Mystery Plant

While hauling weeds from the garden a couple days ago, I discovered a few plants I had not seen before. They look like they're in the orchid family. The flowers are small, and are shades of pink and yellow. They are growing beside the driveway in a shady location.

If you have any ideas about these sweet little flowers, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

Many thanks to my friend Jane for identifying this lovely little plant as Helleborine! Sure hope it comes back this spring.

Needle Felting.

Just what I needed, a new hobby! I saw someone needle felting at the spinners guild, and decided that I must learn how to do this. I had a small kit from fibertrends, but wasn't particularly inspired by it. So I hit the internet and did a lot of looking around. I found Kay Petal's needle felting online class and have been having a lot of fun with it. I have made a gremlin so far and have a couple other people in the works. This is made of some corriedale that I got to spin, but found that it didn't draft well. It has worked well for needle felting, but I suppose I should run it thru the drum carder to make it a little smoother. Someday I'll make some clothes for him, I'm thinking of fabric with a metallic look, perhaps some lame or some other funky fabric.

Before I got the online class, I made a little sheep out of wool that I had prepared for spinning. It's kinda cute, but I haven't decided how to give it some fleece.

Wish I could remember what type of fleece it is, that might help me decide what type of coat to give it.

Next up is a little gray cat. Not too bad for a first, but I can see the need for refinement. The camera made the head look larger than it really is, but it is still oversized some. I shall have to study my models some more.

Other felted projects in the works include a lizard, bear, and a yorkie from a kit.

So many projects, so little time!

Not only did I spin Hector's hair, I also finished the alpaca fleece that I got at the spinning guild meeting. This one is 144 yards, and it is sooo soft! I plan to knit a lace scarf with it.

Have been busy with the spinning wheel. Here is a skein of yarn spun from Hector's hair. Hector is the handsome boy-cat that lives with me. He is a little freaked out that this is his own hair, it took a while for him to calm down so I could get a good picture of him with it. There is 58 yards.