Kelp and shell neckpiece.

Hand felted merino wool, shells attached with hand stitching and button closure

A scarf for Celia

Celia is an artist who just does it. No planning, no design. She follows an idea. At the moment she's wearing a hand knitted cardigan which is a "work in progress".

I saw the variegated wool I've used in this scarf for her and it reminded me very much of the warm earthy tones she favours. When I began to make it, I decided to follow her method of working and see where it led me.

I hand dyed the tissue silk in the microwave, then laid out all the wool I had in random stripes. I like the way the wool shirrs the silk.

Fan coral

Merino wool, alpaca yarn and tissue silk selvedges hand felted on black tissue silk.

Soft Orange Coral

Ready for Spring, a lightweight hand felted scarf in hand dyed tissue silk and merino wool.

Coasters

West MacDonnell Ranges and Dry Creek Bed
Hand felted merino wool and silk with hand stitching.
(10cm x 10cm)

Ecodyeing demystified.

I had a great opportunity last week to learn about ecodyeing from Sandra, a natural. She has committed to memory so many plants, where to find them, as well as the results obtained when using them in different seasons and whether used fresh, dried or frozen.

This first one was done using two different coloured roses, petunias and iris, all frozen last summer. I laid out a piece of white tissue silk with one layer of merino and silk roving. This was rolled and fulled before placing the flowers on in a concertina fold, tied around a rusted metal bar and boiled up in a cast iron pot for a little over an hour.



The small scarf below is a pre-hemmed silk scarf laid out with dried cinerea eucalyptus (Argyle apple) leaves, then rolled around a chromed pipe, tied and boiled.

Happy Birthday, Alex.