Playtime With Diane

Last week I did take some time away from stitching 

to play with my friend Diane.

We cut up one of her old blankets..

....and died soft mottled greys....

....and browns.

Lovely little pieces just calling out for some stitching.

A Puppy Creation

As I rummaged around for materials to take to India's dye class

I stumbled upon an old skein of beautiful wool

that had been changed into a very messy bird's nest

by a certain rusty pup two years ago.

I won't name any names....

but she knows who she is!

Because I'm feeling a bit brain dead after my trip

I sat down

and two hours later 

that skein now looks like this.

What next?

I'm one of those people who really doesn't knit

but finds wools so seductive

that I buy them 

not knowing what the heck to do with them!

Dressing a Crow

A friendly crow has strutted onto

a piece of wool blanket

that recently spent a few days wrapped around tree bark and tea bags.

He is in the process of telling me his story.

As far as I can tell

he has wandered under a huge chestnut tree

and someone is showering him with

horse chestnuts (conkers to some of us).

This will be for a show on spoonerisms.

The original phrase is "crushing blow"

which as a spoonerism is "blushing crow".

At the moment I'm dressing him.

The spirals and reddish thread were a surprise...

but he's supposed to be blushing and 

perhaps he has some Celtic blood in him.

The background will be covered in stitches that haven't identified themselves yet.

I'm working out how to make the teabag stains

look like conkers.

At least one of the conkers will be a spiral to match the handsome fellah.

Don't want to be too literal.

Right now I have to sit back

and listen to what the cloth wants done next.

This is going to be fun!

Tanglewood Floor Cover

A wool sports jacket once worn by some man
Was picked up at Frenchy's by a rug hooking friend.
She dyed it and shrunk it
And gave me a piece.

Onto this I felted some fancy wool fibres
Not flat like a pancake; but lumpy and bumpy.
I gathered up threads all autumnal in colour
And began messy stitching the floor of my woods.

The stitching's a pleasure and great fun to do
Because the needle glides through with the greatest of ease.
The start of this piece was a "what if I try"
Working with wool that I'd not done before.
Now I'm wondering on finishes for this piece of wool
Perhaps it needs wetting and blocking out square?
Maybe it needs a border or two?
Maybe stitched cloth or maybe more wool?