july 1 2013

first off, please note that the shop is closed the entire month of july.  the shop will re-open friday august 2.

i have been a wet felting fool these past couple of weeks.  since nothing had been working out right with my knitting, i decided to give it up for a while and try my hand at some wet felted flowers.  to my amazement, they turned out beautifully.  that put me into high gear and i was off and running.  monday i made about ten flowers (some nice and some not so nice); tuesday i made more flowers, a vessel, a bowl, several cuffs, a poncho, and some prefelt for other projects; wednesday i decided it was time to dye ;)!  so i dug out some dyes i bought at SAFF in north carolina last october and dyed some white chiffon which i have plenty of for scarves.  they turned out so pretty.  i was able to talk to the lady who owns the company and she gave me good ideas and pointers, as i had never dyed/(died) before (who has??).  it was so much easier than i had ever expected.  when you purchase pre-dyed chiffons, they are pretty expensive.  but when you purchase plain white chiffon, its about 1/4 the cost.  so now i dont have to buy the expensive dyed ones and i can just do my own.  my workshop looks like a cyclone hit it again but i am really energized at this point in time.  its a good thing, too, because i will be gone most of july and i start ligonier august 3.  so hopefully i will be ready. check out my basket and one of my vessels with a flower in the center and a silk cape/poncho:

 

our three new girls (boar goats) arrived safe and sound.  after much headbutting, everyone is settling into their place on the farm.  havent named them as of yet so now the task of thinking of three new flowers i have yet to use.  i decided the yearling will be buttercup but as for mom and baby i havent settled on a flower name yet.  am up for suggestions.  two dozen new peeps arrived as well but no need for names!

this must be an animal sort of month for me.  4 abandoned kittens fell in my lap last friday.  i posted pictures on facebook looking for homes.  one of them has five toes. did you know five-toe kittens are called polymorphic and are affiliated with ernest hemingway from the florida keys.. they are all very friendly.  obviously i dont know how old they are but they are young.  however,they are able to eat soft food and drink kitty milk.  anyone looking for a kitten?  i hope they dont forget me while i'm gone but i would like to find homes for them none the less.  (the buff colored kitty with the mitten paws is not in this photo)

on thursday, june 20, three of us had a play date at the shop to play with beads.  as i have been wanting to do some crocheting with beads, i decided this was the day.  i like the idea of free form, so i strung on a bunch of beads and was on my merry way.  when i had finished doing five rows of my 'design' i discovered i had used up all but about 2 yards of a newly-purchased spool of wire - 40 yards on a spool!  its very pretty tho and my plan is to wrap it around a wet felted cord.  

dates to remember:

july 4-7 twin lakes art festival *

july 8 greensburg fiber art meet up at panera greensburg

july 11 and 25 purlin girls noon at the bean

july 27 donna's fundraiser at ligonier beach (still looking for donations)

*check out the greensburg art center tent

upcoming classes:

wednesday august 14 basic needle felting

thursday august 29 spiral necklace

wednesdays september 4 and 18 bowl of cherries

please visit the classes tab on my website for further details.  also anyone wishing to sign up for one of these classes, pre-registration is required, so please do not just email me or tell me.  since i will be out of contact, i will need you to send your check to me at p.o. box 175, forbes road, pa 15633 so that when i return, i dont have to check all the emails and rush around to figure out how many will be taking the classes.  this way i will have check in hand and please specify which class you wish to enroll in.  note that if anyone needs the class in the evening or weekend, i will try to accommodate; however i will be starting ligonier market on august 3 so saturdays will only work if the class is scheduled for later in the afternoon.

what's new?  

i am now carrying colorhue dyes which i learned to dye with.  i will also be scheduling a dying class this fall so that others will learn how fun and easy it can be.

also some handspun yarn from billings, montana

june's raffle prize winner was rhonda pegg!

happy birthdays for the month of july go to:  paula and kim from the purlin girls, deb helsyth, lisa wilt, and carol hummel!  have a great day ladies!  make your way to the shop for your $5 birthday certificate! 

our own donna needlefelted the cover of a photo album for maia (of the dolly llamas) for the event of her upcoming first grandchild.  it was a very colorful butterfly on a black background:

 

sorry to miss you all this month but very much looking forward to my cross country trip with the offspring.  i will keep you posted with pictures throughout the month of my travels!  i plan on camping, sightseeing, and rafting in utah, then to northern california to enjoy the giant redwood forest, then to portland to spend about a week with anthony.  if anyone knows of any yarn shops or fiber festivals along my way, do let me know please.

see you in august when i will resume regular hours again.  re-open august 2nd.