Crazy Randomness

A while back Ali, from The Creations of Crazy Dazy, and I decided to create a collaboration in cyberspace - a few of the same parameters to set us off.... and an opportunity at the end to see how similar or different our results could be!

With the chosen finishing line being Easter we selected a Spring theme and after a hesitant start this poem by John Foster:

It's Spring

It's spring

And the garden is changing its clothes,

Putting away

Its dark winter suits,

Its dull scarves

And drab brown overcoats.

Now, it wraps itself in green shoots,

Slips on blouses

Sleeved with pink and white blossom,

Pulls on skirts of daffodil and primrose,

Snowdrop socks and purple crocus shoes,

Then dances in the sunlight.

 

From a long list of ideas (as my title suggests I can be a bit woolly - the rest can be kept for another project!!) we pruned the parameters for this project down to include:

something recycled or from a charity shop

and a new stitch or technique.

The colours will probably come to light (or life!) with the planning, and so far I have assembled this basket from my stash! !

 The most important element though is that the whole project should be fun!

 I'm looking forward to getting started - after all, the weather and the gardens are reminding me It's Spring!

During three years of blogging I have met many friends, some from the early days I am still in regular contact with, others I have found more recently.

There are so many colourful and generous people out there in blogland!
Its great to share inspiration, with like minded folk. Ali has lots of great quirky ideas, she designs and knits the most amazing tea cosies, has felted fabulous flowers and has whizzed up some super sewing...amongst many other things...
hope you enjoy exploring her creative blog,
and watching out for the results of our collaboration!

Preparing!

Lots of things are in progress at Random Wooliness towers!

The latest project involves these...

Thought they looked so bright and cheerful!

I'll be back with some completed presents soon!

Hope you are enjoying your seasonal creating!

Tiddly om pom pom!

Christmas creating is very much in full swing! 

Theres a variety of projects on the go...

looking a bit brown but some colour will be injected soon!

However I have found a little distraction...

...making pompoms for The Great Sense Pompom Challenge!

The details are all on the website - how fabulous to tune into your sense of touch -

 to be part of a huge tapestry travelling the country raising awareness of sight and hearing loss.

Great for stash busting all those short ends too!

I have seen somewhere that the challenge runs from November 18th until December 2nd so

I'm off to unwind, winding some colourful woolly pompoms!

 

Stitches in the sun

Over the last ten days I've really enjoyed sitting in a shady corner of our very sunny garden in the late afternoon and early evenings hooking away at a secret project!

It involved a downloaded pattern, 3.5mm hook and just over a ball of natural coloured wool/acrylic mix (with flecks of colour)

 Sirdar Click in cream.

The individual shapes are art forms in themselves, such beautiful structures.....

I love the knobblyness of the stitches, and although I'm not sure they were designed that way- my attention may have drifted - they really do fit the subject!

Many of the al fresco sessions were accompanied by Wimbledon commentary on the radio..consequently some of my tension may have gone awry - particularly in the semis and finals!

This is really the first project I have attempted where consistent tension matters...

The pattern starts with a rather prominent part, so I moved on down the page to a less complicated one and was pleased with my first (pre-Wimbledon) sections.

However.....they turned out proportionally much larger than all the other parts - so I repeated them at the end, with the new tension and found some extra shape when I did so!

Just shows how important it is to get into the swing or try initial swatching!

I have learned so much from this project...and am looking forward to revealing the finished item soon!
Any guesses ?!

Round and round in circles!

Two of the Easter projects in progress involve circles....

Flat ones....

excuse the rudimentary sewing - not my strong point!

and rounded ones!

Using wool from this stash

and this one....

....and the washing machine!!

There'll be more photos when the sun comes out!!

Stash Busting

 I had some wonderful wool for Christmas, a 100g hank of Rainbow DK from Sara's Texture crafts..

The mini skein was loved so much I suggested I might like a full size family member under the Christmas tree. It is beautifully soft and so colourful. I will have to wait for a visit from my mum to wind it into a ball...I have learned my lesson and hope two winders will be better than one!

I also had some wash and felt wool in fabulous colours and some mohair blend in earthy tones.

 In the run up to Christmas my fairly organised collection of wooliness had become a bit of a random heap. 

I work from bags - organising each project into a hessian or hand made bag,

however some balls had hopped from their home package to another, some bags were stuffed to overflowing, cotton and wool yarns combined in containers and in the end I ran out of stashing bags...eek!

Everything was left in its pre-Christmas shambles and when the decorations were safely stowed in their new home the conglomeration of colour could be tackled.

Amazingly as I procrastinated Linda and Ana created the Stash Buster Challenge, so my organising had a new purpose! 

I was going to begin  my stash busting confession with an apology...being relatively new to crochet and a reluctant simple knitter I didn't think I would have an impressive stash.

