I like your approach of separating the flannel and the PUL. How many layers of flannel did you use for the pads?

Cute recon.

Cute. Is that strung beads in between the hearts?

I love, love, love this!
I love owls, and I love filet crochet! (especially since I can't do it anymore due to my wrists)

So I picked up these raw fleeces from a couple in Asheville a few days ago. I've always wanted to learn to process raw wool, spin, dye, and then use the yarn for my knitting and crocheting. The Craigslist ad said it was 4 fleeces, including 1 angora. They were moving, so the guy just kind of set the boxes in my truck with a smile and they went got back to work, so no time for questions. (He was wearing a fabulous hat that he had knitted.)

What I'm hoping for is help identifying what kind of fleeces I have here, as well as which would be the easiest for a rank beginner to start with, and what bare-bones equipment I'll need, as my budget is practically nonexistent. Here they are:

Mystery fleece 1:

Somewhat coarse, locks are about 6 - 7" long stretched out, not greasy at all
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Mystery fleece 2:

Soft, greasy, locks about 3" long. Romney? Something else??
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Mystery fleece 3:

Softer by far then the first one, not as soft as the second. Locks about 5", very curly, not very greasy-feeling
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Closeup of number 3:

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Mystery fleece 4:

Soft, curly, rather difficult to separate a lock from the rest, locks about 2.5" long, not greasy, some white hairs running through it
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Closeup of number 4
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handful of number 4
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Mystery fleece 5:

What IS this? short little fibers, maybe an inch long, soft, very black, hold together very well, but lots of little short pieces left behind when you pick up a wad of it. Rabbit?? I wouldn't think it would be from the belly of number 4 because it is much darker, a completely different feel, and there are several small bags of it. Hmm.

So, where would you start? Any ideas what kind of wool I have, and what did he mean by angora -- goat, or rabbit? Does it look like I got some good stuff?

Start here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxYywyFSeh8&feature=related  and you will be over your fear in no time. 

I just noticed the awesome accessories challenge week ago, when I had a few days off work. Although I was nearly finished with a double-thick crochet, short-row hat of my own design for my husband, I felt it just didn't have the pizazz I wanted for a contest entry, although I am very proud of it.

I had recently been viewing Jennifer Hansen's (of Stitch Diva) Youtube tutorials on broomstick lace, including increasing, decreasing, and working in the round. So, I decided to put this intriguing knowledge to work in designing a contest entry that I had a chance of working up in time. Without further ado, here is my broomstick lace tam, worked in the round, bottom up, with crochet ribbing:



By the time I finished this hat I had a fairly thorough working knowledge of the technique.

I used the lace technique all the way to the crown. I had to increase to get the tam shape and decrease to do the top.



(I had stuck my finger through where you see the gap and disarranged the lace; it ordinarily lies flat and gap-free when I'm not messing with it. :/  )

My only inspiration was the instructional video, which simply demonstrates the techniques but doesn't show a finished item. I worked the ribbing first, to a length comfortable for my 23" head, then picked up stitches all around for the lace. Since I was in a hurry to begin I used some worsted weight acrylic that I had lying around.

I had hoped to have the scarf finished by the end of the entry time, but alas, it's only partially done. I'm including the picture of it to show a bit about the method used for the set.



This project was a lot of fun. I'm very happy with the outcome. It's the first time I ever used broomstick lace, and I used all  the techniques demonstrated to me,as well as crochet ribbing, which I think I do very well. I definitely will make it again. I'd like to try it in a sport weight or finer yarn. It would make lovely jewelry, wouldn't it?

After I finished the hat, I decided to see what other Craftsters had done before me. I didn't find any made from the bottom up, or that continued the lace pattern into the crown. Also, mine was the only one I could find with cool crocheted ribbing. So maybe it's unique.

I love these. I did something similar once with some pics of record albums cut out from an ad inside an album from 1962.

How did you attach your bails -- are they eye pins embedded in the clay, or are they glued on back?

Very cool. I think it looks very Victorian, very steampunk. The pendants look like metal, reminiscent of wrought iron.

It's a soda bottle, with a digitally collaged label. I don't ordinarily post this sort of thing, so I'm unsure whether to place it in paper craft reconstructed, or elsewhere. Thanks for any clues you can give me.