Carol's Blog

FOs!

2012-01-30T17:22:00.001Z

In the case of the Einstein coat, technically not quite, as I need buttons. But knitting and finishing done - it needs a good press, and it has its little quirks, but it looks ok on and is going to be very warm and useful.

I love the colourway, and am really sorry that I shall never be able to get any more.

I do also like the finished garment, and daft as I am will probably do another one, this time according to the pattern not just thinking my way would be better....Having said that, I could not fathom the instructions for knitting on the collar, which is why my version has a small crocheted edging to stabilise it. But I do know someone who has done a couple of them, so I could always get her advice.

The second FO is my very first piece of colourwork!

Very, very simple, and I not quite in jest reckon that I chose the colours so that mistakes wouldn't show up. Actually, I had some Cascade 220 I had bought for a different project, and thought that it would be much better used for a hat, mitten and scarf combo for my Canada trip. If I was to have any hope of finishing at least two out of the three, I wouldn't have time to spin or dye the yarn as well. So far, so good - the hat was even for me a very nice quick and easy knit (I loved doing the pattern!) and I am just starting to cast on for a pair of mittens with a similar design. Any luck and I can get them done during the Cornwall trip next week.

Haven't decided on a scarf pattern yet, but it could be airplane knitting and I could start wrapping it around my neck as I went.....or I could choose to do a cowl!

Other than that, I have got bored with monochrome, chunky spinning and am going to switch to another lot of "Rovings" Polwarth. To be spun as a medium weight singles for crochet, so a change of wheel to the Lendrum with the jumbo head. And I have yet to quite finish the pretty Felt Studio UK stuff on the Timbertops downstairs, destined to be a lacy scarf. But nearly there.

Please take note of the fact that I mention "lace" and "colourwork" projects in the same breath.

I think I am spreading my knitting wings!

And all the rest

2012-01-25T16:41:00.000Z

I suppose we could be called a bit daft, really. But having decided to have a few days in London for an exhibition, it seemed a shame not to do one or two other things whilst we were down there. This turned in to two performances on Saturday and two exhibitions on Sunday. Fortunately, each "pair" of events were greatly contrasting, which helped us survive, I think - we haven't done two theatre visits in one day for a great many years, when we were very much younger!

I have wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil performance for a long time, so when I realised that there was a show at the Albert Hall while we were down, that was a given. Great spectacle and amazing skill and talent - I am so glad we went, and now want to get to another one! I even liked the "clowning" bits, which thank goodness were not like the conventional ones. These were clever, funny and relevant to the overall theme of evolution. So, success number one.

We had to do a fast turn-around to get a bus to the next venue, and no time for a meal, had to make do with a sandwich (I think Pret made a lot of money out of us over this trip!) Completely different thing - "Masterclass" with Tyne Daly. Now, she has been a hero of mine since Cagney and Lacey, but I was blown away by her talent as a stage performer. The play has an interesting construction, based on some masterclasses that Maria Callas did at the Juillard in the 80s (??) The theatre audience is treated as the students attending, with some interaction, which could have been truly naff but was well enough done not to be. The actual theatre was - or seemed - even smaller than the old-style London theatres usually are, so the whole thing was very focussed and intimate. Some humour, some intensly moving sections, and a very little glorious singing from the unfortunate "victim" students. I just loved it. Very much success number two.

Sunday, we had to get up and do it all over again, kinda sorta. (Why do we never have restful lying on the beach type holidays, eh?) At the last minute we had realised that the David Hockney exhibition was starting at the Royal Academy that weekend, so of course we had to go.

Wow.

Total blast of colour, room after room of immersion into the East Yorkshire landscape, with a few side trips to the Yosemite. Yet another interesting contrast. An entire room of iPad works - I earwigged a fascinating conversation involving a woman who obviously was an artist herself and familiar with the apps he uses. She was pointing out how skilfully he is overcoming the limitations imposed by the software, and also some instances where you could discern where those limitations did show somewhat - curves of branches, for instance.

The colours that he has been using have caused quite a lot of controversy. We have been practising observing the woodland we have seen since, and it is quite amazing just what colours are in fact there when you open your eyes and really look. So - success (and how) number three.

Now, the entire reason for going to London this particular weekend was because we wanted to see - and managed to get tickets for - the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery. So that was our final destination. We had yet another sandwich and walked down to Trafalgar Square, with plenty of time to spare. So we sat in the Square, managing to find a bit of actual sunshine to keep us warm.

We were sitting next to this. I really do not get why hundreds of tourists were queuing up to have their photographs taken next to it. Or is it only me that finds it seriously ugly? Tends to make me fear for the integrity of the opening ceremony....

Anyway, our alloted time duly arrived and in we went. And in my case very nearly came straight back out again, but the DSM prevailed upon me to not go and ask for my money back. Why? Massive, massive overcrowding, that's why. A combination of far too many people, most with audioguides that were over-verbose (according to the DSM who had one) meaning that there were crowds around each work. Some of these were tiny fragments and you needed to get close to see them. Some were so faded that there was little left to see. Far too much was not by Leonardo himself, but "school of".

Yes, there were some great works there. Some of the sketches had a delicacy and sensitivity - particularly those of tiny babies - that was very moving. And the one thing that will remain in my memory is of an entire surviving notebook of Leonardo's, even though it is so fragile and so precious that it sat in distant solitary splendour in a glass case. But did the exhibition match my expectations?

No. Very much not a success! Do you know, they even had some of the pieces hung in a different order from that printed in the guides, which strikes me as a bit unprofessional. And whilst I don't want to penalise those with young children, I did object to nearly being rammed by the biggest pushchair I have ever seen (and that is saying something) and nearly tripping over far too many very young kids who could not in any way have appreciated what they were seeing. (In contrast, there were slightly older children at the Hockney who were obviously enjoying the art, and were even sitting quietly on the floor sketching! So I am not a total curmudgeon.)

So, somewhat ironic that the very reason for our trip turned out to be the one disappointment!

We walked round Trafalgar Square afterwards to catch our bus back to our hotel.

The Olympic countdown thingy looked a bit better in the twilight!

I did actually manage to find the energy to do a bit of knitting - more on this in another post.

We were on the same train coming home on Monday as David Cameron. The DSM would not let me out of my seat to go and have a quick word. I wonder why?

Up, up, up past the Russell Hotel..........

2012-01-24T16:43:00.000Z

Quite the grandiose building! We did not of course stay there, but at the Holiday Inn a few blocks away. But I couldn't resist.

Just over the road in Russell Square, I came across this.

Debris had collected in the shoots from the base of a tree; as my sister and I had spent time on the lookout in New England for rubbish for an ongoing project that my niece is working on, I couldn't resist this.

And a little further on, another tree grabbed my attention:

This is screaming out to be the inspiration for.......something.

It had been my intention to blog day by day whilst we were in London, but photos were slow to upload, someone else needed the netbook, and there was an awful lot else to do even if it was just recovering from all the activity. So here is a cut-down whistle-stop version.

Thursday night, having had a brief rest and a pleasant meal, we went to see "Chicago". Very good, of course, if you like musicals, which I do. Only disconcerting thing - Billy Flynn was actually Helios, from "Merlin"!

Friday, the DSM wanted to visit a specialist chess shop for some book shopping, and as I didn't want to do that, I meandered down Oxford Street for old times sake. My cousin had a flat in a street just opposite Marble Arch, so I visited quite a lot about a millenium ago.) Not so wildly exciting. Shops are so hot, and shopping is much easier on the internet, not that I had all that much I wanted to do.

So, the DSM and I met up for a quick lunch in a Starbucks, before going off to...

Liberty, which is still an interesting shop. Lots to delight the eye - although we didn't buy anything! Even the lifts are interesting.

A few more photos - I did get some funny looks taking them, but did not get thrown out.

I was severely tempted by this cuahion...

But resisted. Cushions are a horrible price in Liberty, along with everything else. I did comment to the DSM as we browsed through a gorgeous display of Arts and Crafts style furniture that there were times that I wished that I was rich, though.....

So, back to the hotel, and then out for a very nice Chinese meal. Just a chain restaurant, I think, but full of Chinese people eating there, which was probably a good sign. Although to our huge surprise, not all of them were eating with chopsticks (and neither were we - we keep trying, and keep failing.)

You know, this post is going to be too big. Lots more to say, but not so many more photos, so I think I will stop now, and do another one later.

Two go mad in Oldham

2012-01-15T22:22:00.000Z

That would be me and my sister.

As an indirect result of a series of email and actual conversations with various people, we have decided to go on a trip in March.

To Canada.

Where it will still be cold and snowy - bliss!

All has come about in just a couple of weeks, and we are very excited about it. Neither of us had particularly thought about visiting Canada, but all of a sudden it seemed just the right thing to do. P has quite a lot of her annual leave to use up by the end of March, and I happened to have a couple of weeks free at just the right time....

So, we are going to go to Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec! Flights booked, but nothing else as yet, but what the heck, what else is the internet for, eh? Oh, wow, cor, &etc. Can't quite believe it yet.

Today, the weather has been letting us practice. Very cold, and a super hoar frost. I love that, very nearly as nice as snow. So I took the opportunity to go out and play with my new camera. (Very impressed.)

This, would you believe, is the top of our wheelie bin, using the macro function!

And as well as frosty, it was misty this morning, although by lunch time the sun had come out and it was a beautiful sunny day - as well as cold. Lovely.

I made a marvellous beetroot soup in the Machine, and this evening we went out with P and had a very good curry - well, three of them to share.

A most excellent day.

One goes mad in Halifax

2012-01-14T19:17:00.000Z

Actually, there were two of us. The DSM, living up to his name, came with me as an extra pair of ears. I was doing some heavy duty shopping.

People are always very rude about PC World, but I have to say that the young man who was our salesperson on Friday was very knowledgeable, helpful, polite and personable. And he didn't push me in to making extra purchases that I didn't want.

What I did want - and got - was an iPad. I have been lusting after one of these, well, since they first came out. I could manage fine without one, even though the DSM has almost totally appropriated my netbook, but...you know how it is.

There is at least one practical reason for getting one - I want to move magazine subscriptions to digital before the house runs out of room! Same priciple as the Kindle really - and yes, I have got the Kindle app. Now I need recommendations for knitting, spinning or otherwise fibre-type apps.

I'm doing quite well with the learning curve - I think it helps having had a Touch for a while. But I still have a long way to go before I can get all the very best out of it. The process, however, is such fun.

That's not the end of it. My nice little Samsung digital camera has been getting very flaky recently. Having dropped it on the floor a few times hasn't helped. Plus, having had a digital for a while, I had pretty much worked out the features that I wanted/needed and hadn't got. So we moved on to the camera shop (it's an independent, and very good.)

I ended up with another Samsung at a very good price. The optical zoom is x15, which is a huge improvement on x3, and the shutter lag is greatly better as well. It has a kind of built in macro facility which should be great for textiles. Again, quite a learning curve, especially as even following the minimalist instructions, the camera didn't show/do what the instructions said it would do - but I got there, more or less. I've got it just in time to take on the London jaunt next week.

The other thing we did that day was make a return visit to the people who have the nice wheel that they are trying to rehome (I didn't succumb to that.) I'm making an attempt to find out who the maker was, and would have thought that it would be relatively easy as it has a very distinctive "signature". But no luck so far.

And this is the bit that is most distinctive:

Sorry it's a bit blurry, I've zoomed it. (This was before the new camera!)

Anyone have any clues? The owners thought that it came from somewhere around the Hull area, but Yorkshire Guild contacts have not recognised it so far. And that could just be a family legend, of course.

Spindle spinning cormo

2012-01-09T15:32:00.000Z

I had intended to write this blog post over the weekend, but yet again life went a tiny bit pear-shaped. I did a quick log on to Facebook before I started on Saturday, only to find that my top feed was a message to the world from my niece that just said baldly "Hospitalised!". Needless to say, part of the world at least was going not so quietly bananas. As I know that her mother makes the horned fingers sign at any mention of Facebook, I rang her to gently ask if she had heard anything, and the remainder of the evening passed with multiple phonecalls and exchanges of information.

Anyway, my niece is ok-ish and at home. She will have to have surgery in the next couple of weeks, but it is a relatively common and very treatable condition, so we don't need to get too anxious. Yesterday was spent with a briefish but nice knitting meet-up and then P and I went on to see the invalid.

OK, to my subject. I decided to have a brief change from wheel spinning and to sample my beautiful moorit (if you can call it that, but it is just that colour) cormo that I got from Beth Smith at The Spinning Loft. I had washed a little bit of it previously, so I rounded up my Forsyth mini-combs and a suitable spindle and got going.

(I rather fear that these photos are all going to be a bit blurred, my camera is playing up somewhat. But you will get the gist.)

The lock structure looked to have been a bit disturbed by my less than perfect washing, but in fact, the fleece is so nice that it was quite easy to sort of reconstruct it. The tips still appeared to be a little matted and possibly dry, but again, not so bad. very little detritus, and it combed out quite well.

I didn't diz off the fibre - my one complaint about the Forsyth combs is that you can't easily clamp them, but I don't use mini-combs often enough to justify replacing them with a pair than can be fixed. So I just gently pull off the roving with my hand, and reorganise it if I have to afterwards.

After I had made a few little coils, I started spinning.

Really, really nice fibre to spin - I was getting a very fine and even thread. I think that I will probably spindle spin the whole lot - we have a week in Cornwall coming up, and this will make a good project.

And yes - the spindle is pretty special!

I had been lusting after this one on the Golding website for ages, and fortunately they had one at SOAR. So it was one of the ones that came home with me.

Other than that, Falkland has given way to oatmeal BFL on the Sidekick, and it is coming out very nicely. Again to be overdyed, but that won't happen for ages. I have a lot of oatmeal BFL and BFL and silk to spin up!

It is very soothing.

And other than that, someone needs to stop it raining, or something very nasty will happen perpetrated by moi. Which reminds me for litle good reason of last night's "Sherlock", The Hounds of Baskerville, which I thought was brilliant!

But at lest the foul weather is driving me to do a bit of much needed housework. Pine needles everywhere.

Beautiful soup

2012-01-04T19:04:00.000Z

I am, I think, quite well-known as a Soup Queen. I love making soup - I love eating soup! It's mostly pretty healthy, and economical and time saving and all sorts of useful things. For years, I have chugged along with my stock pots and food processor and latterly a little hand held gizmo to use if I wanted a really smooth and velvety end product.

So, a couple of years ago now, I saw an advert for a Cuisinart soup maker. Now, I am not a huge fan of kitchen gadgets, aprt from my beloved and trusty Magimix. At times I am tempted and I fall - the stashed away smoothie maker and juicer are testament to that, not to mention the pasta maker. (That one I would really love to learn how to use - all attempts so far have failed dismally. Any advice gratefully received!) But I digress.

I ruminated upon the soup maker, not wanting to rush in to an expensive purchase that would prove less than wise. I ruminated for these past two years. And then - I succumbed. Having looked at them on line, I stuck with the original and twice as expensive as the rest Cuisinart as I reckoned that it would be sturdier, certainly a bit larger, and the brand had a good track record.

The verdict? I have used it three times since Christmas, and I (and others) are impressed. It is basically a heavy duty blender with a pretty powerful heating element. The controls are simple - it is very easy to use (once you have twigged that it heats up very quickly and that you really do need to have all the ingredients prepared before switching on, otherwise you incinerate your garlic or onion.....) It makes a quantity that is plenty for three and ok for four as a starter, or with biscuits and cheese. I like it!

I shall still use the stock pots &etc for the chunky soups - this comes in to its own for lunches. The DSM is somewhat wedded to his old routine of sturdy, worthy sandwiches which these days (sigh) I find a bit much. Problem solved, no?

In fibre news - I have still not finished the damned Einstein jacket. I have been too clever for my own good, and have had to pull out the first sleeve a few times. Why did I not realise that there was a reason for not knitting the sleeve in the round, eh? So the first attempt was frogged when it dawned on me that knitting garter stitch in the round gives one stocking stitch; the second when I realised that knitting purl in the round gives one reverse stocking stitch; the DSM then kindly pointed out to me that alternating knit and purl would work - which indeed it does, but I then eventully realised that the decreasing wasn't working out well, and so.....but I am now making progress.

And I am still spinning quite a bit.

The weather is filthy. Disgusting. A trip to Bettys in Ilkley for essential supplies today (ahem - you didn't know that "essential" could be applied thusly, did you?) driving over the moor in the torrential rain and blustering gale was only just compensated for by the lovely lunch.

Mulligatawny soup!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.........

2011-12-31T14:59:00.001Z

2011.

A year that has given me a very fair share of wonderful things. And something more of a slice of normal real life downside of that than I would have wished.

I should start by saying that I do know what an extremely fortunate woman I am. I could very rapidly run out of fingers counting of people that I know personally who have had much worse this year than I have. That process would be even faster if I were to list all my many blessings. I know that - although, at one time I would not have, having turned myself over the years by strength of will from an awful pessimist to something of a rather annoying Pollyanna. As a steady background to my life I have good friends, things I love doing, cats that make me smile and give me hours of pleasure, a great place to live and sufficient money to keep me in spindles and books. And, I suppose, I should include the DSM (insert great big cheesy grin here) before I start getting the comments berating me.........

The teaching gigs this year took us all over the place and were all wonderful, if scary at times (but that is just me). I met even more great people, and thoroughly enjoyed passing on the skills that I have and learning in my turn from those I was supposed to be teaching (that's one of the things that I love about it.) With the DSM no longer slaving over a hot computer every day to earn a crust, we had more time both for work and recreational trips, and I found a new bit of the US to fall in love with.

But this year, the other side of the coin has been more insistent and omnipresent. Whilst it might be a common health complaint, hiatus hernia/GORD is, to put it mildly, a bugger to deal with, and although slowly getting there, I still haven't found all the tricks to manage it (and if one more person says to me that they or someone they know has the same thing and that one little pill a day sorted them out, I WILL NOT be answerable for my actions!!)

And then, there was my mother.

I don't think that I have gone on about it too much here in the blog, but neither did I make any secret of the fact that we had - no, I will rephrase that, I had with her, a - difficult - relationship. Exactly what she thought of me - well, I simply do not know. I had come to terms with quite a lot of it long ago, but I had always thought that her death might cause me, well, lets say some problems. It hasn't worked out quite as I thought, better in some ways, but I still have quite a bit to get through.

Not surprisingly, spinning has been a huge solace. I will by the end of today have finished some very pretty mid-green merino and silk that is going to be a knitted shawlette with a crocheted edging. At least I hope it is - that has been the plan all along.

Then, every evening, in lieu of reading in bed because the stupid ski slope that I need because of the aforementioned health niggles makes sitting up in bed uncomfortable, I have been listening to an audio book and spinning thick yarn on my Sidekick.

Now, this may not seem entirely logical - I could maybe do a better job of a thick yarn using the largest head on my Lendrum. But I wanted to run in the new wheel and get used to it, so....and anyway, it has worked.

This is Falklands top, which has a tendency to puff up when washed, so I am not quite sure what thickness it will end up being (and no, I didn't sample. This was therapy as much as anything else!) I'm thinking more aran than bulky. It is intended to be a waistcoat, when I have decided what colours to dye it. There will be fourteen skeins, but I don't know the yardage - but if there isn't enough, I can do more, no?

I also needed a dead simple knitting project, so I cast on an Einstein jacket from Sally Melville's "The Knit Stitch." A nice design, but - boring. And because I missed a vital detail in the instructions (not hugely well laid out, in my own defence,) I have been doing a three needle bind off on the shoulders when it would have been better not to have done. I think I can work around that, though. Why seam when you don't have to? I used some chain-plyed Rovings Polwarth in colourway "Mojave" that had been in my stash for ages, and that had a false start as an afghan. In this project, it looks great, and I will photograph it when finished.

I am not making any "resolutions" or "intentions" for next year. I have them - to get past this and to enjoy what good stuff the year brings whilst hoping for the minimum of the bad.

But as I keep on saying to everyone's annoyance, it is all part of life's rich pattern. Never the less, I am not going to be sorry to see the back of 2011.

OK, this has all been very self indulgent. In future, I hope, less of that and more of the craft - I do have some great plans for 2012. Lets hope that I can put at least some of them in to action!

Meanwhile...fighting and conquering risk of soppiness here - my very best wishes for a very happy new year to you all.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T23:39:00.000Z

Best tree evah!

Everything comes.....

2011-12-21T16:47:00.002Z

....if you only wait. Well, sometimes not, obviously, but this time.....

Another drive-by post, to record an amazing night. Couple of weeks ago, the DSM and I independently but simultaneously came across reviews of the Paul McCartney 2011 tour "On the Run". Wow, we thought, would have loved to have gone to that. But to my amazement, the DSM got straight on to the computer, and got us two tickets for the last night of the tour - in Liverpool. (I shall not tell anyone just how much, at such short notice, that cost us!)

I thought I knew what to expect - after all, I grew up with Macca and the Beatles catalogue (although I was always a George fan, myself). I was quite sure it would be a fun night out...

It wasn't what I had expected. I'm not going to drool on at length, but it was fanbloodytastic. No prima donnas, just seriously good musicians. For around three hours straight. No supporting band, no interval. Just slick and fast instrument changes, and a little bit of chat with the audience - nothing much, a few anecdotes, and a few interactions with the vast audience. Mostly just good rock music. Yes, that was one of the most surprising things to me, how much the "pop" had morphed into "rock" over the years.

Then, the other thing that took us aback - given that we don't make a habit of going to rock gigs, and being basically simple souls was this.
The sound isn't of the greatest quality, but the pyrotechnics were fab.

I am so glad we went.

ETA: lots more videos on Youtube, of course.

I did say I might

2011-12-10T16:17:00.000Z

I have had such a nice week that I felt like blogging it - so here I am.

Monday - regular day, but the DSM's art class and chess in the evening - two things that he loves doing, and I enjoy the alone-time!

Tuesday - I had lunch with two of the Coven. For all sorts of reasons, we haven't been getting together recently, and it was lovely to see them and to catch up. Coffee in one cafe, lunch in another (HB is full of excellent ones!) and then a little bit of browsing round HB shops, something I could do at any old time, of course, but much nicer in pleasant company.

Wednesday - big, exciting day.

So, HB this ain't. The DSM has decided that we need a little bit more action? adventure? cultural activity? in our lives. So, first up, a day trip to London for an Exhibition. All went extremely comfortably and smoothly, and having come up from the Underground at Picadilly Circus, we set off to walk the short distance to the gallery with our eyes open for somewhere for lunch. And found, to our great delight, that we were walking past Fortnum & Mason. So, in we went, found their bar restaurant and had a very nice lunch. (At, I should add, a very "nice" price!) But it is sometimes worth paying for quality.

This is how our peppermint tea was served. Now, is that stylish, or what?

After this leisurely break, we moved on to the Royal Academy - we had tickets for 2pm.

And this is what we had come to see. It was an extremely interesting exhibition with not only works by Degas, but also some other things following the same theme of "movement" - photographs, sculptures, movies. Our only real problem with it was that for reasons of conservation (and it seems to be true of most exhibitions these days) the light level was very, very low. Plus, I think most curators/designers must be very young with excellent eyesight, as labels are never in a large enough type face, and all too often grey printed on grey. Still, we managed.

I really liked the early work, was less keen on the middle period, and then again loved the late pieces, with the explsions of brigt colour and the influence of the newly popular Russian dance which seemed to have given Degas a new lease of life.

A centre piece was "The Little Dancer", of course, borrowed from The Tate. It was the first time I had seen it, and I loved the detail - those wrinkles tights from the days before elastication were so endearing!

