Monday 16 April 2012

Laugh, it's OK!

I'm not, well not just yet anyway...... readers of my blog will know that The Material Girls have an event coming up at Horndon on the Hill. Just to digress for a minute everything seems to be going well for that, even publicity in Essex Life (fame at last).  Back to the theme of this post, I need to have things to sell in the shop, I'm not the greatest at producing lots of small pieces for sale. So far my collection includes  a selection of bowls  and two knitted felt bags, the second one I knitted came out a bit small after the washing process. So I decided to try another one this time I made it bigger used larger needles but the same yarn,  I washed it in the machine with a pair of jeans at 30C it came out no smaller infact it came out exactly the way it went in but wet!  Without another thought I washed it again at 60C with a hand towel and two bath sheets, when it finished the cycle I took the bag out of the machine I was over joyed, it had felted to a perfect size........ Oh, I thought I should let it dry over some sort of former...... But next.... Oh (excuse my language here) Bug**r the bag had felted it's self together so I can't open the bag...... Any ideas what I can do with a nice size lump of knitted felt? It's OK I have ideas. When Dave got home from work and I showed him he said 'Oh, Bug**r, you spent a lot of evenings knitting that'. Then he laughed, no I didn't damage him in anyway as I think it's funny too, I've knitted and felted quite a few times before and never had this happen, any ideas why it happened this time? Photo evidence I was so prepared I even used a plum to show the scale of the shrinkage, after the  DISASTER I ate the plum very nice too! I feel disappointed I had great plans of how to dye the bag and decorate it, never mind. As I said I have plans for the felt, and no not the bin, watch this space or better still come to the event. Pop over to here and see the list and times of the demonstrations.

Before

After

Saturday I was at the ERTF conference at Girton College, Cambridge, Chris gave a talk about the Bridging Waters Exhibition. She did a really good job, mind you she had great material, but then I'm biased.
Chris Spencer

Betsy is up to her usual tricks, she never stops, it's like living in a whirl wind most of the time. Today she's discovered a root that she had taken a fancy too, I have a dreadful feeling that by the end of the week the Camellia bush is going to fall down! Bless her..... I get a rest tomorrow I'm off to the British Museum,  research for the next Material Girls body of work and maybe a chance to have another visit to the Crypt Gallery and lunch, of course there's always lunch!


Betsy




I have a plan in the near future to make a page of photographs of the Quilts I've made over the years, I cant believe I made quilts and gave them away as gifts and never kept a photographic record? It's a project to get photos taken, Rachel jumped at the suggestion as she said the quilts she has at her house could do with a wash!!!!!! The joys of being a Mum.