New Basket New on the Frame

Have to show you this wonderful basket that I purchased from Kay Kjeldgaard, which I use for current hooking projects. I just love it. She is a real master at basket weaving and thinks of all the little touches. Well worth the price.

The little clay snippet holder I got at Camp Wool in Maine. They have changed location and their store is a treasure trove... a wool lover's delight! If in the area of Kennebunk, do drop by. You will not be disappointed. I could have spent hours there. 

On my frame is a pattern by Deanne Fitzpatrick... poppies, which I love. I needed something quick and easy to hook while I was mulling a design in my head and on paper. I like doing other people's designs. It contributes to their livelihood of making these wonderful patterns and sometimes you just need something where you don't have to think about it being your design but just an exercise in colour.. I call it playing with colours like when you got a new pack of crayons when you were a kid...

I have been coming to terms with my wool stash..I am a collector of darks and mediums. I am woefully lacking in brights and pales. So my goal is to start gathering, dyeing this colour palette. What I love to hook is changing or rather what I am designing is changing and it calls for a broader spectrum of hues. I am trying to jump out of my comfortable box and start exploring more colours...

Just another little item I picked up at Dorr Mills. I could not resist! It sort of found its way into my basket along with my wools....Beautiful Sheep  - Postcard book of all kinds of sheep by Ivy Press. I think if you are going to use a product you should know more about it. So I am reading up on wool - what with my rug hooking, knitting, dyeing and spinning...it would make sense. 

Isn't this guy wonderful...look at the coat!

Bouquet of Wool Bundles

Was busy today putting together some packages of hand dyed wools. It was time for some spring cleaning. They are all available on my website at various prices.  New Wool Bundles

Hi Moosecraft - a most recent picture of my boy. He was fast asleep on my bed when I took this one - his head on my pillow of course! Looks like he is smiling, must be chasing squirrels.

This one of him frolicking in the last snow fall. He does love the snow! One year old......

Have a wonderful evening...Joni

Quiet Moments for Dyeing

It's a busy household with a new puppy.. when he's awake, it's a constant check to see what he is up to. Amazing how quickly they can get into mischief. I must say he does take puppy naps so during that time I get things done. This weekend I did some dyeing of colours I felt were lacking in my stash...
They are done on 5-6 different textures and all in the same bath. I like to vary it up a bit when I dye. Rarely do I dye yards of natural wool unless it is for the Island Cottage Needlearts end of the business. I like bits and pieces of variety.

I am going to be using the Robins Egg Blue for my background on this Honey Bee rug hooking pattern. I think I may offer it as a kit also on my website. The paper pattern is available there as are all these wools.

Sharon just e-mailed me with a new rug she designed. I love bunnies. This one is called Bunny Umbrella. Her rugs are so whimsical! This one will be available the end of May along with her other 3 new ones. She is so productive! Wish I could have just a quarter of her output...

Happy Hooking...

Two Loves

Sis and I made a jaunt to Champlain, NY to pick up a bolt of wool to overdye and some other as is wools from Rebecca (Wool Studios). Going to be spending the weekend dyeing up some beautiful colours. Liam also got a new organic dog bed - wish I had a bed like that to curl up in! Love Border Mail Services. So easy considering the company I ordered the bed from would not ship into Canada. I've used the service 3 times now and I save loads of $$$ shipping to NY rather than into Canada.

Some coral, a lovely green blue which I would not have chosen a couple of years ago, a plaid to tie them together and some green that I was lacking in my stash. Funny how your tastes change. I used to quilt for 20 years but left it when I discovered rug hooking. I could see the progression of my tastes in that medium where when I first started I loved the Hoffman florals and the batiks. I usually passed by the reproduction fabrics. Towards the end of my quilting I had completely flipped and was collecting all the reproduction fabrics - a good thing too as they fit in nicely with my passion for primitives, rug hooking and needlework smalls. 

A nice bolt of wool from Rebecca that I think will overdye beautifully. I love to have texture in my dyeing, because I am always scouring the shelves and throwing in at least 1/4 yard of 5-6 different wools besides a plain one. Off to the dye pots. Have a great weekend....

Bounty of Fiber

Today I thought I would show you some of the fibers I am using in my rugs...I decided to explore  some other materials that are available to us as rug hookers. Today we have so much choice! I want to jump outside the box that I have been so comfortable in. I want challenges and I want to create beauty in a different way. So in my rugs you will find some art yarn, sari silk, fleece and roving besides the hand dyed fabrics. As a fiber artist I love everything about wool and natural fibers. I love the way it takes the dye. I love the combination of silk and wool that lends itself to such softness. I love the brilliance of silk. I love the naturalness of fleece. I love the silkiness of roving. I LOVE WOOL!!!

curly lock yarn

British hand dyed fleece

Karen Kahle marbelized fabric

roving

roving

llama, sheep and silk roving

sheep and silk roving 

sari silk from India

Working on...

