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Congratualtions Penney! Your bear is adorable and I am so excited for you!
Duff
Wonderful news Anne! I am so excited for you!
Duff
Contratulations Chloe, I am so excited for you! You have done a fantastic job!
Duff
Just amazing little bears Samantha. Congratulations, you certainly have earned it!
Duff
Charlotte, Amazing how much the steam brings back life to the wool isn't it? I am planning on steaming more! Thank you for sharing the photos, I did not even think to do that last night!
So, what are you going to make with your newly rehydrated wool? I love the blue and grey combination. I am looking forward to seeing what it will be! (or possibly it was just test wool?) either way keep us posted!
Bobbie, Oh My, you do have a lot going on, new knees and then back surgery. I am so sorry to hear that! What are you having done; Diskectomy, fusion? I am up for L4/L5 fusion but am doing anything and everythng I can to hold off until I can go no more. You must be at that point now???
More Tips, I love it :dance: Althought the picture caught me by surprise as I was reading and wow that was a shock! unerving to see a headless polar bear. But the razor blade idea is a good one. Good news on the bear I am working on was only just started today so the clipping was pretty easy with the scissors. But on the lion I did I ended up having to cut back the nose area and it did take some time to do it. I think I have some razor blades hanging around. Great idea.
The other trick I tried that I was very please with was using a very small hand held trimmer (for dog faces and toes) to trim off any stray hairs that could not be felted down. It is amazing what a difference it made in the final product.
I can't even imagine how much space those samples must be taking up let aline the thought of preparing and felting each one of them, holey smokes that is a lot of work! We will all wait patiently for the book, I am sure it will be well worth it!
One of the places I have gotten my wool from is a place called the Felted Ewe... www.thefeltedewe.com
they do have a very nice dark grey/blackish foam that is holding up much better then the white stuff I had 1st purchased as well as they have a great single beedle holder that is wood and very handy for the fine details - so much so for me that I went back and ordered another one (they are only $3.50 each). they do not have a screw to hold the needle in place but rather a wood stopper that you lay the felting needle in and push it up into the handle, and the shape of the handle is wonderful! Jot to mention the owner is very nice and helpful.
One more question, is the foot pad painted on or needle felted? (from your picture above I can't quite tell)
Keep us posted on your back, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Duff
Vert kind Bobbie, thank you! I feel like I am losing 100 hairs a day! I am pushing 40 and my mom was completely silver grey by about 43 or so. I suppose the good news is that I don't have to highlight my hair anymore as the grey hairs make it look highlihgted 
I always wanted curly hair so more good news, it looks like I will eventually get it 
I did pull out my pots and pans last night and tried your recommendation. worked like a charm! it is fluffy and kinky and the felting is going great today. Thank you for the tip! I must admit I did a really stupid trick... apparently I still have a lot to learn. After I had gotten through a large part of the 1st stage of felting the face on my bear I realized it was crooked to the actual neck joint, which I had not yet closed! Arrrr.... At 1st I thought I may have to start over but it is a rather big head and the stuffing was a pain. So I took my lillte scissors and cut the face off one snip at a time and have now just finished felting is back in place, straing this time! I am amazed at how forgiving NF is. I am in heaven that I can actually cover up my mistakes!
I am off to finish more felting and steam a few more colors! Thanks Bobbie!
Andrea - I appogize for hijacking your thread - I have managed to get it way off track.... sorry!
Ooooh all this talk of wool and felting leads me to believe I need to do more reading up on fiber. I am glad you understood what I was saying. I will be pulling out a pot in the morning and give it a whirl. It is amazing how the humdity put the body back in the wool in your pictures. It is pretty dry over here but I know what you mean about the hair and humdity. Although the only curl I am getting these days is from the wierd curly grey hairs that are creeping in amoungst all my normal hairs. A few more years and they will all be curly!
I love your bear, his color is great!
Duff
Holy smokes Bobbie, that was wonderful! Just let me know when that book is done 
I take one!
that was a great overview and thank you for taking the time to post it. I have read a few books but I don't think I got as much out of those books as you just put in one page!
Question, I have corriedale that is in a rope fashion that I pull sections off of. Would it make more sense to pull it all apart and then use it or continue pulling chunks off the rope style it came in? (Hope that makes sense?)
Duff
Great photo, It brought a smile to my face, so cool...
Hi Krista, 1st off, your creations are just amazing and wonderful! I love them all!
I see the predicament you are in, not a good place to be. I have never sold bear on ebay but as a frequent buyer on ebay I always look at a bid on ebay as a binding contract. I do understand that bad things happen to good people and hope the the buyer has a speedy recovery. But in the end it is a business and you need to be paid for the beautiful work you have done. I guess what I do not understand is why he is not able to make payment on his wife's behalf? Possibly is it best to let him know that there in only one more two week extension, give him a payment date and if payment can not be made by that date then there will not be another extension. If that is the case, could you go back to your beloved customer explain the situation and offer her the papillon at her last highest bid? I saw your little one on ebay but I can't remember if the listing had a note on how many days payment must be received in? To ease your mind you may want to offer that you will not leave negative feed back if he can not make payment due to the situation... Oh my so confusing, the more I think about it the more a waffle on my thougths!
I am sure there are others who will have better words of wisdom who will weigh in soon.
I hope this all works out for you quickly.
Hi Shelli, I can't help on the 1st two questions but here is wome info on the last one.. 
Re: Who invented liquid soap and why ?
Date: Mon Aug 6 21:41:11 2001
Posted By: Eric Maass, Director, semiconductors / communication products
Area of science: Science History
ID: 995593911.Sh
Message:
Hello, A.L. As far as I can tell, Liquid Soap was invented by Hendrik Willem Brouwer of Holland, working for Lever Brothers. He received patent number US4065398: Liquid soap
composition. You can read more about this invention at this webpage.
