Blending of Fibers to Create Interesting Textures

In my stash I had white wool fibers all from the same fleece. I dyed them in fall shades for a large tote. After I carded them I realized that the batts all had similar textures. There was not enough visual differences in texture--they were boring as you can see below.



So I took a drive over to Kathy Withers' Ranch to buy some of her dyed uncarded wool locks--a combination of fleeces from different breeds. I then carded these fibers with the above batts to receive a much more interesting appearance--in both texture and shades. See below.




This is the 1st tote that I made. It looks good, yet it turned out darker than I wanted and the photo also makes it also look darker.




I then increased the percentages of lighter shades to the batts and came up with the tote below. I positioned the batts on the resist so that it looks like a local desert scene. Naturally I used lots of mohair locks--just love using them. Right now I am trying to visualize how I want to embellish it. Sometimes that takes awhile especially when the mind is on other uncreative endeavors. The handles will also be attached after the totes are embellished.

This exercise will remind me that it is very important to combine wool from different breeds of sheep to create batts with interesting textures and colors/shades.

For those of you who think that wool is itchy, look below. Kitty loves to lay on whatever is soft. She actually spent the night sleeping there. She was a half wild outdoor cat that came with a property I bought in Colorado. Needless to say, she is now one spoiled and pampered cat that has adapted quite nicely. It sure beats hiding from the foxes and coyotes, which she managed to do for several years before I received her.

If you like being creative with colors, textures, and natural fibers then nuno felting provides all that. Initially I took a felting class to make embellishments for my contemporary quilted wall hangings. Now my studio is full of wool, yards of silk, dyes, yarn and a carder. It's been some time since I've worked with all the yards of beautiful batiks--eventually it will happen. There's just not enough time to make all the items that my mind creates.

One thing that I have found fun about nuno felting is that the results are often not what I expected, often they are better. It is fun to see the results of the color combinations as it looks different once the item is felted. Is it really possible to make an ugly piece? It would be difficult. To me the computer can be difficult but not working with fibers and fabric.


For this shawl I put down a light layer of fibers (purchased from Kathy Withers') and then laid down a hand-made boucle yarn that I had purchased in Taos several years ago. Then I added another light layer of wool. It certainly has the colors of the southwest and will be nice to wear on a cool eve or even in A/C.

This shawl, that I made for a friend, is lovely shades of cranberry embellished with mohair locks. It is much more interesting than I expected. I liked it so much that I made another one to sell.

Sometimes I get a little help from my friend, Foxy Lady. She likes to know what g0es on and checks all fibers that come into the house. She's plain nosey which is why she has only 7 of her 9 lives left.

In the next few days I plan to make totes from some wool that I carded today. We shall see how the color combinations turn out.