Studio

We have been spending quite a bit of time in the studio. (Well, duh!......that is what we got it for!). So far, so very good. We are both being quite productive, and it is great to be able to allow the time and space to begin to focus better.

I can't say that it is easy. Oh, enjoyable, very, but I am not used to either the discipline or the luxury.

This afternoon, we went to our first members' meeting. These are held, I think, four times a year, and there is an AGM as well. The studios operate as a Limited Company, hence the requirement for an AGM and for properly designated officers. Other than that, it works as a members' co-operative, about which I am very pleased. Just like the old days........

Everyone has assigned themselves to a role, or as in my case, been - thankfully - assigned. I would have volunteered for social media duties, I can tweet with the best of them if I have to, but that was grabbed. The DSM upped for keeping the website regularly updated - I was inveigled into sharing Health and Safety duties! Actually, I am perfectly happy with that, someone has to do it, after all.

We all of course share the cleaning, quite right too. There is to be a rota.

I am not mocking. There was amusement to be had from the meeting, with talk of such, and if providing cream teas at the Open Studio event coming up, and a few other very "committee" items. But actually, there was a lot of useful, sensible stuff under discussion in a very creative and orderly way. No problems there, then.

Well, actually there were. But they are mine, all mine. I am going to have to do a lot of work on myself to become totally comfortable sitting there with all those proper "artists". Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with considering myself a more than competent spinner in the first instance, and to have a fair bit of knowledge and expertise in various other areas of the fibre arts. I am also quite comfortable regarding myself as a good teacher.

But after that it all goes a bit pear-shaped. I am not an artist. My ability to produce objets of artistic merit is limited, to say the least. Oh, it has happened. But rather more by accident than design. So to be cheek by jowl with painters and ceramicists, and silversmiths and conceptual artists and mixed media interactive installation creators is......challenging.

And that is, I suppose, the point. To be challenged. Oh, to enjoy myself, and to keep myself occupied with things a bit more exciting than dusting. But I can do that behind my own closed doors. Out there, oh, much harder, but much more...well, more.

I could just fall flat on my face. Or I might not. Finding out which, if indeed either is going to e good.

Well well

well well well........

Just where the heck did April go?

I AM still here, just not getting round to blogging. Too much stuff, mostly good.

Started off by, having moved in to the studio, buggering off for a week. But it was a pre-arranged trip to New York, so not sorry, and worth it. I will do a blog post about it, but I haven't even uploaded the photographs yet, so when I have..........

Been doing lots of other stuff, too, but bedding in to to studio has been the main thing. I do have wireless access down there, but I am trying hard not to spend time on the internet for the moment, as I don't want my addiction to get in the way of fibre stuff! So I want to get the good, solid work habit established first.

I spent a while sampling some fibres. First up was a very nice blend of Jacob and bamboo from Adelaide Walker. Not a soft fibre, but very characterful, and should be hard wearing. Socks, definitely, but I have a great pattern for a jacket that would look great in it. Unfortunately, I think that to get the look of yarn that I want, I will probably have to do a three ply.

Then I spent a little while sampling the first of the DSM's new batts for Woolfest.



This one is called "Smaug", and is gorgeously bright. I did make a request for some for me, but was told I would have to wait. Not exactly a hardship, as I have, shall we say, a more than adequate stash. Have been excavating it, and am at present spinning some rather lovely Pygora I got at SOAR a couple of years ago. It has started to compact, as that kind of fine fibre is prone to do, so I decided to save its life. It fits in to the plan for shawl(ettes) for studio activity.

As does the stuff I am spinning at home (and, yes, I do seem to have my spinning mojo back). I was given some lovely merino and silk by a friend in California last autumn, always intended to be a shawl. Going through stash sorting, I found a silk brick that I at first thought was another hank of the merino/silk, but wasn't. Just almost exactly the same colourway, amazingly.



Merino/silk on the left, silk brick on the right. One from the US, one from the UK!

So, the body will be the one, and the other will enable me to try out the idea I had for a shawl with a free form crochet edging in lieu of lace or fringe. Might be quite cool, eh?

