Needle felting

What is needle felting? It is the unique use of a special barbed needle, wool and an idea. All you need to succeed is a pad to protect yourself from the needle, the needle and wool. I use a large chuck of leftover upholstery foam for large work and a small chunk for smaller work. I like to be flexible. The needle is jabbed into the wool to cause tangling of the fiber which shapes the wool into whatever you want.
Sounds easy right? With some practice and a few pointers, it is easy- and fun. Poke straight up and down- don't bend the needle as it will snap very easily. Keep your fingers clear, like all needles it is sharp. When (not if) you jab yourself, stop and wash it out. First- get any possible bacteria off your finger and secondly (more importantly, if you're like me) don't get blood on your work. What are the limits? Many as you start but as you get better your imagination and time limits are the only limits. You need to experiment with wool types, ideas and what your preferences are. Some like very densely felted items while others like a softer more squishy felted object. I flux between the two depending on what I'm working on. Mostly I like to make small animals and mini dolls. Some have a wire armature so I can change the poses while others are static poses.
The seated squirrel with the acorn to the left is static while the climber is wired and can move his arms and legs a bit for hanging onto a tree of whatever. They are both all wool, not sewn but wrapped and poked into shape. #1 also needle felts but she works in flat images. We are having a display and demonstration at the Marilla Ag Day celebration on Sept. 14. A few examples of my animals and a book of #1's work along with knit then wet felted bowls by my mother will be on display. I love working in wool- it's fun, soft and amazingly forgiving as a medium. Like sculpting clay you can always add more or remove some to fix an area. The funny part is how you may start working toward one thing and find that the wool wanted to be something else so you switch gears and finish with something totally different from what you started.




And then there is the piece who starts and ends exactly as you knew it would. A small bird for my Christmas tree just needed to be simple and soft. The wool gives them an individual feel that can't be easily explained. It's like hair color- no matter how hard you try to cover grey and match your own color it's always just a bit different. Trust me there.
When you first try needle felting it's odd to make a 3D item. You start with a big puff of wool- now what? You can roll it around a wood skewer to get a start on a tight ball or you can roll by hand then start needling to keep it together. the more you needle an area the tighter it gets in that area. This allows you to sculpt subtle or big accents. You can also add on accents (like wings)by needling through the new piece into the original. These are pretty delicate in terms of play. If you pull on what you needled it can come off. I tell the kids these toys are more decorative and not good for rough play. If I'm going to make a toy for real play I sew accents on with a couple of stitches for security. nothing worse that having a cute little bird lose a wing mid flight to kill the game.
Where can you get the wool and needles? Many craft shops are now carrying the basic supplies near their yarn. Online stores are my favorite since the selection is huge. Just search needle felting, wool roving or felting and you will get hits. There are several books out about both flat and 3D needle felting. This is just a starting place. I like the wool colors I've gotten from this ebay seller and have actually met him at a weavers guild sale in Lewiston, NY.
Wool and supplies:
http://stores.ebay.com/WINDERWOODFARM_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsxQ3asstQQtZkm I have this book and love the pictures and information.
http://www.woolpets.com/book.html

September 11

I remember, like so many others do, where I was and what I was doing on this date in 2001. I was in the kitchen making breakfast for my then four and a half month old daughter. The radio was on to wben 930 when I heard the news that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. I remember thinking that that had to be a horrible accident until a few minutes later there was a second plane flown into the second tower. I realized we were under attack in our own country. It didn't matter that I was in a kitchen nearly 400 miles from the Towers, I was stunned. Breakfast was served that day in front of the television while watching the news, not cartoons. As the day unfolded calls flew to family and I later had to drive to work to switch finished paperwork for that which needed to be done. I drove as glued to the radio as everyone else. Work was in such a state, decisions were being made to not only close the office but to totally power down everything in case of further attacks or power interruptions. As I drove home I was thinking of my uncle, in midtown manhattan. My mother had spoken to him and he was fine and well out of harms way but just to have someone close to NYC was very intense.
The nerve to strike at our military by hitting the Pentagon! Did anyone really believe this would cripple the U.S.A.?? I think the heroes on Flight 93 are a good example of why that will never work. I heard the President today giving a speech that spoke of the steel and stone that the plane broke at the Pentagon and I immediately thought of the bodies that were broken that day but that the spirit was not broken. At the Pentagon, a group rushed and grabbed the flag and that reminds me that the USA is so much more than we hear. We live in a super power, some hate us for our excesses, or waste, or debauchery but they don't understand that none of that is what makes this country strong. It isn't the Hollywood celebrities or news making celebutantes who revel in the pathetic and unimportant, it isn't the politicians who believe everything they say to be gospel. It's the people who go about their lives everyday to make so much possible for so many. People who stop to help someone in need without batting an eye or expecting a reward. People who respect the need we have to be different from each other. We may not be able to get along all the time but in times of tragedy- so many differences, of opinion, belief, color, ethnicity- can be put aside to stand shoulder to shoulder against a threat. Terror does not work against this mentality. Terror only works against a beaten down, already terrorized population.
The news today talked of all the flags on display on September 12, 2001. Stores sold out of flags and people painted flags on their houses, made signs and flags out of anything. How many fly the flag today? I do. Our town puts the flag out for all summer on the utility poles. We also put up holiday banners for Christmas. It's a small town, a nice place to live and raise kids. We know our neighbors and help each other. We have town celebrations and work hard to remain a small town with small town values. We wave to farmers on large equipment as it rolls slowly by, we yell "Dinner's down" at 6 pm when the fire whistle sounds and we know that it's a real fire call when the whistle blows the old air raid tone. The kids move away from the street when that happens since the volunteers will be coming to the firehall quickly to help a neighbor or stranger who needs help. I buy fresh corn from the honor stand in front of the farm where it was grown. We have bonfires and roast marshmallows for fun on crisp fall evenings. We go out and help a neighbor clear snow or downed branches, trade plants from our gardens and laugh over funny moments.
Why am I so sure the USA will withstand any attack from outsiders? They don't know us. Most are like me- going about their business, trying to raise a family in peace and generally mild mannered. But when push comes to shove, we will not quit, we won't turn away and hide. We will stand up and do what needs to be done. We go where we need and try to help people through disasters all over the world with little thought for ourselves. We are just tough enough to get the job done and that is, as Martha would say, a good thing.