We spent longer there than we might have done, and so didn't feel like going on anywhere else. Instead, we returned to Fortnum's, and knocked off a bit of Christmas shopping, having already done some in the Academy Gift Shop. Then stopped for a cup of tea and a sandwich before returning to King's Cross. Although we did take a few steps up Regent Street to look at the Christmas lights.

Thursday - a day of recovery, but enlivened by the arrival of a huge box of fleece from Beth Smith of The Spinning Loft for the Rare Breeds Spinalong, now expanded to share with the AH class. I also ordered som moorit Cormo for my own delectation. Ahem.

Friday - we had a most interesting morning with a young art student from Leeds, who is doing a project on creative people. We spent quite a long time talking to her, and then she took loads of photographs of us (yes! even me!!) I had intended to include one or two of them here, but I think they must be in a format not accepted by either Photoshop or Flickr, as I have them in a file on the pc, but can't get them loaded in to either. Later, maybe.

To finish, I just want to say thank you to everyone who contacted me one way or another with thoughtful messages - it really helped. And - to reassure everyone that although mostly silent, I am spinning and knitting up a storm. Eventually, some of it will find its way on to the blog.

OK, ducking out of sight again, now.......

As the world turns

2011-11-15T22:01:00.000Z

Just a short and personal post.

My mother died last Wednesday evening. It has taken this long to write about it for a variety of reasons - being shell-shocked, even though we did know it was only a matter of time, minor glitches in the administrative procedures and other necessary arrangements, getting the news to the people who mattered.

But yesterday, Pennie and I spent a long and exhausting day in York doing the last of the things that needed doing; and today I made the last of the phonecalls. The funeral is next week.

So here we are. I am, I think, going to give myself a brief sabbatical from the blog. I feel that I would like a period of quiet, some gentle reflection. We are in the run up to Christmas, so there are a few extra things to do, and the ordinary stuff goes on regardless.

Of course, who knows what will happen, I might get a burst of energy, inspiration, enthusiasm or even the odd FO. But if I don't put in an appearance here for a while, well, no need to panic.

I will return.

Ancestor bags - an exhibition

2011-11-03T16:57:00.000Z

We finally got to this exhibition at the Bankfield on its very last day, Sunday. So, why haven't I blogged about it before now? You may well ask, but is there a sensible answer? Probably not!

I'm going to put some photographs up and then try to explain a little about the piece(s, not an easy thing to do as the thinking behind them is not exactly complex, but takes some thought to explain and I am not sure that I have as yet a decent grasp of the concepts. And then there is what I personally thought of it......

OK, here goes. Ancestor bags are Australian aboriginal ritual objects, thought to have been used for transporting the bones of the ancestors. These woven sculptures follow, overall, the shape but not the entire form of a bag. But within the construction of each, information has been coded that refers directly to the English or Australian forebear of the sculptor. Squares represent the decades of life, woollen loops the childbearing decades, and on those, dyed woven triangles delineate origin, gender and length of life of the children born. One or two things struck me immediately, and I hope are obvious from the photographs that I took - one is that it is very apparent from each individual piece whether they had a long or a short life; another is that although this references individuals, it is an installation and must also be seen as a whole - this is reinforced by the importance of the reflections of the pieces on the walls. In one of my photographs, I have been particularly pleased to see that I inadvertantly caught the woven piece, its shadow and an additional shadow of another piece not in shot. You are encouraged to walk in amongst the rows of the installation, which gave me an extraordinary sensation of walking through - what? A forest, a graveyard, a family gathering? Whatever, a powerful sense of being with shades of the past.

I loved this exhibition - I have long been an admirer of Sue's technical ability and precision as a weaver/sculptor, but this gave so much more to admire and to think about. So many things were so satisfying, like her use of classic or ethnic natural dyes for her coded sections, and also of dustings of ochre to show (I think) where children lived in Australia. I need to go back to the catalogue and study the coding again!

"Installation" so often covers a horrible multitude of sins. I have seen poor techniques and constructs, innapropriate weird and wonderful materials used in those, lazy thinking behind pieces, all sorts. This exhibition demonstrates wonderful skill, traditional materials used innovatively and a considered and thoughtful concept underpinning the whole. I might as well tell it as I see it! Shall we say, I enjoyed it.

So, for the weekend's entertainment, we are off to visit our friends in Cambridge, who have tickets for a Metropolitan Opera relay of Don Giovanni. We could have seen in York probably, but it will be great to see it, and visit, with them.

My sister is catsitting, and we will probably go together to see our mother on Monday - I went with the DSM yesterday, but P would be going on her own which seems a bit unfair. She doesn't really talk much now (although apparently she does have better days than she seemed to be having on Wednesday.) I had a quite a long talk with the senior staff member on her floor - they can't tell us much. We just have to wait. So Mozart will be a bit of a needed consolation!

Essential tools - or, if you are being uncharitable, indulgences

2011-10-29T15:37:00.002+01:00

Spindles, of course. Can one ever have enough? After all, they have to fulfil a number of differing needs - aesthetic, soul-satisfying, practical, examples for teaching - not to mention ooh, shiiiinny.....or whatever the spindle equivalent is.

We brought some Spindlewoods back with us, of course. In going through them, this one threw itself at me. Gorgeous (osage and ebony) to look at, so I put it on one side to try it out. Instant love - a beautifully balanced spindle, that had, absolutely, to be mine.

Then - and I may have mentioned this - the Goldings were at the SOAR market. Now, I am not one of those who is afeared of ordering online, and indeed, I had been lusting after one in particular that had been on their website for some time. But I decided to wait until I could try it out.

In order to accomplish this, I had to hurtle in to the market as it opened, so that I had half an hour before my class started. I did a very rapid whirl through their display, and found two, including the silver flower one that I had had my eye on, which I just had time to purchase before needing to leave. I am, by the way, extremely glad that I did this, as when I returned the next day, the booth looked as if a plague of locusts had swarmed all over it - I did manage to find one more to fall in love with, though. Who can resist Goldings, eh?

Then, I have been conversing on line with a spindle maker in Australia,
Malcolm Fielding

These two arrived yesterday, and are looking more than promising - the regular hook top whorl is certainly quite straightforward and very nice; the other one - on the left - has a spiral grove in the shaft, and is taking a little while to get used to. It is operator error - I need to refine a technique for getting it twirling. Using just my fingers, I seem to pretty much always get a nice smooth spin, but using my preferred method of leg-rolling, not quite so much. I've got to practice getting it just right, and then we shall be set. Beautifully made and lovely woods, which can't be bad!

I saw in the paper today that the government in its wisdom is thinking about not inflicting the clock change - due tonight - for a trial period. I am not quite sure, but I think that we would be permanently two hours ahead of GMT. Not so certain about that, although doing away with the change would be wonderful, I hates it, Baggins. However, I wish that at the same time they would wangle in another hour or two in to the day. So many things that I want to do!

Anyway, we had a nice morning - had to do the shopping that I overlooked on Thursday, had coffee and cake in our fav cafe, called in to see a friend who was being "Maker in Residence" for the day in one of the local shops (and bought two pieces of hers as Christmas presents) and then went to an art exhibition in one of the local galleries, which the DSM had thought I might particularly like as it was a Norfolk artist. Er - no. The painter might just as well have been domiciled in an inner city (run down at that) as rural Norfolk. Most were meant to be landscapes, but where, I ask, were those gorgeous Norfolk vistas and skies? Nothing but randomly placed smears of mud (can you tell I didn't like the work??) Still, can't win 'em all.

And now, despite all the new spindles, back to my wheels!

Real life (tm)

2011-10-26T13:43:00.000+01:00

Have I said already how nice it is to be back home with not too much travelling in prospect, and time to catch up on the things I really like doing? Yeah, I thought I had!

Like opera - we went in to Leeds to see "The Queen of Spades" by Tschaicovsky last night. Went by train, to save energy, stress and the environment one step at a time. Which proved to be a mistake, as when we rang the theatre to check when the performance ended, we were given the wrong information, so had to leave before the final scene to make sure of catching the last train home.

This did not prove to be such a great mistake at least for me, as I was slightly underwhelmed by it. I'm not sure if that was because of the opera per se - although it was one I had really wanted to see; the performers - I wasn't too sure of the soprano; the story - although totally daft stories don't usually bother me in opera if everything else is ok. I think I will have to see it again in a different production!

Our next Opera North is not until in the new year, but our next opera foray is a Met relay in Cambridge with our good friends there. I know - I'm glad to be and want to stay home, but Cambridge and L&M are different!

Fibre stuff. I finished the skein of multi-bright mohair. Which turned out not to be quite as in your face bright, not surprisingly, and the mohair is a little harsh. But it will make a warm and hard wearing hat.

And remember these batts?

Spun and knitted as singles, they have become this:

I am not quite sure why this cowl appears such an odd shape in this pic, although it was taken before washing and blocking. It could be because it is singles, but I was pretty pleased with how consistent a yarn I managed (not always so easy with batts involving different fibres and colours. And I ensured that it wasn't too twisted by both care in spinning - and a judicious run back on to the wheel in the opposite twist direction and no, I do not consider that cheating, at least in this instance!

I used all but the last few yards of the yarn to make a really big cowl - I was somewhat in fear and trembling that it would be too huge and bunchy on my neck. But it isn't, and it does exactly what I wanted it to do, which is to come up over my head as a snood should the weather so dictate.

Now I am slightly stuck for a next project (the mohair is washing and drying.) So I have cast on with a ball of handspun just lying around to try out the very simple lace scarf pattern for which I bought a yummy skein of yarn when on holiday - this is so very fine and fluffy that frogging would be horrible, so, best to experiment and learn the pattern with something else, eh?

And finally, a quick update on my mother. There isn't one, really. She is hanging on, but every time the phone rings, I think - that's it. Bit stressful, but there you go. All part of life's rich pattern.

I shan't go on too much about it here, at least for the moment. Just needs to be mentioned from time to time.

A puzzlement

2011-10-24T15:45:00.000+01:00

For quite a while now, those of us involved in crafting, whether textile or otherwise, have been happily aware of a big upsurge in interest. In fact, the DSM was at a neighbouring Guild on Saturday, and was hearing reports of many new members. Even more excitingly, lots of these are younger people. I have been and broadly still am expecting this state of affairs to continue for quite a while yet. All the signs are that it will.

But. For the second month in a row, the regular AH class has had to be cancelled because of too few people signing up for it.

The college and I are baffled. We can't think of any reason for this, there has been no warning, or if there has we have all missed it. Numbers had been keeping up very well, slightly down on the big classes of some months ago, but more than satisfactory until suddenly - bump. I have yet to have The Talk with someone from the college, but it is looking worrisome. It had been my hope that in the fullness of time, I would find a new person with a different perspective to replace me, and that one of the few existing regular classes for those struck by the urge to learn to spin would continue for the foreseeable future. Now I am not so sure.

We feel baffled - but I am not certain that there is any one big reason (it might be easier if there were, we would have a chance at least working out a solution.) No, I think that there are diverse reasons for the diverse class attendees that have suddenly all come together quite coincidentally. Everyone has busy lives, with only so much time to spread around family, work, other interests - and of course, it isn't compulsory that they should turn up month after month at this particular class! (Any minute now, I am going to sound like the cabin manager on a flight doing her - we know you have choices and we appreciate....bit over the intercom!) All we can do for the moment is watch this space.

Feedback to us on other classes and so on remains very positive. We get lovely emails from people who are happily spindling away, and have had our busiest year ever teaching. As I said, Guild memberships seem to be up all round, boards on Ravelry hum and fibre festivals are increasing and prospering. Things are in general still looking good out there. So I am not going to go totally doom and gloom!

I'll be back with a proper post soon, with some completed projects and some new toys (just one guess.....)

The final round-up

2011-10-18T16:25:00.000+01:00

SOAR over, we headed back to towards Boston, having decided to finish our stay there. In retrospect, this may have not been such a good idea. My thinking had been that, usually, we would fly in to a city all jetlagged, and not enjoy the experience as much as we should because of that very thing. But being more country mice than town mice, to have ended up on the Cape might have worked better? But, we did enjoy ourselves, anyway, so, who knows?

My sister had expressed a desire to visit Salem - the witch-trial one - and although not overwhelmed by the idea, we decided to indulge her (I don't think she reads this!) So glad we did - Salem is a charming town, notwithstanding the month-long spooky festival in full flow, and is definitely on our list of places-we-must-return-to. Beautiful old houses, many labelled with date of building and original owner and what they did. Nice sense of community - we ate our lunch in a little park near the centre, full of people enjoying the unseasonal autumn warmth and sunshine. Lovely, but not photos, I'm afraid.

We drove on, stopping again in Marblehead, another very nice town. We sat overlooking the huge and busy marina. Despite many people having already taken their boats from the water ready for winter, there was much scudding and puttering about going on - it looked idyllic.

Then on to Boston, or to be strictly accurate, Cambridge, wilds of, for three nights until our return home. The hotel was probably the worst of the lot, but bearable, and conventiently situated near a train/bus station. Now, the last time we had intended to visit Boston, we failed because the other two of the same three were variously under the weather - this time, it was me.

We had arranged to spend the day in Cambridge with a SOAR friend who lives locally, but I had a day of feeling decidedly ropey, so I sent them off and I lurked and rested. I was really sorry to miss the opportunity of spending a day with Elaine, but there you go. The three of them had a good time, she did them proud with the tourist services apparently.

I was much better the next day, thank goddness, and we set off on a tourist bus ride around Boston, which took us to some rather odd places, but saw all the high spots as well. A random selection of photos from that trip and the river boat trip the next morning.

By mistake - by which I mean, we walked in knowingly, but hadn't intended particularly to go there - we had lunch in "Cheers". Actually, quite a comfortable feel to the place, reasonable food, and our server was a Boston grad student, so quite a nice experience all round!

By design, we had dinner in Cambrisge that night with a Rav friend of the DSM. What was to lose, we thought, we had to eat somewhere. Soooooo glad we did - we got so spend the evening with a charming and interesting young woman (conversation never, ever flagged, and was barely about knitting at all!) in one of the most mind-blowing restaurants I have ever been to. Almost literally - the music was pretty loud, the place was packed out and the decibel level of the conversations all around us was off the scale. Cuchi Cuchi
was a million miles from a place we would have chosen ourselves, and we would have missed a rare treat if we hadn't gone. Wonderful ambience - loved the vintage dresses worn by the wait staff! Fabulous cocktails, simply couldn't resist, and I was able to find one that only involved one sort of alcohol. Great food, and as the ethic is food to share, it really worked well for us. We had a terrific time, a super way to spend our last evening.

Then the next morning, we left our luggage at the hotel and did a Charles river tour - we like to spend time outside before flying if we possibly can, and this worked well. (Although I was rather wickedly amused by how the man on the mike designated the boat - Charles l - as Charles One instead of Charles the First, as we had read it!) Left us plenty of time to get to the airport, only a short drive away, and after a lengthy but calm wait, we had an amazingly short flight back to Dublin and then on to Manchester. Flying via Dublin is definitely to be recommended!

And it was lovely to be home! I had a really good time, but even so, the thought of my own bed, not to mention the cats to cuddle was hugely appealing. The weather is pretty dire, hail would you believe, and it is cold, but we have new fibre and tools (upcoming post...) to play with, and workshops to arrange, and, and, and......

Re-entry and more recap

2011-10-17T12:49:00.000+01:00

We had a very easy journey home - it is only a five hour flight from Boston to Dublin, and the short hop on to Manchester a mere nothing. Despite having picked up a very minor cold, I really am doing pretty well. Usual slight sleeping problems, but on the whole, I am nearly back to what passes for normal.

We have yet to gloat over the fibre purchases, but the washing is done and everything else prety much sorted. And yesterday, we went to York to visit my mother. I had totally convinced myself that she could not possibly hang on until we returned, and the edge was taken off the trip with some guilt, and the twice daily anxious moment of checking the emails. To our amazement, she is still with us, and indeed was better yesterday (relatively speaking) than when I had last seen her. She is having trouble with her breathing, and can't talk all that much, but managed a bit and we also managed to get her to giggle a bit at some of our lunacy. She is not totally aware of the passage of time, and doesn't seem to have noticed our absence, although she could remember that her grandaughter had visited, which was nice for her, and very good of Alice. It is a question of time, but I feel better about things now.

So, I suppose I should be calling these posts "Guilty Pleasures!" The next was our minimalist SOAR. I did not like Manchester, New Hampshire as a location, but have to admit that the hotel made an excellent venue. Very spacious common areas (as was our suite!) and the Expo Center made for a wonderful market space. Seeing people was as ever a joy, albeit bitter-sweet, as our visit was so short. Still, worth it, though.

And worth it - well worth it - was our Thursday workshop with DY Begay. I enjoyed myself so much - a gently-paced workshop, but with plenty to take in. She had us sitting and practicing with the super spindles, that we got to keep, for long enough to start feeling comfortable before attempting to spin. Her techniques are, I think, somewhat modified from those described by earlier Navajo teachers - things do change and develop - and I didn't have to feel daunted by multiple drafting and winding off. As we practised, as well as discussing spinning and weaving practices, she added little bits of relevant Navajo culture, which was extraordinarily interesting. I feel very fortunate to have been able to take this opportunity.

DY demonstrating spindling.

A sampler spun and woven by DY's aunt, using blends of dark and light churro fleece to obtain different shades - we did some of this blending in class.

The next day, the three of us absented ourselves from SOAR while everyone else was in class and went to the Shaker village at Canterbury. We had been fourteen years ago, and were keen to go again, and to actually do the tour this time! The weather was fabulous - not as hot as it had been, but clear blue skies and lovely sunshine. No Fall foliage, though, unlike our previous visit!

In my memory, I had thought all the buildings were white - obviously, I was wrong!

We had a great time, the docent was as ever, excellent, and there was something of a satisfaction coming from Manchester, England, England to Manchester NH and Canterbury, founded by a group with their roots back in the origianl Manchester. What goes around, comes around, eh? I kind of wish.....The Shakers had a thing or two right, I think.

Now, in all the years we have been going to SOAR, the Saturday night spin-in has always been terrific - lots of tired and happy people, some fun, some music. The DSM and I went down this time, and ..... WTF?? A barn of a room, glaring light, canned music tinkling away in the background, and hardly anybody there. Atmosphere? Celebration? Nope. A total let-down, I fear. We stayed a while chatting with the few friends who were there, and then made our excuses and left. Sad. I know things change, and change can be good, but this particular one can go right back again, please!

Don't get me wrong, I am glad that we went, and I did enjoy myself - differently from previous years, but still good. And as next year is a return to Granlibakken - well, we might just go again....

So, we left Manchester, NH, and moved on to the last stage, which will come in another post as this one is getting huge.

Viewed retrospectively

2011-10-10T23:38:00.001+01:00

I have been so remiss at doing blog posts! All sorts of reasons, mainly having a good time, but also the difficulty in getting Pete off the netbook. So I am going to do a bit of rapid catch-up while I have a bit of time in Boston before we fly home the day after tomorrow.

We continued to travel around Cape Cod, which is a very nice way of spending time. There are a lot of lighthouses......

Alongside one of them was this unassuming little wooden hut, which turned out to be (moved from its original location) the home of the end of the Transatlantic Cable. I am sure that I can remember dimly those days so long ago when calls to overseas had to be "booked" and were full of crackles and whooshes and lines dropping and all sorts. Now we travel with a computer and headset and use Skype!

We did make it down as far as Provincetown, which I loved. The epitome of "seaside" - all in the best possible taste, of course - and very picturesque with it. After lunching there, we went back up the Cape a ways to (?) Nauset to do an Audubon Society pontoon boat wildlife trip. Absolutely fabulous. Maybe not quite as intense a thrill as the whale watching, but wonderful none the less. A beautiful day, a really knowledgable coulpe of guides, and enough birds to make us very happy anyway. Best sightings of the huge and beautiful blue herons, but lots of others as well. Being a marshland/lagoony sort of place, and the birds too far away to photograph, this is the best I can offer here.

So, that all seems quite a long while ago. We left Onset and the nice little apartment we had found to rent (reminded both Pennie and me of the flat that we used to have in Cromer) and set off south heading for Bridgeport, CT. SOAR friends have a wonderful vegetarian restaurant there, and we couldn't bear not to visit whilst in the neighbourhood, so to speak.

We stopped in Mystic for lunch (one day, when we come back, I should like to visit Mystic Seaport, but we simply didn't have time. Just a quick walk and a picnic near the harbour.

Our visit lived up to expectations and more. Then the next day, we hit the road for Manchester, NH and SOAR. Going via Northampton MA, a good halfway lunch spot, but also the home of Webs. Ahem. (We also found a nice little LYS in the centre of town - I've lost count of how many we visited in all, but the first and the last were the best of a very nice yarn crawl. I think I forgot to mention the one in Mystic!)

I was quite restrained in Webs, but did find a very nice set of dpns in pretty colours - one can never have enough, eh? Very glad we visited though, and the icing on the cake was that we spent ages chatting to one of the assistants about The Archers! (She too thought that the murder of Nigel was a heinous crime, but she remains a listener.)

OK, that brings me up to Manchester and SOAR, and this post is quite large enough. I will do that another time. May even be after we get home - we have one more day in Boston, and most of Wednesday too before flying home, where it will be nice to be - I am getting serious cat withdrawal symptoms, and although Ceezburger and the new Simon's Cat (which is terrific if you haven't seen it) are good, not quite a sufficient substitute.

So, later.....

Further adventures on Cape Cod

2011-10-01T20:55:00.000+01:00

We have been looking at some more of the towns on the Cape. Thursday, we went to Sandwich - very pretty, both town and shore. We went to the boardwalk.

Walking across was a bit scary as it isn't all that wide and there was quite a breeze blowing. But worth it when you got to the other side, though.

We visited the Farmers' Market - not very large, but quite good. We did get bread and a fabulous peach crisp (crumble to us) but we didn't get one of these ginormous squash.

And we had a great lunch!

We also visited the second yarn shop that we had found - although I think the first was better, this one was certainly good. I found a couple of magazines and a rather cute little shawl pin.

As for knitting, I have now finished the first cowl and cast on the second. I don't seem to have done as much as I would have thought - too busy gadding around the Cape, I guess.

I was going to cover Friday in the post as well, but I think it will make it to big and cumbersome - so, more later.

It has been a few days

2011-09-29T00:40:00.001+01:00

And we have come a long way. All the way from Manchester to Cape Cod, in fact.

A good trip over, despite Dublin Airport deciding that for some reason our flight was not going to be immigrationed, so to speak, until we arrived in Boston, so we had to join an even worse queue than usual because there were half a dozen flights in and only three Immigration Officers to process us all. Grr.

Still, everything else, including the vehicle pick up went fine, and we reached our rented apartment with minimum hassle to find that we had chosen a terrific one. Really smart, well kitted out and comfortable. And right on the beach. We allowed ourselves an easy first day, apart from food shopping - and eating a nice lunch at a very good local diner.

Tuesday - the next day - we had ourselves a long promised outing. I'm not going to write all that much about it, other than to say that it was awesome. And you know I don't often use that word, and never lightly.

The following pics are not of an outstanding quality, they had to be snatched as and when, without much warning. But here goes.

These were humpback whales; there were several around, feeding up for migration. They showed us a wide range of behaviours, mainly feeding by "lunging" giving us good views of wide open mouths, throats, balene (sp?)although the naturalist on board was able to point out the "bubble" method telltale as well. And obviously, showing us some terrific flukes. I hadn't realised that each fluke is unique, so they were able to identify two of the whales as named regulars.