Quite a bit coming up including a workshop down south. The DSM has prep to do for Woolfest mainly, and we have stuff on order/in transit. Should be some great Greensleeves spindles arriving soon. MIT to mention that as the weather is finally improving, there is gardening and outside work to be done!

I'll do me best!

Spring? Winter? Who knows!

We had thought it was Spring. Snowdrops nearly over, crocuses blooming nicely, likewise the hellebores. One or two daffs opening up.

Then, whoops! 36 hours of teeny flakelets of snow, biting winds, zero temperatures....we crossed the river to the Pig on Saturday and felt we had made an arctic expedition!

We were peeved because we had to cancel an essential trip to Adelaide Walker for fibre and Bettys for tea (if anyone's supplies need replenishing, give us a shout out as we are rescheduling for later this week and could post from New York.). And we couldn't do the second (aargh) run to Ikea...would you believe, on the first, they had shelf unit side pieces but no shelves; a table top but no legs. We then thought we would order on line but that works out more expensive than going back.

This is for equipping the studio cheaply and effectively. But it worked out ok in the end a the weather meant that carrying stuff up the outside staircase would NOT have been fun, so never mind. We will get installed one day very soon, now. Then there will be photos, not to mention work actually done.

Sitting in by the blazing wood fire had been productive as well as cosy. I actually have an FO.



This is Lucky Spirale, a free pattern from Ravelry. It is called a shawl, but in my book is a scarf of a rather interesting shape. Started narrow and widening as you go, the wider end stretches out to kind of balance the thing when wound around your neck. The yarn is from a very nice alpaca and silk that I got from Toni at the Fold a couple of years ago. More or less dk, nice flecks of silk, warm. A small thing, but I am pleased with it.

I have plenty more yarn, so have cast on fingerless gloves, very plain with a simple cable. Ah, yes, so simple! I have only had to frog once, having got my cable forwards and cable backs confused.......I still have time to finish them, if only on the plane, for the trip to New York City, so nearly upon us - nearly time to get excited........

The extraordinary weather is likely to be with us for several more days. I nearly walked in to this on my way out the door this morning. Again, totally unusual, at least so close to the house.

Chariots and arrows

And other quoty type words associated with time. Good intentions failure, as well.

My lovely DMIL is always saying faintly to us that she doesn't know how we get so much done. I can never quite see it, myself, as from where I sit, an awful lot of time seems to be spent on the iPad.....however, I suppose it has been a bit hectic lately.

Flying visit to Cornwall to family-visit, all very nice. Lovely to see them all, and the sea!



I did try to upload a video of the waves crashing in on the shore, but the file was too large.

We were hunting for photo-ops various for me, like rust, and abandoned hulks, with no success, but did find a rather picturesque back street.



Since getting back, I have had a day at AH, playing with madder, which was fun; a day at Guild, with an extremely interesting talk by Val Bryant, on the research into old spinning wheels that she had been doing; and Bear Knitters followed by a visit to Toby!



And finally......we have the keys to the studio, and are in the process of installing ourselves. We decided that it made sense to slap a coat of fresh white paint on the walls before we started moving things in, so we have been doing that today.



It is a difficult space to photograph. I used the iPad for this, but will take some more when we are all installed. It might help me feel less of a fraud!

All exciting, anyway. I am doing stuff at home, but slowly, slowly. Tiding me over before the fun really begins!

Saturday

It was an absolutely lovely day, so of course, we had to be inside all day!

Four times a year, members of the Bradford Guild demonstrate at the Industrial Museum - this is where we regularly meet, and is a repayment for getting the meeting room at a preferential rate, so fair dos.

Actually, we had a good day. Excellent company, some pleasant and interested visitors, and plenty of spinning done. I had taken my Sidekick, and a big bagful of lovely Polwarth and silk that had been lurking in the stash for far too long. Nearly filled a bobbin, but there is still a way to go, I think sufficient for a waistcoat. I was very interested to compare this blend, having been spinning a lot of merino and silk recently - I like this much better, there seems to be lots more character to it. I suppose merino is as ubiquitous as it is because it is so.......ubiquitous! Yeah, clear as mud - I mean, it is the commercial crop, so there is a lot of it for the craft market as well.

