Sunday, September 04, 2011

Lincoln Fleece & other stuff


I finally got a good sized felting project done last night!  Linda from Wisconsin sent me a 15 pound raw Lincoln fleece last week as part of a trade for a BFL ram lamb.  I couldn’t wait to felt it!  I skirted away about half so it would fit on my pool cover/bubble wrap which is 40“ x 8‘ long -- and because wool gets really heavy when wet.
This was a heavy project, but I didn’t even use my felt rolling machine. It was all done with elbow grease and hot soapy water.  The finished size is 62” x 33”.  It’s still quite damp and heavy.  I hope it lightens up enough to be a blanket.  The Lincoln fleece is coarser than the other breeds I've felted, but it's so lustrous and those locks are so thick they remind me of pasta.

Stan spent almost two weeks in the hospital dealing with severe side effects of chemotherapy.  He’s home again now and feeling pretty good. He was very sick when they admitted him, it’s such a relief to see him doing better again. His oncologist is mulling over what chemotherapy drugs to try next.  The good news was that there was no progression of the cancer while Stan was on the previous regimen of three chemo drugs, the bad news was that there was not much change in the tumors.


With the help of my son, his friend and a good neighbor, I’ve got about 175 bales put away for winter, plus we still have about 50 from last year. My flock is down to 11 sheep, so hopefully we won't need to buy much more.  A storm rolled in along with some dramatic skies as we unloaded the hay rack.  When we left we realized were being watched over.
I am signed up to attend the judges seminar on th 9th at Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, but I’m hoping that Rayna will be able to transport my BFLs to Linda and attend the class in my place.  There are just so many things going on these days!  Our art group has a show at the Pine Center for the arts and the opening reception is on the 9th.  More info on the KCAA blog.  I’ll be demonstrating felting on the 10th here in Mora at the Kanabec History Center. 

Also on display at the History Center will be a show of work created in or after the Carbonetti watercolor workshop we had in May.  Oh and several felt birdhouses are hanging in trees on the grounds. It’s about time to take them down and clean them out for winter.

Well, I'm off to pick up some fertile eggs for my broody Buff Chantecler.  This is her third time broody this year! I sold my last Buff Chantecler roosters and am waiting on a 3 month old chick to start taking over the roosterly duties.

Enjoy the Labor Day holiday to all my American friends, we're heading down to see Stan's family this afternoon and I hope to run over the Hopkins Center for the Arts Salon 300 show too. I've got a piece in that show. :-)

7 comments:

  1. Oh, Becky--Another GORGEOUS project finished!!
    Lincoln locks will now be added to my 'to try when possible' list!! XXO-

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  2. Please teach me how to felt a fleece! PLEASE!!!
    I would so love to have one to use as a throw in my frigid house if I have to stay here another winter. All my winter things are packed away in storage because everyone was SURE that my place would sell right away... :-(

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  3. Heather, yes, you must try Lincoln locks! :-)
    Nancy, I thought I put a tutorial on here in April or May when I first started making these. It's basically washing and felting the fleece in one operation. A messy outdoor job for sure. If you send me your fleece I can make one for you. I know you're still recuperating from surgery.
    They are wonderful for on the couch as a decoration and as a small blanket when you need to take a nap. :-)
    But I really love the fact that they remind me so much of the sheep they come from. Since I had to sell Harwell, his felted fleece means even more to me now. The first Shetland ones I made didn't have silk reinforcement. That really makes a difference in the finished product. I'm thinking the Lincoln fleece could have used a cotton reinforcement, it's so heavy.

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  4. Oh and Nancy, check out Heather's blog for tutorials on raw fleece felting and lots of other projects. She's amazing!

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  5. Thinking of you today, my sweet friend and wishing that we were going to be meeting in Michigan. Sighhh.
    Big hugs--

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  6. I'm glad Stan is out of the hospital and that he is feeling somewhat better. I guess it's one day at a time! I hope the doctors find a chemo drug combo that will work well for him. Thanks for posting the fleece photos, it's always inspiring to visit your blog. I'm in awe of that Lincoln fleece!

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  7. I wish it were a happier time and I could go to Michigan as planned. But here's hoping that next year will work. :) I know you will share all the excitement when you get back. I'm looking forward to that.
    Thanks Karen, yes, one day at a time. That's really all any of us have. I just can't help worrying about the future, but my mission today is to stay in the present. I've got a counter full of tomatoes to can! :)

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Getting ready for Christmas Markets!

  I'll be doing two Christmas markets this year. The first one is at Sapsucker Farms in Brook Park, MN Nov. 18-19th. And the second one ...