A Dog, a Ball and a Nightmare.

I just learned about this blog today. My sister in law in Tennessee emailed me about the boycott and asked me to do the same. I investigated the whole thing as far as I can- check the company website for any sign of doing the right thing and recalling the product, read the blog on the dog victim and then forward to my dog show world connections. I'm appalled at the response, or total lack of, of this company. Here's the link to the owners blog. http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com/
Let me know what you think.


In the meantime, here's what I think. I think if this was marketed as a kids toy it'd be all over the news. The recall would be announced on all major news channels and the CPSC (http://www.cpsc.gov/) would be sending me an email announcement. Pets get a short stick. Yeah, yeah- I know dogs aren't kids- blah blah blah. In my house they are- so there! Arthur is just as much a family member as #1 and #2. Don't bother to start about that- you'd be preaching to the willfully deaf. I grew up with dogs- breeding, training and showing them. They have slept on my bed and I've slept on the floor by a sick dog as much as or probably more than I've slept with my kids when they're sick. They all (kids and pets alike) beg and plead for what they want, they all want more of my attention than they think they get and they all are spoiled. Most days I'd rather have Arthur with me for a long ride in the car- no "are we there yet?", "can we play my CD?", "I'm hungry." etc. Nope- he'll ride shotgun for as long as I want. When he's tired or bored there is no whining about it- he just goes to sleep. He even rides buckled in- no kidding. He's got a harness and it clips to the seatbelt. At 70 pounds he wasn't going to ride on one of those little doggy seats for the itty bitty bunch. Arthur can see out the window from his seat without help. I like the dog as a family member. We chose to drive all the way to New Jersey to buy him from a breeder who raised the bullies in the house with her kids. We spent a good penny for him to get a true example of the breed. He puts up with everything the kids can dish out and never gives them a cross look. He can go to his rug (big heap of blankets he configures to his satisfaction) and be done with them although that doesn't happen often. He worships both kids- where else will a dog get attention, sloppy eaters who drop all sorts of tasty treats, the coolest toys left everywhere- some have lights and make noise when sat on by man or beast. #2 is great for opening the fridge and not caring who steals from the lower shelves. Not to mention the need #1 has to give biscuits and help train him. He'd rather sleep on the sofa with #2 climbing all over him than on his rug without #2. It's a very codependent relationship the little beasts have going. Add the cats to that and some days it's like living in a zoo- or an insane asylum after the inmates have taken over. Guess what- I'm raising the wee folk in the same vein. #1 is already going to dog shows and matches. My life is complete- another generation has gone to the dogs!

You're right- it's not Arthur. Arthur is not a conformation dog. This little furry friend belongs to #1s 3rd Grandma. A very good friend of the family and my first official employer, Marilyn, or Miss Marilyn, as #1 calls her, is another one of the kids fan club. This was at the Kennel Club of Niagara Falls sanctioned match earlier this year. The poodle took First place, Best of Breed and a group fourth. Not bad for a 7 year old who doesn't own the dog so she can't practice till she drops. The good news is- everyone there was most gracious to the kid and she really enjoyed the experience. The thrill of the ribbons and being treated like the adult exhibitors (in her mind) but with the kindness and encouragement necessary to raise the baby handlers up right really made her feel special. A big thanks to all who interacted with her that day- I'm sure you all know who you are. Every kindness shown to kids at shows helps develop the next generation of exhibitors to be the best they can be.

Back to the poor dog in the story this started about- I hope his life returns to a happy state and he adapts to his loss. It's such a rotten thing to happen just because the ball had only one hole and if you're chewing on it (c'mon folks- a chew toy???) when your tongue is on the hole it could get pulled into the hole. That's just twisted. Has anyone out there tried to tell a dog not to get his tongue near the hole on his chew toy? I'm sure someone has- people do the darndest things-have they had any luck??? If so- can you email me and help me teach #2 not to sit on balloons and then be surprised when they pop on his butt?? But (pardon the pun) that's a whole other story...
Have a Happy Labor Day, folks.