On the way over to Bradford, I noticed a Zwartbles sheep in a field not far away from home. Now that is something I need to keep an eye on. Although I imagine the owner is a spinner and all the fibre is spoken for.

I had wanted to stop off somewhere on the way home, but we were too late leaving the museum. So, we had to go out again later, there was someone very important to meet.

This (I hope, still not familiar with the process) is Toby, just over 24 hours old, and totally gorgeous. I am not usually one to go doolally over newborns, but he is a bit special. He was completely unfazed by prolonged cuddles with great uncle and aunt, and has won the DSM over completely. Demanding return visits soon, no less.

Well, why not.........

eta: the first photo doesn't seem to show up well on Blogger, so let's try this earlier one as well.

Do you see what I see?

As I may have said before, on the way to Cornwall at Christmas, I bought yarn to finally start on a Swirl jacket. And I did. Cast on (which takes a long time) . Knit the recommended three rows before attempting to join in to a round. Because this is a very, very, very LONG row, enlisted the help of the DSM and Dsis plus several circs to get the thing as extended as possible, and then to make sure it was straight before joining. All this done, I was off!

At this point, I discovered that at least for the body, this is actually quite a boring knit. But I took it with me to knit group the other Sunday, and kind of got my groove back. Suddenly, it was going well.



I imagine you can see where this is going. Even if you can't see the picture all that clearly.

I can hardly bear to write it.

It is twisted. The difficulty I had been experiencing in moving the stitches as I knit was not, as I had thought, because there were so many stitches on the circ. How I do so wish. No, despite all our best efforts, I managed to twist the row, and I have a Moebius Swirl.

Except, I don't think that will work well as a jacket.

I am distraught.

Now I have blogged, I will soon have frogged.

Not entirely natural

On our last visit to World of Wool, I was so resolved not to buy anything for myself. Yes, I was. I marched around the shelves helping the other two find what they had come for, feeling strong and det.....ooh, shiny!!!

Some - well, about four shawlettes' worth - of merino and firestar just happened to fall into my hands. (At least, I am pretty certain it is firestar. Whatever, it is glittery and pretty.). Black, purple, teal blue and teal green. Sorry, can't be more precise than that, and neither can the camera, which is most certainly lying despite all protestations. Thus....



This is the black and the green. Really it is!

When I started spinning it, I had some considerable regrets. Fondled in the store, it had seemed to have fairly soft handle. Working with it, at first, I thought that the percentage of firestar (nylon) was quite high, and the fibre felt harsh and artificial. So I aimed for as low a twist yarn as I could, and achieved that by using the same drafting method as I had done with the grey alpaca and silk - good old extended draw from the fold. This had the additional advantage of spinning it up fast, too! I want to get on with knitting these.

I have, if course, no other yarn already spun up that would do the job.....

Any way, all us well, the yarn is reasonably soft with a more wool-like handle, and I think will knit up well. So panic over.

We have been gadding again. Last Saturday, we went to Dean Clough to see Northern Broadsides do 'Rutherford and Son'. Fabulous. It is touring, catch it if you can. Such an interesting play. Lots of info and reviews on t'internet, so Google away.

Sunday we went to the local - independent! - cinema to see Les Mis. Really liked it, although U hadn't been entirely certain that I would. But Jackman and Crowe were surprisingly good, the former in particular, and Eddie Redmayne turned out to have rather a charming singing voice.

And again, the theatre last night, Royal Exchange in Manchester for The Accrington Pals. The subject matter was well served by the play, thank goodness. I mostly enjoyed it very much, but one scene in the second half, apparently the springboard from which the entire idea had stemmed, failed to convince me. When 90% of a drama is firmly rooted in reality, I have difficulty suddenly having to deal with a fantasy sequence.

Great staging, though, with real water for rain! Very convincing, and true to life.

Sam just happened to be posing prettily when I had the iPad conveniently to hand yesterday, so, finally, one of those gratuitous cat photos. I am unapologetic.