Earlier, we had a super sighting of the much less common to this particular region sei whales. Which I have to confess, I had never heard of! But they were smaller and faster, and I found them totally impossible to photograph.

We had another fairly quiet day today, but again including a really great lunch. I suppose it isn't too surprising that this part of the world should have a lot of good eating places.

It is all very beautiful, and there are loads of interesting things to do. There should be more reports later.

'Twas on a Wednesday morning that

2011-09-14T16:07:00.000+01:00

Having survived the blasted cats into the porch to be able to go outside and feeding Neelix his first breakfast routine at 5.30am, established by the DSM and bitterly resented by me when he is away - I eventually managed to fall back in to a deep sleep.

From which I awoke with a bang, squinted at the clock, and saw to my horror that it was now 9.30! So the poor little blighters had been left outside or lurking in the porch for hours longer than usual and I was a bad and wicked mother.

So I rushed downstairs and got their food ready, let them in - well, two of them, the other was showing her displeasure, but she did come back quite quickly.

Breathed. And looked at the kitchen clock to see that it was barely 8.30am. OK, later than they like, but not the over-sleeping outrageousness that I had at first thought. I could have got up gently after all. Although I did have to be up - the gasman was coming. We have an intermittent fault with our boiler. I knew it was going to be a bugger to get sorted. It is likely to be one of two things, the one being much more expensive to fix than the other. The upside is that it can't be diagnosed conclusively until the central heating is being used - and there I was, feeling damn chilly and wonering if the DSM would find out if I put the heating on while he was away. Now I have legitimate cause, yippee.

Having spent yesterday in frippering away the time, I have done rather better today.

The merino and tencel, now washed and dried. It has come out beautifully, much softer than I had thought it would be. It will make a beautiful lacy cowl.

And sorry to be boring, but this is destined to be a cowl as well, assuming there is enough of it. I have left it as singles, to make the most of the quantity, and I am thinking that I will maybe knit flat and then mattress stitch together. Normally I wouldn't, but to get the simple stitch pattern that I want without biasing, I think I will have to. We shall see.

And - I have finished, all bar the shouting, ie darning in the ends, washing and blocking, the Captiva wrap, which has come out beautifully. Merino and silk, and again, quite nice and soft/cushy. I like this pattern, although when I do it again, as I shall, I will make the odd alteration. Despite the appearances from the schematic, the "tail" section is not very long, and would look a great deal better if instead of decreasing every row, it was every other, thereby elongating it a bit. I reckon that a couple more sections in the first part would be nice for me as well. But this first one is more than satisfactory, and I am very pleased with it.

Now I am working on finishing the spinning of the next lot of merino and silk, the silvery grey. Which may well be the next Captiva. If I can persuade Neelix not to help me.

The cats don't like it when one of us is away. There is hunting going on, more than usual, and Ruby sprang a first today - a dragonfly! Poor thing was mortally wounded rather than deceased, so I had to administer euthanasia. I hate it when that happens, but at least this was better than if it had been a rabbit.

So, back to spinning, during which I can finish off a rather good audiobook, and then to decide what to spin next. While the cat's away - well, you know what I mean.

This week....

2011-09-11T19:13:00.000+01:00

It has been all about the cotton. Almost.

One of the many things about me that is considered weird is that I love spinning cotton. I have done ever since taking a Retreat class at SOAR with Patricia Emerick on spindle spinning cotton and being told that the most important thing is to relax. Best advice evah. I find it a magic process - as you barely hold on to the sliver, you can feel the thread forming within the fibre - all you have to do is let it ease out. Well, and sort out the slubs, but that is mostly not too huge a problem.

Having said that, spinning cotton is not something that I do all that often, so this week's preparation was a real treat. I was going to inflict it on them at AH (I live in hopes of the light bulb moment happening for someone.) In the event, there were for the first time in my tenure insufficient people booked on, and the class was cancelled. Too close to the last one; a weaving course; and probably - cotton!

But the prep was not in vain, as the DSM and I were demonstrating cotton spinning up at Gibson Mill on Saturday. This mill used to be first a cotton spinning, later weaving mill. It seemed like a good plan, and I think it worked well. I am not, these days, a great fan of demonstrating to the public, but this was a genuinely interested set of visitors to the venue who were either already quite well informed about textiles, or could ask intelligent questions, and none of the children were anything other than pleasant. We enjoyed out time, spinning on wheel, charka and spindles, both akha and supported.

It was lovely to get out my charka - I have a Bosworth attache, which is a dream to spin on. While I was prepping, I was at the same time thinking what I could do with the fairly fine and slightly slubby yarns that I was accumulating, and I am considering putting two current ideas together and doing a small tapestry weaving using the natural shades of white, brown and green with some recycled blue jean (still got quite a lot in the stash) and some indigo dyed that the DSM has had on the go for.....quite some time. He says he can spare me a little bit! I actually have a tapestry loom already warped, so maybe I will manage to do this over the winter?

The Captiva wrap looks as if it might be finished for SOAR after all. I slowed down a bit, thinking that I was going to run out of yarn and have to frog, which would have been....annoying, before remembering that there was a third ball buried in a basket by my seat. From then on I have been fairly motoring - I am on to the tail section now, which is decidedly hopeful.

The process was helped by it being Bear Knitters today. Nice gathering, as usual. I ordered a latte when we first arrived, and it looked so pretty that I felt forced to photograph it, my camera still being in my bag from the day before. When I hadn't had time to use it. I hope this isn't too fuzzy - you'll get the gist, anyway!

Right, I'm off to skein the merino and tencel finished days ago that is still languishing on the bobbin. The DSM is away next week, so I am hoping for some quality knitting and spinning time. I'm thinking that there is sufficient for a cowl, which would make a nice travel project if I can get worked out how I want it to go - and if I get it done on the flights over, I can wear it if we do the hoped-for whale watching trip (hurricanes permitting - but I'm not thinking about that!)

Wow

2011-09-04T14:59:00.000+01:00

There had been a note through the door when we got back from Scotland from Parcelforce, which had surprised me as I didn't think I was expecting anything. Then I had a glimmer of a thought, but didn't dare let the excitement run free.

It took a few days to get the delivery organised. Friday, the parcel arrived, and yes, it was from the US, and again yes, it was heavy. Could it be?

It was.

A large part of the weekend has been devoted to browsing through it. This book is amazing. Beautifully presented, beautifully researched, a mine of information about the fibres, and all sorts of interesting little snippets alongside. I know from reading Deb's blog what a long and hard job it was to get it done, but, wow indeed, it was truly worth it, and there muct surely be a lot of grateful spinners out there. Each fleece/fibre is fully analysed, documented, illustrated in a clear and totally informative way. It is useful and enthralling. Yes, I know, I am burbling, but it gets you like that. Now I want to get my hands on some of the breeds therein that I haven't spun yet......

I realised that I have been knitting away on the latest shawl without putting up a photograph. It is the Captiva wrap, by Carol Feller. I bought the pattern at Knit Nation last year, mainly because the stall had a kntted example on display, and so you could see the elegance of it. It is a beautiful wrap, and perfectly staightforward to knit, but in some ways something of a pain. Because of all the short rows, and the undulating edging, you have to constantly count, even though it is mainly garter stitch.

Still, it is working up quite well, although I am keeping my fingers crossed that it really is going to block out to the right depth.....

I would like to get it finished for SOAR, but that may be a wish too far. Arrangements for which trip are nearly all in place. More of a trippery trip and rather less SOAR, for various reasons, this year. Nine days at the shore at the very top of Cape Cod, three days at SOAR itself, and then a couple of days in Boston. Fingers crossed again that there are no hurricanes while we are there!

Best of intentions......

2011-09-02T12:35:00.001+01:00

(Edited to add - the pc is speaking to the card reader now, so photos added!.)

I started off very well. I got out some really pretty fibre batts from the stash (from FeltStudioUK, I think) and sat and stared at them in a purposeful manner whilst thinking how I might approach spinning them and with what end in view.

I do hope you are impressed?

There not being such a huge quantity, I decided that I would divide the batts pretty much by colour and spin to knit with singles. The hope is to have sufficient for a shawlette, but if not, fingerless mitts could also be made to work (I could either knit them in garter stitch to sew up at the end, or knit in the round and enjoy the slanting stitches.) So, off I went, full of enthusiasm and hoping to have the yarn spun quite soon.

Of course, life isn't like that, is it?

Firstly, we had an enjoyable day packing up the Journals for the Online Guild, something we have been promising to do for ages and not being able to, so I was very glad to finally get a chance. Two years or so, apparently, before our turn will come round again - I wouldn't mind more often, good company, good lunch and a job well done is a fine way to spend time!

The next day we had scheduled to visit my mother, as we hadn't been over for a while what with being away. I'll come back to this.

I then had a couple of days of feeling seedy, before the Bank Holiday weekend and some more family visiting, which was all very nice but didn't leave much time for more than a little gentle knitting.

Tuesday to Thursday - ah, bliss! The DSM went off to York for a chess gathering, which should have left me lots of time for spinning, but somehow the time managed to get filled up with bookgroups and shopping and socialising - all my own fault and I had a really nice couple of days, so I shouldn't complain....

I decided, though, that on the Thursday, I should go to York to pick the DSM up, visit the friends he had been staying with, but most importantly, visit my mother again. This should give you the clue that stuff rather more personal than usual is about to follow, so, be warned.

When we had seen her the week before, I had been totally stunned by the change in her. She had moved rooms, for various reasons, and this was the first time I had been to the new one, so I was a little unsure if we had the right room or not. I didn't recognise the shrunken little woman lying in the bed - that wasn't my mother. But it was. She was asleep, and confused when we woke her, but she did know us and made valiant efforts to talk with us. We stayed a while, and then, as she was struggling to stay awake, we left. We took the opportunity to talk to the care home manager on the way out, but there wasn't much she could tell us. Nothing diagnosably wrong - my mother is just fading out. The process is accelerating, but of course, no one can have any idea about timescale.

You always know this time will come - and in my case, given the relationship with my mother, I have always known that it would be a...shall we say, very complicated time. You can't gauge your feelings, reactions in advance. And now I find I can't easily do that anyway.

But the visit on Thursday was very useful for me. Although my sister had seen her on Saturday and had felt that she was better, I felt that she had slipped a bit further away on this visit. She did know me, tried even more valiantly to talk, but after about ten minutes, fell deeply asleep again (apparently she spends most of the time like that now). I sat there, sometimes knitting, for about an hour. Sometimes, though, I was just pondering. There is a lot to process.

I will go again in a few days - it is just that bit too far to go every day, although I could go over and stay if that becomes appropriate. I don't think that she is remembering our visits, but that isn't the point.

Meanwhile, I shall knit on, and hopefully fit some spinning in as well. We are demo-ing cotton spinning up at Gibson Mill next weekend, so I need to practise that a bit. Nice, meditative stuff.

Thanks for bearing with me...........

Curate's Egg

2011-08-23T19:04:00.000+01:00

Finally! For the last couple of days, the pc has been playing silly buggers, and I haven't been able to post even though I have tried. Anyway, tonight I have a sensible speed, and the line doesn't keep dropping, so here we go.

Well. Where to start? We are, obviously, back from Scotland. And I did, on balance, have a good time both weeks. But that title has to mean something.......

Having had a good run up to Musselburgh to Queen Mary University where Summer School was to be held, and having effortlessly made contact with our friends from foreign parts, all was looking good. When - bam. Struck by the dreaded. Now, I have been taken to task for not explaining clearly enough what ails me - I though I had, but to keep it brief, I have been diagnosed recently with a hiatus hernia that has decided to make my life from time to time hell. I shall not precisely describe how it does this, you really do not want to know. Just believe me when I tell you that it is extremely uncomfortable and tends to render me hors de combat for a couple of days until the attack passes. So - Sunday (setting up the classroom day) and Monday (first day of actually teaching) I was indeed HdC. Fortuntely the DSM was one in spades and carried the entire process on his own until I could resurface on Tuesday morning, strenuously deniying the rumours of my demise or disappearance.

After that, I was fine, gradually relaxed and felt more confident that I wasn't going to relapse, and enjoyed getting to know our class, who were as usual lovely.

And some of the fibres and spindles:

It was an excellent week all round, really well organised, with plenty for people to do out of class hours - talks, games, auctions, all ending up with a ceilidh. I did attempt one dance, but the band only had one speed - superfast - and I knew that I couldn't cope. So I sat and watched hapless people struggling to keep up and sometimes failing and toppling gracefully to the floor.

Packing up was done easily with more efficient organisation and assistance, and we were on the road to Pittenweem not long after 10am. We found a super pub for lunch just before arriving there (went back later in the week, it was that good) and finally arrived to find that it was the tail end of the village Arts Festival, so there were people everywhere, roads closed and so on. But they let us through to get to our rental.

Now this is where some more of the curate puts in an appearance. There were distinct shortages and deficiencies in the flat that we had rented. Like no chairs for the kitchen table, practically no cutlery, no teapot, no coffee pot, no corkscrew. Eventually we discovered that there had been a large party in the previous week using the entire house, and that all our missing bits had migrated upstairs and not been relocated by anyone until we reported it. Ah, well.

Loved the coastline of Fife, and the fishing villages. Loved St Andrews. Less enchanted with the interior, and certainly less enchanted with Falkland - not the village, that is most picturesque, but the palace seems to me to be mainly a Victorian replica and hideous to boot. (That seems likely to upset someone.....)

The harbour at Pittenweem, and a couple of interesting bits of St Andrews.

Will we go back? Well, yes, we might, as there was a lot we didn't see - partly because guess who got struck down again at the end of the week.

So, now we are home, and I have tasks - trying to find ways to manage the dreaded HH, for one thing; doing some stuff re AH, but for a class on Friday and for teaching over the next few months; and to get stuck in to some Projects at long last. We are home for an entire month, yay! (next trip, purely pleasure.)

Yup, nice to be back.

Tick tock.........

2011-08-03T20:13:00.000+01:00

Nearly done. I was somewhat discombobulated by a bit of the gastric gubbins for a couple of days, so my dreams of being completely ready for Summer School by the weekend kinda missed target. Not too badly - and done now.

And - and - I have done an absolute mountain of ironing. Over a couple of the most sticky days this summer, of course, but it was essential. We needed clean, ironed garments for the next couple of weeks if we didn't want to look like a pair of tramps. Plus needing stuff for when we get home. (You mean there is life after SS.....?)

Actually creating something has very nearly gone by the board, but I have cast on a new pair of Jaywalkers in an extremely pretty yarn in turquoise, purple and green as a holiday project (along with the cotton mix ones already on the needles which are boring, but will do nicely in the car.) I even managed to sit at my Timbertops and spin last night!!! (I think the ! are allowable in the circumstances.) I may even finish the grey merino/silk blend one day.

This is all avoidance activity. I have a confession. And just to amaze you all, it is not a new spindle.

Worse than that.

Every few years, the urge comes over me, and there seems to be little I can do to resist. I have to have a new wheel. Now, I've tried the odd small wheel and not got on all that well with them. But this one really appealed to me, and I had the opportunity to give one a go at Woolfest....and fell. It arrived late last week, and I have managed to carve out a little time to set it up and start spinning a bit. So far, so good.

It is relatively easy to set up, but the drive band path takes a while to get your head round so I had a false start. The scotch tensioning is very slightly different, too. But I think that when I have time to spend some quality time with it, both spinningwise and assembling/disassembling, that we are going to get along.

After all, I was initially attracted to it because I have owned and loved my Matchless for a very long time. Even so, the Ladybug did nothing for me - so why the Sidekick?

Please tell me that it wasn't the pretty blue wheel.

Retreat weekend and final countdown to Summer School

2011-07-27T19:19:00.000+01:00

The weekend spinning retreat was wonderfully restful. No problems or ishoos, everyone very happy and enjoying their classes and me sitting and spinning in the sunshine. Yes! The weather was perfect, and even though I couldn't be outdoors all the time, sitting by the window in the sun was nearly as good.

I caught up with lots of old friends and enjoyed the company of new ones. I also finished spinning some merino and bamboo that had been on the Schacht for months and months. During that time, the roving had compacted somewhat, so drafting was a tad on the arduous side. Also, I spun it pretty fine - and of course, had to ply it from a centre pull ball. No, I'm not going to describe what happened. It is enough to say shamefacedly that "I did it again...."

Some of the throng enjoying looking at the work produced over the weekend, together with some of the tea cosies that were this year's challenge.

One of the batts that the DSM designed in his class, while I loafed about.

We came home and plunged straight in to the final preparations for summer school. The planning has been done for a while, all bar a few last minute fiddlings, but we had to get actual stuff. So - oh, joy! - a trip to Staples for folders, card, etc. And then today we had the best fun and went to World of Wool for the rest of the fibre supplies. I was very good - absolutely nothing for me. But a few nice bits and bobs for the class participants, which I hope they will enjoy. We will sort all the spindles out tomorrow, and then we are pretty much done, giving us time for the boring things like ironing and leaving the place at least tidy.

Of course, we are going away just as the garden is starting to produce. I made a lovely soup last night that was a fine combination of using up some elderly stuff from the fridge (carrots, leeks, celery) and fresh stuff from the garden (swiss chard, broad beans and a huge handful of herbs.) I also flung in the leftover pasta from the night before, and the whole was quite delish. Still, I am sure that everything will not bolt while we are gone and that we shall have some harvesting when we get back.

Nothing but a little quiet sock knitting until then - I cast on a new pair of Jaywalkers for variety. But once we are back, and the mayhem has died away, I have a few thoughts and plans - some of the yarn design class must have snuck in on me over the weekend! It will be nice to have time to take time over projects new.

I've been taken to task again for not blogging often enough - I will be back soon as - well, wait and see.......

Knit Nation 2011

2011-07-21T18:18:00.000+01:00

Let's put it this way - I'm still recovering!

(OK, that is in a large part down to my own idiosyncracies about noise, crowds, etc.)

But it is one hell of an event - the buzz, the atmosphere, whatever you want to call it is high energy and vibrant, and there is just so much going on, so that even if you do spend most of your time down in the basement, you still get affected by it!

We arrived early Friday afternoon, to find that we couldn't actually set up our teaching room until after lunch the next day - that particular room was being intensively hot-desked, with a morning class, then a lunchtime one and then us. So, we just sat around chatting until the market preview opened.

This is the queue. You would not believe the speed with which it vanished inside once the doors opened. We held back, not being particularly in search of anything much. We actually bought very little then, just some pretty fibre. We had intended returning, but with teaching it was a bit difficult.

Saturday, we had our half day intro to spindle spinning class, which was full. With hindsight, it is one thing to say that you can cope with twenty four participants when they are Guild members and have some idea about fibre and how it should be treated or behave. Twenty four not from that world is a different thing all together. But - we got them all there! All of them spun a more than creditable yarn, and most of them managed to ply it as well. They seemed happy, and we certainly were.

The full day class on Sunday was a different matter. We had a much more manageable number, fifteen, two of which had been on the previous days class, some of whom had spun before albeit not much and a long time ago. It was a very happy day, and a lot of fibre was spun on many spindles. Difficult to photograph a workshop, but this might give a flavour.

One of the many very good things about the venue, Imperial College, is that it is within easy walking distance of lots of excellent eating places. We had a very good curry one night, and another went to the Kensington Creperie, which apparently is famous - this country mouse didn't know that! - and I decided in favour of their homemade ice cream instead of a sweet crepe for dessert.

I was nearly undone by these cute little faces - who could possibly eat these? Er - me! And very good they and the ice cream were, too.

Tomorrow is my regular AH day, followed by the annual local retreat. I'm not taking a class this year. I am going to loaf about - spin, knit, read and sleep, and let someone else make my bed and feed me.

Bliss.

Workshop in the Wood

2011-07-09T14:53:00.000+01:00

Well, up at the mill in the wood, anyway.

It was accounted by all, I think, as a great success. We certainly had a wonderful time, with a great group of wannabe spinners, a super venue and an excellent lunch.

There were the over-achievers.....

The adventurous......

Those industriously learning how to Andean ply.....

And those whose cops came out looking like mice (kinda sorta).....

Really, really good fun. We may well get to do more there; we are certainly going to do a cotton spinning demo soon - it was a cotton mill, even if in Yorkshire rather than Lancashire, so very appropriate! A chance to drag the charka out and practice, which can't be bad.

We have spent the morning going through the fibres we need for Knit Nation, which has been an interesting and salutory experience, although ultimately successful. I still need to make the spindle selection, and can't decide whether to do that this afternoon; to do some much needed ironing; or to give in to my inner need to sit behind my spinning wheel and produce yarn.

Answers on postcard.....

The Tale of the Awful Blogger and the Terrible Grimpen Mire

2011-07-04T20:13:00.000+01:00

(You do know that this is me indulging in my usual hyperbole, don't you.......?)

I had intended to blog from Cumbria, before, during and after Woolfest - but I didn't (nothing like stating the obvious.) I had intended doing a blog post as soon as we got back, but was tired on Saturday, and plunged, plunged, I tell you, into a whirl of social activity on Sunday...

Tonight, the DSM is out playing a chess match - I had to remind him that it is just a game before he left - should I be worried? So, a glass or two of a crisp white later, here I is. For what it is worth.

Cumbria was great. Reasonable weather the first week, gorgeous the second. For Woolfest itself, it did rain a very little, but nothing too dreadful, and it was blessedly cool. I had to put a layer on my person on Saturday afternoon, rather than frantically trying to remove as much as is consistant with decency. We had a more successful show than we had anticiapted, and saw and talked to LOADS of people, friends old and new, which is what it is all about. I have no pictures to hand - photographing Woolfest is well-nigh impossible. There may be one somewhere taken by someone else of us and our stall - if it is fit to reproduce, I will.

I bought, kind of, very little. A lovely crescent shaped button that will become an item of jewellery one day. And some gorgeous Wensleydale and silk from FeltStudio UK
I lovel Daniela's work, and have to have an annual treat.

Oh. Ahem. And a wheel. At least, it is in progress, reserved. A Sidekick. I had a lengthy try on one, and so did the DSM, and I decided to go for it. I have loved my Matchless for twenty plus years, so I am hopeful that this will become well loved, too. And very portable. I know, that is what the Lendrum is supposed to be, and I wouldn't part with it for anything yet, way too useful a wheel, but this is lighter and more compact and.......I'm a wheel and spindle slut.

I finished a pair of socks, and a couple of other bits and pieces of knitting and spinning, but nothing of any great moment. Mostly samples, still. Always had something in my hands, even if it was for a long, long time some spindle spun silk that needed sorting out after putting on a nostepinne. Never again. I even did it with a quill, and still failed miserably to avoid a ghastly tangle. I shall go the two spindle route from now on. (Did I mention that apparently the Goldings are going to be at SOAR? And Hatchtown Farm. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear........

We visited the places we wanted to and met up with the people that we wanted to. Super. Sampled quite a bit of very nice beer and even nicer ice cream. (And only had two minor digestive blips in the two weeks, which suggests that the magic pills are working.)

And then of course, there was the Grimpen Mire. Actually, what there was was a small section of sand on Allonby beach that I strode out across womanfully until I ground to a halt up to my ankles in "quicksand". I could, throughout, feel rock under my feet, but I was surprisingly terrified - I had my mock Crocs on, and I couldn't move in them - only walk free without them, and that not easily. I had a minor panic, shrieked for the DSM (who thought that I had seen something interesting in a rock pool and paid no attention to my increasingly anguished wails for an age!) Eventually, he did realise that something was amiss, and came to help free me, drag my footwear free and help me clean up some. OK, so Grimpen Mire it wasn't, but I did have a vision of me in a far corner of my mind going down glug glug glug . (Fool.)

