10th July 2016 Turnacre Wool Tree

So this past week I have spent lots of time working with some of the wool I bought last weekend.
So far I have only tried the mill spun. I knew from the sample I had that it was lovely to work with but have now had more time to test it further.
It is very easy to knot, though care needs to be taken not to stretch it whilst knotting as it is quite springy. However if a piece needs to be pulled back it is a different story. The wool is all undyed, in the natural colours of the fleece and retains the fleece shadings so is not a solid colour. It makes it very hard to see the knots and the strands that form them so pulling back is very time consuming and it is worth taking a bit more time to plan pieces than I would using the cotton cord as this is far easier to redo. However, having said that, the shading gives fabulous effects and works really well to suggest bark for my trees. Another advantage is that unlike the cotton which has a tendency to make me itch and sneeze - I can now fully sympathize with cotton mill workers and the conditions they worked in - the wool has no such effects on me.
My first piece uses just two of the colours and I am really happy with it so far and looking forward to finishing it.
I intend to dye some of the paler wool, mainly in green shades to enhance the effects I can create for the trees but have yet to try this.
For now I want to stick with the colours as they come and take time to understand the properties of the wool and how I can make it work.
I hope you like the piece so far, please feel free to send me feedback or ask questions about my work or the materials I use.
Until next week.
Anne xx