to play with something everyday.  Lately, when I dye fabric, I have been wishing to do something that is a bit more friendly to me.  Many of the mordants are not people friendly.  It is the stuff that helps dye set in fabric.  I have been seeing people use soy milk.  So I figured why not.  Soybeans are fairly inexpensive and they compost.  I may not like the smell but that is not a big deal.

I set a cup of soybeans to soak for a couple days.  Put them in a blender with a bit of water.  Blended for about 5 minutes.  Strained the liquid off of them and added more water.  I needed enough liquid to soak the fabric I wanted to use.  This first time I heated the soy milk with the fabric in it.  I decided that was a mistake.  Soybean when heated can leave waxy spots.

Those are the dark spots on the fabrics.  The cotton silk piece picked up more of the wax then 100% silk bits.  Since this was a first pass, I am going to use this piece for me.  I have some slips I need to make since I have ones falling apart.  I am working with a hibiscus dye pot where I did not eat the soy milk and that seemed to make difference.  

This dye pot was red cabbage and hibiscus.  It seemed to make a grey with blue tones.  The piece that I added iron to became a grey teal.  They are very pretty.  I have started to use the ribbons already.

I like this play.  The ribbons I am making are really nice on my slips.  More experiments to happen in the future.

birds

The weekend before my travels, I laid out this quilt.  I think of it as the birds quilt because so many of the fabrics seem to have birds in them.  Especially the fabric along the diagonals.  Did I cut the squares big enough to see the birds?  Of course not.

When I got home, I had a stack of squares to put together into a quilt top.  It was nice to have a project that was mid work.  I did not have to think to hard on what to start on next.  I actually need to lay out another quilt top but my joints are not very happy with me currently.  I am not up to crawling around on the floor.  I am hoping soon.

needle felting

Koda Bear asked me to make him penguins that he saw in the Ashland yarn store.  Now, I have never tried needle felting because why would I wish to add another craft?  I am making fun of myself.  I picked up the kit for the penguins.  The Bear was supposed to help me make these guys but he is not quite coordinated enough.  We both got poked a few times with both of us working.

I did not get a lot of pictures of the making.  I was answering a lot of questions from my Dad about how it worked.  I will say practice helps with this craft, just like all others.  The second penguin, Sink, is better then the first penguin, Bomb.  Do not ask me why they are named what they are named.  That was all up to the Bear.

And he seemed to really like them!  I have found a workflow for making a hedgehog.  He likes hedgehogs so I see that this may be something that becomes a gift in the future.  I just really have to get the wool carded and go from there.  My Dad sent me home with a foam board so I have all tools now.

I will just continue laughing at myself!