I will sort out some photos, with a bit of luck, and blog again soon. but we are hectic still. We have to go to see the Manager at the mater's care home to explain that we are taking over her affairs; I have medical and dental appointments; and the weekend after next it is Knit Nation, and I am nearly but not quite ready - need to gather up the fibre for the day course. I am looking forward to it and nervous about it all at the same time. As usual. (Oh, and before that, we have a half day course in our own back yard, at Gibson MIll.) That should be fun.

TTFN.

HUSBTTTW

2011-06-17T16:28:00.000+01:00

Is all one can do, really. Annoying appointment with the consultant on Wednesday in which I learnt nothing new, and received no further treatment or prognosis, so of course being me, I promptly had a couple of roughish days. Resulting in the DSM bravely doing th AH class all on his own - and dyeing, to boot! What a gem the man is - all that and rice pudding, too.....

Still, my unexpected day at home has done me the power of good, I have had a nice rest, phoned the mater, had another nice rest, sorted out some possible knitting, as the shawl I started the other day was refusing to go right, taken some photographs and begun final preparations for tomorrow's departure to Cumbria. And here I am blogging.

First up:

This is a little bracelet/wristwrap pattern from Yarn Forward (or whatever it calls itself nowadays.) Badly spindle spun yarn, but it was just a try-out. And just spot what happened as I went to photograph it! The ceramic button either was, or just broke. I maybe need to re-think what buttons to use for these.

This will be the next. I have a lovely handmade button a friend gave me that matches perfectly (stitched, so not breakable!) It can go as a holiday project. Nice fibre, I think from a SOAR workshop, but can't remember for certain.

And......

the finished spindle spun cormo with spindle spun silk edging shawletee. Not huge, not perfect, but very cute. The light today is appalling, and there is some drizzle, so this was about the best I could do photograph-wise. I am still debating whether or not to dye it, but am leaning towards not. I don't have a white one - but then again.......magenta would be nice (brazilwood+ammonia.)

And this

is the DSM with his young fanclub at the Hebden Handmade Parade/Worldwide Knit in Public Day. They were great kids, asked really sensible questions, but then, this is HB!!

So, off to Cockermouth and Woolfest tomorrow. The weather forecast is not all that great (well, there's a surprise!) but we have loads to do whether rain or shine, up to and including having a jolly good rest (interspersed with some exercise).

Look, if you are combining beautiful scenery with a familiar and much loved location, lots of fibre, music and books of one sort or another, shopping, and visiting old friends ...... what's not to like!

Oh, man.......

2011-06-13T22:02:00.000+01:00

I keep trying to get a blog post done. Obviously, I fail. Can I blame it on this wonderful November weather? (Told you May was summer, eh?)

Basically, there has just been too much socialising going on. Well, the odd blip-day of not feeling so good, but that's better than it was - unfortunately, I had one of me funny turns on Friday when I was supposed to be going on a knitter's narrow boat outing. They had a great time without me, but did nearly drown on the way back; the heavens opened, not a capsize!

Saturday, I was better, the weather was better-ish, and it was the Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade as well as World Wide Knit In Public Day. So four knitters and two non-knitting spouses had a lovely time outside one of the local pubs. I did take photos, but the DSM uploaded them in to the wrong file, so I have to wrangle them in to Photoshop before I can post any of them - cropping, etc, yer know.

Before all that, various visitors, and then yesterday Bear Knitters. And along with all of this, there is work to be done! We leave for Cumbria on Saturday for two weeks of relaxation, kind of, and Woolfest in the middle. Not that I am complaining about that. I love Woolfest, and might have to miss it next year (for something better, but too soon to say as yet.) We have to sort out all the stuff we need, and get it ready by Thursday as it is AH on Friday. So there is that to prepare - a dyeing day - as well.

Quite a bit to do still for SS, but I can get on with that in Cockermouth As It Is Going To Rain. I have cast on a simple shawlette with the pretty bluey-green spindle spun yarn - so nice and soft!! - thre times already, but I think I am nearly on top of the first section now. It doesn't matter if it is a work in progress, but it would be nice to get it done and have another FO. It is possible. I shall only take socks apart form that - and spindles, of course.

And this is a holiday??

This week, I have another hospital appointment, which shouldn't be too much of a hassle; and a regular dentist appointment, which may or may not be.

Oh - and I have finished spinning and am in the middle of plying the silk that will make the crochet border for the cormo shawl; and have the green silk to ply for the little bag - although that could also be a work in progress.

By golly, no wonder I feel a bit steam-rollered sometimes! But it is all good fun for the kiddies, I suppose.........

When we get back from Cumbria, we have a half day workshop in our own back yard, in other words, up at Gibson Mill; Knit Nation - that will be fun as well as hard work; the AH Retreat (non-working for us) weekend; and then Summer School. Blog posts might continue to be a bit thin on the ground, but I will do my best.

Infrequent blogging

2011-06-03T10:48:00.001+01:00

I've been taken to task!

Mostly, reasons as aforementioned. Also, we have had a visitor all week - all very nice and companionable, as she is a fibre person, too. So much chat and spinning and knitting, but nothing remarkable to report.

Plus, I suddenly blew up a horrendous tooth abscess, of which you do not want to know the details and have just this mroning had the dreaded extraction.

So now I feel even more like a zzzzzzzzombie........

As a temporary somethingorother, I give you a link to a new tv ad in the UK. When I first saw it, I could not believe my eyes, and laughed loudly enough to terrify the horses.

Enjoy.

Inspiration/lack of inspiration

2011-05-25T15:29:00.000+01:00

Sometimes it is easy. A project is started, or completed; a technique has been fascinating you; you have been somewhere, or met someone, interesting.

Sometimes, not so. You may have been jogging away at some pleasing stuff, but it isn't yet, or may never be blogworthy. There's nothing wrong with life, your mojo, or anything else. It is all just....mundane.

And then just sometimes, something gets in the way - maybe only "life" (or the ironing); maybe something a little bit more demanding of one's focus.

When I started this blog, I was asked by someone if I was doing the revealing the innermost thoughts thing. Well, nope. OK, maybe just occasionally. What you get, hopefully, is some of the things I have been doing that I regard as share-worthy; a record of my work and teaching; thoughts about fibrecrafts - and as I freely admit, ramblings about other stuff that I enjoy. But not, I devoutly hope, a Dear Diary, my BFF was mean to me. Yeah, well, I verge, sometimes!

Recently, mainly the not-so of late. I am doing stuff, principally lots of spindle spinning and knitting with spindle spun yarn, as we have a lot of workshops coming up. Other prepwork for those classes. Doing some writing, and I'm not going to blog about that if it is going to be published elsewhere.

But here, I am going to verge a bit. I've been distracted by some health issues, apparently nothing too serious, just uncomfortable, when all of a sudden my GP goes in to panic mode and fast tracks me in to the hospital appointment system. Now, that is enough to distract anyone from blogging, if not of the letting it all hang out persuasion!

Two appointments later, one of which was my first ever endoscopy, such fun, and it seems as if all is going to be well. Apparently, I take after both my parents - courtesy of the mater I have a hiatus hernia, and thanks to my father, I have a gastric ulcer. And, resulting from both these things no doubt, oesophagitis to boot. (OK, so it could all be coincidence, but I am a great believer in heredity!)

Well, that explains a lot!

I'm going back to my spindle spinning now. I should have more interesting blog-fodder soon, we have a couple of theatre trips upcoming and one or two projects coming to a climax. I'm feeling pretty positive in the main, and all we need is the sun back in big enough chunks for me to sit out in it and I shall be a new woman, I tell you.

I'm even beginning to get used to having the DSM around all the time. Partly because I am heartily amused by his addiction to the internet, after all these years of teasing me. Ravelry in particular - he is hardly ever off it, as I am sure that many of you will have noticed. I feel that I need to post a disclaimer that I do not necessarily share the opinions of my spouse. On the other hand, as he is doing such a great job of making me real rice pudding (thereby disproving his family's adage of "poorly sick and can't eat rice pudding") perhaps I should just leave the poor guy alone.

For once.....

The day we went to Durdle Door and came back home by Wool

2011-05-15T16:39:00.002+01:00

Of which more later.

We are returned, after a lovely stay away in the far south west, where to our complete and utter amazement, the weather stayed largely fine and warm. There was even paddling done (not quite balmy enough for total immersion in the waves.....)

DMIL was very well, in fine form, and happily amused by our idiocy. We had a lovely couple of days with her in Cornwall before transporting ourselves to Lyme Regis. From there, we visited DAIL (the DSM's aunt) who was pretty good too. We went on her 90th birthday to her care home, and three members of staff brought us tea and a pretty cake with candles; we all sang to her as best we could, which actually sounded ok. I think the care home staff must have had good voices.

I can't hope to play catch-up on all of this. Although we had good internet access on my dongle in Cornwall, we most certainly did not in Lyme, without climbing mountains or swinging from lamp-posts or something. The DSM would do this - he can't bear to be without his Ravelry fix these days - but I decided against.

We were out and about quite a bit. We need to return again and again as we have barely scratched the surface of the delights. One trip we did was to Barrington Court, a National Trust property famous for its gardens and using the kitchen garden produce in the restaurant. So we lunched on fresh asparagus and rhubarb crumble - yum!

Even the former calf pens were enchanting!

Our other trip of note was to Lulworth Cove and its environs. A longish drive, but well worth it, not least because in the bright and warm spring that we have enjoyed, all the plants are positively burgeoning, and many are very early. So everywhere you go, the lanes, hedges and gardens are festooned with swathes of hawthorn, chestnut candles, cow parsley, bluebells, campion, buttercups and then lilac, ceanothus, clematis, wisteria and masses of roses. Quite amazing.

Anyway, the cove.

And on.......

.....to Durdle Door.

Now, I think the name sounds unimpressive. And I thought that Wool (a village on the way home) seemed that it could maybe bid to be the most picturesque of all the gorgeous thatch-encrusted &etc villages that we had been passing through all week. Not a bit of it. Durdle Door is gorgeous, and well worth the climb back up to the car park that would probably be improved with ropes and pitons; Wool was...well, rather grim. Not a charming cottage in sight. Sprawling and modern, with no Allinghamesque touches whatsoever. Still, as practically everywhere else positively oozed quaint charm, who dares complain? Certainly not me.

We did spin and knit, just to return to basics. Not as much as we had intended - does one ever? - but I finished and washed the spindle spun yarn for der tea cosy, and finished the cormo shawlette, except that I have to spin silk for the edging.

So now back once more to reality. All that washing, for instance. Other stuff.

Other stuff. Of which, again more later.

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la!

2011-05-02T18:04:00.000+01:00

Lovely day out yesterday, to the Lancs and Lakes Guild exhibition. I've been to one or two of theirs before, and knew to expect some lovely work. We were not disappointed.

However, it is not photos from the exhibition that I am about to show you. The event was being held in a garden centre (an absolutely massive and impressive one, with a huge and splendid cafe full of gooey delights and all sorts of good stuff. But otherwise, east your eyes on these beauties........

Any guesses as to what these might be? Well, let me tell the tale. Like good boys and girls (Magrat was with us) we all duly trotted off to avail ourselves of the facilities before setting off home. When we emerged, the DSM was waiting eagerly for us (well, why not, eh?) but apparently bursting with something we did take to be excitement.

"You must" he said "look in here!!" and dragged us into the Gents (he did check it was empty first!)

Those lovelies above are.....the urinals.

Could I resist blogging them? No, demonstrably, I could not.

I will restore the tone a little bit - there have been no cat pics for ages, so here is Madam Ruby enjoying the latest and as yet undeconstructed cube. Even with all the fine weather and outdoors-going, she still loves them. Amazingly, there is No Hunting as yet - don't understand it, they were fiends last year.

We are off on our travels again tomorrow, first Cornwall and then Lyme Regis for a few days. So, the weather is about to break. I'm taking several spindles (new silk projects on two, two wool ones already on the go and more lining up.) The cormo shawlette is coming along nicely. I shall use all the wool for the shawl and some of the silk is for the picot edging. With my bag also packed wih iPod, Kindle and notebook, I am good for any eventuality!

Easter in Cambridge

2011-04-27T16:44:00.000+01:00

I'm a little bit lost for words, as I don't want to sound like a gushing guide book or something equally grim. But basically, we couldn't have had a better weekend. Everything was perfect, especially the phenomenal weather. If I though that we had had summer previously, now I am sure that we have - we must have got easily into the mid to high seventies, almost too hot on Saturday.

Consequentally, many of the things that we were going to do didn't happen, especially the taking of many photographs through lots of colleges. although this was mainly because someone - mentioning no names, of course - had not got his alumni card (didn't know one was necessary now). But it was mostly too hot to wander too far, and certainly too hot to shop.

There were beautiful flowers and trees everywhere - even on the drive down, the hedgerows were foaming with apple and hawthorn blossom, and then there were both sorts of chestnut at the height of their beauty, and wallflowers and lilac everywhere. Sumptuous.

This is the wisteria at Sidney Sussex.

And this, although without blossom or perfume, a most elegant cedar.

We spent quite a lot of Saturday ambling along the Backs, or sitting in the shade admiring the view.

The view to King's - but not that of Queens' next door. Just don't get me started on what they have done there. I refuse to call it "created". The erecting of ugly constructions of concrete, corrugated "tin" and glass is a crime, and someone should be prosecuted! (The DSM thinks I go a little too far......)

Saturday evening, we in fact went to King's chapel for a concert - Pergolesi and Bach - which was magical, especially the final Bach cantata, the name of which escapes me for the moment.

We did a lot of socialising with our friends over the weekend, culminating in the actual birthday and retirement party on Monday, which was a delightfully happy occasion. The children all behaved extremely well, as did most of the adults......

Another of the highlights was seeing this.

It has been there for a few years, but somehow we had never noticed it before - or rather, I think that we had never actually walked past this corner. It is.........fabulous. Beautiful, and - as intended to be - slightly terrifying. One of the most spectacular pieces of public art that I have ever seen.

A close up, with the grasshopper in all its glory. You can in both shots just about see the blue lights that show the seconds, minutes and hours and the relentless passing of all of these.

Here is the Wikipedia link, rather than me trying to explain it all and getting it wrong. Go see it if you can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Clock

As you can imagine, little textile stuff got done, other than quite a bit of knitting on the cormo shawl. Now I am back, spindling in earnest will begin - has begun. Some pretty fluff to navajo ply to make the Alston weekend challenge tea cosy - as well as serving as a sample!

For now, feet back down to earth and onward and upward.....

Summer returns.........

2011-04-17T15:39:00.000+01:00

It is not quite as hot, but the weather has steadily been improving all week and today is once again glorious.

As we have had workshop days for the two days previously, it is nice to be able to loaf about and bask, although I have been driven indoors for a while because I got just too hot. Where we sit is well sheltered from any breeze and is a right little sun trap - mid-afternoon finds the sun directly on our seats, with nowhere to move them. Still, at least I can get a blog post done!

The workshop days were nice. One the regular A~H class, a small but choice group. We changed the day because so many people said they wouldn't be coming because of the Royal Wedding (I'm not saying a word......) but we didn't muster many this Friday either. Still, a good day.

Yesterday was a workshop on "new" fibres at Bradford, our own guild. I always tend to rather dread such occasions - not quite sure why - but this time, it was great. A huge group - the DSM who was acting as my lovely assistant and handing out the fibres counted eighteen participating with several more listening in. Despite a certain lack of total organisation on my part, it went, I think, well. Certainly people seemed to have a very good time, which is always nice to achieve.

One of the members had brought along a match pair of intriguing objects, and I will be very interested to hear if anyone has any clue as to what they might be. She had bought them as "spindles" from eBay, knowing quite well that they were not, but thinking they were interesting and attractive enough to buy anyway. I quite agree.

I realised when I uploaded them that I had not added anything to give scale - they are around 4" tall. The pointed peg fits in to the ball on the top of the whatever-it-is, and you can see the mark on it at the depth to which it fits. The ring just above the base is one of those carved of a piece with the rest of the object. From the way the underside of the base appeared, we all thought machine turned, but equally, several years old. It crossed my mind that they might have been some sort of apprentice piece, maybe?

Then - I have dyed the angora/silk shawlette.

For quickness, ease and simplicity, I just used Gaywool "Olive", but I am very pleased with the colour. As you can no doubt tell, the uneven mixing and therefore dyeing of the two fibres is very apparent, but I feel not in a way that screams "appalling dye job!!" So, I shall summon up my courage to do the larger shawl. I think I would like a kind of tawny/burnt orange shade, but not too in your face or garish. I have a horrible feeling that I shall have to sample.

Plus, I am on the umpteenth restart of the laceweight spindle spun cormo. It is an idiot proof pattern. Except for me. But I think I may have it cracked now - I just have to keep counting my stitches!

Off to Cambridge for Easter on Thursday. May or may not reappear before then.........

Summer!

2011-04-10T11:25:00.002+01:00

Experience is teaching us that a spell of fine weather early in the year is Summer! And if we don't grab it, that's it. So, we are. The lounger cushions are out, and we are basking.

Only on Friday, I decided that we should use the freedom of the newly retired, and have an outing. So we trundled off to Harlow Carr, and I am so glad that we did. The weather was perfect - temp around 70F, wall to wall blue sky and a breeze just right to cool us off when the unaccustomed sun and warmth felt a little much.

But before the gardens, lunch at Bettys (yes, an added attraction!)

Sir indulged in a ginormous rhubarb* and ginger sundae, which, obviously, he enjoyed.

Then we started wandering. I had thought that we might have missed the best of the daffodils, but, not.

And there was untold richness to come. I'm going to put some of my favourite photos here, but there are a lot more - we took, I think, fifty nine, and I think around twenty eight have gone up on to Flickr. So click on any image to get to my account as see the rest if you have the stamina!

The DSM's favourite flowers - snakeshead fritillary.

These are small, sort of crocus size, and I'm not sure what there are. Other than gorgeous. Some sort of anemone?

*And if it is Yorkshire, there must be rhubarb! Hopefully, the sundae had its origins here in the kitchen garden.

One of the things that the DSM really loves to do is to invent, I mean explore, new routes home. There was this little white road shown on the map, our car is AWD, it was a glorious afternoon, and we had no deadline.............

Well, we found a fabulous spot to return to for a picnic. And, yes, there was a road. It continued. There was a ford, and a bridge......

The ford was very rocky, and looked deepish.

The bridge was very narrow.

So we hung around for a while, enjoying, and then turned back.

Rare sighting of Carol in her own blog!

And there were beautiful flowers here, too.

I think this all made for what might justifiably be called a perfect day.

Yesterday we spent a lot of time loafing around in the garden, and I finished the angora and silk shawlette (shows you how much time....) Photos later. Today, Bear Knitters, and then more loafing. They are threatening us with a sandstorm from the Sahara and then a return to more "normal" conditions, which probably means.......

The End of Summer.

A mixture

2011-04-05T15:29:00.000+01:00

I've been trying to get to writing a blog post for days. And obviously, failing.....

But, here we are, better late than never.

I was requested, last Thursday at Coven, to describe the kick-ass soup I had just made. I didn't photograph it, sorry - words will have to do.

I had carrots, probably around a kilo in weight; three medium onions; a couple of ribs of celery; a tin of chopped tomatoes; a tin of butterbeans; vegetable stock; and a chunk of fresh ginger root. I roughly chopped all but three of the carrots, two of the onions, and the celery and ginger and threw them in a large pan together with stock and the tomatoes to cook until soft. The remaining carrots and onion I diced, and cooked in a separate pan.

When the big panful was well done, I whizzed it all in the Magimix, and then with the little hand held gizmo to get it really smooth. Then added the diced bits and the butterbeans, and adjusted liquid and seasoning - a bit of black pepper. That was it, pretty much, and it was very yummy.

Also very useful - the simmering pan was just the job for steaming a skein of singles that I wanted nicely finished!

The day or two vanished with chores, and the Mothers Day Picnic. I've said before that as the mater no longer goes out, on high days and holidays we gather up whatever family members we can and a selection of foods from wherever - in this case, M&S - and take it over to liven up her diet a bit. She did very well with the food, still enjoys that, and seeing us all, particularly Alice, which is nice. But there are now definite signs of deterioration, both physical and mental, which is sad of course. Conversation is very limited and on a continuous replay loop, which we do try to be very patient with, but it can be hard when it gets stuck on a somewhat unreasonable instruction to one of us, which can and does happen! But it did go well, and I am glad that we do it.

Now, you may or may not remember this:

Which has now become this:

I had to frog it back to less than halfway, as although I thought that I had weighed and calculated how much yarn there was - I obviously hadn't! Anyway, done now, and I rather like it. Given that I wear black a lot, it will be a nice little note of colour.

I have immediately cast on another one similar in the remaining angora and silk, which should be a quick knit and then into an experimental dyepot, before attempting the large stole. AS I knit - and I have learnt the very simple edge pattern now so I can ruminate - I am pondering what dye/colour to use. No decision so far.........

I might have a little time to breathe now..........

2011-03-28T16:05:00.000+01:00

We are back from Alston, the regular (ha!) day and the Spindle Spinning workshop/retreat.

I hope no-one is going to contradict me, but we both thought that it was a pretty good weekend. A lovely friendly group, who seemed to gel nicely, and make huge progress in their spindling abilitiies over the course of the two days.

Here some of them are, hard at work. As usual, I had intended to take lots of photographs, and equally as usual, I didn't - there is never enough time, and if I find a few minutes to try, it is always then that people decide to mill around uncooperatively (and who can blame them!) But one of the participants, who is a member of our guild, did seem to be snapping away, so maybe we can share hers.

We think that we are going to have to try something like this again, but quite possibly a wheel spinning weekend next time (next year!) As popular as I like to think that spindle spinning is, I feel that a bit of variety would be a good thing. So when I am recovered, and have done some work on the next things to be coming up this year, I shall put my forward planning cap on and see if I can come up with something that might sound inviting.

I did manage to snatch a minute in the garden on Friday when the weather was sunny and warm to get a couple of images - I found a wonderful climbing plant around the pergola.

I shall try to go back next month and inspect it further.

Now, I was issuing teasing trailers about new acquistions. A new to me spindle arrived just in time for the weekend (and I shall at this point publicly confess that our personal collection has now been catalogued and is around the 120 mark. Which doesn't include teaching spindles...oops.) Anyway, I now have this fabulous Autumn Hollow Farm cocobolo and malachite beauty. It is heavier than I normally use, but looks extremely lovely and spins extremely well. Especially since I tweaked the hook, which was very slightly bent. Thusly....

See how the hook has been pushed forward, so that there is little gap for the yarn to pass under? It needed gently bending backwards to open that up and to re-align the high point of the hook directly over the shaft. The hook was also leaning to one side. I think it had been dropped top-down one to many times, something that happens all to easily - I had to fettle more than one over the weekend! For some strange reason this is something that I love doing, very, very gently tweaking a hook with my needle-nose pliers, turning a bucking bronco into a masterpice of trained Lippizaner.

(Oh, excuse me, I'm brain-fogged and foolish today!)

I did visit the Autumn Hollow website just to check it out, as they are spindle makers that I am not familiar with. There was this delectable
little ebony and lapis thing........aaargh.

But. There is more. I have waited so patiently for this to happen, never quite sure that it would. But finally. Finally, Sara decided to let some of her wonderful bags go to new homes.

