These moulded felt cuffs are made from pure yak khullu using a zero-waste process. Light and snug, they seal off the cold, offering exceptional warmth and comfort through the colder months.
Hello all, I received an inquiry concerning the history of women's crocheted caps in Lithuania. In response, i will give a part of what i have found in my research. Crochet does not seem to go back earlier than the middle of the 19th century in Lithuania, at least as far as caps. The tradition of crocheting or looping footwear from twine may well go back earlier, but i cannot verify that. Women's caps were originally made from netting, This technique is old and widespread, it was also used in western Ukraine, as well as Scandinavia where it is called Sprang, and undoubtedly in other places. I will insert here the words of A & A Tamosaitis/Tamosaitiene on the subject, as they give a good description of the technique. Here is a photograph of a pair of caps in progress, two caps were made at a time, because every time you twist two threads, it crosses twice, and the two twists are separated, and the design is built up from both the bottom and the top. This image is from a Ukrainian Museum, but the technique was essentially the same in Lithuania, and undoubtedly over a wider area as well. Here is a drawing showing close up how the threads interact in the netting. A large section of untwined warp was left in the middle when the twined material was finished. The tension was released, and as the shed rod was removed, the warp threads were separated into bundles, formed into loops and the loops pulled through one another to keep the work from unraveling untill the 2 middle edges could be secured. [Incipient crochet!]. Here is an example from a Lithuanian museum of a piece of netting at this stage. The short edges will become the sides, and the long edges will be gathered to form the front and back. This technique resulted in a very elastic, breathable material. The finished product was taken off the frame, cut into two caps, the front and back were gathered, and often the sides were bound with cloth. The open work on top was able to expand to contain all the hair, which was usually braided and pinned on top of the head, had a pleasant design, and enabled the head to breathe. Thus the social requirement of married women to keep their hair covered was satisfied in a way that was reasonably comfortable. When going out in public, a nuometa or kerchief was worn over the cap, kykai or chepets. Here is a closeup of one example. Here is an example of a piece of netting apparently destined for another use, as the edge has been knotted to secure it. And here is a photograph of a nuometa from northeastern Lithuania with a decorative netted edge, as well as a woven in design. Here is a photograph which was posed and taken in the 1970's. She is wearing the cap incorrectly, the hair should not be visible. She was most likely unaware of this. Here are a few more examples, showing some of the diversity in the design of the netting and also of the decorative edging. In the 19th century, with urban influences from outside, caps came to be made in other ways, with open work cloth, brocade, damask, knitting, etc. One technique which reached Lithuania is crochet. The origins of crochet are obscure, I have done a little research on the subject, and there are several theories, some of which are highly unconvincing, but no hard evidence. Some claim that it is derived from the very old tradition of knitting, single needle knitting, finger looping, or needle looping, all of which have an ancient heritage, which has survived particularly well in Scandinavia. The 'ice man', a bronze age man who was frozen in a glacier in Switzerland, and whose body was recovered several years ago, had a pouch which had been made by finger looping. These techniques are essentially similar.They all involve making loops in thread or yarn and then pulling the loops through other loops. All it would require is for someone to have the idea to use a little hook to execute the technique. Here is a photo of a long length of warp which is ready for the loom and is being temporarily stored by looping it back into itself in a long chain, showing that the basic concept had been around for a long time. Another theory is that it derived from the practice some people had of using a small hook to do embroidery on netting, reticello. Perhaps, although in reticello one does not create a tissue, one makes patterns on a net which already exists. Others claim that it derived from tambour work, which was very popular in Central Asia, and certainly many examples of which survive from northwest Russia, Southeast Finland and other places in Europe. The problem with that is that tambour work is a shortcut to executing chain stitch embroidery. Again, the point is to make a design on the surface of an existing fabric. Another point which argues against this is that tambour hooks had a little gate, or baffle; this was open when the hook was pushed through the cloth so as to catch the thread underneath, but then closed on the return journey so as not to snag the cloth. This is essential to the technique of tambour, but also makes it impossible to use such a hook to do crochet. I find this unconvincing. It seems to me that those who propose this