Flea Marketing Blogger Style

As you all know, I love going to the flea market.  Most finds have been, in the process of, or going to be used in repurposing projects.  After looking down my list of projects-to-do, some materials are getting set to the side and will be listed later today on my Pumpkin Hollow Flea Market blog here.   The main listings right now will be my vintage grain sacks, flour, and seed sacks.  There will be some wooly items as well. Here is a little peek before you hop on over...

I have some large, medium, and small bags collected over the years.  Just looking to pass along a deal and make some space!

Also, my selection of wool blankets.  The rougher ones make good lining for stitching projects, and some use them for rug hooking.  I have several new army blankets, if someone wants to use it instead of batting in a quilt.  Makes them nice and snuggly warm!

I will be doing a lot of posting this week over on my selling blog of various items... stamped cross stitch kits, old harness bells, quilting notions, spinning equipment, and art supplies.  Hopefully, most will be up by the end of this week.  I just have to find a way to organize prior to listing more!  The listings will be up for awhile.  This is the first stop before firing up the Etsy and Ebay stores again.  I know a lot of my internet friends prefer to purchase direct, since the prices have to go up to cover the costs of listing on selling sites.  So hopefully, they are up long enough for everyone to have a chance to get a deal.  :)

Dyeing to Play with Some Yarn

If you want to have some serious fun, check out your local fiber fairs.  I love going to purchase local fleeces to spin but ended up trying a whole new art... dyeing fiber.  Here is the booth some ladies had put together.  The large skeins are 250 yards of natural Corriedale.  They were a squishy DK weight and soft to the skin.  I passed by a few times, and the class tables were empty.  Too many times, I have passed on opportunities to participate.  I made a concious decision to change my way of thinking by pulling out a chair, putting on an apron (fashioned cleverly out of a garbage bag), and delve into the world of dyeing yarn.



 As I lined up baby bottles filled with dye (which is an absolutely fantastic way to dispense it by the way), curious bystanders decided to check out the craft.  I never turn down the opportunity to talk about fiber, and they happily joined in the fun.  It only takes one to step out of their comfort zone, and pretty soon, you'll draw a crowd. 

The ladies had the most intriguing set up.  These tin roasting pans held two sheets of plastic wrap and a skein of your choice of yarn or sock blank soaked in vinegar.  The trick of dyeing yarn in this method is to keep your colors far apart and work them with your hands back together.  This creates a nice blend between the two colors.  Being familiar with the color wheel, the possibilities in the dyeing process are endless...  I was hooked!  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Once the skein is to the liking of the dyer, the skein is wrapped up in the plastic wrapped and whisked away to have the dye set.  The dye was set for several minutes in a microwave on hot.  It was done in intervals, so the fiber was not harmed.

After the yarn was taken from the microwave, it was dipped in a bucket of water a few times.  Then, the skein had the water squeezed out of it and draped over a hanger...   with my name proudly attached. lol

As you can tell, I tried as many colors as possible on my first skein (on the right in photo).  I even did some over dyeing.  The blues didn't really draw me in, but all the others did!  By the time I was finished, I commented to the girl next to me that it looked like a pile of fruit loops.  lol

With the second skein (to the left in photo), I was much calmer and controlled... And it shows!  It will be interesting to see how they both translate when knitted.  The colors are bold and vibrant.  A little less vibrant than my photo with the flash but bold just the same. :)

 The fiber fest, and the group of ladies overseeing the dyeing booth, was the best way to experience this craft for the first time.  The dyeing mini class was a memorable event.  The ladies only charged $10.00 a skein.  Such a small price to pay for the beginnings of a great adventure!  :) 



Passing the Time in January ~ Wool Roving

January is coming to a close, and cold temps are making their way back into the forecast again.  I have been spending my free time getting a workout combing and drum carding wool from my son's Shetlands .  It is a relaxing past time. :)   Makes me feel like the sheep are close by.

