When I was in high school, I came across the book Inspiration Sandwich by SARK. It was so bright and cheerful, so utterly unlike any book I’d seen up until that point, and I’m not sure I’d ever seen one since (well, other than SARK’s own books). It wasn’t my book, but a friend’s, and years later, I ended up buying myself a used copy of the same book because I just had to have it.

This was the moment that catapulted me into the world of whimsy, and she instantly became my personal role model. (Years later, I realized that I’d been introduced to her before, in the form of a poster on my elementary school’s art teacher’s room, one that I loved reading every time I went in there.)

So when I created this colorway, because the aquas, greens, blues and purples are reminiscent of the colors on the cover of Inspiration Sandwich, it felt fitting to name it Magic Cottage after SARK’s own personal magical space. That was my first foray into whimsy, and these locks are my first foray into offering my own specially processed and dyed wool.

These locks come from a fleece I ordered from across the pond, one that is a cross between Wensleydale and Romney. Some of the fleece’s locks more closely resemble that of Wensleydale (curly), and some are closer to that of Romney (crimpy/wavy). The curls are tighter towards the tip, but the base is soft, open and on the fuzzy side, making these great for spinning and felting. This particular listing is for 1 (one) ounce of curly locks, which average 5-7” in length (8 if you stretch them out). Most are on the longer side. They’ve been pulled apart prior to dyeing, and as such are ready to work with straight out of the bundle.

These locks have been gently hand processed, carefully and lovingly hand dyed one ounce at a time with acid dyes and heat set. I always give my wool a wash post-dye in warm water with a bit of soap, followed by a rinse with vinegar and lavender (you won’t smell the vinegar, but you may notice some lavender) until the water runs clear. This is to help rinse out any dye that didn’t set. However, since each artist's water, soap, detergent and processing varies, there is always a chance that the wool may bleed some when wet felting (or washing post-spinning). If your final artwork or garment requires cleaning, gently hand wash in cold water and dry it flat.