Illustration Friday - Magnify

Needle Felted Snowman (2 1/2" tall)

Okay this isn't exactly an illustration but sometimes I feel like I have to branch out and do something artsy besides illustration to refuel my batteries. And besides I thought it fit this week's topic, because she is teeny.

This all came about because someone gave me a bag of raw wool this summer. And when I say raw I mean straight of the sheep, smelling like a barn, raw. Probably the funniest part of this whole story is that the person that gave me the wool lives in New York City. But I was assured the sheep did not.

So I Googled what I could do with a smelly bag of dirty wool and discovered needle felting. Then when I saw the cute little snowman made by Jenn Docherty in the "Holiday Crafts" magazine I picked up the other day, I knew I had to try it. Of course it's necessary to wash the wool and comb out all the nasty bits before you can do that. So after five washings, lots of brushing and a much greater appreciation of my pioneer ancestors, I had a nice fluffy pile of wool. My next hurdle was where to find the special barbed felting needles. Luckily there is a beautiful yarn store not too too far from here that carries them, so I made a special trip down to Littleton Mass for the needles.

My snowlady looks nothing like Jenn Docherty's. Part of my objective was trying to use up bits from my own stash instead of making a copy of Jenn's creation. But I still think she came out okay. And I still have a big basket full of wool to give it another try.