I took this outside on a sunny day to photograph it, to try to do justice to the colour, but it has come out a brighter blue than it really is. I will try again, but am not overconfident. It is in reality darker, and more towards green.

But trust me, it is utterly beautiful. I am very fortunate.

Quick trip to Cumbria

2011-03-22T16:09:00.000Z

Up the road the pretty way to Cumbria on Friday, before teaching a workshop at Eden Valley on Saturday. Glorious, glorious weather, and a beautiful route up the non-motorway side of the Howgills. Such lovely country.

A really comfortable and pleasant evening with our host and a friend of hers, within what was truly walking distance of the venue. Except that we had all the stuff to shift, so we did take the car.

The hall at first seemed really good - large, light and airy - but the acoustic was vile, very echo-ey, and it was hard to carry on a conversation let alone lead a workshop.

This had been intended to be a joint effort between the DSM and myself, on knitting with singles. But we hadn't done it as a stand-alone before, only as part of a longer course, and the timing didn't work out. So it was mostly him - and isn't that enough for anyone? - and me throwing in a small and frankly superfluous bit towards the end. Having said that, my impression was definitely that people enjoyed their day, so that's ok, then.

This chap seemed to, anyway!

Others hard at work - including someone doing the workshop with a spindle, which is of course, perectly do-able.

I hadn't actually slept all that well on the Friday night, so by the time we got home - an incredibly easy two hour drive back down the motorway - I was somewhat tired, but still managed to go and have a Thai meal with the DSM and my sister who had been cat sitting for us. So Sunday, I lounged, but yesterday and today, with a couple of good nights under my belt and yet more wonderful sunshine, I have been spinning and knitting up a storm, plus going for a couple of short walks. Now that Spring is really and truly here, I need to be out there much, much more. I suspect that this year is going to do the same as most recently and give us lovely dry and sunny weather now, and then when summer comes along, go to pot.

Still, given that we have such a lot on this summer, maybe that won't be too bad a thing! Good weather would be nice for Woolfest (and fairly traditional, too) but Knit Nation and Summer School could be cool, if not soaking. (I've had the timetable for KN now, and we are teaching a half day on the Saturday and a full day on the Sunday, which gives us Friday to hang around, meet friends and trawl the market. It will be such a different venue/format for us, and I am really looking forward to it.)

My sister is back here cat sitting again this next weekend, as it is the AH spindle spinning retreat. Our participant numbers have gone up, I'm not quite sure by how many, but it is looking much healthier; I'm looking forward to this as well. Again, a different format, and I will have to be really firm with myself not to be yacking away trying to impart information all the time - it is intended to be student led! We have some nice fibres for people to have fun with - well, me too, really. Can't help the others if I don't try them out myself, after all.......

One thing I am a bit disappointed about - apparently, there is another Earth Hour on Saturday, at 8.30pm, and AH are not going to observe it (unless my email of enquiry stirs them in to action.) It would be a perfect place for it, and we could both spindle spin and watch the skies. Such a shame.

So, now off to sort and pack fibres - the spindles are already done from an earlier workshop.

And long, long may the sun keep shining!

I'm not sure where the time goes

2011-03-17T16:56:00.000Z

But go it does, and all too often, there is precious little to show for it!

Every single day I have been diligently knitting samples, the mohair lace shawl, the square strip throw and the current socks. All have grown a bit, but nothing photograph-worthy.

I have spindle spun a (very) little and Must Do More - there are workshops upcoming!

But I did finally manage to finish plying the cormo, which took far, far longer than I ever would have imagined because there is just so damned much of it! I am going to have to choose a shawl pattern very, very carefully, as I am obviously going to be living with it a long, long time.

It is actually a slightly more teal shade than this appears to be, even though I took it outside to photograph. It does seem to me to be very slightly underplyed - this was sort of deliberate, because my only other experience of working with cormo gave me a lovely yarn, but thicker and tighter plyed than I really wanted, as it seems to behave in a somewhat extreme way in the wash. So I have made a conscious effort to spin as fine as possible, and not to put in too much plying twist. Fingers crossed that it will work - it is sitting in a hot wash as I write, and I shall go and give it a jolly good bashing soon.

And now, I have to turn my attention well and truly to spindling - such a hardship! Having thought that everything was going to be cancelled, when it turns out that it isn't, I had rather let things slide regarding new samples and so forth. Still, it will be fun - I found some fabulous fibres in the stash when looking for stuff for the next few classes, including a humdinger of a roving from Royale Hare (although, looking at the website, I can't see any fibre there at the moment.) It is Wensleydale, in hugely bright parrot colours, and it will look great as a singles (thus combining both of my threads running at present).

I have some pretty merino and silk to finish, and then I will get on with it, and blog it when I do.

We are teaching at a Guild on Saturday, which will be nice, we have some great mates to hook up with potentially. And the following weekend is the Alston spindling thing. Now up to a respectable number of people, but room for more if anyone fancies giving it a try.

And I have a couple of exciting things winging their way through the post to me, but I will say no more at present. Just that some of you are going to be very, very, very jealous!!

Listening to.....

2011-03-11T16:17:00.001Z

My latest passion.

But I digress.

And I digress further - I have chicken envy. We went for a short walk the other day plus camera. The DSM wanted photographs of hens for an art project.

Want! Mind you, so would the cats.....

I have been somewhat laid low by the throat thing, but at long last believe I might live. I have not felt full of inspiration for much, but have been plugging away at knitting with singles. Which is proving to be fun.

The two colours shown are spun one S, one Z. I wanted to see what would happen if I knitted them in the round, and as I thought, they do behave much as they would if worked flat.

So here is, in effect, stocking stitch.

And rib.

The fibre is merino, spun with a somewhat lowish twist (don't I just love to hedge my bets....), and knit on fairly large needles. The fabric feels very soft and cushy, and I don't think it would wear too well, so my intention is to full lightly and see what that does. (By which I mean, I will chuck them in to the next load that goes in to the washing machine - nothing scientific or fancy!)

Then I stumbled across - as one does - a bag of rather nice dyed kid mohair that I had acquired somewhere. So I spun that as a fine singles, and it is becoming a small scarf/shawlette.

There is something of a dilemma with this - if you were to spin it with a lot of twist, it would kink like mad and be tricky to work with. On the other hand, if you don't put sufficient twist in, being mohair, it would tend to drift apart. I think I have reached a suitable compromise. We shall see.

What to do on a sunny afternoon

2011-03-03T02:10:00.000Z

1) Go for a short walk (not long because of excess of coughing.) Lovely sunshine, quite chilly, Not quite yet springlike....

Although if you look carefully, are there not buds appearing?

2) Take advantage of the good light and photograph a Finished (kind of) Object.

Yes, it is unblocked.

Discover that even in optimum conditions, taking a good image of a long, off-white floppy piece of knitting is not easy.

It certainly is long. But the knitting is finished, and really, I quite like it. Plus, I have come to a decision. Rather a sensible one. I have yarn left over, sufficient, I think, for a scarf or shawlette. Which I shall knit, and then dye. That way, I will be able to tell if the mixture of angora and tussah (as I saw clearly in the sunlight) will look interesting dyed, or just messy - without ruining this. So, it will take a while, but we are on the way.

I promptly cast on a bag using singles, going fairly well, I think. I didn't manage to get to plying the cormo, as I was distracted by exploring Photoshop. But that was fun all by itself!

In recompense

2011-03-01T16:40:00.000Z

Too much silence from me of late, so a few extra photographs in an attempt to make up for it. All from last week in Cornwall.

We didn't do very much - the weather was pretty unpleasant, drizzly if not actually tipping it down, quite windy and not over-warm. I have got used to either snow or picnic-on-the-shore weather in February in Corwall, but I think our luck ran out.

But we did go to some favourite places.

I think this gives a fair impression of the weather!

But the rock formations here never fail to come up with something interesting.

Not as much good flotsam, jetsam or whatever this time. There is usually seaweed....

And there were enormous numbers of cuttlefish washed up on the last high tide. I almost felt regretful that we don't have budgies!

Everywhere we drove, we were aware of masses and masses of catkins in the hedgerows. In the end, we did spot some that were low enough down for me to leap out of the car to take a photograph.

We spent a little while by the estuary at Malpas, where we have often seen lots of good birds. This time, not so much - the tide was way, wasy down, which might have had something to do with it. A few redshanks and greenshanks, a couple of shelduck, a curlew...

And these two. (Sorry, couldn't resist! The herring gull was totally fascinated by his curiously immobile companion.....)

We didn't even spend too much time around the harbour, as we had intended, because of the damp and the whippingness of the wind around the ears and nose. But there are birds there - resident swans, gulls of course, and a lovely little flock of turnstones. (At least, I think that is what they are.) Not the most brilliant of shots, a small herd of rampaging teenagers was also passing by and every time I managed to creep up and get some birds in frame, they came along and scattered them again.

There were also boats artistically arranged:

And this chap, who I had not noticed previously. No idea who he is, but he does appear very nautical!

And then, bugger me if I didn't come home with a....well, for want of a better word, cold, although it is more a monstrous sore throat that is merrily segueing into a viscious COFF. I am super-peeved, and feeling very seedy.

Still, it does give me the excuse to loaf around and knit. And I have reached the last couple of inches of the stole edging (didn't quite manage it while we were away, but the latest socks made quite good progress.)

I have about six projects jostling in the bonce for next on the needles. I shall probably end up casting them all on, knowing me.

There's plenty to do!

Oops......

2011-02-23T15:28:00.000Z

I had such good intentions of blogging regularly while we are away. Huh. Failed!

Drove down to Berkshire last Friday, no internet access that night, and nothing much to tell, so I didn't.

Did talk and workshop next day, which were rushed, busy and from our point of view otherwise went well. But we were so busy that my camera never made it out of my bag, so no photos, and what else can one say??

We had intended to drive down to Meva that night, but a) we were knackered and b) it was foggy, so we didn't. Stopped at Taunton at a motel and got a Domino's pizza for supper after a large glass of red wine in the bar, and then crashed. Boy, were we tired.

Ambled on down south west on Sunday, and were heartily relieved that we hadn't pushed on the night before as we had to pick up the key to the cottage we are renting, which meant driving a long way down a very narrow and rough lane seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Which would not have been fun in the fog and the dark let alone the state of knackeredness!

Anyway, a nice little cottage, although with the steepest flight of stairs known to humankind - I am very glad that we are not much older than we actually are!. But - free wi-fi!! Soooo civilized, I can spend hours fossicking online and generally enjoying our break.

Not doing much - weather iffy, plus it is half term and therefore rather busier than we like. Not August Bank Holiday levels of busy, but just.....more. We had an amble around Truro yesterday, as I had things I wanted to check out, like Moshulu boots in a sale (score!!). We had a picnic by the river towards Malpas, an old favourite thing, and the DSM sat in the mizzle and slight chill while I sat in the car and knitted.

Knitting - and reading - being the main focus of this trip, apart from visiting DMIL.

So, in all ways pretty successful. I will take pics, and I will do a better post. But that's it for now.

Except that - as it has gone on the Knit Nation forum, I suppose I can post it here - the DSM and I are teaching spindle spinning classes at Knit Nation! More information as and when.

All you need is.....

2011-02-14T16:39:00.000Z

You fill in the blanks!

OK, so I wilfully copied the above from Icanhazcheezburger.com because it is just so dam' cute. I don't even care if it is photoshopped - although it could be for real. It is C.U.T.E. Happy Valentine's Day.

We celebrated by taking me to the Eye Clinic for a field test. Quite fun, once I had got used to it. It is like playing a video game - you have to puch a button every time you see a flash of light. Only slightly anxious-making when you are in the gaps between flashes that they program in, when if you are like me you think that you are missing gazillions. Apparently, I scored high in both aspects of the test measured - not only do I not have any dodgy areas of vision, but I performed the test really, really well! Just don't ask me what the latter actually means because I have no clue. I just sat there and clicked. Still, nice to have a talent.........

Actually, we did then celebrate by stopping off at our favourite cafe on the way home and indulging in good coffee and in my case a piece of the most delectable chocolate cake. (The DSM had some slightly weird concoction involving apple, pecans and goats cheese frosting??) I don't usually pick chocolate, as I tend to find it too rich, but boy, am I glad I did this time! Fudgy, and chocolatey enough, but not over-sickly.

I then recuperated with an hour of knitting on the sofa - I am now more than half-way round the edge of the lacy stole. Which is great - except that it is bringing me nearer and nearer to the decision point, of whether to dye or not. I am tending to the "yes" vote, but am still mulling.

Friday was AH, and as usual a most pleasant day. Sadly, one of our number died unexpectedly just after Christmas, and on Friday her spinning &etc equipment was brought along to see if anyone wanted any of it. Well, of course we did! It was nice, actually, as we were able to have a bit of a reminisce, and many of us now have something to remember her by.

Me? Of course.

I occasionally do a little braiding. I never got on with it using a hand held disc. Then I discovered this mini-marudai (essentially, a wooden hand held disc on a little stand.

This made all the difference, as I could weight the braid and had tiny bobbins to keep the threads in order.

But when I saw that amongst our friend's things was a full-size marudai - I hadn't been able to justify buying an expenseve wooden marudai for the amount of braiding that I do, but maybe...

My little one is joined by a grown-up sibling! Even nicer is that it was made by the partner of another person who attends the group. I haven't yet got a braid on to it, but will very soon, I promise.

I am still working on all the same projects, but some are moving towards their end, so I may have some exciting new stuff (well.....) on show soon. I've done a bit more on the square throw, even took it to the cinema yesterday, but it was too dark for my eyes to be able to see to knit. Glad we went though - it was a filthy wet Sunday afternoon, and we finally took ourselves off to see "The King's Speech". It is so worthy of all the hype. We loved it, mostly for the stunning performance by Colin Firth. Like most people, we have seen him in a few things, some good, some....less so. This was wonderful. OK, so it played slightly fast and loose with a few things (apparently, and sadly, it is thought that in reality Logue did not call his patient "Bertie") but that in no way takes away from the performance(s).

Time to do some more knitting now.

A question of balance

2011-02-08T17:05:00.000Z

The (relatively) newly retired DSM was mooching about. I was about to do some ironing. (This is irrelevant to the story, but such a momentous event that I feel I always need to blog about it.....)

I suggested that he continue with the rather large task of cataloguing our spindles whilst I did the aforementioned, so that I could supply all the information about them that I can remember. Which is at the moment a fair old bit, but how long will that situation last, I ask myself.

Anyway, he grew reflective, and commented on how difficult it was to arrive at a balance between doing things that he felt that he "ought" to do and things that he "wanted" to do.

After several minutes of wrestling with my conscience and managing not to throw the iron at him, I calmly pointed out that he had been hearing pretty much the same thing from me over the previous umpty years and that his response had always been "H'mm. Yes, dear."

I'm not going to say any more about that. Grimly.....

Anyhow, some of the spindles that we were looking at reminded me of this following little-considered issue. Have a look at these beauties.

It doesn't matter who the makers are, although you might recognise them. The issue isn't that these are not well-made spindles, but that they have a certain inherent problem. Look closely. The one on the left - so handsome. Spins very nicely - for a while. But because of the material it is made from - a seed pod, I believe - there are gaps and holes through it. Well, the air passes in and around those, and the effect is to slow the spin right down and stop it moving much sooner than I really like. I am quite sure that a physicist would be able to tell you exactly what is happening in terms of aerodynamics - I am just aware of the effect.

The pretty little one in the middle appears to have a bite out of it. It is a natural element in the wood, and a similar thing is seen in those lovely Bosworth Moosies sometimes, although for different reasons! Here, the effect is to unbalance the turn of the spindle, because it makes the weight distribution uneven. The spindle will tend to be slower, and to wobble quite a lot.

The third one has the same problem from a different cause. The gorgeous graining in the wood is sufficient to again cause an imbalance and a diminution in performance.

With the second two, it is possible to greatly improve that performance by manipulating the hook to compensate. I spent ages with the pliers, trying this angle and that angle until I arrived at one that seemed to give me the best spin. Worth it, to use such lovely spindles!

The first one, I have to be honest, and say that I have only used it once. I can't think of a way to improve the perfomance, and it has an additional problem in that the material is slightly rough, and fibre catches on it just enough to be annoying.

Having said all of that, it could just be me. Someone else might spin in a slightly different way, or not be quite so nit-picky. And anyway, I do allow room in my spindle collection for some that are just interesting, or particularly pleasing to look at. I can't be too cruel......

The Association Summer School and our Comprehensive Spindle Spinning class. I have had two people contact me to say that they have signed up since I heard that we were short of numbers. Fingers crossed there may have been more. But there is still time, if anyone is still deliberating - I can promise you a great time! You can contact the Convenors via the Association website.

This is almost certainly the last time that we shall offer this week-long course. You wouldn't want to miss out, would you?

(Or maybe you would.....ahem!)

One minute to midnight

2011-02-04T00:21:00.000Z

I'm not that long back from a pleasant evening at Coven (excellent pumpkin cheesecake courtesy of Freyalynn) I should be in bed, but although tired, I'm not sleepy. So, some random jottings.....

Firstly, because my internet access was being exceedingly flaky (don't you just love TalkTalk?) in that I could not sign in to AOL, Internet Explorer steadfastly refused to load any pages, but I could access the iTunes store, I tried, for want of any better plan, to load Safari, which I have never done before.

And obviously, it works. Not only does it work, but it also gives me spellcheck in Blogger! Neat little underlinings in red, and corrections. Who knew? I may be a convert.....

Ho hum. It is interesting times again. We heard yesterday that we do not have sufficient sign ups to run the Comprehensive Spindle Spinning class at Summer School in Edinburgh (several other class have places as well - methinks the economy bites.) So if any of you out there have hitherto been unaware of the existence of this course, get signing up! www.wsd.org.uk should get you there in the end (and I may already have found something I don't rate in Safari as I can't get this to make a hyperlink, sorry!) We are not likely to do this week long course again, so - you might consider grabbing the opportunity!

However, if that is one door possibly closing, a couple of others might be opening. Slightly too early for me to give actual hard detail, but we may be travelling South later in the year to a different venue; and tomorrow, we are going to meet with someone to discuss an interesting possibility locally. Very locally - and I'm very much keeping my fingers crossed that something will come of this, it would be great fun and very exciting!

No photographs - nothing of any great beauty or interest to snap at the moment. I have finished the first half of the cormo and am on to the second bobbin. It is taking an age, and I am getting impatient to finish so I can see what it washes up like. Yes, I know, I could do a little sample, but it really isn't worth it now. And I am still spinning away on the singles - mostly in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Tiresome as insomnia is, at least I have nice quiet occupations to pass the time. I might wish like hell that I could have a good few hours and then arise with the dawn, but - I don't seem to be that sort of person....so I might as well use the night hours purposefully.

A treat looms on Saturday. (Oh, I'm jesting....) We are going to see the mater in York, and she is going to be organised. My sister is taking charge. I am going to refuse to mediate, my usual role in the family structure. It has to be done - the mater's room is positively lethal, so much clutter it is no wonder that she keep falling. We are aiming to remove probably about half the furniture, and create straight runways.

If I survive that, Bear Knitters on Sunday as a reward.

Once upon a time......

2011-01-31T15:47:00.000Z

Not much in the way of fibre activity this weekend, due to Other Stuff.

Saturday we went to see "Carmen" at Opera North. I have to say, I really wasn't looking forward to it all that much. Far from being my favourite opera, it had not had a very good review, so I was bribed with a nice lunch, and then we walked up to the theatre in Leeds.

Actually - I enjoyed it much more than I had thought that I would. This was mainly due to the performance of Carmen, a young woman who really looked the part, acted her socks off (well, her top at least!) and could sing to boot. And some of the other parts were really well done too. The direction/staging was....spotty. Seville, Espana had been translated in to Seville, Middle America. Now, there is one very obvious snag with this directorial change - bull-fighting ain't all that common around those parts. So a chorus warbling away about a Toreador is just a tad odd. Having said that, repositioning it as pit bull fighting did actually work quite well. I had forgotten about this major translocation to the US, highlighted and criticised in the review I read, and spent quite a while being puzzled as to why there was a cardinal (bird!) sitting in the large tree that formed the centrepiece of the set. They added a pinata later, which was quite fun.

The director had apparently cut out a lot, but as I am not over-familiar with the libretto, I couldn't tell you which bits - I suspect that poor old Escamillo lost quite a lot, and probably Michaela as well, but in this version we could have done with losing all of her. The singer had a great voice, but the interpretation seemed odd to me - if she is supposed to be the wholesome home-town girl who truly loves Jose, why rig her up as a right slapper, eh? And she was given some very odd business to do.

And again, maybe because of the cutting, the two halves of the performance seemed unbalanced, and the killing of C by J totally anti-climactic. But most puzzling of all was the treatment of the day shift sergeant, who was played by a really good and villainous-seeming black singer. Who then appeared with a whited-up face, and was, a la KKK, strung up from the tree, dressed all in white including a large war bonnet. Totally incomprehensible to me, and somewhat offensive, actually.

So that's one tale.

Sunday we did something really unusual. Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, our social life was very much focussed on having people to dinner and being so entertained in our turn. This was before the days of clubbing (although pubbing sometimes took place) and latterly when we lived in Cumbria and there were no cinemas, theatres of even many concerts to go to. It was great - always interesting new recipes to try, and good conversation to be had.

Those days have pretty much gone, but we did actually have friends over for a meal last night, and it was lovely. Gone too are the days when we used to over-indulge in both alchohol and food (golly, I remember doing two starters, a hefty main course and two puddings sometimes!! I also remember tables surrounded by, I think, up to twelve guests, and rustling up food for that number was a doddle. Wow.)

Anyway, tamale pie (I had never made it before) and my favourite winter pudding of a hot fruit salad with clotted cream, went down a treat. I may have to try to resurrect an old habit.....

But what I have done, having had a couple of days to mull it over, is to partially frog the square throw. I had tried a different knitted join, and I was getting some puckering as well as rather ugly bumps. I didn't take it right back, the first bit looks quite reasonable, but we shall see. I feel much better having come to that decision, which is usually the right one. If you think that maybe something should be frogged, then you are generally right. Much better to do it sooner rather than later, you waste much less time and effort that way!

First day of the week, last day of January - for what that's worth. Dismal weather, too. This weeks major focus - getting on with the samples for the singles project.

But first, tea. Our panacea!!

Any excuse.....

2011-01-26T22:57:00.004Z

When I was at Guild the other week, someone told me - really and truly, no kidding! - that they loved it when I put photographs of the cats on the blog.

Oh dear.

I happened to have the camera to hand this afternoon when young Barni was disporting himself on the Ryeland rug, and well - how could I resist?

But first - the elegant if scrawny senior citizen, Neelix.

Then there is the quiet and good (except in the hunting season) Ruby.

And finally, we get to the shameless beast himself. But he is beautiful!

I have been slaving over a hot computer for most of the day dealing with stuff. But some fibre has passed through my hands, both spinning and knitting. For no particular reason, I decided that this was the right moment to cast on for the square strip throw. Much easier to start than the circular one, that's for sure. There are times when mindless garter stitch knitting is just the job.

But this below is some singles that I have spun for an investigation. It looks as if one lot has much more twist than the other, but I think what has happened is that the first skein was stretched on the niddy noddy for quite a while. I am going to wash them before knitting, and then do some samples.

And finally, the dreaded giant socks. At this stage, they have been through the washing machine twice, and have barely shrunk at all (that is a five pence piece in the middle, roughly the same size as a - um - dime? the little one, anyway.....)