 

Here are the black and variegated grays of Marlena.  She has the softest fleece.  I call her my big bunny!

 

A few of my purchases snuck their way into the line up.  This is some stretchy and lofty Gulf Coast Native fleece.  It is going to make some excellent sock yarn.  It has some canary staining which gives it a nice lemon color.  How is that for natural coloring?  LOL

I save some of this lot for myself.  (Okay, I saved a fleece of Marlena for myself too!)   It is from Blackie and is created from a 1st shearing.  The coveted lamb fleece.  Blackie was black from root to tip.  You could dive into the wonderful jet black depths.  Not gonna lie... I wish I wouldn't have sold the majority of the fleece.

One of my latest projects is from the matriarch of our flock, Miss Lego.  She lends herself to the soft side of the Shetland spectrum.  The roving is from crazy long locks and is absolutely wonderful to handle.  I will be saving some for myself in the next batch!  ;)

Cocoa (a lovely dark brown Shetland) and Liam (the most indescribable color of lamb fleece I have EVER seen)  are currently on the combs.  Most of my winter's work was graciously purchased by the community on Ravelry.  It will greatly help the flock with feed and veterinarian costs.  It really is a labor of love.  :)

My goal for February is to start working on my New Year priorities, so tomorrow is D-day.   So much to do and so little time!  :) 

New Studio Area for the New Year!

Fall has always been a busy time for me at work and at home.  Last year was even worse... but with a great outcome.  I sacrificed my couple weeks of relaxing vacation to take on the task of renovating Farmerboy's bedroom into a new studio for myself.  Mr. Hollow was extremely skeptical on whether or not I could fit everything in there, but I managed to utilize every inch of wall space to its maximum ability.  I still have a ways to go with fine organizing, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the early results. :)   Plus, I can begin to create again!  Such a fabulous start to the New Year.

 

My first vacation in September was mainly dedicated to fixing and painting the vintage plaster walls.  The last remaining original plaster in the house.  :(   Then, the second vacation in October was spent painting... and painting... and painting trim.  The white trim took FOREVER.  I have made a mental note to listen to my daughter in law and buy the one coat coverage paint for the rest of the rooms.  ;)  Finally, Mr. Hollow and I ripped up and replaced the carpet.  I didn't want anything expensive in the room, so I went with a mid range carpet.  After all, a studio can be a very messy place at times. 

 

My favorite spot is the  huge island in the middle of the room.  It is just wonderful!  I purchased some inexpensive cube storage for the base.  It works perfectly for holding loads of fabric.  The top is actually the other half of our kitchen island.  I am so happy the gentlemen at our local Spahn and Rose talked us into paying only $20 more to get the wasted half of the island counter top finished.  It has been stored under our bed waiting to be used!  If you look closely, the island is big enough to house my wool combs and yarn winder.  They can be removed easily to transition the space over for painting, writing and cutting fabric for quilts.     

 

 

 

 

Mr. Hollow made a nice wood cabinet to set my floss bins into.  It really looks like a more finished and cohesive piece now, and the white really makes the colors pop. 

 



My huge drafting table has been stored for too many years to recall.  I was thrilled to finally give it a proper space to live.  Under it, I flipped a wood box to utilize as storage for all of my Prismacolor drawing pencils.  The wood filing cabinet, on the right, was left at home by Farmerboy.  It currently holds all of my DVDs.  The sectioned wood soda pop cartons are stacked on top and work great as cubbies for all of my various art supplies.  They use to hang in my old studio area, but I just can't see a point of mounting them on my walls.  The box in front of the drafting table is the fuzzie's mobile bed.  LOL

Each wall was suppose to have a purpose in the initial layout.  The photo above is the fine art station.  The photo below is the fleece and fiber station. This is where the carding machines reside for making roving.  Due to space constraints, I also have moveable carts parked there for the time being.  The first cart is for writing and sewing supplies.  The second cart can be rolled over to the drafting table and used as an art supply cart.

