Mad Hatters

I started Sunday's hat class by saying that we'd LEARN how to make a felted hat from alpaca fiber, but that SOME may turn out not be wearable for their first attempt.... the seven women that attended proved me wrong, and 100% came away with a really nice looking hat!
Each participant had pre-chosen the hat form they wanted to use, and each got to pick from several natural colors of alpaca fiber. Everyone left with their hats mostly-dry and wearable enough for a group photo, but I'm sure that each person will add their own touch in terms of embellishment.
Everyone worked, played, talked and laughed really hard, and the class ran way over... sorry about that!
This was a fun and crazy group of students, but do you know how the name "Mad Hatters" came about? It's because hat-makers used to use a mercury-based product for stiffening hats, and it led to brain damage... thus the name "mad" hatters! (Sad, but true).Here's the whole group with their mostly-finished hats. I was so proud of them! I've scheduled two more felting classes... one will be a general/beginning class on March 21st to include both wet felting and needle felting and the other will be a hat class on April 25th. Details will be forthcoming, but in the meantime let me know if you're interested! (alpacalindy@gmail.com).
Thanks to everyone who participated!

More Color to Feed the Addiction

The more I've been working in the studio, the more I WANT to work, especially with color.  I got a bit daring today with felting a hat from some orange merino wool and embellishing it with the hand-dyed yarn and fiber I had left over from the project at this post.  I wasn't so sure that it wouldn't be extremely tacky, but I do like the way it turned out! 

Perhaps not just anyone could pull off wearing these colors, but my hats always seem to find "their" person.  I plan to list this on Etsy, so you can check it out there if you think you may be "that" person!

 

Since I've been learning to sew, I've found that giving the hats a stitched edge adds a bit of professionalism, and it does help protect the brim a bit.

I haven't done a lot of felting with merino, which is one of the most popular fibers for hand felting.  While it was lovely and soft to work with, I truly didn't find that it felts any faster than alpaca, so don't be misled by the fallacy that alpaca doesn't felt well.  Move over, Merino... alpaca is here!

On another note, be sure to check out our farm visitor that we had today, over at our Seldom Scene Farm blog.

All inspired, with no time to play!

Can someone please explain why it is that every time I go through a creative spurt full of new ideas and energy I have almost NO time to create!? We have started the long and somewhat tedious process of training a new farm helper today, I have auction deadlines and other paperwork issues looming (not to mention cleaning the house), Mirian is bored silly and needing my attention, and all of a sudden I just want to make art! Is it the long daylight hours that are giving me more inspiration (I know I'm sluggish and down during winter, so maybe this is the opposite)? Or the extra time with Marti recently (her home is a virtual museum of fun, beautiful, colorful, and completely stimulating artwork)? Going to the Francisco's Farm art fair in Midway yesterday may have had something to do with it.

Or, maybe listening to the CraftCast podcast while working in my studio?

Possibly I'm just inspired by the gorgeous alpaca felt yardage (I hand-dyed it from our own alpacas) that I just got back from the fiber mill? I have to assume it's a special combination of all of these things.

I hadn't made a felted hat since last summer, and tonight I whipped this one up like I've been making them every day.

I'm not saying that to brag, as this is extremely unusual when I've been so out of practice!

Something rather cool is going on and I hope that I can sustain it for a while and at least squeeze out a few minutes here and there to make things.

Have you discovered what brings on your creative spurts, or are you never/always full of imagination and creativity? (Please feel free to contribute some comments!)

When Work is Fun!

Last week I found myself working and playing a lot in my studio, and at times it was tough to tell which was which. I think that's a good sign that I've somehow found my mojo again... things are so much more in balance in my life, at least for now! I've had some large blocks of quiet, which I've always needed more than the average bear.

A lot of my incentive to work in the studio was for dyeing yarn and fiber and organizing products for the Midway Festival. I also made felted soaps and put together some mini scarf kits. Attendance and sales were quite brisk, and the alpacas were a big hit again!

Being at the Midway Festival made me forget about the elections and all of the turmoil in our economy, if only for a while. There was bluegrass and Irish music, face painting, festival food, homegrown sorghum and honey, and sand sculpting.

My friend Dianne brought sheep and handspun, hand-dyed yarn and we did the booth together which made it more fun.
I've decided to try a more patriotic tactic and slow down on selling imported alpaca items and concentrate more on producing items from our farm's fleece, as people seem to be more "ready" for this and are willing to pay the difference for "homegrown." (I know I am as well). I finally put the finishing touches on a handfelted hat that I started back in July (shown here), and along came the person for whom it appeared to be made... Mary, a previous client at the festival. It was too hot for her to wear it yesterday, but when it cools off I hope she'll enjoy wearing it as much as I loved making it!