2010 Flagstaff Wool Festival

Photography by Mike Buchheit

Despite the 90 degree temps, the 19th annual Wool Festival in Flagstaff, AZ this past weekend was a hit. Handspinner Melanie Sharp had lots of her gorgeous acid-dyed skeins for sale. The friendly people of Purl in the Pines showed off their lovely wares (if you're a local, you must visit their up-to-the-minute yarn store!). Many weavers, artisans, herders, and spinners were selling their natural fibers including Kari Usher (Dancing Weaver) and Stephanie Rockford (Crazy Sexy Wool). And, of course, there were several shorn four-leggeds (Churro sheep, alpacas, and llamas) on display looking too cute for their own good.

We left the event arms loaded with Suffolk wool, Llama, and Churro wool roving, as well as three different colors of hand- and acid-dyed Rambouillet wool bats. Winter can't come soon enough!

Summer Giveaway!

© Kim Buchheit

PRIZE

Vintage-style Rose Hair Clips :: Set of 2
(as shown above; view detailed pics here)

HOW TO WIN

4 Ways to Enter: Be sure to leave a comment here and let me know which way(s) you entered.

1. Twitter this giveway — copy/paste: Win Vintage-Style Hair Clips from @wildlywoolly. To enter, visit: http://www.wildlywoolly.com

2. Heart my Etsy shop

3. Follow me on Twitter (@wildlywoolly)

4. Follow me on Facebook (Wildly Woolly)

WINNER ANNOUNCED

Entries will be accepted through Tuesday, June 8, 2010. Winner announced Wednesday, June 9, 2010. UPDATE: The winner of the give-away is Joyce Ramsey. Thank you Joyce and all for participating!

Mark Your Calendars

Photo © Mike Buchheit
2010 Flagstaff Wool Festival: June 5-6, 2010 at the Pioneer Museum, 2340 N Ft. Valley Rd., Flagstaff, Arizona; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. This is an event I look forward to every year! Great prices on wool and interesting people who generously share their stories and know-how. If you're in the area, you won't want to miss this.

Vintage-Style Hair Clips

Hand-crafted by Kim Buchheit; © Kim Buchheit

On my upcoming summer get-away, I want to just pull my hair back and not spend time fussing with it. To that end, I created these romantic vintage-style rose hair clips. The rich sable color keeps them "grown up" — and the snug alligator clip keeps them in place (even in my fine hair!). If you'd like a set for summer, you can order them in my Etsy shop!

Felted Amigurumi :: Woodland Pals

Design and hand-crafted by Kim Buchheit; © Kim Buchheit

Wee bear and his woolly owl pal have teamed up to enliven my Etsy store. They were first hand-crocheted in the Japanese amigurumi style using my own pattern. After being felted in a hot bath, the facial features were applied via needle felting and the safety eyes were added. Come visit them for tea and snacks — you might just find yourself adopting them on the spot.

"2000 Breaths" Meditation Mats

Design and hand-crafted by Kim Buchheit; © Kim Buchheit

In my on-going effort to live more in the present moment, I recently incorporated breath work into my textile making process. While creating these thick warm-and-woolly meditation mats (or table accents), I made two stitches on the in-breath and two on the out-breath. The total number of breaths per 20-inch round mat is about 2000. My hope is that this practice not only makes me more conscious, but also imbues my work with some sense of peace that is bestowed on others. My 2000 Breaths® felted wool textiles will soon be available in my Etsy shop.

Felted Votives with Woolly Branch

Design and hand-crafted by Kim Buchheit; © Kim Buchheit

Oh, I am just so happy to have finished this piece! I was experimenting with assemblage of the ropey branch... first sewing, then binding the pieces together with embroidery thread. Then, after deconstructing it all, I settled on needle-felting the pieces together after binding the joints with a bit of cormo wool. In the end, I just wanted to use only wool in the piece. But I do love mixing wool with other materials, too. Maybe next time :)

Felted Wee Bird on Juniper Branch

Design and crafted by Kim Buchheit; © Kim Buchheit.

I really enjoyed developing this little sculpture today. Initially I had hoped that the long-legged birdie would stand on his own... but, alas, he simply couldn't (poor fella). As I looked around my cluttered studio I spied a nice weathered piece of juniper wood, and that was the aha moment. I think he turned out cute, and the wood base makes him more substantial and stable. Yay! He is now hanging out with the other woolly wonders in my Etsy shop.

Something to Light Up the New Decade...

Design and crafted by Kim Buchheit; © 2009, Kim Buchheit.

Hand-felted, flame-free woolly light pots! These night owls will light up your evenings with their sweet soft glow. Also available in a contemporary polka dot set. If this is any indicator, I think 2010 is going to be way too much FUN!

Felted Mirror with Owl Charm

Design and handcrafted by Kim Buchheit. © Kim Buchheit

I wanted to make a special gift for someone this holiday season, so I hand-felted a pocket mirror and attached a sweet little woolly-bee charm to its side. I thought it turned out so (ahem) charming, that I decided to make a few with owl charms for my Etsy shop. It's so fun to have new gifties in my shop all ready for the new year!

HeartFelt Stones

Heart-shaped and palm-sized, these felted stones are sure to please. Made from actual stones and nested in hand-felted merino wool and llama hair... this set makes the perfect gift for the nature-lover on your gift list! Available now in my Etsy shop. [UPDATE: Sold.]

Design © Kim Buchheit

Felted Don't-Worry-Stones®

I'm so excited to be offering these hand-felted stones in my Etsy shop as of today! I owe a big thanks to my e-sista, Linda Lanese (thanks, Lin), for all her great input and support. Each unique "Don't Worry Stone"® is an actual stone nested snuggly in a colorful felted wool cozy. Each cozy is both needle- and wet-felted by hand with care.

Design and product name © Kim Buchheit