Since, I will be doing my Tole painting at the island.  I gave one of the walls over to storage.  My barnboard storage unit that Farmerboy made me fits neatly in the corner and is flanked by my reclaimed wool material cubbies. 

The final wall is the sewing area.  I purchased a sewing table on OverStock.com for quilting.  It was Mr. Hollow's idea to keep my other small industrial table for a second machine set up.   In the far corner, my barnboard pie safe sits filled with fabric.  I found a really cool vintage wood filing cabinet to use for patterns and set it on top.  To finish the wall off for now, Mr. Hollow mounted a television. 

I am sure there are some more changes coming in the future for the layout, but I am thrilled to be up and creating again.  Mr. Hollow will be finishing up the window trim, after he finishes the renovations in my old studio.  It is going to be a laundry/kitchen storage area.  I am really excited to get that finished too.  Not only will I be creating in my studio, but the kitchen storage area will make it so much easier to cook, bake and create in my kitchen as well!  :)

A Free Pattern for a Happy New Year!

Cold temps welcomed in the New Year of 2018 in Northern Illinois.  It also welcomes in a free quilting pattern from one of my favorite designers, Sindy of FatCat Patterns.  The new design is  appropriately named "Gnome for the Holiday".  This pattern is so darling and is just begging to be done in wool applique.  Sindy is so talented and generous.  I could imagine these blocks as mats and runners as well.  If you want to create along with all of Sindy's followers, you can download the instructions monthly here.  Please take the time to visit Sindy's shop.  I have purchased  some of her designs and am never disappointed.  

 

A huge "Thank - You" to Sindy for making this year kick off with quilting excitement.  :)  Below is a peek at Sindy's offering for the New Year 2018.

 



 

 

 

 

 

Wishes for a Joyful & Adventurous New Year!  :)

 

Tutorial on Washing Stubbornly Dirty Wool Fleece Locks ~ Polwarth

Since my quilting and fine art stations aren't set up in my studio yet, I began a wool experiment to try and get some stubborn grease and dirt laden Polwarth locks clean.  My first try at these locks, using a new system (I will share in another post) for cleaning Shetland, was mediocre at best for these overly grease ridden locks.  I needed to find a less intrusive way to clean the locks, since Polwarth is a fine breed and can be relied on to felt when it gets agitated.

 

After reading several articles, I decided to try a lock by lock method.  It is said to work well with many of the fine greasy wool breeds:  Cormo, Merino, Polwarth etc. .  After my last bout with the fleece, I was ready to throw it away as bad.  Maybe, I let it set to long.  (It was a fleece from last year.)  So with nothing to loose and throwing basic knowledge to the wind, here is my scouring experiment.

 

Necessary items:

 

Two cups.  I used the cups from my liquid Tide containers... making sure the residue of detergent was all gone! 

 



 

 

 

A tea kettle.  This requires the hottest of water.  Got to melt the lanolin fast!

 

Original Dawn.  The newer versions of Dawn will damage the wool fibers.  The upside, Dawn original can be bought super cheap at the DG.  :)

 

 

 

Some dirty Polwarth locks.  These were bought and shipped from England in 2016 and left to sit in a sealed pillowcase in the garage all winter.  I honestly thought they were unsalvageable.

 

 

Now let's get cleaning!  Fill the cups up with hot water directly from the tea kettle (Keep the tea kettle warming at all times.  Add water as needed to keep the process moving along.)  and add a squirt of Dawn to give the water a blue tint.

 How do you like my orange gloves?  Orange is my favorite color.  I vow to have a Mini Cooper some day in this color... *sigh* ;)  Sorry, back to the topic.    The water is really hot, and you will be working in close proximity to it... Use the heavier gloves!  The lighter latex gloves for my Shetland method will not work. 

