100, 2 Years, Bunny Egg Cosies and Dyed Curly Locks!

Lulus and I had to miss our spinning group last Saturday :( and so we did some felting together instead. I decided to think ahead and make something with Easter in mind and so some themed egg cosies presented themselves...

With wet felted bodies and needle felted ears and tail, these two are real cuties!

I took time, for once, to plan out the little details: ribbon, heart button, stitches, and I'm really pleased with the results.

I have a tutorial planned for these; the photos are ready so I just need to get the instructions written.

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Life has been a bit hectic round here over the last two weeks. Si and Grandad were both in hospital last week; Si with flu and Grandad with a broken hip after having a fall. Then Lulu's went down with chicken pox. People keep saying 'well, these things come in threes' but this was taking the rule to the extreme!

Anyway, things are beginning to get back on an even keel, though Grandad's recovery is going to be a slow one, and so I have tried to find a little time to distract my mind and relax a little.
I bought a big bag of washed wensleydale fleece a little while ago and a super range of acid dyes, so I had a little go at dying some curly locks.

I used the microwave method as this was how I had dyed some merino tops at the spinning group last year and it was very quick and easy.
I lay out 50 grams in a dish, taking care not to fluff up the curls.
I then wet them and left to soak for 20 minutes. I've read somewhere that this helps the fibre to take up the dye. Then I added the mixed dyes; turquoise and hyacinth.

After cooking (!) for 8 minutes they were gently rinsed and laid out on a towel to dry.

The colours are so gorgeously dreamy, not as intense as in the bowl prior to rinsing, and will look beautiful felted into a bag or bowl. They would also make lovely hair for a fairy or mermaid. I feel a new project coming! This fibre is SO expensive to buy already dyed, I am so pleased I have found a way to do it. A little of this fibre might just find its way into my Folksy shop and I hope to dye some more colourways soon.

I have also been the proud recipient of a blog award recently, thank you Emma of All Stitched Up! As part of accepting this award I must answer some questions about myself, but I'm afraid I must leave this for my next post as I have a large pile of marking calling which I really should have started about 2 hours ago! If you haven't visited Emma's blog before then pop over and have a look - she has a lovely relaxed style and shares some great ideas.

I have also realised that this is my 100th post and tomorrow is my 2nd anniversary blogging! Thanks everyone for making it such a pleasurable experience - your kind comments, generous giveaways and endless tips and ideas are so gratefully received here at the fluff pot. You are all an endless source of inspiration to me. THANK YOU!!!
Becky x