I tried a little bit of hand felting, and nothing seemed to be altering, so then they went in to the tumble dryer quite damp. Nothing. So tomorrow, they will get a very hot wash, and if that doesn't do it - anyone got a man in need of a giant pair of socks who doesn't mind wearing turquoise and purple (I wonder if I overdye them and boil them what would happen? Now there's a thought!)

G'night, folks.

Mutterings and mumblings

2011-01-25T16:39:00.000Z

Chunter, chunter, chunter........

Realised on Thursday that I was getting a cold. Buggrit. I absolutely hate having a cold, in case you hadn't noticed.

Fortunately, it wasn't too bad on Friday, as it was the AH class. (I only hope that I haven't given it to anyone there, but the classroom was so hot that it is not impossible. Sorry, if so.) Actually, the day went very well, and I felt fine - until I got home, at which point I collapsed into honks and snuffles.

This meant that it seemed wise to cancel lunch and a certain amount of fibre sampling with DSIL (and DBIL, although he won't have attempted the fibre sampling!) on Saturday. Which I was considerably pissed off about, as I had been looking forward to it. Ah, well.

However, this cold has been what you might call nasty, brutish and short, so it is all over bar the shouting now. Which is just as well, as it was book group this morning.

Not book group as we generally know it, though. There has been a brouhaha. A flurry of emails, hurling insults and accusations. Rights and wrongs on both sides. Which has resulted in one door closing and another one opening, as one might say.

I said my piece, and am clinging on to the wreckage (well, I hope it isn't quite that!) I have been reminded slightly of tots in a kindergarten - a little bit of plain and open speaking might have spared us all the angst. Actually, I am jolly pleased with myself, as I remained entirely calm whilst saying what I wanted to say.

Ay di mi - I thought I was past the age when this sort of thing happened!

All the above has meant not all that much good fibre work has been done, although I have finished the Noro giant socks, which are as we speak going through the washer yet again, as they seem very reluctant to shrink! And I am forging ahead with the blue cormo, despite spinning it at only just a gnat's whisker above frog hair. (I want to get a decent size lace shawl out of ten ounces.) I am extremely glad that I started spinning it so soon rather than composting it, as it is already very, very slightly compacted, enough to mean that an extended draw doesn't go all that well, which is a bit of a pain. Not literally, at least not after the first session - I need to remember to have rests frequently to relieve cramped fingers.

I will get some decent (well, ish) photographs of things eventually, but to be going on with, here is the sunset from Friday afternoon as we were driving away from AH. I am keeping the old camera in the car permanently now for just this sort of eventuality. A very little bit darker overall than it actually was, but the sunset colours are just about right. Glorious.

Proper dyers, look away now!

2011-01-19T12:32:00.001Z

I had this:

(I had done a cropped version of this photograph, but obviously uploaded the wrong one to Flickr. Ah, well, at least you get to see our genuine Provencale print table cloth....)

Definitely not my preferred shade of grey to make something from, and not my nicest spinning, either (or so I thought). Short of time (ahem), I decided to do a quick and dirty (very) dyebath. A dive into the dye supplies and I come up with three ancients pots of Landscape and Gaywool dyes, one bright red, two ochre/yellow. I throw two of these in to a jug and mix. Too red. So in goes the other yellow. Better.

See what I mean, dyers? I have not weighed the fibre, I have not weighed the dyes, I have No Clue about prospective outcomes. What the hell. Go for, says I.

Simmer, simmer simmer. Leave to cool overnight. Wash - surprisingly little dye residue left in the water. Hey, guess what, it is great! A lovely warm not quite tawny orange, but not quite a rusty red, either. I have tried to photograph it, but the colour isn't coming out true - it is somewhere between these two. (And I am only putting in the blurry one to give the range.)

Now, the nice thing is how the dyeing process has improved some of the deficiencies in the fibre and yarn. I didn't like the fleckiness when grey, but dyed, it looks heathery and interesting. Furthermore, I had spun the yarn as softly as possible, not the easiest thing for me to accomplish, and again, the dyeng process has altered this by very, very slightly fulling the yarn. Now, ordinarily, this would probably not be thought a Good Thing, but in this case, it has improved the yarn both in appearance and structural stability.

Well, gor blimey. I like the stuff, and am really pleased with how, not "knowing" what I was doing, I somehow did "know". Or am I deluding myself.....?

What to do with it? I had thought usual throw or shawl, but maybe it would make a nice new set of hat, scarf, gloves and so on for the projected Norway trip in a year or two?

Watch this space.

Oh - and do not do as I have done, except in similar circumstances - with a fibre or yarn that is Not Much Loved or Does Not Matter. I'm not that crazy.

Edited to add: the colour looks even less right now - I'll try again!

At last!

2011-01-10T16:21:00.000Z

Any thoughts that I might have had about being a more frequent and regular blogger have obviously failed. Completely. And really, not my fault.

I have been planning a post for days, and things have just been conspiring against me. I might even have sat down to get started and then, yet again, the phone would go, as has happened just now - not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but it all hinders the blogging.

Last week I spent a lot of time on the phone playing hunt-the-mother. We came home from visiting friends last Monday to a frantic message on the answerphone that she was having to go in to hospital suddenly - fortunately immediately followed by another message from my sister saying not to panic, nothing all that much wrong, more later....

Then silence. So Tuesday morning, I rang her room several times, then the actual care home number and finally the local hospital, where she still was. Then there was all the faff of actually getting through to the ward - the staff are all so busy that they tend to ignore the inside lines, but external ones fare better. Eventually found out what she was in for, and that all was going well, and that she might be out in a couple of days....then the next time I rang, she had been moved to another ward, so more numbers to ring. I wasn't worried, per se, just wanted to know what the f.c.u.k. was going on.

Anyway, she is home now - and it seems as though it was not after all an emergency admission, but I still don't really know for sure. Madam is prevaricating..........ah well.

But. I have been making slow progress on fibre stuff. This is the disappointing grey Shetland/Zwartbles fluff, spinning finished, plying nearly so.

It will be overdyed. I would like to achieve burnt orabge, but it remains to be seen if I can. I should finish plying it today. It has become something of an article of faith that I do spin and make something with this stuff, because it isn't what I had thought it would be when I bought it, and I wouldn't have bought it if I had known. For some twisted reason that means that I have to get it done, and fairly fast, and made in to something useful. What a warped mind I have.

But the angora/silk stole is moving on very nicely.

And here it is with the edging started (I've gone rather further than that now, too.)

It was Bear Knitters yesterday - a really nice gathering. But I hadn't wanted to take the stole, so I cast on a ginormous pair of socks in Noro Kureyon to felt down in to "boots", something I have been meaning to do for ages. The hats, by the way, have been hanging around in an unfelted state as the first go through the washing machine did nothing at all. They have been through twice more on a rather hotter temperature today, and are nearly there. In the tumble dryer at the moment, which I hope will do the trick and No More!

So, I am overall quite pleased with how it goes so far. Could do better (couldn't I always....) More bright weather would help.

We have had two more brief bouts of the lovely white stuff, but now have normal winter grey and blah. Very nasty.

As soon as the grey is finished, something bright and gorgeous will go on the wheel. That'll help.

Another turn of the wheel

2010-12-31T16:36:00.000Z

The last day of the year 2010. So, I suppose the last year of the decade. Just as I like to celebrate Yule, so I like to mark in some way the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It is a dark and dank and depressing day at the end of a year that has been less than easy in some ways. But it is nearly over and done with, and tonight is the time to see the past in some kind of perspective and move forward into an as yet unknown year, full of the promise of all sorts of good things as well as the mundane or difficult.

It is simply the turning of the wheel.

Before the season is over, photographs of two of my favourite decorations.

The tree, of course. This was a particularly nice one, with spiffy new gold baubles and so on after a few too many bit the dust in previous years to do a decent job.

And then, my favourite gold-and-sparkly twig garland.

This year, we have had extra lights to keep back the dark, which has been lovely, although the DSM will insist on trying out all the settings so sometimes they are flashing frenetically enough to damage hapless passers by.

I have been knitting, the best I could manage during the various socialisings and festivities. As the weather was so cold and snowy, I thought that one new hat might not be sufficient, so whacked out another.

The first is the one I mentioned earlier, the second a simple hat in Noro Kureyon that I had to hand, as one does....

Both need felting, which I have not yet done. But as the weather turned as I finished them to much milder and wetter, there hasn't been quite the urgency.

Sometimes I makes resolutions, sometimes I doesn't. This year I have - kind of - made one.

KNIT MORE

But actually, that little word "knit" encompasses a few sub-categories. It stands as well, of course, for spin; and has to include write; and then, eyes now functioning better, maybe bead; and who knows, with the newly emancipated DSM to urge me on, possibly even weave. Who knows? There is a whole new year stretching ahead!

So, fingers crossed, and good luck and a merry old time to us all.

I hope you have a head full of Plans, as I do!

Happy New Year.

A blog post

2010-12-24T17:34:00.000Z

I have been trying to find the time to write a Christmas - or, rather, Yule - post. I have spent a lot of time pondering what I was going to say - words of wisdom about the meaning of the midwinter festival, the delight of the lunar eclipse on the actual Solstice (even if I didn't actually observe it......)

The frozen beauty of the woods and fields around our cottage, still remaining diamond bright even several days after the snow fell. The sparkling jewels in the snow from the ice crystals reflecting the light from the full moon. Occasional soft hoots from the tawny owls.

The enormous pleasure of piling on hand spun, hand knit garments to keep the cold from toes and fingers, wrapping shawls and scarves around our necks, and burrowing under throws on the sofa of an evening. It has been that cold. Never above freezing in daytime, down to around -10C at night. Today was positively balmy - -2C.

But events have conspired against me. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday we were out and about - teaching, Guild, going to see "The Merry Widow" in Leeds (I do rather prefer the original, somewhat more risque-sounding title of "Die Lustige Witwe"!) and pub-lunching on Monday. And then the countdown to the weekend started, and orgy of cleaning and baking. This was always meant to be a low-key holiday, just us two and my sister. But somehow, the things that I regard as essential traditions take up quite a bit of time. I added to them this year, too, as I have made some things rather than buying others.

So, no-one to blame but myself.

And so, it is done. The veggie sausage rolls, the mince pies, the cashew nut roast and all the sauces and trimmings, the almond macaroons and a luscious lemon sponge are all safely made and suitably stowed. The parcels are all wrapped, and the children have spent the afternoon decorating - both human and feline!

The tree has been tied to the bookcase to prevent disasters, and totally weighed down with lovely new golden globes and stars and "cranberry" bead ropes by my sister. The DSM has festooned the inside and the outside of the house with fairy lights, some of which are flashing hysterically and will have to be turned down after I at least have had a seasonal libation or two. We went through the boxes of decorations all together and selected out the ones we liked best, then distributing them around - one of the nice things about having a beamed ceiling is decorating them for Christmas.

Meanwhile, the two younger felines have found an awful lot to play with in the form of strings and tinsel and int'restin' cardboard boxes (Neelix has simply been sleeping and eating as usual, having seen it all before.) Although Ruby did bring in a contribution to the feast, which we unkindly rejected on account of it being a very dead small rodent. No clue where she found that poor thing in this harsh weather.

And now all I have left to do is the Christmas Eve meal, now traditionally of a side of salmon. It is easy, seems sumptuous and gives us leftovers - what more could we ask? Well, the odd drink, of course. I am torn, tonight, between mulled wine and my favourite advocaat, another tradition.

Do you think I could have both?

Now I am aiming for two days with lots of spinning and knitting, not much of either having taken place over the last week. I have been working on a rather nice hat kit that a SOAR friend gave me, that has taught me to knit ridges, and last night I spent a happy couple of hours on the alpaca and silk lace shawl. (We three had gone over to Magrat's taking a moussaka with us, instead of having a regular Coven meeting.)

All further meal preparation will be shared, as will the clearing up. More family and maybe neighbours may drop by. There is the Christmas Doctor Who.......

Sounds totally ace to me!

However we celebrate, no matter what we believe, the midwinter festival is, I am certain, of enormous significance. I hope that your personal celebration be rich and satisfying, or at the very least a pause in any madness.

Merry, Merry.

Treats

2010-12-15T17:39:00.001Z

Well, we are back from Cornwall.

But before we left, and on the way home, we managed a few treats.

Firstly, HP&TDHpt1. (Harry Potter, if that is a bit abstract.) I thought it was good. Can't quite use the word "enjoyed" and I certainly wouldn't really call it a "children's" film. Although I suppose the aspects of it that I found most harrowing were those that would pass over the heads of many of the very young children in the audience, by which I mean the hopelessness that the three young lead characters had to portray - rather well, too. But I did, along with everyone else flinch and squeak when the snake reared back up........

And then, "Macbeth", the film version with Patrick Stewart on television the next night. Cor. Riveting. As it started, and DMIL saw that it was a modern dress (ish) production, she bagan muttering pretty loudly, but by the end she was either as glued to it as we were, or comatose. By golly, the good Captain can act.

Next, a visit to Mevagissey, in the quiet and extreme chill of the winter, with the wind howling around the harbour gnawing at our finger tips. But I had to take photos, there was such a richness of shape and colour all around.

We had previously made a quick visit to Charlestown, and I had found a few good images there as well.

I am sure that the few dog walkers who saw me furiously photographing a little broken backed fibreglass dinghy though I was barking, but I though that the shapes were really interesting and I liked the old blue so reminiscent of indigo against the stained white.

I love going to Cornwall in winter.

On the way home, we finally made it to "Get Knitted"

We were quite good, although I did buy a teeny skein of "Jitterbug" and some "Cascade" yarn to make a felted bag. I had never seen it before, and was very taken with the range of colours. I was also very taken with this:

Just inside the door in the loo. Sit down, and look to your right at floor level.

Too cute!

Expect the unexpected

2010-12-10T18:36:00.004Z

Fortunately not in terms of difficulties with the roads or weather. But it was cold, so very cold. I have never seen a hoar frost like the one that seemed to be blanketting the entire western half of the country!

Trees and grass were quite amazing, but the bits I loved best were the strings of ice crystals on what I assume were spiders' webs.

So, safely arrived, we took advantage of a brilliantly clear if bitterly cold day to visit our favourite beach, of course.

And we lingered to watch the sun go down.

Next day, we were taking DMIL to a hosptial appointment to have a possible skin cancer looked at (she has had them before). It was decided on investigation that it likely was and that as she had family around to keep an eye on her it would be removed immediately. It was all really quick and efficient - two hours from arrival to departure. And the staff were all delightful as well as efficient.

We came home armed with all kinds of stuff and lots of instructions, and started tucking in to a bowl of hearty veg and pearl barley soup that I had brought down with me - and that had, by the way, remained completely frozen from Monday to Thursday morning! Said it was cold!

Too soon to relax - part way through, the wound site began bleeding, and despite following instructions, we couldn't calm it down. So, the DSM had to make the trip to the local cottage hospital with DMIL, and they spent another couple of hours there whilst the staff got the bleeding under control.

All seems to be well now, thank goodness. But it seems prudent to us to extend our visit by a couple of days to get past the first dressing change by the district nurse tomorrow. So the morning was spent making volleys of phone calls to rearrange things - succesfully - and in my case making a risotto for lunch.

I did bring Christmas cards down with me to write - I think that is going to turn out to have been very far-sighted of me! Apart from that, I have put several inches on the alpaca and silk lace stole, and have finished the first Wollmeise sock and cast on the second.

So, fingers crossed..........

Titleless

2010-12-05T15:43:00.000Z

The shawl is finished - kind of. It needs a good steam press before photographing, hence........

I'm now sort of floundering around doing a bit of sock, a bit of lacy stole, seeing if I can get a hat out of the yarn left over from the shawl, looking at piles of yarn wondering what I could do with them, contemplating casting on for a large, long rectangle that would fold in to a rather cool shrug.

We went over to see my sister yesterday, just because, and also to help her finish off her knitted thing. Which looks lovely - and before it had the front bit attached, she tried it on with just the ends folded, and it looked fabulous. Hence my thought. But do I really want to knit for hours and hours on a massive rectangle in K1P1 rib?? Could it work with cables? Could I ever metamorphose in to an organised, purposeful person who has some clue what she wants to do?

I drove the new to us vehicle over yesterday, which was much easier than I had anticipated (Now, there's a surprise!) A lot of the snow was in the process of melting and the roads were clear anyway. Among all the other fancy bells and whistles that we had not set out to have are heated front seats. Such decadence. Although apparently they come with dire warnings not to leave them on too long for fear of actually scorching delicate parts of the anatomy. I had been slightly concerned that I might have felt a bit odd with the wider car, but apparently not. I guess that is a good thing, as we have every intention of keeping it for a long time!

Anyway, we are off to Cornwall for a few days tomorrow. Quite difficult to know what to pack. Apart from my red Croc wellies for beach-walking, I suppose.

And one, one knitting project to concentrate my mind........

More snow

2010-12-01T15:45:00.001Z

This was the view from the bedroom window mid-morning.

Can it get much better than this? Snow and sheep!

Although it does mean that we have considered it more prudent not to drive off over the moor to collect the new car. We don't think that the road is actually blocked, it just seems sensible not to venture out in these extremely adverse-for-driving road conditions. Even with 4WD. We have even abandoned our usual routine of going to fetch the paper.

The Snowshoes decided that that given their name, if not heritage, they would go out. But not for long. A brief foray to check the boundaries and see just what that pheasant up the back was doing, and then it was back indoors. But they are bored. And therefore either playing (together! amicably!) or being bad. So, a couple of cat - Ruby - photographs.

Me? Scratching the bottom of the chair? Of course not!

And this is my camera peering at Madam through the long purple tunnel. I hadn't realised that it had danglies inside it.

And I have been playing, too. Not just striving to finish the shawl (I'm knitting as fast as I can....) or to press on with the Shetland/Zwartbles cross (and gawd knows what I am going to do with the yarn when it is all spun up. Of which more later, no doubt.) No, playing with my new....well, toy doesn't seem the right word. Little beauty? My Preciousssss?

(Apologies for wobbly photos, it's the excitement.)

My beautiful, beautiful new Golding. I had stalked it for probably months on their web site, expecting every time I went to drool that it would have gone. But no. And one day, I just snapped, snapped, I tell you. The only fly in the proverbial is the ENORMOUS Customs charge. I've practically repaid the National Debt. Sheesh, it's a rip off! But there we go, one has to suffer for one's pleasures........

I need more tea. It is too early for a hot toddy as yet. Although I suppose I could follow in the footsteps of my dear old granny - I do in so many ways - and add a slug of scotch to it. Or, maybe not!

Back to the shawl. But before I go, can anyone tell me what has happened to the Blogger spell check, if anything? Is is hiding, discontinued, or am I just being dense?

Shiver; shiver

2010-11-27T18:34:00.001Z

It is very cold. There is a little snow on the ground. The sky today has been a beautiful clear blue.

It is bloody fantastic! Gimme more!

So, the first shiver is for the lovely wintry weather, into which we have ventured the last couple of days. Yesterday, we went to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching Show. We hadn't intended to go, but a long-time friend rang me and said how about meeting up, and I thought this was an excellent idea. Which it was. We met her for lunch, then had a browse around for a couple of hours, during which time we bumped in to another old friend that we don't get to see all that often and ended up spending a good twenty minutes chatting with her over a cup of coffee. Nice.

I bought very little. Unfortunately, one of the very few things I bought was very expensive, and not even craft related! I had been searching for a black leather handbag of a particular type, and lo and behold I found one. Just don't ask what it cost.......

After leaving the K&S - which on balance was no more than "all right"; in other words, not enough fibre and spinning related stuff, so we may not bother again (heard that before!) Anyway, we toddled off to Bettys and re-met the one friend and joined another - the three of us were at college together far more years ago that I want to contemplate, and it is always nice to get together. We have plans for New Year now. Goody!

So, today. There has been an exhibit at the Bronte Parsonage Museum that I serendipitously read about in "Selvedge". It looked really interesting, and with only a couple of days left, I dragged the DSM over there will he nil he.

Even he said that he was glad that I had done. The artist was
Su Blackwell , the pieces site specific and totally appropriate and delightful. The link should give some idea of her work; the pieces that I particularly loved were those in the children's bedroom, the "Genii" and castles and books, and lovely representaions in a delicate form of the young Brontes imaginings.

Mind you - why, when I go to Howarth, is it always
snowing??

We had a nice lunch; then I bludgeoned the DSM is calling in at a nearish by garage to start the hunt for a replacement car for my beloved Jimny. (I'm being so mean to him at the moment....) Here's the second shiver. We found one straight away! We won't actually collect it until Wednesday, but they had a couple of what seemed to be really nice ex demo models at reasonable (gulp!) prices. We had intended visiting the other branches of this Suzuki dealer, but they all work off the same computer stock system so there was no point, and there was one out on the forecourt, all ready to try. So we did, and decided on it, and should have it in time to go to Cornwall the week after next.

It's very hi-tech - hope I can cope! Oh, and silver, which is boooooring, but that can't be helped.

We have now earned a little peace and quiet over the reat of the weekend. With the cold and snow, it is a good one to stay in and spin. I fancy lighting a fire - I need to check if there is any wood.

Mulled wine would be nice....and crumpets. Just how many indulgences can I fit in, eh?

Good intentions butter no beetroot

2010-11-22T13:11:00.000Z

Or something.

Be a better blogger, I vowed. Yeah, right. What I hadn't realised was that although the DSM had been at home for the entire year, actually being able to label him Officially Retired might be different. So quite apart from other aspects of life intervening, getting used to it being winter and Very Dark (sometimes) there would be that to contend with as well.

Must try harder.

So, wazzup? The usuals. AH on Friday - nice day, one new spinner enabled. At this rate, we shall be taking over the world (I wish!) Guild the next day, more new members, all lovely and full of enthusiasm. I'm trying to persuade the Guild that we should run a proper class for the newcomers (and yes, I do mean I would lead it, among others) so I am hopeful that will happen some time next year.

So that's all good.

Then, I have been doing stuff. I always do something, no matter what. Remember this?

The red/pinks/green/silk hackled blend that started life as an AH class demo? Well, I finally finished spindle spinning and plying it.

I really, really like this yarn. Slightly thicker than I normally spindle spin, but I have managed to keep it quite soft; and it is very pretty. Funny how something so totally unplanned can work out - just right. That's without ever knowing what right might be! Unfortunately, there is slightly less than 100 grammes (haven't worked out the yardage yet) so I am a bit limited in what I can make with it. I'm thinking another cowl, so I shall be off to Ravelry to hunt up a possible pattern or three.

I did that - and looked everywhere else I could think of - for a pattern for a stole for the "Volcano" yarn I spun from Freyalyn's fluff. Whatever I tried - holey, cabley, stitch whatever patterny - just didn't look right. In the end, I was forced to realise that the way this yarn had come out, it needed simple stocking stitch. So, I am doing a Danish type (ie, long wingspan) triangular shawl in stocking stitch with a small garter panel up the spine and a garter edging - and I may very well knit a vaguely holey edging on to that.

I love the way the colour has worked - I did a kind of fractal thing - split the roving in half lengthways, spun one half, split the other in half again and spun those, then plied. There is a lot of creative mileage in those fractals! I am very tempted to get some more of the same colourway, and do a different version, just for the heck of it. (Plus, I like the fibre.)

So, the new week has started, and there are a few things on the calendar. I am going to accompany the mater to her hospital appointment on Wednesday, which will be fun. I am really hoping that we can get her some delaying treatment.

And then on Friday, we are after all going to Harrogate for the Knitting and Stitching Show. I Am Not Going To Buy Anything. No, I am not. But old friends are going that day and it is a good excuse for a get-together, so why ever not, eh? Then we have an unexpected trip to Cornwall coming up, but that's ok. A half day workshop before that. And then, well, there's something - oh, yes, Christmas.