As you can see, I fanned the dirty tip thinking it would aid in the cleaning process.  With another lock, I left the grungy tip in tact.  Neither lock cleaned faster than the other.  So additional prep work -- not worth the time!

This girl cannot handle a camera and swish, so trust me on this one. ;)  Hold the lock like in the above photo.  Swish the end in the first cup.  (If you have crusty cruddy tips like my locks, hold it in the water a few seconds before swishing to loosen the pasty lanolin.)  If the tip looks clean, turn the lock around.  Hold the lock on the clean end and swish the dirty end in the other cup. That's it!

I made my first cup "the tip end" cup.  A few tips can be washed in it with a little freshening from hot tea kettle water.  Then, my cut end cup came over and became the tip cup for a few more additional washes prior to being dumped.  A rotation of cups makes for less waste of water. :)

Okay, here is where the cardinal rule of wool washing is thrown out the window.  Let water directly from the tap (can be from the cold side) run over your lock.   What are you crazy???  It's going to felt!!!   Yes, that is what I said. No, it is not going to felt.  Run the water over the lock like in the photo.  The soap will come right out.  You will not need to swish it.   Just a nice stream running down it.  Now, hold it by the other end and repeat...

Lay the lock on a towel.  Fold the towel over and give it a good squeeze.

Here are those locks after the cleaning process.  Can you believe these are the same locks?   No compost heap for these babies. 

Look at the finished product! The Polwarth fluffs right up on its own.... Squishy soft!!  I couldn't be happier with the end result. 

My final thoughts...  You might think this process will go slow, but take it from someone that has washed loads of wool, this process hums right along with no mess.  Granted, you will not turn out huge bags of fleece in an hour, but you won't have to lug any heavy buckets around either.  Plus, the end result is clean non felted locks from a fine wool sheep.  Locks that are ready to flick and spin.  It will be my "go to" for all of the finer breeds.  It just makes sense.  Now, I can go to my raw Polwarth storage bucket, pull out a bowl full of locks and wash enough to spin a skein on my Matchless.  How convenient is that?  :)

Spinning with the Schacht Matchless

One of the best purchases I made in 2016 was the Schacht Matchless spinning wheel.  I was a little worried this wheel would be technically above my skill level.  It has the potential to spin anything.  After considering the Schacht Ladybug, I decided to go all in on a wheel that could grow with my experience.  Maybe due to my newness, the learning curve felt less threatening.  There were no new techniques or operations to learn, since my experience with other wheels was virtually non existent.  I did decide to go with a double treadle this time and must say overall , "I am in love!"   Here she is...  

 

 

I started out practicing with some more combed top from Edgewood Garden Studios from Etsy.  At this point, I was still counting my treadling.  It made me kind of panicky causing thick and thin spots.  To be truthful, counting was taking all the fun out of spinning. :(

Then, I practiced making thinner singles to ply.  My singles started becoming more consistent.  :)

I decided to jump back to thicker singles to ply and let myself spin without counting treadles all the time.  What a difference!  I found that as long as there isn't any crazy music in playing in the background, my treadling has its own rhythm and my hands work naturally along with it.  Got a little crazy with my color.  Didn't I?  LOL

I now have it in my head to make some 3 ply sock yarn.  The singles need to be thin.  How is this for consistency?  No counting treadles, just spinning to my own rhythm.  I guess it should be called, " Letting go and trusting myself."  There are two bobbins down with one bobbin to go!

I have moved my fleece storage and spinning wheels into the new location of my studio area.  I cannot wait until my drafting table and sewing machines join them.  It will be so exciting to get back to drawing and quilting again!

Have a Safe and Happy Easter!

It's Shearing Time for Everyone

No animal could avoid the shears around here lately.  The first two to fall prey  were Izzie and Gabby.  They went to see Dr. Julie.  Yep, it was spaying time.  A time dreaded by myself (and them to I'm sure, if they could understand).  They seemed to take it well with the exception of some cold tummies.  

