Secret Stash Game, Round 1 – Winter 2012

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For the Secret Stash Game – Round 1, the kit included 4 oz. of assorted fibers in white, red, purple, pink, light blue, locks of red and black/grey, clear and purple beads and…Easter Grass. The kits contained materials from my own stash as well as generous contributions from the following sponsors: Adele Michelson of Looliemom Fiber Arts (red wool locks) and Stephanie Stratton of LunaBudKnits (combed top).

The players were tasked with using something of each ingredient and not adding anything to their kits.

Deborah Baldauf: “Easter Snow”

Design Notes: “After seeing all the beautiful fibers I was sent I was a little intimidated. Even after 25 + years of spinning, I normally spin worsted weight wool blends. I started by spinning a strong thin single of the wool locks. I then used it as the “core” for the corespun whispy white roving. I spun it a thick and thin blend and about 20 yds. Then I used the lavender, pink and blue top roving and spun a rather tight thin single. I took small bits of each and also felted small easter eggs and a rabbit head. After stringing the beads, eggs and rabbit head on the thread you provided I plied this onto the rainbow single…looking good…! Finally , then I plied this with the core spun white (loosely) and added the easter grass to the final mix around the eggs. The result was wonderful, thick and fluffy…the eggs appear to be lightly covered with snow..giving it the name ‘Easter Snow ‘.”

 

 

 

Melissa Bohrtz of Hello Purl: “Moving On”

Design Notes: “I took all the fibers in the bag and ran them through my drum carder once to make a chunky batt. I core-less core-spun the batt of fibers then plying the yarn single with the thread and added the beads when plying.”

 

Suzy Brown of WoolWench Handspun Yarn: “Jellyfish

Design Notes: Click here to see the cool write up this player did on making this piece!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat C.: Woven Wallhanging – Unnamed

Design Notes: “I did spin the warp out of the white fiber occasionally barber polling some other colors. All yarn used was energized singles because I wanted to see how they would affect the piece.”

 

 

Nicole Constantin of Rose Nectar Fibre Couture: “Look at Me!” Plant Hanger

Design Notes: “Upon receiving the fibers in the secret stash contest package, I instantly thought of how the red, white, turquoise and pink, along with the clear and purple beads, would set off the green of the many plants I have in my house. As a lover of plants, and all things botanical, I fill my home with them and am always looking for creative ways to honor them and give them a lovely space in my home while trying to save surface space and keep my surfaces free of clutter. Hanging plants from the ceiling, usually in front of windows, has always been my favorite way to incorporate them into my home space. I like how high they are and how this arrangement simulates a forest of trees with the green above our heads. The ceiling plant hangers that I find in the store leave alot to be desired for someone who craves one-of-a-kind and handmade, unique, soulful objects. The mass produced, synthetic fiber holders that I have found have never honored the gorgeous plants that hang in them. As soon as I made my first navajo plied bulky yarn I knew instantly what it would be~!!!…a hanger for my plants! I have made a couple of these, and as soon as I received the fibers for the secret stash contest, I knew that was what I wanted to do with them. I have alot of red and turquoise in my home and I had this plant that needed a hanger, so that is what I did. I spun a singles with coils, including the easter grass and alot of chunks, then I navajo-plied the singles and constructed the hanger for the specific plant and pot size. Then I strung the beads from the threads. I did not spin the beads into the yarn because I did not want them to get lost in there as it was a super bulky yarn. I like the delicacy that the hanging threads offer to the bulky yarn and overall look of the hanger.”

Angela Dean of Lucky Loungers: “Springtime Celebration Cowl”

Design Notes: “I started by needle felting some rosets. Then blended the light colored fiber with the Easter grass. I added the rosets, bobbles, and beehives. I tail spun the gray mohair and knitted it around the bottom.

I extreme tail spun the red and added that. I went back and sewed in the beads. This was harder then I thought, but so much fun. Thanks for coming up with such a great idea!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn Dolpp of Mada Vemi Alpacas: “Cirque Du Soleil”

Design Notes: “I carded the bright colored wools, a little bit of white mohair, a few locks, and the easter grass into a batt. Using a small amount of the left over wool I wet felted some flowers to spin into the project. I threaded about half the beads, along with the felted flowers, onto the core thead and used this to slowly corespin the fiber from my batt while I incorporated the beads and flowers into this corespun single.

The majority of the white mohair was spun using a coreless corespinningtechnique and I tailspun the red and grey locks into this single. Then I used the white thread with the remainder of the beads on it, grabbed the two singles and 3 plyed them together into my final skein. Cirque du Soleil is 8 yds and 3.5 oz of serious big top fun!”

Rose East of Alpacaboose: “Girlie Nook”

Design Notes: “My project is Girlie Nook. (It was one way I could tell this is my nook and not my husbands). I like to use bigger needles and I thought that showed the texture better on my yarn. I had trouble spinning the Easter grass so some of my yarn didn’t come out they way I would have liked.