I suppose I should be making some sort of preparations for that, h'mm?

Yeah. Keep you posted on that one......

Before and after and now

2010-11-13T20:18:00.000Z

On our first day in Wisconsin, we decided not to let the previous day's travel stop us doing things, so we headed out to one of the iconic fibre stores we had known of for years through the SOAR market.

(However, the aformentioned tiredness did lead to me forgetting to take my camera, so no photos yet!)

We were awake early, of course; had breakfast, hooked up with a friend from the UK and headed out to The Fold
We have known Toni Neill, the owner, for pretty much as long as we have been going to SOAR, and it was lovely to actually get to see the treasure house that is her store. She was lending us wheels for the week; but we spent a very long time, fortified with cups of tea, browsing and....purchasing. A little yarn, a few spindles - I spent ages trying them - and some super fibres, most notably some gorgeous black baby llama, some of which I have been spindle spinning, and some silvery grey/blue
merino and silk.

Eventually, hunger drove us away, and in the next little town along we stumbled upon a delightful french-style bistro-creperie, crepes from whence fortified us for a return to Lake Lawn and a restorative nap before having a slightly rowdy dinner with a multi-national group of friends.

That was the first visit we made; our last (yes, I know, weird running order) was to another totally iconic store, Susan's Fiber Shop.

Susan's booth at the market is always instantly recognisable by its size, the vast range of goodies, and Susan at the centre of things in a state of perpetual motion, multi-tasking to the ult. 'zactly the same at the store! She simultaneously showed spinning wheels to a potential purchaser; helped someone out with a recalcitrant wheel whilst at the same time giving her an impromptu spinning lesson; answered several telephone calls; and talked to us. Eventually, she even took us to meet her Teeswater sheep in the paddock just outside. Way cool!

See what I mean? (And yes, we did buy something....)

About a third of the store....

And, the Teeswaters.

We had made a couple of other visits - and I'll leave the very best until last. But another goodie was a visit to Madison to have lunch with Deb Menz, and Sara Lamb who were waiting to go teach another workshop the following weekend. Not only did we get a great lunch out of them, but we also had a studio tour. Now, normally I would not say that I had a jealous bone in my body. Normally. But I am human, believe it or not, and I own to major, major envy of Deb's studio. The entire ground floor of a house. Almost as much space as we live in. She does know how lucky she is, so I forgive her..........

How a studio should be - full of inspirations, equipment, colour - and finished pieces, of which I also have photos but they need cropping. Maybe later.

I was alone in the fibre store area for a while.....I resisted temptation, wasn't that exemplary of me?

The last visit to describe was the first we made immediately post-SOAR. We drove across to Minneapolis-St Paul to visit a cousin of mine. The younger brother of the cousin closest to me in age and with whom I had spent a lot of time at one stage, although not so much now, as she moved to Thailand!

Anyway, I knew he had an American family, and it seemd too good an opportunity to miss to catch up, so we went.

I am so glad we did. I only wish we had arranged things differently so we could have stayed longer, but there, we didn't, so we will just have to go again. We had such a warm welcome from the entire family, including the dog and cat; were plunged into an enthusiastic round of Halloween activities; fed the most delicious brie and apple soup; and swapped family stories for way too long.

Unfortunatly, I only took a couple of photos, so this is a nice one of my cousin's wife, but you can't really see Zachary as he is busy being a skeleton!

And this is Andrew jr, as a rather too giggly, friendly alligator.

Andrew jr loves, just loves having visitors to stay, and (fortunately we were warned) rushes in to see them very early in the morning. We were awakened by several more enthusiastic "trick or treat" happenings before I suggested that we had sufficient candy for seven am; whereupon it went quiet for all of three minutes before the door opened again....there was a pause...and a small bouncy dog was encouraged onto our bed. Good job we like animals. Actually, it was heaps of fun, I loved being treated as family - but then, I suppose we were!

I need to stop - get supper and so on. There is knitting to do, fresh on the needles (startitis creeping in again.)

More later......

First post post SOAR

2010-11-10T16:10:00.000Z

We have been home since Saturday lunchtime...and without internet or phone from then until yesterday afternoon!! This thanks to the endless efficiency of AOL/Talktalk - it took us most of Monday to find out what the problem was and to get it sorted, costing us about £15 in mobile phone charges until we threw ourselves on to the mercy of a friend and took over his phone for the afternoon.

Grrrr.

Our flight home was pretty smooth and uneventful. I like Aer Lingus, although they were not responsible for the strong tail winds that got us in about an hour early. And, mirabile dictu, as the DSM does not have to get himself in to work, he is not having sleeping difficulties, so I am not suffering the usual horrific "jet lag", merely a normal version thereof.

I am not as yet entirely sure how I am going to divide up the tale of the last few days of our trip. So, I shall first finish off SOAR details with the cochineal Retreat session.

What this did, basically, was turn my orthodoxy on to its head. Some of what I learned I shall definitely put in to practice, some of it not. I already knew that Demetrio used alum at 20%, which is double my amount; I don't think I shall emulate, especially as I am just as likely to use no mordant at all with cochineal. I think the fact that his textiles have to survive in Mexican sun is highly relevant, and Pennine greys will not require such stern measures!

But I was impressed with how he added his mordant to the pot (this for premordanting). The pot was brought to a boil, and the alum added dry directly to it - now, our received wisdom is to carefully mix the alum in a little hot water to dissolve it as much as possible first, which is always hard to achieve; I really do think that chucking it in to a pan at a rolling boil works better.

The other main difference is that the boiling continues - and I have always been very cautious and careful with reds as the orthodoxy is that too high a temperature will lead to brown shades. Very obviously not the case.

His additives were always baking soda and lime juice, and he is adamant that these are the best to use, but I am not so totally convinced about that. It is after all the ph that is the critical thing, no matter how obtained. He put the lime into the dyepot, and did the moderating with the alkaline afterwards - and back again, just because you can!

Pictures:

Demetrio tending his dyepot.

Cooking - close to a boil, anyway.

My very own sample skeins. I had taken some whitefaced woodland that I had already spun for natural dye projects, and I am really pleased with the results. I have around 100gms here, which should be enough for a small project.

The three skeins on the left as you look at the photo are from the three strengths of dyepot; the other two are done with the strongest pot, one alkaline, one acid. And they look just as nice now that I have them back home.

I really enjoyed this class; I learned quite a bit, and being in lovely sunshine with old friends didn't hurt any either. It's a nice memory to cherish, which is another reason to get a meaningful if small project out of the yarn samples.

We do have a lovely cochineal dyed rug we bought from him - I have yet to photograph it, but will get it up here eventually!

Anyway, that's about it for SOAR this year. Will we go again? We don't know yet. As it is in New England next year, we have a plan, but early days yet.

Next post will be, I think, on "visits". We made a few.

Putting down a marker

2010-11-04T04:28:00.001Z

Since leaving Delevan on Sunday, we have had such a busy and good time that there hasn't been a minute to post.

So, I'm going to leave it now until I get home and have enough brain back to do things proper justice.

Here are three photographs of sunset from the house we are renting.

Utterly gorgeous.

There is lots to tell!

Last night of SOAR

2010-10-31T03:07:00.000Z

I don't have the time or energy to do a post that will do justice to my class this morning, so I will do a proper one at a later date. It was cochineal dyeing, with Demetrio Bautista Lazo - I do hope I have got that right, but if I haven't, I will do so next time.

This afternoon, I did a kind of "wild spinning" class with Jeannine Glaves, who is an old mate, and a hoot, not to mention a good and interesting teacher - and I have learned that I never want to spin Tyvek, old ties, old nylons, tinsel, kapok or Easter basket grass (don't ask....) Ever again. So, useful, eh? (I seem to have been hanging out with Canadians too much!)

We had dinner a deux in the bar, as we couldn't face the dining room food even one more time - marginally better, well, quite a bit really. Sigh.

We have acquired lots of lovely spindles (watch the website after we get back) and a bit more fibre for us. Now, there's a surprise!

And I managed to brave the noise levels and socialise a bit tis evening, which was fun. But now I have crashed, so have come back to our room to start on the packing.

We are off to Minneapolis tomorrow, and then back this-aways for four nights. We have a few fun things lined up, but I hope to get one or more blog posts done whilst it is all fresh in my mind.

I like this tribe.

Good things: SOAR 3

2010-10-29T20:52:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, I shopped. The SOAR market is always a good one, although quite small. This year, it seems larger, with some vendors new to me as well as old favourites. I stuck to my plan to buy larger quantities for more "serious" projects, and thus far have some utterly delicious merino/silk in a green they call "Spinach"; some mauve, lilac, purple stuff; and - some cormo! (Blue-greens) The very pleasant vendor not only is happy to ship internationally, but takes Paypal, so I now have a supply lined up. I am happy.....

We also each bought two huge pottery mugs decorated with a sheep and a spindle. Even the DSM, who does not understand my crockery obsession, agreed that they were too good to miss. No photos as yet - I will do a big catch-up at some point.

Today, I had my first class, and what a humdinger it was. I own and really like the dvd by Jacey Boggs; now I have done my first class with her, I am totally a fan. She is an excellent teacher, explains things very concisely and clearly, and as many times as you need. Then she leaves you to do whatever it is whilst she moves around the room checking on progress and being very encouraging. We are lucky to have such wonderful young teachers coming up - and, she is likely to appear in the UK some time, so rush to sign up when she does.

When she has time, she tells stories. Not necessarily for those of a nervous disposition! Seems she was teaching in Amsterdam. Seven months preganant and accompanied by her mother, she decided to visit a live sex show. She gave enough of a description to make the thing seem vivid....and as she herself said, weird The things you learn at SOAR!

After that, things went downhill a little. Lunch was more of a disaster than usual, as he person serving soup admitted that it was made with a chicken stock. And whilst I have no problem with a cheese roll from time to time, every day gets, shall we say, monotonous. Even the carnivores are getting disgruntled with the same lunch every single day. There are no vegetarian entrees, except for pasta with a tomato sauce that has appeared twice. I would say that I am amazed that a place considered fairly upmarket could have so little understanding of special dietary requirements, but I know that the origin of the problem almost certainly lies elsewhere. But we don't want to miss meal times because the company is so good!

The other downer was, as expected, the Open Studio. Although it is possible that things might pick up, as the DSM stayed on when I bailed, and has not yet returned. But it was basically a spin in, for which we paid a retreat class price. The lack of interest was obvious - only around half of the possible number actually attended.

Ah, well - I have cochineal dyeing tomorrow. When I get around to posting pics, there will hopefully be one of the gorgeous little rug we bought from the mentor. The results from the workshop were spectacular, but they were using alum at 20% as mordant, which is double what I use. But then, the goods have to survive in the Mexican sun, rather than the West Yorkshir Pennines!

SOAR 2

2010-10-27T23:06:00.001+01:00

So, here I am at Day 3 - which would normally be the last workshop day, but in my case is the last day of a rather splendid mini-vacation.

Each day has taken more or less the same form. Get up insanely early with the DSM, drink a pretty foul cup of tea, go to breakfast, which is probably the best meal of the day, come back to room. Wave bye bye to the DSM, read a bit. Toddle of to pool, where I doggy paddle around for half and hour or so, back to room, make pot of coffee, read, knit spin.

I had intended to walk the grounds, but we have had a lot of rain one day, and extremely high winds every day, so I have marched the endless corridors instead!

Go to meet the DSM for lunch, then afterwards more of the above. Lunch is probably the second best meal of the day, supper generally the least satisfactory. The arrangements for non-meat eaters at this SOAR are strange, and we nearly bust a double gasket on the first evening when there was only meat and vegetables and sald. The salad is good, but identical every day, twice a day. Most strange - the best quality food in ages, but absolutely no notion of how to treat vegetarians. But this is Wisconsin - which means cows......

In all other respects, this location for SOAR is brilliant. All under one roof, comfortable rooms, lots of nooks and crannies with comfy chairs for gathering. It would be nice to think that we might be returning in future years, but for one thing, the resort is in receivership (!!) and lli8kely to close; for another, massive change, SOAR is moving to a chain hotel in a city next year.

For now, I stay silent on the matter.......

Today, though, I varied my routine and went a-visiting some of the workshops with my camera. Not easy to take good photos at SOAR, the classrooms are not usually well-lit. But I got a few, and chatted my way happily around the place.

This is the DSM and the famous (or should that be infoamous??) Denny, both taking the bast fibres class with Stephenie Gaustad. It looks to have been a brilliant class.

This was on the wall of Deb Menz's classroom. Please note the letters in green! Love our little ole fibre world.

Then I visited Sara Lamb's silk ribbons class (hope I've got the title right!) I appear to have given her a halo, but that is probably appropriate!

After that I did have a little wander outside, because the sun was shining. There was intersting tree bark - this is an unfamiliar variety of oak with humungous leaves most of which have now blown away in the gales

And I couldn't resist the red fire hydrant in the flower bed.

Tomorrow, the market opens. Need I say more? The intention this year is to by larger quantities of fewer fibres, to try to avoid the "problem" of having four ounces of something pretty to fit to a project. And there will be spindles........

Friday and Saturday, I am taking classes. More on that after the event.

O Frabjous Day!!

2010-10-25T20:45:00.002+01:00

Firstly - so much for all my good intentions of a post a day while at SOAR. Ah, well. A resume.....

More than reasonable trip over, enlivened only by someone thinking that she had lost her passport somewhere in Dublin Airport. Ooops. In my defence, we had thought that we had loads of time to make the transfer, but when we arrived at Security, we were told that they had made the last call for boarding for our flight, so we were all of a doo dah. We were fast tracked through security and rushed to the gate, where I realised that my passport and boarding card were no longer in my hand. The DSM did not freak out, and rushed back to see if I had left it in Security which seemed the most likely thing, but - no. When he returned, it was only then that it dawned on me that I could have put them in my carry on when I replaced the Kindle after screening,,,,phew.

Anyway, we had not realised, but you still go through US Immigration at Dublin, so even though that made us last but two on to the plane, when we arrived in Chicago we just had to pick up baggage and go through Customs and we were done.

The other slightly enlivening thing was having two female pilots (both petite blondes, I saw them). I know it should not be a surprise, in this day and age - but it is. They were great - most informative on the flight, and a brilliant landing.

We picked up our car, and had an easy drive up to Delavan. Immediately bumped in to a friend, so we had a meal together before I crashed.

Saturday morning, we bumped in to another friend going in to breakfast, so we joined forces and after eating went off on a trip to pick up our loaner wheels and do a little pre-market shopping. Had a super lunch in a creperie! and then went back - and crashed. And I know, this is all meals so far, but we gathered a group up for dinner and had a lovely time before - you guessed it - crashing.

Sunday morning, the weather was frightful - there had been torrential rain during the night and it was still heavy in the morning. But we had to do a little shopping for essentials (like tonic to go with the gin) so after a nice breakfast in Delavan itself, we checked out the nearby malls. And this is where the blog title comes in.

I have very few ambitions in life - one was seeing the Northern Lights, which happened a few years ago; but another was to see/visit something read about in books or seen in movies.

Wait for it........

I don't think that think that I really and truly believed in their existence - I mean to say, how can a supermarket have such a ridiculous name? But there it was, and we shopped there to prove it. SOAR and this too - how did I get to be so lucky?

And SOAR and all its madness has started, and we have met up with the tribe. Class began this morning for the DSM - I have been swimming, walking, reading, knitting and chatting. Bliss.

There will be more later.

Can I draw breath now, please?

2010-10-21T18:10:00.000+01:00

Oof. If I say that I am actually, really, truly looking forward to being on a plane tomorrow, it might perhaps give a clue. Sometimes life is a tiny bit too exciting - oh, nothing mega-dramatic, but all the same.....

Where to start? Well. For all of this year, I have been a bit constrained about some of the things that I might have wanted to write about in this 'ere blog. That may (only may, though!) go some way towards explaining why I haven't popped up quite as often as I would have liked.

The truth of the matter is that the DSM has been off sick from work ever since Christmas, apart from a few days in the summer when he attempted a phased return. No need to panic - let's put it this way, it was his psyche that was playing up rather than any vital body part. In other words, stress and anxiety. We don't really know why - does one ever? (Well, yes, obviously sometimes, and I don't mean to be flippant.)

At the time of the attempted return, he had the ghastly news that the office was relocating back to Lytham, increasing his drive time to around an hour and a half each way. After a few days of denial, telling me that it would all be fine, whilst I felt sick as a dog, we quietly acknowledged that it wouldn't - but what to do. Voluntary redundancy reared its head. We then had a lengthy period of time not knowing what was going on - would they, wouldn't they - and twice, they didn't. And some time during that process, I quietly pointed out that, actually, we could cope just fine if he never went back to work.

There was a bit more shilly-shallying, and I still felt that I couldn't actually say publicly that he had "retired"; but suddenly, voluntary redundancy was back on the table, and I really felt that this time.......and they did.

So, on Tuesday - which was our wedding anniversary - we had a day out to return a lap top, and collect a few personal belongings; for him to say goodbye to co-workers; and for a rather sweet little ceremony of speeches and a card and a gift. And that's it. Oh, officially he is on the books until the end of the month. But it is all over. Now he gets to do the art, and the spinning and the weaving and the teaching that he has not had time to do alongside a demanding day job. So it is all good. Strange, and will take some adjusting to, but good.

To prove we were there, a couple of seaside pictures. We had a lovely celebratory lunch after the office visit, and then a walk along the prom.

(I loved these two - not such ugly ducklings, eh?)

Then there was the drama with my mother. My mother the uber-drama queen. She had reported a health problem that had caused me some concern, and had promised to phone on Monday. I wasn't too concerned when she didn't, but then my sister rang mid-evening on Monday to say - as I thought - that my mother was "in hospital". We had little idea why. I started having emergency thoughts about cancelling holidays and so on. So anyway I phoned her Care Home the next morning, and was told in no uncertain terms that she was actually in her room. Oh. I ring her number. I had got the wrong impression from my sister, but I know how it happened, and don't need to go there now. The lady had indeed been taken to the hospital, but I have absolutely no idea why, other than it being a problem with her vision. She has to go back for treatment - I don't know what, or what for. Blood tests have been taken - again, no clue. I did eventually, in a slightly raised tone say that it really would be a most excellent idea if questions were asked. Sigh.

I seem to remember that Hilaire Belloc wrote a tale.........

Yesterday, I had my own visit to the Eye Clinic, but only for a check and all was well. Yippee! Plus, the nice consultant had a test done to measure the thickness of the front of my eyeballs, and apparently the fact that they are thicker than normal may well mean that I do not after all have high pressure in them, which would be good. She has ordered a couple more tests just to check things out. I have been under the impression for years that I could be at risk of glaucoma, but apparently this may not be the case. A nice surprise.

Today, my hair turned, in parts at least, bright red with the shock of it all.

Golly. I have maundered on and on and on about all of this. I apologise! I have, however, a small FO, to return the subject to fibre work.

Before:

And after, felting:

As you will notice, I have treated myself to a Kindle, largely for travelling. Covers are an outrageous price, so I crocheted and felted one from some Polwarth S-spun singles that I just happened to have to hand. Not a great work of art, but functional, I hope.

And that's it for now. Possibly foolishly, I'm off to Coven tonight. You can never see fibre friends too often.

Have fun, kiddies, I intend too.......

Mea maxima culpa

2010-10-14T15:56:00.001+01:00

Too much gadding about! Book groups, knitting groups, lunches, theatres, visits to the mater, visits from people. Even spent an afternoon sitting out in the sunshine; therapy, I tell you. It's no good. Won't get the baby a new dress.....

(One of those many phrases from my childhood that I never really understood. What did that wretched baby need a new dress for - sorry, Pennie!)

I have been working, on all sorts of projects, but I don't have all that much exciting to show or tell about any of it. I have got a picot edged sock in Wollmeise to the point where the edging is done, so it can be airplane knitting; the latest simple lace shawlette is coming on quite nicely after a few froggings due to operator stupidity; and I am on the umpteenth sample for the "Volcano" colourway wrap because I can't come up with a pattern that looks all right other than plain vanilla stocking stitch which even I think might be a tad boring. I may (may!) even try a crochet sample, I'm getting that desperate. Or, alternatively, end up doing a waistcoat instead!

Tuesday I should have been going to the dentist, but had to cancel as it was the only day available to visit my mother in York. Nothing remarkable about the visit, all seems reasonably well, as far as one can ever tell. It was somewhat enlivened by her asking me to bring her some more cotton knickers back from the States as I did last time, and to make plain which ones she is talking about, she flips up her skirts a la Can Can, and shows me the ones she is wearing........

Yikes.

We had errands to run in the city after that - oh what a shame. So we had a nice lunch and then scooted on over to the Minster, because I had seen that as part of British Wool week there were folk there doing spinnery and sheepy things.

It was great. A very nice display, sheep being shorn, people spinning, petitions to sign.

A somewhat bemused gentleman.

Ditto sheep.

And some of their fluff, that was well interesting enough to have brought home with me, if only we had had a large plastic bag with us, and didn't still have several shops to trail around.

And some very competant spinning on a great wheel, which made me want to get my own out.

Alston tomorrow, which will be nice. A very large group again, apparently. Then Guild on Saturday. And after that the final countdown to SOAR. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to not doing a workshop! This may seen heretical, and a terrible waste of opportunity, but there wasn't a class I burned to do, and I did so fancy three entire days of pleasing myself with the added bonus of the company of spinners when I chose. There is an indoor pool at the resort, so I am planning to pack the cossie; I have a primed and ready to roll Kindle, my iPod will be in a similar state and - well, what a suprise! I have projects to take.

I'm even quite looking forward to the flight, outwards, at least. I have lots of folk songs downloaded from iTunes that I want to listen to, and a lot of stuff to get my head around by way of courses and projects various to plan. Seems quite a good opportunity - after all, I have to endure the flight, might as well make use of it as well, no?

I may or may not find something to blog about before we go, but the netbook goes with me, and we have wifi everywhere we are staying, so there may be the odd bit of travelogue.

Definitely getting excited!

Round and round

2010-10-04T17:44:00.000+01:00

This took longer to bring to the blog than I had hoped, because the weather has been appalling. Not just raining - deluging down. And the light levels in the house were useless for photography, so I had to wait.

In fact, going in to town with a friend yesterday to what was billed as a "Rag Market", we could hear the flood warning siren sounding, most alarming. The town escaped, I think, but both up and down the valley there was some flooding.

People often ask us if we are not afraid of being flooded where we live, but although we do indeed live just at the confluence of two small rivers, both are in deep stony river beds just here, so I cannot imagine it (fortunately!) happening. We do sometimes get rain water cascading down the lane if the fall is very heavy - as it was yesterday - but we are in no danger even from that.

But today, although it looked potentially ghastly first thing, the sun soon broke through and it has been a superb day. So, I was finally able to take the finished (ta da!) circular throw outside.

And here it is. I love it - I will love it more when it has been pressed. I've already washed it. I'm hoping that the ridges will not then be quite so pronounced. But perhaps that is just me being picky.

This long-awaited completion promptly led to a mini bout of startitis. I may already have mentioned the Wollmeise socks; now I am playing with the yarn spun from Freyalynn's fluff for a stole. My Jaywalker idea didn't seem quite right, so I spent some time this morning going through a few books and found a Shetland lace pattern that I think will adapt to what I have in mind. Of this, more later.