 

 

March came in like a lion for the sheep, since the gentleman arrived at Farmerboy's to do some shearing.  Farmerboy was all smiles with that chore finished.  Luke the llama posed happily for a photo op, since he didn't get sheared... this time!

The rest of the crew seemed to enjoy the loss of 4 or more pounds each!  They were scratching themselves on anything they could find.    Last year's lambs were bouncing around the barnyard happy to be free of the excess hair. 

Even Max seemed to be a little more mellow.  :)

I have been spending the last week skirting fleeces and bagging them for proper storage until they can be scoured.  There are some extremely beautiful colorways.  The nice thing about Shetland fleeces is the variety of crimp and locks all on the same sheep.  It is just amazing!  I am going to be putting quite a few to the side for personal spinning and will share some photos later.  But I have to say, there is one lamb that is coal black from skin to tip with locks in excess of 7 inches.  Crazy gorgeous!!  I washed a couple of locks, and they are fantastic.  The whole fleece is like that... A spinner's dream. :)

Summertime... Fleece, Fabric & the Return of ...



Oh my heavens... Where is the summer going?  I have been so busy!  Here is a little bit of my summer antics.  First, I got some cool new combs and another carder for processing all of that Shetland wool.   Also, I have been doing loads of reading on Ravelry regarding the processing and spinning of raw fleeces.  I have learned so much that I will need to revamp my tutorial on "how to wash raw fleece".   And oh the lovely fleeces!!!  There are many wonderful caring shepherds selling their wares on Etsy and Ravelry... got to have more than just Shetland to spin. ;)   (More on that in future posts!)

 

Here is my latest processed fleece.  The taupe colored fleece is from Farmerboy's Ariel.   The gray bun in the upper left corner is from Lego.   They were two of the original 3 that started out this crazy group.   Beneath the gray, there is some Targhee / Rambouillet fiber from Kami over at "Ranching Traditions".  I haven't spun the fiber yet, but this stuff is spongy and destined to be socks.  So, let the fine spinning begin!

 

At present, I'm still messing around with combed top purchased from "Edgewood Garden Studios" on Etsy...  Love her colors. :)  It is really good practice.   And hey... It  actually looks like yarn!  LOL 

 

 

Did you think I was too busy for the Flea Markets?  Of course not! ;)   Mr. Hollow and I just went up to Jefferson, Wisconsin this morning and had to bring home some vintage fabric.   Although we did not go on the 127 this year (the first time of being a no show in 14 years),  we have been hitting a lot of the smaller venues.   One of the vendors today had an old Viking machine in its original case (heavy metal at its finest)  and also there was an old treadle White, but I managed to pass them up without too much regret.  I am in the process of getting a studio area set up in my house, so my spending has been sparse until my room is semi functional... At least for bigger items anyways! ;)   There aren't enough words to convey how thrilling it will be to get my sewing machines and fabric easily accessible to me... Whenever, I feel the need.  Yipee!!

At the beginning of the summer, Mr. Hollow and I discussed removing the pond from our back yard.  It was June already with no sign of Gary, and Farmerboy is moving out with the purchase of a farmette.  (How cool is that?)  The pond had always been his project.  And as of the last few years, Mr. Hollow has gotten stuck with the cleaning of it anyways. :(  LOL  Not two days later after discussing the demolition, I looked out the back window and guess who was walking across the yard?  Yeah, you know who.  Mr. Gary made his appearance ambling around, sniffing the air and going plunk right into his pond.   Apparently, he winters in our back yard under one of Farmerboy's sheds that he is not planning on moving... Lucky for Gary right?  ;)  Guess that means the pond is staying.

The "Gas and Steam Engine Show" will be in Baraboo this next weekend.  I am very excited to attend.  Hopefully, the rain they are predicting will move out of the weather forecast. :(  I finally purchased a new memory card for my camera and will get plenty of photos. 

