Yarn, Felt, Nearly-Felt...

Today I pulled together my contribution to the Silent Auction that will be held at the Taste the View event.  This is a spectacular fundraiser held each year by CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture).  Well known in this area by the phrase, Local Hero, CISA helps farmers get their produce to customers and helps customers find local food.  I no longer produce and sell lamb but I still participate as a Local Hero because I produce local fiber.

Anyway... my contribution is a gift basket of some of one-ounce "muffins" of my sock yarn for the knitter that enjoys color work.  I stitched the basket together from some of my "Nearly Felt."

I'm sometimes asked why I call it "Nearly Felt".  My processor needlefelts large sheets of wool for me; these sheets are not as strong and solidly-fulled as the wonderful felt that some of the talented felt artists produce.  Rather, it's sort of a thick, cushion-y sheet of felted wool.  I would not use it for any object that requires strength; if used to make clothing it needs reinforcement.  But it's a pleasure to embroider with wool yarn;  I love the texture that is created by stitching into it.  To stay on the good side of the serious, talented felters whose definition of felt is not as inclusive as my own, I call it Nearly Felt.  But... I believe that it is still felt.  Cheesecloth and canvas are both woven cloth; they are very different and would not substitute for one another, but they're still both woven cloth.  Stepping down carefully..

In preparation for the fall fairs I'm working on a collection of fridge magnets. 

And finally, Bud has new work.  He still does "sheep work" with relish (often more relish than skill, but the job gets done).  But now twice each month he does "gentle work": he visits Hospice patients at a local home.