Felting Workshop

At the Living and Learning School, we are blessed to be invited to some very special events in our community.  Kiki, a very talented artist, welcomed our students to a felting workshop that she hosted at the Kaay Centre.  She sent us a short story to read to the children in advance that told of a young boy who became lost in the woods.  Here is a brief synopsis of the story that she told.  While the boy was wandering, he met a small gnome who asked him why he looked so sad.  The boy explained that he was lonely and lost to which the gnome replied that he should not feel lonely because he was surrounded by the trees, rocks, streams and animals of the forest.  The gnome took a small stone out of his pocket and smashed it in half to reveal a beautiful rainbow centre.  He gave half of the geode to the boy so that he would be reminded that he is never alone.  Kiki told the story to the children using wonderful handmade dolls and they proceeded to make their very own rainbow rocks.  I had never experienced felting before, and I found it to be so tactile and soothing.  We all worked on our rocks, selecting one colour at a time from gorgeous loops of highly pigmented braided wool. We gently squeezed and rolled our grey felt 'rocks' in soapy water, rinsed them, then finally were given the option to cut them to reveal rainbow-y layers or keep them hidden.  I could not resist, and quickly cut mine in half and found turquoise, fuchsia and yellow rings.  We had a lovely day at the gallery and were lucky enough to have a guided tour of Kiki's gallery exhibit featuring felted works as well as paintings and installations.  Thank you for your hard work Kiki!  The kids really enjoyed themselves and learned a lot.