Home Spun Yarn

I cannot say enough about the classes on Craftsy.  I am learning so much!  It has been a blast, and I am hopelessly and happily hooked on spinning wool... Which is a good thing, since there are fleeces stored in bins all over my house. LOL

 

It doesn't look that pretty, but below is a photo of my first plied yarn from Farmerboy's ram, Brick.  This was an unbelievable learning experience.  It also inspired me to sign up for two more classes on drafting and plying on Craftsy. ;)  My technique is getting there, but it could use a whole lotta help.  Isn't it amazing to think from sheep to yarn... all with my own hands?   Major accomplishment! 

 

After a good wash, the two brown twists are my very first yarn.  It looks like yarn too!  Albeit not perfect but yarn just the same. ;)  The third cream twist is from some comb top Corriedale that I received with my wheel.  It is a longer staple and was spun after my completed class with Amy.  This skein was so much more uniform than my initial go with the wheel.  I think Amy would be very proud of my progress.   This spinner sure is!

So now, I signed up for Jacey's drafting class and Jillian's plying class.  Plus, two more classes are sitting in my cart for hand embroidery and colored pencil techniques. :)  They are running some crazy sales on the Craftsy site, and it is unbelievable how exceptional these classes are for such little money.  Isn't it an amazing age we live in?  Such wonderful teachers are available at my own pace right at my fingertips.  I feel blessed. 

Farmerboy has been busy making some barn board creations for a spot he rented in Elizabeth.  You can see a small glimpse of his beautiful pieces in the last photo.  I will be sharing them in the next post.  Maybe I should switch gears and work on some stitching this weekend.  A few primitive candle mats might look nice with his furniture! ;) 

Review of a Fancy Kitty Mini Bench Picker for Wool

The sub zero temps in northern Illinois are finding me held up in the house, and I couldn't think of anything warmer to do than pick some wool. :)  For those new comers to my blog, below is a shearing from our ram Brick.  He is a busy guy that taught Farmer Boy to never turn his back on him, even when there was a fence between them.  YIKES!  (You can read about Brick here.)  As you can see by the vegetation, our sheep do not wear jackets.  They live their lives without the hassle of keeping their wool clean... That job is left to me!

 

There are a few in our flock (in my opinion)  that apparently must love to roll profusely in their bedding.  Those little beasties' fleeces are always hard to pull apart after being cleaned.  A few have been left unprocessed in their holding tubs.  I honestly cringed at the thought of trying to get them fluffy enough to run through the drum carder. (Please check out the Baby Brother Drum Carder here.)   After much research, I decided to break down and buy a wool picker.  After checking out several reviews, I opted for a Fancy Kitty. 

 

 

 

All I simply have to do is push the wool up through the left, make a few passes over it with the sharp projectiles ( located under the handle and on the base) and viola fluffy fleece gathers up at the right.   This piece of fleece went through a few passes, and it was amazing the amount of vegetable matter (VM)  that fell out.   For my high vegetation beasties, the Fancy Kitty will save me hours of picking and pulling by hand.  Makes me wonder how I lived without it!  :)

 



A matted looking section of Brick fleece before picking...

A fluffy picked cloud of Brick fleece, after the Fancy Kitty Picker got done with it!

 

 

 

A few passes through the Brother Manual Drum Carder, and I have some spinning material!

 



I was very impressed with the construction of the wool picker from Fancy Kitty.  It really did perform like a dream and will be getting a work out over next few weeks...   I signed up for Amy King's  "Foundations of Spinning" class on Craftsy and am in desperate need of some fiber to spin. ;)

***Note*** If you have the winter humdrums, check out the classes on Craftsy.  They have Quilting & Embroidery, Drawing & Painting, Wool Processing & Knitting/Crocheting, along with Cooking/Baking & Decorating...  Supplies/ Patterns and so much more!   Their classes do not disappoint, and the new ones are currently 50% off.  What better than to learn and ask questions at your own pace?  And your classes become yours to view... even after completion!!