Karakul fleeces, November 2011

Retreat Farm has sheared their Karakul sheep again, and has those lovely fleeces available for sale. Here are some examples of the colors (yes, there's a penny showing for comparison). The colors run from creamy white to black.

Felting, the Large and Small Of It

Okay, I like to felt - not knit, crochet, weave or spin (well just a little spinning with a drop spindle - but usually as an accent for a felted piece). These forms of fiber arts are can produce beautiful pieces, but I'm just a felter. From the first time I tried it, I was hooked on felting.

It seems like I usually felt in extreme sizes - either large or small. For the large size, I like to felt rugs, such as the 4' x 8' rug shown above - inspired by my guinea fowl. For the small size, I like to felt soap. It's like working on a small canvas.

Sure, I make felt scarves. I have dubbed the process I use as "double reverse nuno felting (from the pike position)". Also, notice the matching fringe on this scarf - yarn spun by using a drop spindle. This scarf is very light weight with an usual twist in the use of the silk and wool.