As for why - I can only guess that Lever Brothers saw the potential to increase sales and profits due to the convenience of a soap that could easily be dispensed in public places like public
restrooms, as a better alternative than providing a community bar of soap (do you really want to wash your hands with a bar of soap covered with some stranger's dirt and germs?), and as
a more comfortable alternative to providing powdered soap (I have used it in public restrooms in the past...feels like you are washing your hands with Ajax or Comet. Uncomfortable).
In fact, since the invention of liquid soap, there have been a whole lot of patents for equipment that dispenses liquid soap, so the market is obviously there!
Uh oh, it is never that easy to find info... More
Who invented liquid soap, and why ?
I didn't have a clue what the answer to this question was so I had to do some research. Turns out, the first patent for liquid soap was issued way back on August 22, 1865 to a William Shepphard. I found several websites that mentioned this fact, but none of them seemed to know why. If I had to make a guess, I would surmise that it was probably for some sort of industrial process, and not for the reasons of handwashing convenience that we use liquid soap today.
Interesting tidbit - It wasn't until 1980 that the Minnetonka Corporation introduced the first modern liquid soap. They cornered the liquid soap market by buying up the entire supply of the plastic pumps needed for the liquid soap dispensers.
Wow, he looks great! You did a fantastic job and he is so small! Great job, wlecome to the addiction! I was scared at 1st until I realized it was so forgiving. I can't wait to see your next creation!
Duff
Hi shelli, I know I am posting a bit late but I thought I would add a quick thought. I currently work from home in a non bear field and have done so for many years now. Before I moved I had built a garage at my old house and set it up with a seperate electric meter to ensure that I did not have to do all the calculations of house office square footage vs personal use. I was also able to deduct most of the building cost due to it being an office. Being able to show that it was seperate from the house meter was the way I went to show it was an office space not a home space. The install of the meter only added about $300 to the over all construction cost. I loved it as I was able to have an office dedicated to work and not mingled in with my home life. Just a quick trot accross the back yard and the day would begin. I also had a pet sitter who would come around noon to let the dogs out and signal to me it was lunch time. Even though I was technically at home, I still went with the pet sitter so I would treat it as a job that I had to be at at a certain time. This schedule allowed me to be very focused. Personally I did not claim anything else on my taxes at the end of the year other then electiric and phone per the recomendation of my accountant in the event I needed to sell the house. (Which I did and was glad I went that route)
I would also stronly suggest you speak to a tax account and to ensure that the route you go ends up being as tax friendly as possible. The IRS tends to be less forgiving in a working from home situation and I found that the advice that I got from my acountant was very helpful in making th final decision on how to handle the whole working from home issue. I have been playing around with doing the same thing here (the garage route) but have not taken the plunge because in all reality the total construction cost of my previous garage was over $25k when it was all said and done. It worked for me becuase the house had no garage to begin with and it helped the resale value. Had I just added a storage shed in the back and converted it my real estate agent said I would have lost equity upon resale as it is hard to find a buyer looking for such an option. Kind of like adding a pool, it sounds great but not everyone wants one.
My office is now in my master bedroom and I dearly wish I had my old garage office! I wish you luck in your final decision and look forward to hearing your final decision!
Duff
Ladies, this is great news and well deserved, I will be out looking for the magazine this week!
Duff
Oh My, what a cute face! Those big eyes and ears, soooo cute 
Duff
PS, I love your Doogle on ebay - just adorable I wish I had the $$ to make a bid! Good luck with him!
Thank you everyone, I feel so wonderful that you all have taken the time to say such kind things !
I am just about done and will post the final version when he is done. Just a few more toes to work on. Interesting when I heat set the white paint it toned down immensely which surprised me but looks much better.
I am starting another mohair felted bear in a lighter color and much bigger. I thought I would go for a 16-18 inch bear so I took everything I learned from the 1st one and modified my pattern a bit. I was able to start the head this weekend only to find out that I do not have any eyes big enough So of course I had to place an order for some new eyes.
It will be fun to dabble in the world of bigger bears!
Thanks again everyone!
Duff
Well, after playing with several cotter pin a disk, leather and a string of sinew, I am surprised as how hard each one was to loosen. Go figure that it has happened with mini's I have done in the past but I had a hard time during the testing! 
Both loosened a bit but that was with much pulling. I used a 1/2 inch disk and 1 inch thin cotter pin...
So, I think I will try the rolling down methond in the future and see how that goes!
Duff
Good topis, I never knew the name if this type of joint. For some reason I thought it was the stronger of the two ways to do it. Not sure where I might have heard that but it would have been many many years ago.
Bobbie your explaination of why makes sense but I would think the same would apply to the curling method? I think I will play around with the two and see how easy each one of them pulls a part. Off to play with cotter pins....
Jeannie, good questions and thank you everyone else for the posts and pictures!
Duff
Hi Sophie, What a cutie she looks great! She reminds me of a candy ballerina, somehow I feel the need to eat sweets suddenly! Is a barley suger stick like a candy cane?
I hope all is well on your end!
Hugs, Duff
Charlotte, I meant to ask where you are at in N. NM? I grew up just outside of Albuquerque, in Sandia Park and am lucky that my parents sill live there. I love N. NM, such an amazing place you live in!
thank you ladies for the kind words! I did not realize just how much I missed bear makin'... and with Judi's help I feel ready to spread my felting wings. I just opened a box of goodies from intercal and feel inspiration coming on! :dance: it feels great to be back here.
hugs
Duff
