Faux fur hat, pt. 2

The body of the hat is complete. Now I need to weave in the ends, and figure out how to crochet the fur yarn into the brim of the hat.

Felt Balls from Yarn Scrap

I have been knitting predominantly with wool and alpaca yarns lately. It occurred to me that I do not have to throw away all those little scraps of yarn because they will felt. So, I started collecting a pile of loose yarn scraps to make into little felt balls. They can become beads, cat toys, or whatever you like.

How to:
Wad-up the scraps of yarn, reserving a few longer strands. Wet the wad down in very warm water, squeezing out some of the water. Use the reserved longer strands of yarn to help firm up and bind the ball together. Pour a little liquid dish soap on your palms and gently begin to rub and roll the ball around in your palms. Keep running the ball under hot water and adding soap as needed. As the ball begins to shrink and get firmer, use a little more pressure as you roll it around in your palms. When the ball seems solid, rinse in cold water to remove any excess soap. Rinse again in vinegar. Squeeze out any excess moisture and set aside to dry. Enjoy!

Faux fur hat

I was at the Knitters Studio a few months ago http://www.theknitters-studio.com/ and saw a great hat. It was knit in a k2 p2 rib and had faux fur yarn crocheted into the edge of the hat. It looked a little like this hat.

I wanted to make it, but was not ready to spend $29 for the 17yds of fur yarn (Plymouth Yarn, Foxy). This past weekend another yarn store http://www.needhay.com/ had this yarn for 40% off! So, the hat is on the needles. I am using Debbie Bliss SoHo, 100% wool, color #37509 for the body of the hat. It is a little scratchy, but I adore the color blend.

Fingerless Mitts, pt.2

My mitts are complete! Now I will have warm hands while working on the computer.

Spring Boutique

Mother’s Day is on the way. Need a gift?
Here is your answer!

You are invited to:
The San Gabriel Bead Company’s
Spring Boutique

Friday, May 5, 12 – 9pm
Saturday, May 6, 10a – 6p

Ansley Davies, jewelry, mosaics
Lisa Kan, Lampwork beads
Jennifer Morris, polymer clay beads, jewelry
Shu-Shu Perugino, jewelry, paper arts
Alexa Robinson, jewelry
Bernie Schmitt, beadwork, jewelry
Fritz Schmitt, leatherwork

325 E Live Oak Ave
Arcadia, CA 91006
626.447.7753
www.beadcompany.com

Fingerless Mitts, pt.1

I am working on a pattern for a pair of fingerless mitts that were featured in the Fall '05 issue of Interweave Knits.

I am using Sugarloaf yarn by Valley Yarns. The yarn is 52% merino wool and 48% acrylic microfibre. It is really soft and nice. They did not have a chocolate brown in their color pallete, so I over dyed a tan colored yarn to darken it. I used Jacquard acid dyes. I am pleased with the resulting color. The Sugarloaf is thicker than the recommended yarn so I ended up making less ribs.

Color on Color scarf pt.2

Here is the latest photo of my Color on Color scarf. It has come a long way, but there is still a lot left to do. Hopefully my knit along group will meet this coming Monday.

Color on Color scarf pt.1

I have been working on the ‘Color on Color’ scarf from the Scarf Style book at Unraveled Yarn store’s knit along. I chose to use Knit Picks Merino Style yarn and the Paternayan yarn for the fair aisle portion of the scarf. We all joined the knit along on yahoo groups too. This project is taking forever, but it is great. I learned about 5 new knitting techniques in the process. I will post new pictures as I progress.

Stone in Stone workshop

I took a workshop with Carl Stanley at Farrin O'Connor Design Studio in Pasadena a few weeks go. We learned how to set a stone within a stone in addition to some cold joinery techniques. It was intensive and I was unable to finish the project. Here are two photos of the instructors work.

Pointy Gnome Hat

Here I am in my hand felted Gnome hat. This is the first felted hat I have made, and I adore how ridiculous it is. It is made from Merino and Corriedale wool. Do you want one too? I will take special orders for them. The cost is $75. Send me and e-mail if you are interested.

Knitted & Felted Rose

I completed a knitted and felted rose with leaf using Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride yarn. The pattern was from Two Old Bags. I decided to add the beads in the center. I sewed a pin back on it and wear it as a pin.

Los Angeles-Paris

The George Pompidou museum in Paris, France is currently showing an exhibit about Los Angeles artists from the 1960s to 1985. Artwork by over sixty artists who dealt with with topics such the art of assemblage, Pop art, Californian minimalism, conceptual art, performance, installations, video and experimental film are on display. March 8 2006 - July 17 2006
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/Manifs.nsf/AllExpositions/7D29ACCEA81305BBC1257073002CE208?OpenDocument&sessionM=2.2.2&L=2&form=AvenirCategorie

Knitted & Felted Ballet Slippers

I have been working on a Fiber Trends Felt Ballerina Slippers knitted pattern. I used Valley Yarns Berkshire yarn. It is 85% Wool and 15% Alpaca. The one on the right is after two washings. It shrank up about 5" in length and 3/4" in width.

You can read about the other pairs I have made here.

Wild Wire Earrings

Tuesday evening I taught Wild Wire Earrings at The San Gabriel Bead Company (see BeadCompany link). It was a great creative and mellow evening. The students created beautiful pieces and were inspirational to me as well. Interested in owning a pair? They are $45 a pair. Send me an e-mail, ansleybleu@yahoo.com

On April 25th I am teaching another earring class called Bohemian Hoops at The San Gabriel Bead Company.

Feltmaking with Gail Crossman Moore

This weekend I took a feltmaking class with Gail Crossman Moore at the San Gabriel Bead Company. We created a flower lariat like this one from her website. We learned several wet felting techniques along with needle felting and bead embroidery. It was fantastic. http://www.gailcrosmanmoore.com/