I shipped all my fiber to NY last week.....seriously- everything but a few scraps. so i can't spin! but i do need to make some little felt nubbies to demonstrate how to spin small objects into the yarn. (NY students- don't forget to make some nubbies! instructions are at the bottom of the camps page.)  the only fiber i left myself was some pretty trashed and matted red mystery wool. so iv'e decided to make some little felt ladybugs because the color is really perfect for it. there are a few shades in this bunch from bright pinkie-orange to deep true red. but the ladybug spots are going to be tricky. i don't have the time or patience to needle felt a whole swarm of bugs, so i'm doing my standard trick of balling them up between my palms then stuffing them into a pillow case and into the washing machine for a cycle or two. but again...how to do the spots? i didn't have any black fiber anyhow....

but i do have a random old strand of black yarn! it's just a little thick and thin single. so i am just cutting it into little  tiny sections...it's been set so the little sections should hold their shape and hopefully look like spots.  i think i'll just sprinkle some of these into the pillow case with the red balls and hopefully they will just randomly fuse to the surface of the "ladybug" bodies.

these will probably just give the impression of ladybugs....without being perfectly rendered. or it could come out one giant mutant ladybug blob. hopefully not!

On another front- decided to ship my wheel to NY today. thanks for the offers of help! but this will prob. be best. i am going down to the yarn shop to look into buying the bulky head for the ashford travelor. has anyone used this set up??? do you like it? i spin almost everything on the Travelor but need the bigger orifice to demo th big shaggy yarns etc. let me know if you love/hate this attachment.