Quick Craft Discussion

Just a quick post on some crafts I am working on. I try to do something every day, even if it just a few rows of knitting. Definitely helps with my equilibrium.
Last month, our six sheep were shorn so there is a full woolbale out in the shearing shed. Hubby says it is worth about $400 - he just has to get around to organising the sale. I am just taking bits out and using it for myself! I have calculated that if I prepare it myself (wash, card, dye, turn it into roving), it is worth about $3500, based on the prices of dyed roving on eBay. So I will keep squirreling it away and working on it.

So far, I have made two teeny-tiny, skinny rolags, so I will say it is REALLY labour-intensive. But so satisfying.

On my needles at the moment is this little elf hat for Cuddlepie. Last week it was really quite cold here and I get all happy that the cooler weather is coming and some knitting will be justified. Of course, this week it is stinking hot and will be every day until the weekend.
This little hat is from Chic Knits For Stylish Babies, pg 42. I love this book and I am sure to be posting other items made from it for Cuddlepie. 
I also love this yarn. It is called Hot Socks Circus and the colour is 525. I bought it on eBay from a seller in the UK.

Not so sure about this yarn though. Don't think I love IT! I dyed this myself using Bendigo Woollen Mills 4 ply (Frost) and Wiltons Icing Paste. I had seen some variegated yarn in brown and two blues that I really liked and was trying to recreate it (the original was super expensive). I made 2 skeins of 100g each. I used Wiltons Brown, Sky Blue and Royal Blue and there are also a few little splotches of Leaf Green. I am thinking it looks kind of ugly! We will see when I start to knit it up.

And for the school room. This week's story is The Little Gingerbread Man. So I made the little old woman and the little old man. Of course they are generic so will be used for lots of other stories as well.

They are made using these little bodies (10 cm) and the clothes are from Feltcraft by Petra Berger. The pattern for the man's clothes were in the book and I just adapted the dress and apron. I felt she had to have a little embroidery as well - I would! Also, I painted their feet with Raw Sienna acrylic paint. The faces are just drawn on with normal markers - those ones with a thick and a thin end. The hair is this great roving I got from Bendigo Woollen Mills ages ago. If you can get there, they have a shop with great bargains and lots of stuff not on their website. Maybe they are test items, I'm not sure. This roving is about three shades of grey with some grey-blue mixed in.