wool and paper !

Quiet.
Not done much stitching,
(skipped quite a few Stitch Club workshops)
making a painting on commission,

 been reading a (thick) book.
And also waiting for special paper to arrive from Thailand
and wool from Germany,
all of that for a brand new felting course
with Fiona Duthie (Canada)

I've "known"/followed Fiona for a long time
and did my first-ever online felting course with her :
"Surface design"
(but sadly never met in real life)
The "Fiber + Paper" workshop was a long time on my wish list !!!

Though getting back on track after my Pink Ribbon Challenge
took quite a bit longer than I expected,
I have now completed some of the course assignments  !

Working with paper, wool and water
requires a very gentle treatment
or the paper will tear or not adhere !

starting with a 30 x 30cm square and 10 grams of wool

adding writing and prefelt.

The last assignment was working with a resist
to make a bowl / vessel.

(from 27 cm resist to +/- 16 cm)

22 - 12 - '22

Quiet December time.
Winter but not really winter
only a short time of frost and ice (skating : 
though not for us anymore !)
(Luckily it isn't as cold as it is in the US right now !!)

Felting small things :
Yara is generous with all kinds
of fun little projects for Xmas !
I myself am busy felting small things
as presents . . .
(so hardly anything to show, YET !)

But this MISTLETOE is really doing the trick :
I've been kissed under it quite a few times !

XXX

The shortest day and longest night
of the Winter Solstice went by :

it is so dark when you get up and the light is gone
late afternoon . . .

Youngest grandson has his Xmas dinner at school
and they baked (here) nice pizza rolls
to take with him.

Still a few days to go to Xmas
still a few things to do
(though Man has nearly done
all the shopping for it)
. . . . .
we're ready for it  !

:-)

P.S. :
because the photo didn't want to load
midnight was already gone and a new date there

December (post 1100)

The amazing truth :
December has already gone a week . . .

Of course we celebrated "Sint Nicolaas" with
all our kids, many little presents,
and a really fun game with dice !
Lots of laughter
and all went home with a happy face !


And there was the next part of the course of
Yaroslava Troinich !

First there was a little friend (Vera)
for the black-and-tan rabbit (Igor)
The last part was making the cloths for both of them.

Such a lot of FUN
(if you like to make fiddly small items
out of felt !!!!!)

a small party and felting fun

 Because I was busy in October,
our anniversary party was postponed a bit.
(but it's not bad to have a party to look forward to !)

Yesterday we visited our granddaughter
in her new home
(which is MUCH closer to school
where she studies for gold smith)
and we went out for dinner :
with daughter and four youngsters this time.
(the family is expanding)
Though we had to wait quite a long time
before we could eat
it was wonderful being together !
(which isn't always possible
when children "are leaving the nest")

So sorry that on the special funny date
22 - 11 - '22
I had no time at all to write a post :
because I was soooo busy felting
in a wonderful masterclass with
Yaroslava Troinich

I have done other workshops with her
and it was always FUN !!!
She has great expertise in felting
and is very generous with her knowledge !
(if you love felting small, please check her out,
you won't regret it !!!)

So on 22 - 11 was the start of this class,
but two days later we finished this funny chap !

Meet IGOR, my black-and-tan rabbit !

Number two is on it's way,
but not dry yet

(next Tuesday they will have some clothes too,  haha)

mudskipper ...

Pfffffffft 

finally got my "samplodicus" for Pam's class finished !

I thought of a critter

that would be "real" and "not-real"

and came up with the mudskipper ...

(Saw a Star Trek episode years ago

where Captain Janeway turned into a giant one,

but it wasn't the best of episodes, haha !)

Two days ago I showed all the parts

that needed to be prepared first

BEFORE  I even could think of starting the real work.

After that

all I can say that it went rather quick then.

(just some consideration what to do first ...)

Meet the samplodicus Mudskipper ! 

several techniques (8) in one critter.

Here he is belly up ...

(and stuffed with paper towels)

The VERY fine white merino (16 mic) I used

for the biggest part of the body

gave me, like it did before, some trouble

Because the plastic template I use is also white

I can hardly see it the layers of wool

are thick enough ...