I lot of the grass fell out when I set the twist. I felt that it needed the flap on the top so it looked more like a sleeve and I used the beads to bling it out and make it girlie. My louet would not have been able to spin the beads in without getting caught or me getting frustrated.

Things I might have done differently are I might have added more beads on the bottom or used more of the red mohair locks as fringe on the bottom. I really did have fun on this project. I have never really designed anything on my own so this is a first for me. “

 

Stephanie Fischer or Wildwoman Creations: “Cupid’s Arrows”


Design Notes: “All the materials including the easter grass were carded together except part of the white mohair and the red locks, thread and beads and then spun-Part A Then the rest of the mohair and red locks were spun-Part B I plied the two together and when I ran out of the part B mohair and red locks, I tied on the black thread and used it with the rest of part A. A small amount of carded part A I felted into the flower which has the beads stitched with the black thread….I hated all the colors when I started but after I was done….I love it! I wanted to name it Valentine’s Day Massacre but thought that was a little too morbid…so….Cupid’s Arrows it is as the locks remind me of tiny arrows.”

Lucy Hughes of Pear Hug Studio: “Have a Heart” Vessel

Design Notes: “It’s a wet felted bowl/vessel. You can see the black threads and pompom scraps in it, and the beads are somewhere on there! I used my drum carder to blend everything together twice. I had SO MUCH FUN. I call this “Have a Heart Vessel.” February is American Heart Month and I thought it would be cool to make a punny piece once I saw the colors. Participating in things like these are going to help me challenge myself, learn new techniques, and get more into the mindset that I am a real artist and not a dabbler!”

Adele Michelson of Looliemom Fiber Arts: “Outer Space Mother & Daughter Bracelets”

Design Notes: “This was a first for me… I’ve never done any needle felting before. I wanted to make beads and create some kind of jewelry.”

 

 

Melissa Nasby of Soulfibre Studio: “Wilhemina” Hat

Design Notes: “My thoughts on this were, since the colours weren’t “my thing” I ran them through the carder to get a little blend going, after that I decided to nuno felt to see where that lead me. I tried several different things, to no avail, so decided to make an artful hat. I spun up the remaining fibre for a funky wrap around the nuno felt base. I then needlefelted it together and sewed on the beads for embellishment.
Not sure I would wear this hat, but it was super fun to make!”

 

Jessie Nordholm of Hello Purl: “Black Shatter” – Reader’s Favorite!!!


Design Notes: “My piece is yarn I spun attached together with a crochet flower to create a necklace. The white mohair yarn is autowrapped with a black thread I also added cocoons of fiber and a bit of easter hay. Another yarn I spun has red locks and clear beads that is also autowrapped with the black thread. The blue and bright purple is a two-ply yarn. The flower was made with yarn that was autowrapped and tailspun. I crochet and needle felted the locks into the flower.”

Sandy Ryan of Homestead Wool and Gift Farm: “Fiesta!”

Design Notes: “This yarn contains every bit of fiber and goodies sent with the Secret Stash supplies. The only left over I have is part of the pink spool of yarn. All the items were so fun and I set them out for a few days just to look at them and wait for inspiration to strike.

When it did, I spun it all randomly into a single ply, except the beads. Even all the Easter grass. Then I plyed it with the thread strung with the beads. Looking at it now, to me it looks like a yarn that would fit into a happy, bright spring project or even a Fourth of July project! I am waiting for inspiration again to create something fun to wear with the skein. There are 30 yards and 4 ounces in the skein. Sounds like a pretty boa kind of scarf? Wristlets? SO fun to think about!”

Victoria Smith of Follow the Star Studio: “Clandestina”

Design Notes: “Since the beads are large-ish I tied them to thread (+/- yard length) at varying distances then corespun that thread. Stayed away from the carder to preserve lofty curls and allow each color to have its own presence. I thought of giving each color a section, but am glad i decided to let them mingle, I think it is more dynamic. Finished with thread ply for another layer of texture without added weight. Loved the surprised element of this challenge!

 

 

 

 

Brenda Trammelle: “Carnivale”

Design Notes: “I carded most of the fiber (except the locks) to make a cotton-candy batt. I then bundled the easter grass in bundles of ten folded strands, and strung the beads on reserved pieces of pink and white fiber. I spun a thick-and-thin single, incorporating the bundles, locks, and beads as I went. I occasionally autowrapped with the white sewing thread, and eventually plied the single with that thread. 52 yards, 3.7 oz.

Thanks for hosting this – I had fun, and can’t wait to see what others did with their stash!”

Suzy Hokanson –  “Ruby”.

Design Notes: “Here is my finished project… RUBY… I finished her yesterday… and THEN it dawned on my that I had used fiberfill as stuffing which was not in the bag… so I’m disqualified… 🙁 I truely didn’t think about it until I was done!

 

 

 

When I saw the materials… especially those bright red locks… I just had to make a doll of handspun. So here she is… even if she can’t participate… it was fun for ME to participate in the challenge….”

 

 

 

 

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