Shoulder Bag {with gold chiffon nuno detail}

Felted Cat Mats {tested by a cat}

So my friend kindly allowed me to use her cat Chin Chin as a model for the first cat mat! This mat is shown on the floor, but it can be used anywhere; it is particularly good for your cat's favourite sleeping spot on your sofa or bed to save from cat hair and clawing. 

 At first Chin Chin wasn't too sure about the mat...

 then, she started to warm to it...

 and then attack/play with it...

  and then she really fell in love with it::

 In the end it was really hard to get the mat back off her! I'll have to donate it to her as a thank you once I've made more!

So from September I will be taking orders for these improved cat mats - if you want one in time for Christmas get in touch - they will be £30 + P&P (add £6 to that if you want it to be personalised with the name of the pet!) and made to order; I'm happy to post abroad if you need to, and can gift wrap for a little extra. Comment, email or facebook me if you are interested! xxx

Cat Mat Prototype {or the Giant Comma}

  So, the first cat mat/rug/bed prototype, in the shape of a giant comma! 

 I created a pattern from newspaper roughly the size I wanted the mat to end up, then cut a template from foam inlay sheeting around 35% bigger. 

 My first few layers were black merino, then one thin layer of light grey swaledale...

 some more black merino, and topped off with a batt of brown welsh fibre. I was really just using up some fibres I had leftover so the combo wasn't exactly thought out too much; an experiment.

 It took up the whole of my dining table, and made me realise I have no large bits of bubble wrap anymore; I had to use two strips overlapped - not ideal!

 Alot of wetting out, rubbing, rolling & throwing later and it was coming together; but (and I knew this would be the case as I was using swaledale which is very coarse, and welsh, which felts slowly) it wasn't hardening quite as much as i'd like. 

 To harden as much as possible I used my bamboo blind and it shrank almost exactly how I predicted. It still remains pretty soft and not really very hard, which is nice, but also probably not great for longevity. 

 I know the next prototype I want to use Finnish fibres, and perhaps some BFL, as I know they will harden up much more. 

But I do like this swaledale coming through the layers; adds some great colour and texture. 

So, when this is dry I'm going to test it out on a friends cat, see how they like my giant felted comma!

More

[I made more.

I want to make more and more.

More time please.]

Felt for Me

Something for me; laptop cosy.

Wearing Wool

I've been thinking about using my stash of wool yarn, and also the new additions from the K&S show. It's the colours and textures that draw me in, the way skeins are twisted and presented as wonderful objects in themselves. It gets me thinking... What if yarn can be a necklace? 

Then I see this little book; and I buy it, and I love it, and I start to make my own.

Using some wonderful wool yarn from the Colinette stall last year and some of that amazing hemp yarn that I bought yesterday from the House of Hemp stall I started my own variations.