Knittynudo has gone primitive!

Hi All,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted – and this is mainly because I’ve been a bit of a felting machine in order to get ready for autumn and winter! I’m stabbed and felted to the bone. If you stripped my skin off, I’m sure all my layers of flesh, blood and bone are properly felted together. A dedicated craftswoman is I.
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I wanted to focus on the more primitive creatures I’ve been making recently. This little guy above is a needle felted llama, make from a blend of merino and corriedale wool. I recently bought some Wensleydale curls (I blogged about it a few weeks ago in ecstatic glee) and I’m definitely putting them to good use. As well as usually the gorgeous hand dyed tendrils for fantasy owls and such, I’ve been using the natural and undyed curls to create more primitive and folk inspired creatures, like this llama and the little baby owl below. >
I love how multi-tonal and textured the body becomes when it’s layered with the curls. I wanted these creatures to look a bit more rustic and country cottage-esque, because when I think of winter I think of natural tones and all natural materials, or maybe that’s just me! I thought the grey and brown tones went very well with the many versions of owls I have in my head!
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Bertie (above) is another curly felted cutie. I think he’s possibly my favourite owl out ouf all of the ones I’ve created thus far (I’m sorry to all of the others!) There’s something about the natural robust finish along with his rather confused and puzzled wonky eyed stare. Who could resist? All of the above creatures are on Knittynudo right now (knittynudo.etsy.com) but I’m oh-so-tempted to keep Bertie for myself…

Speak soon!

Caroline xx
knittynudo.etsy.com

Fall, Owls, Curls, and Cuddling in Fire-lit Caves!

Hi All!

It’s turning to fall… and the golds and reds and tawny oranges are making me feel inspired about the new autumn collection.

I’ve been inspired by fall colours, curly snuggly textures, and folk art. Quite a few of the new pieces will be quite textured, with the Wensleydale curls I wrote about last time…

Some of the new creatures will be making an entrance in the next few weeks, and I’m pretty pleased with them too! I’m trying to do some new creatures as well as re-imagining some old ones, and the below picture of me this week might give you a clue as to what one of the creatures will be!

Can’t go wrong with owls can you? And the couple of owls I’ve felted so far are slightly larger than the others on the site. They’re still miniatures I suppose, but definitely of a chunkier sort! Pictures will follow soon….
Rolling into the autumn and winter months also makes me feel more into creating mythological creatures too. I wonder why this is? Possibly because, like the creatures themselves, I quite fancy curling up into a cosy ball in a cave somewhere, with plenty of blankets and a roaring fire to light the way.

Oh, and I nearly forgot to say, some of the existing sculptures on Knittynudo are going to a new home shortly, so if there is a little creature you’ve had your eye on for a while I’d recommend you snap him / her up! At the moment I’m not 100% sure which curios are heading to the boutique, so I can’t give you any pointers. Some of the curios are made from substances and colours I don’t have anymore so I can’t guarantee a custom order either!

Speak soon!

Caroline xxxx
Knittynudo.etsy.com

Swoonful New Materials for Felting! (Exciting!)

Hi everyone!

I was going to delay this post until I had some new items to show for it but I was just too excited to wait! I have made one little creature for the autumn collection but the others are a work in progress right at the moment!

You see, I’ve been needle felting for quite a while now, and I’m always ready to experiment with new things. I’ve felted with lots of types of wool so far, corriedale, merino, Tunisian… and now I’m moving onto Wensleydale locks!
Now, to people who don’t felt or spin, this probably doesn’t mean a great deal. But for a while I’ve really wanted to create a more ‘wild’ look, quite untamed and magical. I’d been hunting for suitably curly fibres and I came across these locks, which are just so beautiful. Trawling throught the web I ended up heading back to Etsy and found these stunning fibres… some of which will be heading my way soon!

Imagine the little fluffy birds or the strange tribal yetis (and goats)! Not sure why I’ve got it in my head to create a crazed goat but I’m definitely going to. A llama too, perhaps to be the primitive brother of this little dear:

Finding these locks has meant I’ve discovered a whole host of other materials to experiment with – including these hand dyed batts from Hands and Notions on Etsy:
This one totally has my name on it! I’m imagining litttle rustic owls and wonky eyed marmalade cats. It’s also a delicious mix of different types of wool like alpaca and merino, giving it a really textured finish. Swoon!

Anyway, gushing over. Have a lovely day everyone!

Caroline xxx
Knittynudo.etsy.com

A New Age for Knittynudo?

Hi All!

There’s been a lot of exciting movements for Knittynudo recently, I’m thrilled!

As well as some new creatures for autumn…

… I think there may be a new age for Knittynudo too!

I’m not going to give too much away, but it’s in the works for me to write regular tutorials for a magazine in the USA! This will be pretty much absed on the teeny weeny series, at least initially. Who knows what else will come from it!

Needless to say I find all this very exciting. I love writing, so the chance to extend my quill to writing about one of my greatest loves just fills me with glee! I’ll let you all know when the next issue is published.

There have been another couple fo exciting developments too (not related to the the magazine) but I’m keeping them under my floppy summer hat at the moment. Once it’s all firmed up I’ll release more information!

But on another note, it’s starting to turn into autumn now, and for all you Americans – fall. I love this time of year, and it’s inspired me to start making lots of new creatures! There are a couple above but rest assured there’ll be a few more coming soon! Some of them more fantastical than others….

So much excitement is surely going to make me burst! I’m already thinking about Christmas too, and the possibilities that lie there too.

Speak soon!

Caroline xxx
Knittynudo.etsy.com