Select Sunday with Sue Welfare and cobweb scarves

This week I am sharing some beautiful delicate

cobweb felt scarves by

Sue Welfare.

Cobweb felt is created with extreamly

fine layers of fibre. 

Sue tells me her scarves weight a mere 25g each

amazing!

Lovely details and you can see the 

blend of different fibres used.

Sue created these pieces using 

some of our dyed tops.

Below a Merino /silk/ flax mix.

Sue works as a full time novelist 

and you may have come across her books

which are available here.

Sue is also on Facebook.

Hair accessories.....doormat.....what next?

Time has been flying by!

I think because the weather has been so good 

and I have managed

to get lots of dying/drying done this week.

Some thick and thin for a 10 year old

that makes her own hair accessories.

Lots of sari ribbon - very popular with Jewellery makers.

Hand dyed silk yarn and thread for lots of

different creative textile uses.

Hand dyed wool insulation!

Thick, hairy and very rough......

I am thinking it may become a door mat?

Oh so soft.....

The Oh so soft Angora and alpaca batts

have now been felted........yum felt.

And become the base of some new

Great British Creativity packs.

Along with 

Hand dyed bluefaced leicester yarn

hand spun yarn by Rita

Wensleydale grey and white locks

hairy Alpaca pre-felt

felt pebbles.

Preparing luxury alpaca/angora batts for felting....

I've been desperate to make some felt with angora since I

managed to get some at Woolfest,

and now have found the lovely Bigwigs angora

who are supplying me for the great British range.

These batts have hand dyed suri alpaca, alpaca noil

natural angora(rabbit), Merino x shetland,

alpaca and mohair. (all grown in the U.K.)

Can't wait to get felting!

New British Needle Felting packs....

The last few days I have been working on dying things

for the British Fluff packs.

This one is a needle felting pack.

It has very hairy alpaca pre-felt

hand dyed bluefaced Leicester yarn

Lovely hand spun by Rita

Teeswater x Hebridean white locks

hand dyed bfl locks

and some of the fun bfl pebbles

Tied together with our British fluff tag

and a hand dyed heart felt button using bfl yarn.

Pop over to see lots more colours in the shop.

Cotton Scrim...drying on the line

Having a wee change today as I have some dying request.

The first is cotton scrim...great for creative embroidery

and nuno felting.

New Luxury British grown felting packs....Can't get enough of this British Fluff

Very excited about our new range of fibre packs.

"I can't get enough of this British fluff"

Luxury fibres grown in the U.K....

not necessarily native British

but nurtured British.

Alpaca, Angora bunny, Merino x Shetland,

Shetland, Bfl, Wensleydale all appear in the first packs.

Along with Rita's hands pun yarn using the same natural fibres.

Tied with Blue faced Leicester yarn and a felt heart button.

Also our Union Flag tag that I was working on a few weeks ago.

Chiffon Sari ribbons and packs....

Today I have been making up packs of silk chiffon

hand dyed recycled sari ribbons.

Also silk ribbon and thread packs.

Mixing Dye's.....

Today's job is mixing up dyes!

Trying to be good and remember the apron and rubber gloves!

I can't believe how long it's taken me today.

Have been an organized girl and labelled all my dye bottles

feeling quite pleased with myself.

Back to school

Sorry about terrible photo's but yes

It's back to school in Largs!

They don't look too distraught either.

Playing...... I just love it!

Wensleydale pebbles.

I set myself the challenge of creating my own nepps.

For those none the wiser....

Nepps are tiny bits of compacted/felted wool 

that add great texture

to yarns and  felt.

In my experimentation I have come up so far with pebbles

which I just love to bits!

Bfl pebbles.....great to dye....I'm thinking jewellery?

Out with the kids and a wee sneak peek....

Today we took the kids to the

Scottish Maritime museum

They had a great time....

We certainly didn't have to pack our bags.

It's just on our doorstep in Irvine.

Ooooo and a wee sneak peek....

We are planning some new fluffy packs.

Can you guess what they have in common?

Preparing new lock packs for the shop

Since I came back from my holiday I have spent most evenings 

locking fleece...it takes soooooo long!

But at last ready to start making up new packs for the shop.

Must admit seeing all the locks together is 

pretty wonderful.

These packs are using Wensleydale, bfl

and the lovely Teeswater/ Hebridean X

that I bought at woolfest.

I am working on some really exciting new felting packs as well....

can't wait to share!

Preparing a felting batt....now this is fun!

Main ingredient beautiful merino x fleece

bought at Woolfest this year.

The same merino scoured (cleaned and degreased)

 and dyed, I use acid dyes which are rinsed in metipex

to remove excess dye and then rinsed in conditioner.

My carding space in the studio.

I use an Ashford wild carder 

( I bought mine from Wingham Wool works)

You can of course use hand carders .

I card the merino x once to produce a rough batt.

( It can be seen to left of carder)

Then I chose my additions

This one has dyed tussah silk tops, bamboo,

silk noil and felt snipps.

Felt snips are pieces of my hand dyed merino pre-felt

that I sort into colour collections and snip into little bits.

I combine the additions in layers between 

my hand dyed Merino.

So the second carding look like the above.

Apologies for photo my camera doesn't like being inside.

Then I split it into sections and card it for the third time.

I like to keep it to 3 times so it retains as much texture as possible.

Similar felting bats can be made using my felting packs

Drying on the line

Soft pink and reds 

silk hankies drying on the line

for a lady that makes silk flower pictures....

Mr Dye pot and I are firm friends again!

I have been very busy preparing an order for a

silk paper making workshop this week.

What a joy! Just wish I could go to the workshop...what fun!

Not great photo's as weather is rubbish!

Silk hankies........

Teeswater x fleece

Bluefaced Leicester fleece .......really lovely little curls.