Peter took this one...

So we had a huge storm come through. Heavy, beautiful white snow stuck to everything! Then of course, the wind whipped itself up to a frenzy on Saturday. This was the day sis (new hooker) and I had decided to go down to Champlain NY to pick up the Betsy wool waiting for us. Driving on the 15 and then into NY is highway but unfortunately travels through large empty fields of shorn wheat and corn. With wind gusts and snow flurries this equals whiteouts and slow going. But we made it (a few tense moments) and picked up my stash of Betsy Wools. Way worth it! Got lots not shown to overdye and I'll get some bundles on the website. We then treated ourselves to going to Mainely Lobster for a yummy lunch of haddock nuggets, homemade fries (bad girl), stewed tomatoes and a shared piece of coconut cream pie (two bad girls). Nothing fancy but very satisfying for two gals who knuckle drove 50km of white out highways.

Some of my Betsy wool along with some wools I have been auditioning for a project. These are the wools covering all of my dining room table awaiting mass reorganization of the studio upstairs with new shelving units. Right now wool is spread over three rooms.. ahhhhhhhhhh. 

 So what am I working on right now is this scarf below but using the colours above. I am really enjoying these DROP patterns. There are a couple more I want to do. The wool is a good price and it can be found through Nordic Mart in the USA. They do ship to Canada.

Source: garnstudio.com via Joni on Pinterest

I am still working on my Coastal Girls, a pattern from Deanne Fitzpatrick. I changed up the sky and decided to add some paisleys (you can see my markings). Since the paisleys are all different textures of blues, I decided to keep the background surrounding the paisleys simple using two wools (a plaid and a herringbone) this would calm the sky down a bit. I also ripped out some of the hooking from the paisleys and hooked in some wool slub yarn. I used the same ones I sell on my website. 

The final picture is an exercise I did for the Deanne Fitzgerald on-line course I am taking. It was to randomly draw some stars (I chose hearts and stars) on canvas and hook them without much thought. Just hook! I picked these colours and just randomly hooked lines and did not follow the shape of the heart or star. It is a more painterly approach to hooking. I then backed them with glue/ black wool and they will hang in a window or door. 


Oh one more thing - I have to show you the cutest sheep I just bought from Colins Creatures on Etsy. I just love his sheep! Another addition to my sheep collection. I am sure it won't be the last!

Now I am off to do some more fun assignments for the class. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon...thanks for stopping by... Joni

Wooly Bundles

Holiday Medley Wooly Bundle

I will be listing bundles in the next week. These are assortments of hand dyed wools and AS IS wool off the bolt. They are unique bundles in that I do not repeat the colours, so they are one of a kind. These are available on my website Fully Wooly Primitives.


Tomorrow is Cyber Monday - for me it is a day where I realize " Oh Boy better get stuff ordered so that it gets here for THE DAY". As I am having sales all month on my website, tomorrow will be another week of sales but these will be at 25% off for Cyber Monday. I'll announce tomorrow what they will be. So drop in and see if there is something you would like to have. It will be for one week only. Then a new sale starts December 5th on other items.


Off to gather more wools for bundles...g'nite Joni

Dye Heaven

What a perfect start to the day when I went to mailbox and this wonderful sampling of beautiful dyed wools was there. I saw a couple of pieces of wool fabric that was dyed using this one colour that I fell in love with -  Verdigris Wash. A beautiful soft green/blue that will make a perfect background for a rug I am planning. Needless to say I had to find out where this colour came from. Susan Quicksall from Holly Hill Designs was the creator of this hue. I ordered her dye book and the samples and now I am ready to dye. 

Well first I have to get the dyes as these formulas use Pro-Chem which I have never used before. Lucky for me I am off to the Vermont rug hooking show this weekend and I am sure I will find my dyes there. I know what I will be doing next week when I get back home. The pots will be simmering and a rainbow of colours will be hanging from my portable clothesline and the neighbours will be wondering - "What is that woman up to now?". I will stand by my kitchen window gazing at this display of  luscious colour and drink it all in - one of the best parts of dyeing wool.


Have a great evening...Joni

Why do Cats?

c. Joni Black 2011

This is a new project I have on my board - I selected some beautiful spring colours - robin egg blue - a soft green and some posey pinks. Thought I would lay them out in a semicircle and there will be a hooked piece that will get set in the middle. Have to get this finished so that it is available in Pfatt Marketplace for the 10th.  

