woolly matroyshka dolls

This is another new pattern still in the works. All I need to do is photograph them and they are off to the printers.

There are three sizes of dolls: large, medium and small, but I call them: Mother, Teen and Child. They appear as if to nest, but they do not. I made a decision early on to not make them nesting. That way I would have more flexibility in embellishing them if they had a solid inside.

For the cover photo I have kept the dolls fairly simple. I have felted a set of all-red dolls and plan on more elaborate needle felting scenes and motifs to go across their dresses. I will take photos of them once I have finished them.

I am shooting for the first of September as their birth date. Stay tuned.

Happy knitting!

hand-winding a center-pull ball of yarn

Click on photo to enlarge.

I found myself in a predicament a while back, needing to hand-wind a skein of yarn but definitely needing both ends for double stranding the yarn in my project. I found this link from the blog, Damp City Knits, on How to Hand-Wind a Center-Pull Ball of Yarn. It gives a great tutorial on how to hand-wind a loose hank of yarn into a ball with two available ends.

The tutorial is straight forward and easy to follow with lots of photos. Just remember to wind the ball loosely to not 'stress' the yarn and don't lose track of the inside end. The blog's author cautions that when using "some delicate or 'sticky' yarns, such as mohair or lace-weight silk yarn, it can be difficult to pull from the center, as their strands tend to stick together and tangle. In these cases, it is best to knit from the outside of the ball." Good to know!

I then tested out my new ball of yarn by knitting double stranded, pulling from both the center and the outside. It worked slick! A great reference.

Happy knitting!

needle felting trick

Unknown source

I couldn't find a direct source for this pin from Pinterest, sorry to say. I was so looking forward to whatever else this site had to offer. For all those that needle felt in the crowd, this idea is quite clever and will save you some time!

What's clever about this technique is Step 1, first tying the loose roving into a knot. This gives the ball a firm center right off the bat. Next the 'tails' are simply needle felted to the center knot.

The difference between Steps 2 and 3 is the continual needle felting: poking the ball until it is round, solid, and the desired size. Judging from the size of the above felting needle, I'm guessing the roving ball in Step 3 is about the size of your thumb nail.

The above technique is great for the addition of wool beads to whimsical jewelry creations. Or how about a unique fringe on that one-of-a-kind scarf?

I plan on using this technique especially for the little needle felted eggs in my Woolly Nest Ornament Kit. Who says this technique is limited to a ball-shape?

 Happy knitting!

favorite books of my trade

I have started using Pinterest for my pattern business in some new and interesting ways!

One such way is my Favorite Books of My Trade board above. I use this board for pinning all my favorite and resourceful books from my collection here at home. Books that continue to give me great tips and wonderful inspiration such as needle felting, embroidery and woolly design.

What I love about this board is that it contains lots of information in one quick and easy sight: the book information, the cover photo and a brief comment by me on how I use this particular book.

Check it out.

I am pinning new things on it every day!

woolly kitty kat

woolly kitty kat

I have decided to start sharing with you a few photos of my soon-to-be released (August 2012) new projects, especially as they are getting closer to printing stage.

Here is my Woolly Kitty Kat pattern. I just love his little face! A quick knit and felt. And easy embellishments too.

Believe it or not, that tail has been a dickens to get 'just right'. I have a few ideas still to try, but it is getting closer and closer.

This little guy is knit using a sport weight orange yarn carried together with Rowan's kidsilk haze to give the kitty that whimsical fuzzy feel. He will stand, after felting and stuffed with fiberfill, about 9-inches tall.

I hope to have some black kat kits complete with yarn and pattern for sale as a Halloween special.

This pattern is for all those kitty lovers out there, who love to knit and need that special companion!

Stay tuned . . .

fork pom-poms

I have had this tutorial on my Pinterest boards for quite sometime and decided today to try it. Making tiny pom poms using a fork and a little yarn. Very clever idea!

Simply wrap a fork with yarn and tie off. These pom poms are smallish in size. Great size for the snowman and snowbaby's hats! If you wanted a larger pom pom you would need a wider fork to wrap such as a serving fork size.

Here is the link to the tutorial by Eskimimi Makes: How to Make Pom Poms Using A Fork.

my pinterest summer adventure!

Sorry to say I haven't written in here in a while. Two good reasons though.

One, I am working like crazy to finish writing several new patterns by the end of this summer. I am really excited about them. Preview photos to come soon.

Secondly, I've been having fun playing on my other blog: Been There. Done That. On the new blog I have daily entries regarding my new adventure. I am calling it: 'My Pinterest Summer Adventure'. My goal is to try a new pin each day, then report back what I think. Did I like it? If I do, then does it receive the 'red pin award'. A symbol that I would definitely try it again.

So far I've tried a new taco salad, an underarm stain remover, the best-ever oven fried, a Picmonkey collage tutorial and several others!

It has been stimulating experimenting with these new ideas. The goal is to hopefully push my level of creativity to new heights. Stay tuned . . .

Follow me on Pinterest:  woollysomething
Check out my other blog:  Been There. Done That.