theory are focusing too greatly on the hook itself, rather than on the process. A similar theory is put forth to derive crochet from hooks used to make rugs. For more discussion of this topic, you can consult this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crochet I would find it credible that someone may have seen tambour work done who was familiar with one needle knitting or finger looping, and thought that it would be easier to do with a hook, just as tambour work proceeds more quickly and easily than doing chain stitch with a needle. In any case, what actually happened is not recorded. People who write history do not usually take notice of such daily activities, especially when done by women. As far as we can tell, crochet appeared around 1800 in Europe, became very popular, and reached Lithuania about the mid 19th century. There started about that time the practice of making these caps using crochet instead of netting. It was easier, you didn't need to carry around a frame, industrial thread and yarn of great uniformity of thickness was readily available, it had the same qualities of being elastic and breathable, and it was fashionable. At first such caps were bound around the edges in the same manner as the netted caps. here is one example with a cross stitch design in red and black on the edge. Here are a couple more examples of crocheted caps made in the form of the old netted caps. Most were all white or ecru, but this one has a design in red worked in, and is almost more in the shape of a bonnet. They continued to be worn under the kerchief outside the home. As you can see from these last two images, it was not long before the caps were being made entirely in crochet, taking advantage of crochet's ability to make decorative edges. Here are a few more examples of crocheted caps from the late 19th century. Eventually, with the change in social mores, the caps came to be worn by themselves, even in public, like this example from Lithuania Minor. In fact, all of these older examples are from southern Lithuania, especially Dzukija, although a few are known from Suvalkija as well. A very few caps have long flaps worked in, perhaps in imitation of the tulle caps popular in Mazovia at this time, or the ribbons sometimes attached to the backs of them in other countries. With the disappearance of the taboo of married women showing their hair in public, the caps became smaller, showing the hair around the edges. Such caps remain popular today, and are now worn by girls as well as married women. I am informed that one can easily find them being sold at souvenir shops in Lithuania to this day. Here is a photograph of girls from the dance group Seltinis posing with their crocheted caps. Thank you for reading, I hope that those of you who crochet may find inspiration in the concepts and/or patterns set forth here. Perhaps someone will be inspired to try netting. It seems like a craft which it would be very good to revive. Thanks also to Karina, who provided the impetus and inspiration for this posting, and who will shortly be writing an article herself on this subject for the online magazine Crochet Insider, focusing on the more recent history of the crocheted version of these caps. A couple of people have asked me more about the actual process of how to do netting, pletinya or Sprang. I have looked online, and i have found a couple of informative websites that give instructions. http://www.stringpage.com/sprang/sprang1.html http://housebarra.com/EP/ep07/11sprang.html http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprang/the_technique.htm Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals Roman K. Rkozakand@aol Source Material: AntanaTamošaitis and Anastazija Tamošaitienė, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Toronto, 1979 Mikalina Glemžaitė, 'Lietuvių Tautiniai Drabužiai', [Lithuanian National Clothing] Vilnius, 1955 Stasė Bernotienė, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Moterų Drabužiai XVIII a XX pr.' [Lithuanian Women's Folk Clothing from the XVIII to the XX cent], Vilnius, 1974 S. Sydorovych, 'Khudozhnia Tkanyna Zakhidnykh Oblastej URSR', [Artistic Weaving of the Western Provinces of the Ukrainain SSR], Kyjiw, [Kiev] 1979 J. Grigienė et al, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Menas - Drabužiai' [Lithuanian Folk Art - Clothing], Vilnius, 1974 Kati Reeder Meek, 'Reflections from a Flaxen Past, For Love of LIthuanian Weaving', Alpena, Michigan, 2000
One of the ways we are finding comfort and connection within our community is by sharing our favorite holiday traditions with you and appreciating each one shared with us. Today we’ve gathered a few traditions we love from Bella Luna Toys customers and friends. We invite you to read how each Waldorf family makes the holiday season special through traditions, old and new.
I was actually supposed to present my first video today but after staying up half the night and still not getting the video completed, I decided that the video debut will have to wait. Hopefully, I…
Knitting, crochet, weaving, felting, dyeing, and embroidery are just a sampling of the dozens of fibre-based techniques Jodi Colella works...
Visible mending knitwear: Mending methods, Tools and materials, Benefits, Inspiration and Resources. All you need to start mending!
