Heart Decorations, Part 2

Well, I got back to work creating heart patterns in crochet, and I came up with these two.

Then I decided we needed a tatted heart to go along with all the crocheted ones, and I made one, but it's not ready for prime time yet.

I found a set of heart-shaped cookie cutters at Wal-Mart and used one of them to shape a needle-felted heart that is now hanging with the others. It looks a little like an air-conditioning filter, but I like it with the pale winter sun shining through it. Here's a picture of the view out the art center door now--it needs a few more hearts, but it's getting there.

You might notice that the purple tatted heart is no longer there. That's because it looked more like a skull than a heart. I might bring it out again for Halloween!

Felting/Knitting Setbacks

I'm bummed--the tip of my felting needle broke off already and there's nowhere close by to buy another one. SO even though I dreamed about felting last night (no kidding), I can't work on anything until I replace the needle. I should probably order these things in bulk.

Stymied by my inability to felt, I got out my latest knitting project and discovered the needles aren't long enough (it's one of those sweaters that you knit all in one piece up to the armholes). This must be the universe's way of telling me to stop playing around with wool and finish preparations for DS and DH's Christmas stockings.

You know, the thing about being the mom is, you spend all this time and energy filling stockings for your darling children and their father and then what do you have in your own? Only what you put there! One of these days I'm going to use the stocking as an excuse to buy myself some really peachy presents for Christmas, like a huge bottle of Chanel No. 5 or a sapphire and diamond ring. Maybe a bottle of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, if I can figure out who sells it around here.

Needle felting is addictive

Help, I can't stop needle felting! I've made four more ornaments from that little kit I told you about earlier. So cool--when I need a new color I just go to my yarn stash, pull out some yarn, rip it apart so it somewhat resembles roving, and poke it in. My friend Stephen just shakes his head and says, "We have to get you some more roving."

Here's a picture of the little snowman that started it all--so cute! It's going to be a package tie on a present for someone who collects snowmen--don't tell; I want it to be a surprise.

For my next act I'm going to put a piece of wool fabric between two thin layers of roving and try to come up with a felted fabric like Tina Kldiashvili's. Tina is the Georgian felting artist who made my beautiful coat. The picture shows a detail of the back left shoulder--imagine, the whole coat looks like this, just gorgeous. You can take a look at Tina's work at http://www.welcome.ge/gallery_texstylet/. "Theka" is the name for felting in the Georgian language, and Tina is a Theka master. I would love to get Tina here to show us how she does it; we had hoped to bring her to Indiana and Michigan last summer but history got in the way. Maybe we'll have better luck in 2009.