Handwash Only

My hot heels socks have undergone an unplanned transformation.

They went through a regular wash cycle in my washing machine along with my ordinary cotton socks and various other bits and pieces. As you can see they will never fit on my feet again. Is there some-one with a very small foot who could use a pair of felt slippers? Or are there a pair of felt wristies and other original pieces in my future?

Colour Conglomerate

I received a couple of these Tibetan felted coasters as a gift from my friend A yesterday. Each is a flat disc made up of tiny felt balls, just threaded together. There doesn't seem to be any science to the way the colours are combined, except that each colour is different from its immediate neighbours. The result is bright, cuddly and fun. There's a spot on my new sewing table that's just right for either a cup of coffee or a pin-cushion. These cuties could serve as either or both. It's been a rough week for me. I won't go into details here, but bright, cuddly and fun is just what I needed.

Funky Felt

I've posted couple of stages in this "variety" project. The base for these pieces is felt/fulled woollen fabric made from this little jumper. It was originally an average adult size, but after several hot machine washes in the company of a towel or two it's an itty bitty thing. I love the handle of the fabric. It's felted enough to be quite stable, but still has a bit of drape. And because it was a good quality wool to start with, it's nice and soft. I occasionally buy wool-felt for projects, but I much prefer this kind.

Around the House

It's a strange thing packing up and unpacking a houseful of stuff. Things that I've had for years are somehow becoming more visible as I try to settle on where they should go. This hood for example:It's made from felted, hand-dyed wool and lined with velvet. The story goes like this:

I knitted myself a hooded jacket--in my early knitting days. When it was ready, I found it was too itchy to wear--OK, I've learned a bit about wool since then. In my frustration I decided to turn it into felt, since I loved the colour and didn't want it to be entirely wasted. I used some of the felt for a teddy bear and there's some left in my collection. I've thought of making a bag out of it, but it hasn't happened yet. The hood was irresistable, though. Lining it with velvet solved the itchiness problem, but what to do with a thick felt velvet-lined hood in a smaller than average size? It would be perfect as a party hat for an eskimo girl! So there it is. It sits well on my paper-mache manequin head.

This morning I rescued it from the spot on the floor in the hallway where it ended up a week or three ago. I guess I just need to find a shelf to display it on, but really it's one of many things that might call for a shelf of their own, and there are only so many shelves in the house. It's made its way onto the table now, so I could photograph it, so I'll see where it goes from here.