Extreme Wool Makeover...

I paid $5 for this lump of wool on etsy. I won't mention the sellers name because she took her sweet time getting it to me (21 days before she actually SHIPPED it - to be exact!- and I had paid immediately with Paypal upon purchase)...let it go, let it go, let it go. Irritating.
ANYWAY! My purpose of this post is to show how impressed I am with myself...nothing like tooting one's own horn.
I really didn't know what to expect when the box finally arrived. I had no idea what I would do with it, but $5 for 12 oz. of wool just could not be passed up.
So it arrived. Harshly dyed coarse wool packed into a tiny little box...and need I mention again...from an annoyingly careless etsy seller. Many things can be done with primary colors. So I hauled out the anchor-weight drum carder that I have on extended loan from my frightfully busy fiber friend, Nancy, and began to blend. Yellow with blue, yellow with red, red with blue and the three colors on their own. I ended up with a MASSIVE pile of carded wool in 6 varying colors. I began to spin and was surprisingly pleased to see the earthy, organic colors that developed on my spool. I then tried my hand at navajo plying to avoid having to wind off the spool into a centerpull ball and plying the single against itself...that always results in a headache for me. The yarn sat in my stash for a couple of months. I couldn't decide to sell it as-is or do something with it.
So, I swapsat last night for a friend. We have this great arrangement where she sits my kids one night so Hubby and I can get out and act like adults and I watch her kids one night so she and her Hubs can do the same. It's a great arrangement that gives me peace of mind that my kids are safe with another mommy I know and it doesn't cost a dime! I do apologize to those HS girls out there who need a little babysitting spending $...but desperate financial times call for logical measures.
Anyway, back to my excruciatingly long story (my kids are circling at this point...nice day outside, much bike riding to do and here I am on the 'puter...I'll be DONE IN A MINUTE!!!).
So, when I sat last night, I took said skein of yarn and some fat needles with me 'cause I'm on this bowl thing, ya know. I whipped up what resembled a Rastah hat for dreadlocks and dropped it in the washer early this morning.

This is the end result. 5" high, 7" wide. I'm still trying to decide if I should de-fuzz it. Any suggestions?
Anyway, I think it was quite the accomplishment...considering what I started out with.
OK, kids...you have my complete attention...just let me grab my knitting and we'll head outside...

Cyberfriends...

Ever since I began listing items on etsy, I have been amazed at the number of connections I have made with people over the internet. For instance...my "friend" Jenny. She is the owner of
Bare Sheep Yarn and has created so many amazing colorways with her yarn. We have done a few "swaps" and these three felted bowls are the result of some of her "Country Roving". It's a 5-strand pencil roving that knits up so fast you won't believe it and it felts beautifully! Anyway, she is kind and generous and genuine and I not only look forward to seeing what new colorways she has on her drying rack, I also look forward to hearing from her now and then. I've learned so much from her about dyeing and I would like to think she learned a thing or two from me. The internet has opened up a whole new world of potential fiber friends for me and if any of them are like Jenny, well...LUCKY ME!!

Etsy rocks!

I just love etsy. List something one day, money in your pocket the next. I finished this little gem today. Sea Anenome sold yesterday. It's on it's way to St. Andrews, Fife, England. That's pretty cool. To think that someone on the other side of the ocean wants to buy what I make...that's cool.

So we'll see where this one goes. Who will give it a new home?