Thursday, March 24, 2011

Shoulder on the Mend & Special Operations Warrior Foundation Challenge





I have started physical therapy and am out of the sling most of the time. I'm still not allowed to actively use my shoulder but from my elbow to my fingers just about anything goes! I am participating in a fiber challenge and really need to get some felting done. I've got the Felting Jones bad!

My husband is such a sweet man and offered to do the rolling for me. He's also had a felting machine in mind that he would like to build. Necessity being the mother of all invention, he put together a manually operated contraption that lets me felt with one arm! It's a bit awkward but still requires a lot less effort than rolling by hand. It's a large metal grate with a handle welded on and a big piece of split cord wood tied to the middle. I just put the wool item, rolled up in a bamboo blind and towel, under the grate and push and pull it. It applies pressure and rolls it - all with just my good arm :D I was having so much fun with it that I forgot to take photos, but I'll post some soon.

The Crafty Retailer
does some great fiber challenges. I've sent in earrings for a challenge and now am making an item for the Craft Warrior Challenge. Pat donated all the beautiful Swarovski elements and all participants will be making something using them. The completed items will be for sale on the Craft Warrior Etsy page and all proceeds will be donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation!
This great organization provides full scholarship grants and educational and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who die in operational or training missions and immediate financial assistance to severely wounded special operations personnel and their families.

These photos show the process of my entry - but can you guess what it is? I'll post photos as I go but I won't tell what it is until it's done :) I'm using black Romney wool, pink & purple merino, gold & black firestar and pink sheer and lace panels.

2 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! It is very exciting to watch your progress! Total bummer about your shoulder--so glad to hear that you are on the mend. I am also itching to hear more about the felting machine that your husband has cooked up---it sounds wonderful!

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  2. Thanks Pat - my shoulder is doing well and gets better every day :D

    I hope to post photos of the manual machine today - it's so non-technical but works wonderfully & felts really fast.

    Have a beautiful day!

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