Habu Textiles creates ethereal patterns to compliment their incredible yarns. The Kusha Kusha scarf showcases…
26 photos
pin weave style
Today is the launch of Love Fest Fiber's weaving packs, and I'm so excited! They specialize in hand spun and hand felted yarns using a mixture of Alpaca and recyled water bottles.... amazing! To celebrate the launch of their new packs I'm showcasing some inspiration and tutorials about ho
iranian artist salman khoshroo has created a series of woolen portraits based on his experience of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Threadpainting, Embroidery fibre artist Monika Kinner, Canada. Prairie textile landscapes. Award winning, Internationally commissioned art. Pastel
This spring I wove cotton yardage on my Saori loom . I designed and and sewed a new jacket. THIS IS MY NEW DESIGN. I named it KOI POND. In my ravelry group ,WEAVING IN THE SAORI WAY, I started a weave -a- long on Saori mobius cowls 101 so I wove a new cowl also this week , as I was on standy by for jury duty all week I did not want to start winding a new warp etc. Here is my new double wrap mobius cowl. If you are a ravelry member here click on this link ravelry group thread mobius cowl 101 and join in our weave- a -long fun ! PEACEFUL WEAVING JILL NICKOLENE SANDERS www.saorisantacruz.com my ETSY SHOP
I took a weaving class in July at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Marta Kløve Juuhl, a Norwegian weaver who has been studying and recreating medieval Icelandic pile coverlets, taught two…
On a cold and snowy day, we got cozy by the fireplace and crafted these sweet felt Waldorf snowflake children. These small handmade dolls fit perfectly in a child's hand and are great to add to a gnome or fairy house or even hang in your windows. A simple blanket stitch is used to sew the snowflake children together so this Waldorf craft is great for many skill levels. Prepare your Materials This project can be completed with materials most people might have lying around the house. We used felt sheets but any scrap material could work. Adjust your needle and thread as needed depending on the material you use. Felt sheets or scrap material Wooden beads of various sizes and colors Tapestry needle Embroidery floss in coordinating colors Pipe cleaners Wool roving or a few cotton balls Scissors Pencil and marker Hot glue gun Ruler Create a Pattern Step 1: Grab your pencil and ruler to sketch out a simple pattern. Since the front and back of the snowflake child's body need to match, you can simplify things by folding your felt sheet in half and mirroring the pattern from the crease. Trace your pattern onto a folded piece of felt and use sharp scissors to cut along the sides and bottom. Do not cut across the top fold. Design your Snowflake Step 2: Lightly trace your design on the back side of your felt body. The design can be as simple or as intricate as your skill level allows. These snowflakes were simple to replicate by following the outline. Step 3: Insert your needle from the back, move to the end of the line you want to create, and push your needle through from the front. Repeat these steps until your design is complete. Tie off your string and trim. This is what the back of our piece looked like afterwards. If this step seems too daunting, or you're working with a younger crafter, you can cut out a small design from your felt scraps and glue them to your dolls. Create a Body Step 4: Now that your Waldorf Snowflake Children have clothes to wear it's time to create their bodies. A pipe cleaner is perfect because it's light weight and gives the dolls a bit of flexibility. Fold your pipe cleaner in half, then create arms by folding each side. Make sure the arms are long enough to slightly stick out of the felt.Twist the pipe cleaner together in the center and use the remaining length to create legs. Trim as needed, leaving a small piece sticking out at the bottom of each leg. Sew and Stuff Step 5: Use a simple blanket stitch to close one side of the felt. From this point you can begin stuffing the body with the wool roving or a cotton ball that's been teased apart. Push the filling into the arms and legs with your tapestry needle as you finish joining the felt between the legs and second side with your blanket stitch. Step 6: Use your felt scraps to cut out a quarter of a circle. Fold the long edges together and stitch the seam to create gnome hats for your snowflake children. Step 7: Begin heating your glue gun and choose 5 beads for each doll, 1 large and 4 smaller ones, to create the head, hands and feet. Glue them onto the pipe cleaner ends and add the hats to complete your felt Waldorf Snowflake Children. WARNING: Choking Hazard - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. We can't wait to see your Waldorf Snowflake Children. Share your creations on social media and use the hashtag #BellaLunaToys for a chance to be featured.
A blog about Saori hand weaving,sewing clothing from hand wovens and many fiber arts from felting to hand spinning to fiber dyeing.
It is easy to limit your record keeping to numbers. But it is when you keep physical records – samples and swatches – that the real fun begins.
Today Erin and I decided to do some branch weaving and we have put together a little tutorial for you:) Materials: Beautiful, colourful yarn A branch shaped in a V shape Wool sewing needle Scissors Tie on some yarn at the bottom of the V and wind your warp onto your branch. Twist your yarn …
We'd love you to meet the crochet artist: Joana Vasconcelos - her work is varied, exciting, and socially conscious, and will amaze you!
Introduction: What was I thinking?? That is how I felt when I opened the big bag with the fabrics I bought in India for dyeing. The silks are gorgeous—each one more luscious than the previous one. …
Explore Cecile Meraglia's 185 photos on Flickr!
Let's start at the beginning. Cloth can be created by various methods: knitting, crochet, felting or weaving. Of all these, weaving is the oldest and most popular method of creating a fabric. Weaving has been practiced over thousands of years and over the years, both the process and the equipment used for it have grown in both complexity and efficiency.