However I was equally impressed and appalled by the amount I had amassed over a short period if time!

It has now been divided into pure wool...some of which I use for wet or needlefelted projects

Felting wool for future felted crochet

Acrylics

Pure wool in neutral colours - mostly hand spun by a friend,

A ball of very chunky acrylic destined for a scarf...it still is 

but I changed my mind on the style for the recipient so it will be hooked for next year...

These are earmarked for something I mentioned ages ago..

Short ends - I began collecting these from friends when I started felting..they are so useful!

cottons...two missed the photo call as they were lurking in the depths of a bag!

and last but not least Summer Stripes - I bought quite a bit in the sales last year for Easter eggs and for Tracey's Boho scarf...

The stash busting has begun with the zingy Summer Stripes  hooking a  pretty pattern appropriately from Ana's blog. I have added a slight tweak in my homage to granny style and it is coming along..

A by-product of photographing the beautiful bounty is a record of  yarns without having to root around and an accessible reminder of colours so I don't have to race out and buy more only to find I have repeated myself!

There are plenty of ideas in store for some of my other balls - however I am really looking forward to seeing how other like minded stash busters tackle their treasure troves.

Emma has written a timely and wonderfully illustrated piece on organising which has inspired me to show you the bag I use for my hooks and stuff!

In the late 70s early 80s I had an amazing smock type dress which had a decorative panel at  the top. From the same shop, which I recall was a fair way from home, I was given a bag with the matching material and almost identical panel. The dress is long gone - alas I grew out of it - it may have come back into fashion a couple of time since! However the empty bag has travelled with me in various boxes patiently waiting for a purpose.

 Its the ideal size and shape for all my hooks and paraphernalia and holds many happy memories too!

Looking forward to stash busting and sharing lots of fun creations with fellow yarn and woolly lovers!

Work in Progress

There's been a chaos of creative activity at Random Wooliness HQ over the last few weeks...I am completely engrossed in crochet,  an inspiring workshop has filled my head full of new ideas, and I have been beavering away experimenting and working on my commission!

I think I am at a stage where I can share some of the commission project... other exciting and colourful acitivity will be revealed in further posts...(including a project I'm really pleased with made back in January) - when I put my hook and yarn down!

The first stage in the commission  project was to experiment and try to incorporate some shiny fabric in the felting process...

I already had a tiny slice of this

its amazing rainbowy organza-like and sparkly, from a larger piece of fabric - if anyone knows where I can find any more please let me know!

 As I was unsure on the colour scheme I invested in some ribbon...

and tried several ways of  incorporating it into the felt....

...just laying it on top...

....catching it round the edges...and capturing sari silk underneath...

and part wet felting, part needle felting...

..it is interesting how the needle has textured the ribbon when punching it...

However having chatted to the friend who has requested the piece we have decided to possibly use a different fabric and a modified technique although we may omit the fabric altogether ....

Its great being able to share creative ideas with the person who has asked for the item.

 Some of the materials in use are:
 New Zealand Corriedale in Fuchsia
Shetland hand dyed top in Sea Green and hand painted River
all from Sara's Texture Crafts

the colours are beautiful..I just love the Fuchsia and the ever changing tones in the bluey green!

Hopefully if the measurements are ok I'll try and mount it on the piece of Scottish driftwood.


I have had a full trial run and I've wetfelted the final piece, needlefelting next...taking photos as I go so that the people who receive it will know its story!

When it is finished I'll tell you its tale too!

Backs to front!

I've been experimenting this week with lots of ideas for presents, Christmas and birthdays..

I have invested in a bamboo mat, used some 'tutu' net...and re-read some helpful tutorials.

I have also tried to find the optimum winter photo taking position, especially as we have had a few dull grey days.

So.... I have been able to create some more regular shaped 'backs'

  instead of this....

I have learned how to make this..

can't show you the front yet...its a secret..but you might be able to spot a hint of  pink?!

I do have to say though that I like both types of back, the first being a bit more organic..at least I can choose the effect I would like now!

I have made some flat pieces for decorations - these will be double sided so you can see the fronts

and the backs...

I just have to learn to let go now and cut into them!!

Changing colours

I am always amazed how many colour changes there are during the production of a piece of felt; from light, airy, dry fluffy tops,

to dry fixed and solid wet felted pieces, via athe soggy soapy stage!
 

The most impressive examples of this would have been my recent 'brown pieces'... if I had taken pictures of the original fluffy dry step.....I only remembered when gazing at the extremely dark and damp felted middle stage!






 This is how light it is when dry!

I'm  not sure which way up?

I love the wiggly alpaca!

Both this and the other study in brown  will be winging their way to the next stage of transformation very soon!

Not sure if you can 'frog' a blog, but this one has been deleted and edited several times!!
Hope you all have happy and peaceful weekends  - dodging the predicted showers!