Result : a nearly hole ... 

I made a tiny piece of the flimsiest prefelt ever

and stitched it with linen thread

on the inside of the body !

SOLVED !

(pffffffft)

Not so big after all !

Mudskipper with templates used

19 - 12 - 19

December,

and this year is almost done.

Very slow starting with felting again.

Wrapping stones greatly

intrigued me.

So after my first attempt with the necklace

another stone followed.

(love this, so probably not the last either)

Now I'm busy preparing all the separate parts first

for my final task of the online class.

Most of the parts that I need for my "samplodicus"

(sample-creature)

(HA, don't know if it will all work out the way I think it will ...)

online felting class ...

December !

(and finally started

with some things of Pam de Groot's felting class,

that started in October when I was VERY busy

with something else ...)

a first one

(a lot to think about for the next one)

Making the closure

like I learned with Judit Pócs

(inspiration Anikó Boros)

*

Winter in the garden means

full bird feeders

and sometimes 

strange guests 

...

king or fisher ?

It might become a mild

addiction

.....

Soon after making the very first bird

I started to use a felting needle :

not too much,

but just to make sure I start off with the right shape.

That way I'm able to follow more closely

the colour pattern on the bird.

King or Fisher ???

We don't hardly ever see them here, kingfishers.

They are quite rare

Years ago I saw a bright blue flash

from a branch near the water behind our garden

and knew what it must have been right away !

(never seen one since)

(no harm done)

(hmmmm ... sure lóóks like an addiction)

one bird in the hand ...

Like last year

I'm participating in an online felting class

of Corinna Nitschmann.

Though I don't have a lot of time

to do some big felting right now,

but there's the possibility to save these lessons for later

(like the wrist warmers and the skirt)

But the little birds that adorned a felted vessel

were sooooooooo CUTE

I had to try them right away !

A tiny bit of wool

lukewarm water, soap

and nimble hands

do the trick.

A small great tit was the result !

And because it's such fun ...

(a blue tit without a picture)

a wren

and a tail tit.

Always love it when in winter these little ones

come foraging in a group !

Maybe I even make one of these special visitors in felt !

(ring-necked parakeets are more and more common here)

more mushrooms and ...

The felting course had something for the second week

that fitted quite well :

gnomes !

(some people might think that silly,

but I can tell you that the participants

of the course have (re)found

their inner child !)

After the first chanterelle 

there was another, smaller one.

Then I started with this week's assignment :

gnomes.

First there was one ... but he felt kind of lonely, so ...

he had two friends over to stay

Then, today, I had another go at the mushrooms,

ink mushrooms this time.

(some of those are edible too,

but the combination with alcohol makes them toxic !) 

Ha ... really like to do this !

a new course

Because the last online felting course

(of Corinna Nitschmann)

was such fun

I subscribed to the next one too.

We started with making mushrooms

Because I'm very fond of chanterelles

I chose that one to make first

( I remember looking for them in the woods

when I was a small child )

Hmmmmm ...

thinking what kind

I'll be making next

and some more ...

When you start and the going is GOOD

.....

why stop ?

So here are more felted shells.

(I'm not the only one :

lots of other participants of  

Corinna Nitschmann 's on-line course

did exactly the same and felted several shells !)

For this one I used black (Bergschaf ?? but not very good)

mixed with glittering "Angelina" fibers

and little bits if green and yellow

(that my dear friend Birgit dyed and gave me)

The black fibers were very short,

made lousy felt and kept coming off in the process.

GRRRRRRR

(we have some more ... but it will be difficult where to use it !)

Some stitches, with linen thread, to secure the folded top.

It shrunk very good    ....    and the next spiral one. 

(I secured the top of the spiral ones with invisible thread)

And this wonderful shell was done by Nature

and a talented person !!!

(NO, not me ... daughter brought it home for me

from some Festival !)

Ahhhh, and I totally forgot

to show the wonderful little bum bag daughter made

out of an old leather shirt !

(also a talented person !)

;-)

Last but not least : some visitors in the garden

Small, but beautiful !