Welcome a new woodland friend into the family with our knitted gnome tutorial. Traveling handwork teacher Chenoa Pelligra created this whimsical doll tutorial for us, ideal for children who have already mastered a garter stitch (a regular knit stitch) and are ready to learn to purl! This gnome is created in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row). Learning to purl can present new challenges as it can feel like the opposite of knitting and requires a new way of thinking and new hand rhythm. Here's instructions on how to get started. Materials Worsted weight wool yarn- a couple of colors for clothing and a skin tone. Wooden knitting needles US size 7 or 8 A yarn needle for sewing Wool for stuffing Knitting The entire gnome is worked in Stockinette stitch, made in 5 parts and then stitched together. The body is comprised of (legs, torso, head), 2 arms, hat, and an optional backpack for crystals and stones. Body You'll start with the foot when creating the body. Cast on 10 sts and work 5 rows.Change to desired pants/leg colorWork 10 rows, cut yarn leaving a hand’s length and push leg down to bottom of needle.Repeat for the second foot and leg.Join legs, you should now have 20 sts on your needle and work 2 rows in leg color Change to shirt color and work 10 rows.Change to skin tone and work 9 rows. On row 10 purl every two stitches together so you finish with 10 sts on the needle. Cut yarn, leaving two hand's lengths, and push to the bottom of the needle. Arms *Cast on 10 sts in shirt color Work 10 rowsChange to skin toneWork 2 rows, cut leaving a hand’s length and push to bottom of needle*Repeat from *to * for the second arm. Hat Cast on 22 sts. Work 4 rows, then knit the first two stitches together only at the beginning of each row until you only have 1 stitch remaining. Cut yarn two hand’s lengths and send the end of the yarn through the last stitch and pull tight to secure. Optional Backpack Cast on 10 stitches and work until it is a square when folded, cast off. This completes all the knitted parts of the gnome. Sewing & Stuffing Body Start with sewing the head which is a part of the main body piece you knit. Thread the yarn you left two hand’s lengths long into your yarn needle, then slide out the wooden knitting needle and carefully collect the stitches onto your yarn needle. Next pull the yarn through, and all your stitches should gather/cinch up tightly closing the top of the head. Sew using the whip stitch down the back of the head until you reach the shirt color. Stuff head. Next, we will work our way from the toes up. Gather the cast on edge on your yarn needle and pull to cinch up tightly, very similar to how we did the top of the head. Sew the leg stopping at the top. Then repeat with the second foot and leg, stuff both legs. Next sew half of the gnome’s back together leaving space to stuff the torso and then sew closed. You can shape the feet and neck with running stitches around and then pull to tighten. Arms Follow the same process as the top of the head. Sew and stuff and then attach them to the main body piece. Hat Fold in half and sew down the back seam and continue using the same yarn to sew it to the gnome’s head. Backpack Fold in half and sew the sides. Finger knit the straps and attach. Many thanks to Chenoa for creating this beautiful tutorial. You can follow Chenoa on her Instagram here.
MINI-CARDER UNCLE KOLYA - COMPLETE SET This is our simplest and most straightforward Drum Carder we offer. The ability to comb wool of any complexity such as goat, sheep, dog, vicuña, llama, alpaca. It comes fully assembled. includes everything you need to get the job done. The only thing required is to simply put on the handle. All carders are set up and ready to use. This card has an 8" drum and produces 21x55cm batts and is made from 96\108 TPI carding fabric. Good for preparing wool for felting, mixing wool of different colors and types. THE PACKAGE INCLUDES: 1) a brush for smoothing hair, 2) awl puller, 3) socket wrench, 4) two clamps, 5) belt. Size: 40x26x20 cm. Weight: 7 kg. See also our tools for spinning, felting, carding, blended wool.
Many textile artists actively celebrate the history of damaged and abandoned materials by re-using them inventively, creating beauty from discarded debris and
Woven Felt Baskets – No Sewing Necessary! Free Tutorial & Pattern
In this tutorial I’m going to show you a fun and creative technique for making what I call “fiber doodles”. Fiber doodles which are pieces of decorative fabric that are made using thread…
I have 4 children in the 1st grade who are about to start their 6th project...fast knitters!!!!! we will be making a rainbow ball 14 stitches 3 ribs/6 rows per color. put yarn needle through the top and pull. this will gather it. sew it up, stuff it and put a bell in the middle...DONE!
near Napier
Photo credit: Glasgow Photography
The milkweed plant produces a fiber that can be used by spinners. Fibers from hemp, flax, dogbane, milkweed and nettle have been used f...
