Saturday, February 9, 2013

if only i knew...

i ordered this wool from ebay several years ago. had no idea what i was going to do with it but it was such a good buy for wool. well, when i received it, i realized that it had to be spun and plied before it could be used. i knew nothing about spinning back then. now that i am learning to spin with a drop spindle, i pulled it out of the closet. i quickly realized that this was going to be a difficult task, as you can see. i will wind a little bit each day and hopefully it will get done sometime soon so it can be used. it took me a while to figure out a way to manage winding 6 balls at once.
click on the images for close-ups.

why would they have wound it this way????
 i spend most of my time working on my Alchemy journal in Karen Ruane's class. here are a couple of pictures of what i worked on this week.

my dad played the mandolin. printed a picture of a mandolin and did some coloring with my inktense pencils. the strings are wire wrapped with floche thread. each string is 7" long. it took hours to do but i like the 3D effect.

i finished embellishing this lace frame with embroidery and it is stitched on to a journal page.

hope all of you who have been inundated with snow are staying safe and warm.


20 comments:

liniecat said...

What a faff that wool is going to be to wind out.........I admire your tenacity lol
Its a rather nice taupe colour tho!

Jeannie said...

Boy, the wool reminds me of when I try to untangle my clematis vine. Good luck! I love the mandolin and the wedding photo is beautiful.

Nancy said...

Wow, you've got your hands full with that wool! :)
I love the sound of a mandolin! Do you play an instrument? I do not, but wish I had the ability, talent, focus...etc. to learn!

Peggy said...

I know next to nothing about spinning but it looks like a lot of wonderful yarn in the end. The mandolin page! -- the strings look real. And your finished page is lovely. Have a good weekend, Deanna!

Anita said...

Lovely lace frame! I like the mandolin too and the wire wrapped with floche idea for the strings is a wonderful idea.You are doing lots in this class, thanks for sharing them .Have a great weekend Deanna!

Suzanna said...

That is a beautiful mandolin...I can almost hear it now...do you have recordings of your Dad playing?

blandina said...

Oh, the mandolin: my father played that too, I thought only Itakians played it!

karen said...

oh my, I know I would get in such a mess with that wool. You are doing really well....the patience of a saint!

Ms. said...

The dimensionality on the mandolin really makes it! The lace frame, embroidered too-- on your parents? Such diligence! It's been a snowy blast of a weekend with just today left, snow abating and a warmish week due. I'll go to Massachusetts for full recovery Tuesday. It always sets me straight somehow, the company and the country.

deanna7trees said...

Suzanna...i do not have recordings of my dad playing the mandolin. he died in the 1970s and back then, i never thought of doing that.

Lis Harwood said...

Excellent weather for sewing and crafting!

Nat Palaskas said...

I'm sure you would make something cool with that wool. I enjoy your family journal. It must have been nice to hear your father played the mandolin - Have a great day...

Deb G said...

I'm betting the tangle of that yarn is why it was a good price. :) I love what you've done with the mandolin too.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Your work for the Alchemy course is lovely, Deanna, and having seen your wonderful work on the Ledger course I know this Alchemy will be perfect for you. As for the wool, there is a moral that all we needleworkers know (despite what our families may say): sooner or later every purchase will come in useful! Like you, I regularly find a use for something that has been in a cupboard many years. Often, too, I find I need a book about a particular topic, then realise I already have one - bought years ago and now waiting for me just when I need it!

Jane said...

Deanna, that mandolin is amazing. Your patience was well rewarded. Looks like you'll need patience sorting that wool too

neki desu said...

seems everyone got bitten by the spinning bug.i'm still resisting it. not in this lifetime.

Anonymous said...

I am looking and looking at the wool photo, trying to figure out what is going on here? which direction are you going? is it finished yarn?

kaiteM said...

Oh Deanna you are such a hero, i would have thrown it out by now. Best wishes

Anonymous said...

I have to admire your patience! The Alchemy pages are looking wonderful and the wrapped mandolin strings are a great idea!

Anonymous said...

the lace frame for the photo really works. Love it. the nostalgia, the old-timy feel, the indication that what is inside is precious.

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