Johanna, the Textile Centre’s director, came to visit Amanada and I today to show us a shawl she knit that was now blocked, we saw the shawl unblocked on Satirday when we were at her farm.  When she saw my work, that is now more artfully displayed and Amanada’s weaving she wanted us to have an open house.  Isn’t that exciting, I will get to show my work in Iceland!  We decided next Thursday after work and Johanna will put a notice in the paper that everyone in town gets.  It will be wonderful to show my work and explain it to people here and to see what they think of it. 

Now on to the business of making those creatures and things.  On Tuesday I felted a marble piece that had to dry overnight, this morning I cut the marbles out and this is the finished product.

  
As I was cutting the marbles out of it I got to thinking that I should be able to make a piece that stood up and had these great holes in it .  I made a test piece to see if I could make my hands do want my head was seeing.  I laid out Icelandic wool in four layers with three secions of colour and it looked like this.

  
The picture probably makes my words make more sense.  There ar 9 different colours of wool there plus the red across the top.  I wet it out and it looked like this.

  
The piece measured 15 x 11.  I rolled it a bit to the prefelt stage and left it to dry. After it was completely dry I started adding marbles leaving about 3 ” on the bottom so it would have “la leg to stand on”.  This is what it looked like after adding the marbles, it now measures 8″ x 8″.

  
 I stitched it together so it was round and started felting it. It took quite a while but finally it was good and felted, I rinsed it and left it to dry, I was hoping I would be able to cut the marbles out tonight but the piece is still damp so you will have to wait until tomorrow, as will I, to see how it turned out but so far so good.   I can see making a piece that is larger as this looks like it should be another intersting piece.

I did make 6 more hollow tubes for the coral, proof of completion. 

  
I think I will need 8 more so I will try and get them done tomorrow but I have lots more fun projects that I want to complete.  I got the silk tea dyed and I have set it up under the growing sea world.  I think it looks pretty good and one day soon you will also get to see it.

That was my day, thanks for reading.