I just sort of got inspired and the ideas flowed and the fingers flew and I am happy with this look. I have been wanting to do some wool applique for awhile. I just love black as a background! The colours just seem to pop. I started glueing the pieces down but the glue did not seem to want to hold it well - so I went to my tried and true method of basting everything down. I know it takes longer but I am constantly starting and stopping and putting down that I like the security of the basting. I do not use any interfacing - I like the softness and flexabilty of the fabric. But some people do like to use it and that is ok. Whatever works for you!

I decided to use a whipstitch to secure the pieces to the background. I love the look of this stitch - just seems to add to the primitive look I want. The thread I am using is the new Valdani Twisted Tweed #12 Perle Cotton. It is wonderful to work with and I have also used it in my punch needle pieces.



Curious Kitty

 So you ask "Why Do Cats?"....
well what happens when you put down something new on a table? I thought I heard Mr. Mischief jump down from around my work area. What do you know - put something new down and it is inevitable that they will find it - no matter what. Our Noogs is a very curious and nosey little bugger. Tonight I have to remember to cover it... hence the cat hair in the picture.






Road Trip

A selection of Dorr wools

What a great weekend this past weekend. My sister and I went on a road trip down to New Hampshire. We left Saturday am and prayed for good weather. You never know up here when you are going through the mountains what you are going to run into. What was our destination? well where do all wool lovers go but Dorr Mills. It was the first time I brought my sister and she definitely could see why I loved stopping in at this place. It is paradise for me. So many treasures - so much wool - so much inspiration! I am like a kid in a candy store LOL.

Terry,the owner, showed me some new black wool that came in - perfect for wool applique kits and penny rugs. My mouth must have dropped a foot - I have never seen so many rolls of wool. Dear Lord I would have a hard time working there - I would be running my hand over each and every bolt and the colours - oh la la la! We came home with a trunk full and the Canadian government was happy to have their share (taxes) Thank God there is no longer any duty on wool - only if it is made in the USA.

Wool for my next dyeing projects

Now to find a place for these bolts. Requires major re-organization, long overdue. Realized that when our internet failed us this past weekend. I was glad I was not home or I would be chomping at the bit. Repairman was here when I got home and then poor him I had to dig a path to my phone line in order for him to check the line and I realized it is time to clean up and be serious about it. So this week is re-organizing the supply room!

With the kitchen renos I have been slowly cleaning out all the kitchen cupboards and recycling, giving away or throwing out the unnecessary and being quite brutal about it. Today was the pantry! Yikes. It wasn't too bad. Swore to myself though that only buy what you will need in the NEAR future and USE IT! Tomorrow the baking pantry gets a makeover because of course a trip to New Hampshire means a trip to King Arthur's flour. One of my favourite places. I came away with a few baking supplies from there so a good excuse to clean out and see what it is buried in there. Recipe for 2010 Great Cake winner here.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake - winner of the 2010 Great Cake Contest

With what is happening in Japan - it gives you a jolt and you tend to rethink your life and what you can do to improve yourself and I think one of the things I am going to do is make a conscientious effort to be less wasteful. Buy what I need and use what I buy. This of course does not apply to wool! Everyone should have a harmless little vice and if I can say I LOVE having fibers and colour around me then I can consider that not such a terrible vice. Don't you think? We artists, do need our pretties to inspire us to create.





Having said that I discovered some beautiful ribbons that I am using in some of my pieces - cross stitch and punch needle. They are reasonably priced and have a beautiful lustre and the colours are gorgeous. You can find them on my website. I am also listing a whole bunch of new patterns from some very talented designers. I am getting those up this week. So drop on by and see what we have as NEW STUFF...

Good nite..Joni

Cinnamon Rose - a favourite colour



Red Island Wool thread

 Today the big soup pots come out and the wool fabric goes in for a large dyeing session. On the menu - the colour is cinnamon rose. It's a splash of cinnamon on a background of rose mixed with a reddish brown. I have been dyeing this colour for 5 years now and never get tired of the moment when the colour saturates the fibers. This cinnamon rose is a darker version that I use for my Red Island wool threads.

Working on a new cross stitch pattern release for Island Cottage Needlearts (my other name) and this newly dyed wool will be used for the newest release - the theme being hearts, roses and Victorian. So thinking of roses and hearts - brought to mind other items I have made in the past.

Tudor Rose Wool pincushion



Rose soap



Seaside Rose hand dyed wool strips



 Of course one of the flowers I love - Seaside Roses which can be found along many an ocean path. Certainly helps that it is a flower that grows at my favourite place. What more can one ask but ocean on one side and these gorgeous bushes on the other that just seem to pop out of nowhere with such a sweet fragrance permeating the salty sea air. Heaven on earth!