Then there is this:

I spun this yarn so long ago that I can't recall what it is. When I had spun it, I felt very disappointed with it, both the colour and the spinning. I think it is either from the Yarn Yard, or from Natural Dye Studio, bought at Woolfest. There certainly should be no problem with any colour from either of those - and there isn't. Digging it out, winding the ball, swatching - the yarn is lovely, and the muted colours look fabulous. I must have been having an off day.

The pattern is a simple triangular shawl from Fibrespates. If I don't get it finished, it will be small enough to be travel knitting, along with the other stole on the needles and a sock. Or two. I'm not doing a workshop at SOAR this year - I'm going to hang out and spin and knit for three days.

What's not to like.........

A Word

2010-10-02T14:43:00.000+01:00

I'm brewing up a proper blog post, but just want to do this.

I have not (I think?) mentioned UK Knit Camp, not being involved in any way other than knowing people who were. And having concern for them! There have been a few posts from those who were involved previously, but now Deb Robson has published a very full, articulate (now there's a surprise...) and hearfelt post that makes for painful reading.

If you already read her blog, you will already know how interesting it is at any time, and always worth a visit. If you don't, well go there now for the Knit Camp post, but revisit in happier times.

Roll over, Beethoven

2010-09-27T19:03:00.000+01:00

Beethoven is an alpaca, whose fleece, on this occasion at least was ajudged not to be of first quality. So it went free to a good home. There was no unseemly wrangling, but it did change hands once........I thought that it might be interesting to try it out, and see what I could do with it.

This was from the Alston class, which was full, busy and highly enjoyable. So was an adorable little sheepskin, of a silvery grey colour and a considerable softness that just had to come home with me so that the blue cats could have one that matched them, as the Ryeland does Madam Ru. To my amazement, it turned out to be a Herdwick/Texel cross. But apparently, Herdwick lambs are soft. As all Herdwicks used to be, seemingly. I need to learn more!

After one busy day, we had another. Off to Sheffield, to the Crucible, to see what promised to be an interesting "Hamlet". And indeed it was. We enjoyed it enormously, found it a spare and intense interpretation, with a restrained - mostly - and introspective performance from John Simm. He has, I read, not done all that much stage work - if this was any indication, he should do much more. Definitely impressive, although it is fair to say that reviews are slightly mixed. That's their problem! Gertrude was a stately Barbara Flynn, although this did make her remarriage after a bare two months ever so slightly less than credible, there needed to be more lust; and Claudius a thoroughly dislikable (in this role!) John Nettles, back to the stage after much well known tv work. We had seen him years ago in his RSC days, so knew that he was going to be good. Although some of the body language looked a little familiar......

Sunday, we were tired, and had a very nice day doing bugger all. The weather has changed, and is cold and damp, most condusive to staying indoors with fibrey pursuits. So, today, whilst the DSM did go out to his art class, I stayed in and caught up with some emailing and other computery chores and pursuits, and then plyed the last of the "Volcano" fluff from Freyalyn.

This is awfully fuzzy, but will have to do for now. I shall wash it, and try to find a dry moment to photograph it outside. It is going to be a stole, quite possibly in the simple chevron pattern fropm the "Jaywalker" socks. With added pom poms.

Don't laugh.

I'm on the last stretch of the circular blanket, thank goodness. About halfway around the last - round. I don't think I will have enough yarn left to do any more, and frankly, I'm not really sorry! I have enjoyed doing it, and love the look of it, but enough is enough. I need a change.

And for a change on the wheel, the shetland/zwartbles cross that I got at Woolfest. Not quite what I had wanted or expected, but could be interesting. Peasant lace shawl, h'mm?

Going home

2010-09-20T17:10:00.001+01:00

But not by the totally direct route!

One of the many advantages of being a sad character and having to travel with Electronic Stuff is that - assuming a wireless connection, of course - you can Keep In Touch. Thus it was that I was happily browsing Ravelry late last week, when on the Association forum I spotted....Ian Tait was going to be at Somerset Guild on Saturday.

I have corresponded with Ian a few times over the recent years, and I am addicted to his spindles. Add that Somerset Guild meet in a village that is only a very, very little detour from our homeward route, and well. How could we not? So we did.

And very glad I am that we did, too. Turned out that there were more people than we had thought that we knew at the meeting, so that was fun all by itself. It was great actually getting to meet Ian, and his talk was excellent. Plus he had brought lots of spindles to sell........

Not many of the photos that I took turned out well, partly because there was such a crush of people wanting to look and talk! (And who could blame them?)

This shows spindle whorls in process. The amount of work and attention to detail that goes in to making these is phenomenal - no wonder they are so good. And equal attention is paid to the structure and turning of the shafts. I am so pleased that we noticed this and went.

Even the DSM bought a spindle - a beautiful largeish purpleheart. I am concentrating on smaller spindles at the moment, and succumbed - and why are we not surprised? - to the two latest woods, a gorgeously marked yew, and a several thousand year old bog oak. Wow.

Unfortunately, photographing them proved somewhat challenging........

Blurry spindles with added Ruby. I will do better when I photograph my next newly arrived spindle!

We got home very late on Saturday, and it had already started raining. It still hasn't stopped, really, most depressing. But today has been redeemed by the arrival of no less than five parcels. Of most note, one being the other new spindle - a very cute smallish one from New Zealand that I was somehow pointed to on Etsy. The other being - a Kindle. I have been tempted for some time, being of a gadgety persuasion. But with all the latest rules and regs on luggage, and with the prospect of doing more travelling to workshops and so on, it seemed the right moment.

So far, I have got it charged, and now have to get it signed in to our wireless network. Then to start loading with (mainly) free books. Though I might go and have a look at whatever Interweave have on offer.

So way too much time has been spent on the internet today when I should have been reading my book for Book Group tomorrow, and preparing for Friday's class. I have done a minimal amount of spinning, on both wheel and spindles (not at the same time, clot!)

Ah, well, there is still time.

Going West

2010-09-19T17:49:00.001+01:00

After our morning in Cambridge, we headed west. I had long wanted to visit Lyme Regis, and the conjunction of being in the south for a workshop, and the house of then DSM's aunt being up for auction in Somerset concentrated our minds.

(I should at this point say that due to the nature of the next few days activity, there is no fibre action/wisdom of any sort.....sorry, an' all!)

Tuesday, it rained most of the day, but we were visitng the aunt, so that was ok, really. Did a little bit of trippering as well, including having a rather nice cream tea in Dorchester.

Anyway, the next day more than made up for the rain - totally glorious. Therefore, off we went to fulfil one of my lifetime's ambitions.

So.....was it here?

Or here?

Here?

Or, here?

Surely, not here? But in fact, quite a strong body of opinion thinks that may be the very spot. Actually, it can't have been any of the others per se, as they are all of a more recent date than the event in question.

Oh, what event? Louisa Musgrove's foolhardy jump down the steps on the Cobb that rendered her insensible and caused brave naval officers to rush off in all directions seeking help, of course. "Persuasion" is my favourite Austen, and possibly my favourite novel of all time, so we had to go on pilgrimage, of course we did!

We loved Lyme, and spent the entire day simply wandering around in the warm sunshine, having lunch, eating ice cream - and finding beach huts that looked like ice creams....

I think this is Lyme, too, but it may be Charmouth - I started getting a bit boggled by all the beautiful scenery.

Moving on to the next day - I know this is Chesil Beach from Portland Bill.....

And these next are also Portland.

Then we went off to nearer the other end, at Abbotsbury.

It was by now a beautiful evening after another beautiful day - I took this one directly in to the sun.

There was also some very fine lichen - a small branch had fallen off, so that came home with me, but I did not touch the rest. Honest.

There is more to come, but I am in dire need of a cup of tea, and this is getting cumbersome! In any case, the subject, being very dear to my heart, deserves a post all of its own.

Going South

2010-09-16T11:33:00.000+01:00

Friday last we headed south, first to teach a spindle spinning workshop and then to visit friends in Cambridge.

We were wonderfully looked after by a member of the host Guild. Because we haven't taught all that many workshops as yet that are more than a day away, we have not much experience of this, but yet again we had a lovely time. Of course, visiting a fellow fibreholic's house must always be interesting, no? So many things to look at, should the conversation flag - which it never does!

We thought the workshop went very well - and I think they did, too. We got a huge amount done - one of the many advantqges of having two tutors! - and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. A lovely day.

Afterwards, we drove back up to Cambridge, to spend the rest of the weekend with our friends who live there. We were given the great gift of a beautiful warm sunny day, so we loafed around in the garden a bit and then we went off to a smashing riverside country pub. I don't think that there are many better ways to spend a Sunday!

I had noticed that the Cambridge Guild Exhibition was on while we were there, so we decided not to rush off to Dorset, but to walk in to Cambridge and have a look. Very nice exhibition, but because of the location - (in a cafe that was formerly, I think, a church) - some of the items were hard to see well, and even harder to photograph. So, I won't put many photos here, as they are not all that good, and most would be better cropped anyway. Plus, I can't give attribution - I couldn't read all the labels!

To me, the subject of this one was instantly apparent.

And the DSM homed in on this one.

After that, we went in search of coffee, doing a little gentle grocklintg the while. I never tire of wandering around Cambridge, although it gets harder and harder to remember our young selves and what we got up to at any particular point!

It has taken me - obviously! - days to get this blog post done. Lyme Regis will have to wait. Why are holidays always so hectic? Or is tht just us?

All I shall say for now is that this is a fabulous part of the world, and I am glad to have finally got here. More....... later.

Plying on a spindle

2010-09-05T18:14:00.002+01:00

Eleanor isn't the only one who doesn't feel happy doing this! I suppose, if I am honest, I didn't at first, but I really did feel that if I was spinning on a spindle, I should be able to ply on one as well. After all, in the beginning I spindle spun for convenience when going away on holiday. So much easier just to take a spindle than a wheel.......

I think that some of the early instructions in books may be to blame for any discomfort. Doorways, hooks and so forth tended to loom large in plying explanations. Life for me became so much easier plying-wise when I was introduced to a nostepinne. Even though it took me several teachers to get me comfortable with winding the singles on to it!

A nostepinne is just a stick, but a smooth, tapered stick, ideally with a neat groove at the sharp end. You wind one end of your yarn around this groove, then take the single down the shaft until you are just above the handle section. Wind straight for a few turns, then at an angle, passing from wood (south) to wood (north), or below and above the wound yarn. As you do so, give the nostepinne a quarter turn in your hand. Keep on doing this until all is wound on - you will have a miniature version of a centre pull ball as wound on a machine knitting type ball winder. (You can do it that wsy if you have a big spindleful.)

Depending on the nature of your yarn, you can either take it off the nostepinne or leave it on but slide the cop nearer to the tip.** Take up the free end wound in the groove, and the other free outside end, and bring them together. Keeping them under as equal a tension as possible, attach by your method of choice to the spindle, and keeping the yarns slightly taut, spin anit-clockwise until you like the plying twist inserted. Wind on, repeat until finished. Keeping the yarns under slight but as equal as possible tension is important to get a nice ply - it can look "wrapped" if one is looser than the other.

Alternatively, you can go fancy, and buy a purpose built kate. The one I have is the Lizzie Kate from Greensleeves.

It works best of all with Greensleeves spindles, but others work too as long as the shafts (you can do up to 4-ply) fit the docking holes and the spindles are not too tall. Each single is threaded through first the lower and then the upper guide, attached to your plying spindle and away you go. Easier to get a better balanced ply, but not as portable.

I recently realised the potential of another plying method; cheap, easily available if you have forgotten your nostepinne, portable and light. Actually, too light, so small stones or similar as ballast are helpful!

Yup, indulge in a couple of lattes to go, wash and dry plastic containers well, spin two cops of singles, pop into containers, pulling the end out through the hole in the lid and off you go as before. I'm quite proud of this one.......

I should mention the Andean plying methods. One, for small amounts of yarn, around the hand - I do this when appropriate, and it is a good method. The other Andean method is to take two spindlesworth of yarn, wind both ends together into one ball and then play the pair out to ply. I have done it this way, and can quite see that it is very suitable for a particular type of yarn and in particular circumstances - if you are spinning and plying on the move (literally) it is supremely sensible. But personally, I don't like it (see "wrapping", above - much more prone to it) and would only use it if all else failed.

But then, you pays your money and you takes your choice - we're all different!

Before I leave spindle spinning.....

This week arrived the new edition of the catalogue of a Famous Fibre Supplier. Being me, I looked for spindles.

Three. A pear tahkli, ok. A low whorl drop spindle - (the spinning action is slower than that of the high whorl and produces a thicker yarn.) A High whorl drop spindle - (the spinning action is faster than that of the low whorl and produces a thinner, finer yarn.)

That's it. Boom.

Sigh..........

OK, now I am off to sample the Poll Dorset fleece just washed and dried on, guess what, a spindle. Predictable, or what?

.** Never, ever remove a ball from a nostepinne if it is a very fine yarn or especially, silk. At least not without inserting some card, or a pencil or something first. It will collapse and tangle irretrievably. Ask me how I know.

No, it won't work out ok just this once. Not even if the yarn has been sitting on the nostepinne for ages and ages.

Ask me how I know again. And again.........

Spindle spun yarns, mainly

2010-08-31T17:00:00.000+01:00

The Bank Holiday weather not being of the absolute best, and me being "under the weather" anyway, in the shape of a mild summer cold, spending time plying up some of the yarns that I have been spindling seemed like a jolly good idea.

Here we have, from left to right, the cormo (!! - it turned up!!), a rather luscious alpaca and merino? and silk? blend form Fyberspates, the three dyed tops for the Extended Coven Christmas project and the Norwegian top from Adelaide Walker. We also have the spindles they were plyed on - a super, heavier than I normally use new spindle from True Creations, my regular plying spindle from Avi Wasserman and a long time favourite from Forrester.

Here is the cormo, with the spindle I used to ply it (and then put the entire thing back in the spindle jar - why? Hence the loss.) This is destined to be a lacy scarf, or shawlette if I think there is enough.

The alpaca blend is soft enough for a warm scarf, the three EC skeins are for fingerless mitts (I am thinking something with short rowed cuffs for shape, and decorative buttons.) The Norwegian - goodness knows. I bought it as a new fibre to try out; I quite liked spinning it and indeed quite like the yarn, but it came out relatively chunky, not to mention hairy. So there is probably not enough for a pair of socks, and it is not next to the skin quality, that's for sure. Maybe a bag? Or some slippers, perhaps - yes, that might work.

I still have on the go the "crab apple" blend that I hackled, some Polwarth and silk and some cashmere, oh, and two lots of silk from Royale Hare that I have been spinning for ages. Just in case you should think that I am letting things slide......

It was Alston on Friday, a lovely quiet and friendly day, with quite a bit of braiding done. And there were fleece.

I really wasn't going to buy any - but there was this rather nice Poll Dorset - one of the very first fleece that I ever spun was one of these, and I have fond memories of it. So this was irresistable. And as it is a grand day today, and forecast to be good for the next couple, I have started washing it, which I consider exceptionally efficient. I'll sample as soon as dry.

A cat pic. At the moment, they are often either outside, or asleep on the bed. (Neelix is always the latter case.) We suddenly spotted the snowshoes rather uncomfortably sharing the high wall, Ruby wanting to be her usual fishwife self, but neither of them quite daring to misbehave as they were somewhat precariusly perched!

Completely loopy (them, or us?)

Otherwise, I'm knitting on three projects, the angora/silk stole, the Noro circular blanket (I've found a pattern for a square one, now!) and a pair of socks for bedtime knitting. I'm actually being quite productive, but there is a lot more that needs to be done - and that I want to do! We've got a workshop at the end of next week, and then a few days away; I have a couple more articles to write; and lots more spindling and the making of things from spindle spun yarns. Many, many ideas bubbling - and that is before we go off to SOAR, which always produces another crop.

Too much fun?

Another dye day

2010-08-23T15:32:00.000+01:00

I had intended to write this blog post yesterday, but life, otherwise those dear little snowshoes (at least, one of them) got in the way. Not totally accurate, of course - the day had turned out to be so gorgeous that we had been seduced into sitting outside in the sunshine spindle spinning. I came in eventually, just as the phone was ringing, spent a while chatting to my sister - for it was she - and was then thoroughly distracted by A Strange Noise.

Having failed to track down the source, I called for reinforcements in the shape of the DSM, who came to the conclusion that Something Was Behind The Washing Machine. Moving same is a nightmare in our kitchen, but he got it out, only in the process managed to tug on the cable, which meant that there was a violent green flash and we lost power in the kitchen - but I digress.

There in the gap, behind the water supply pipe in fact, was yet another ruddy mole, scrabbling furiously to get out. It did get out, but courtesy of the DSM's gloved hands. Did you know that if you catch a mole and put it in to a large plastic box to transport it to safety that it will scream? Very loudly? Most disconcerting!

Ruby, we presume.

Anyway, Saturday was Bradfors Guild's annual away day when we can dye. This year, it fell to me to lead a workshop using natural dye extracts, to fit in with our on-going theme of "innovation" in textiles and materials (I am doing a workshop on the new fibres early next year) Dye extracts are the simplest of things to use; I took along a reasonable range, and a great deal of fun was had, at least, that's how it looked to me.

I had prepared detailed instructions, gave a rapid introduction, and then let them at it - I stayed in attendance to field questions, problems, etc, but managed to get quite a bit of spindle spinning done as well!

A strong logwood dye pot caused much excitement.

I had also taken some instant indigo, which generally goes down well. I am perfectly capable of making an indigo vat (although I have yet to do it by the urine/fermentation method) but am very happy to just add water and stir most of the time. Unfortunately, I still don't know of a UK supplier for it, only pre-reduced which is not quite as simple to use.

Logwood, logwood exhaust, osage orange, quebracho red and indigo in this photo.

I hadn't used one or two of the colours before. "Teal" is a mixture of I know not what, but, hey - wow!

In this group shot, we have quebracho and logwood again, but also chestnut which was supposed to and pretty much did give a teal-type blue when overdyed with indigo, the teal extract itself - note particularly the different colours because of the different wool fibres - and in the front another new one to me, sorghum. I really liked this rusty red shade, and will be using it myself very soon.

Dyeing workshops are always a bit of a lottery and not necessarily my favourite thing to do, but I did enjoy doing this one. I hope the Guild member enjoyed it too!

Given that I have been doing, not surprisingly, a fair old bit of spindle spinning, I'm hoping to get a post on what I have been up to recently done. Meanwhile, can anyone tell me a) why this house is such a black hole and b) where my plyed ball of spindle spun cormo is.......

Please.

Done!

2010-08-14T11:23:00.000+01:00

Probably, for a while, done in - but today is a new day, and I am recovering, so....

I was right. It was not fun. For starters, the clinic I attended on Monday had booked me in at a time when the doctor had a difficult timed procedure on the go, so I had to wait around a lot. She was really nice about it, and made the sensible decision that it was better for her to finish that job and then attend to me. No-one's fault but the computer's, apparently.

She was also very nice about my apprehension, explained things very well, got a nurse in to hold me down (only a slight exaggeration....) and then when the damn process took longer than any of us had expected, kept apologising and giving me updates. Oh, and I swear, extra anaesthetic in the eye.

A thing a bit like a mini jeweller's loupe gets popped on to the eye - hence the anaesthetic - and the laser is targetted through this. Talk about getting ducks in a row - line it up: bambambam. Resight: more bamming. On and on and on. I felt like a bizarre sort of fairground sideshow. The giant head firing range.

It didn't hurt one bit, except that I had to sit braced in the frame for ages in a most uncomfortable position, and body parts kept cramping or otherwise complaining. The only really disconcerting thing was when she had finished and I could sit back and have the lense taken out - and I temporarily couldn't see. Vision came back quite quickly, though albeit rather blurry.

But - it is all over. (Nearly - I have to go back for a pressure check as mine is high borderline, but I think she is being super-careful.) I will now stop whinging...

The doc - most interesting. Very cool and professional. But wearing the coolest (in the other sense) outfit I have ever seen a doctor wear. Bright red fitted top, with ruching detail. Black subtly "puffball" or "parachute" style skirt, bang on knee length. Black tights with a red seam (She kicked up her leg and showed me when I told her I loved the skirt!) And high but not spindly heeled shoes. Very stylish and elegant. I think quite a few statements were being made there!

And there is other news. When I got home, the postman had been and Yarnmaker had arrived. So often people have said that they yearned for a UK-based spinning magazine, it took the courage and vision of Dot Lumb to actually do it. The first edition is great, and I am sure that it will be a success.

I think on both counts I need to say "Oh, brave new world....."

(OK, I'll slink off now.)

Ducks in a row!

2010-08-12T15:32:00.000+01:00

It can be done! Even if not quite in the way I had originally intended......

We had a lovely, lovely day on the canal, despite not-quite-perfect weather. There was only one heavy shower, and that early on, but the wind was strong. Which meant some difficulties steering, and also that it was quite chilly at times. But I am so not complaining.

Although the section of the Leeds/Liverpool canal that we were on runs quite close to a busy road, we were barely aware of it.

There were quite a few other boats around, despite some of the locks being closed, but a lot of them were day boats like us.

And there were more critters around, too, although perhaps not as many as we had hoped. I loved this brood - there were several large cygnets, but I couldn't photograph them all together because they kept shifting around most unhelpfully as they tried to con us out of some of our lunch.

And towards the end of the day, this little lot. Could this be any more Constable?

And then, we had a little adventure. This particular section of the canal has a lot of swing bridges. And despite there being a party not all that far ahead of us who had just gone through, when we arrived at one particular one, we could not shift it. We enlisted the aid of some passing cyclists, but still couldn't do it. And then fortunately, a larger boat came along, and the combination of pushing on the bridge in the normal way, and ramming it with the boat succeeded in getting us through. We left the bridge open! (It was, thankfully, a field bridge, not a road one.)

What is more - look carefully at the image, and you will see a balloon floating. Which read "Happy Birthday, Grandma". We did of course exchange suitable birthday greetings.

I used to think that I came from a long line of Norfolk poachers (actually, partially true). But after yesterday, when not having steered a narrowboat in many a year, and having the skill return quick smart and most satisfactorily, I have decided that I must have bargewoman bloodlines. And natuarally, my desire to go and live on a narrowboat has returned in full force. Although I do take the DSM's point that we would have trouble fitting in the stash........

I had intended to spin and knit, and went fully equipped, but in the event merely did a token amount of each. If I wasn't steering, I was very content sitting quietly watching the watery world go by.

OK, more fun, fun, fun tomorrow - not. Report later.

Something of a relief

2010-08-10T17:28:00.000+01:00

I had my appointment with the consultant about my eye yesterday morning. I had not been looking forward to it - imagination working overtime and all that.

I got myself all psyched up, insisted on an early start because the traffic was likely to be bad, all the usual.

No traffic - there way too early, but at least I had the first slot of the day, so the wait wasn't too bad. Nice nurse does a quick eye check "What can you read off the chart if I cover up the good eye? Er - chart??" (Not quite, but near enough.)

In to see the great man, who slides me quick smart into the torture machine, ie the gizmo you rest your chin and forehead on so that they can stare intently into your eye with an insanely bright light.

Va va voom. Gabble gabble. Scribble scribble. Yes, it is what we all thought (phew!) And it was at this point I was expecting the "but....."

And none came. First available appointment for da lady with da laser. I asked my questions - and to my great relief, my biggest concern turned out to be a nothing at all. Apparently, a vitreous detachment is a one time only deal, once it has happened, it has happened, and cannot happen again. Well, hot damn.

But yes, there will be floaters. He has put me down for a "gentle" lasering. I am - I think - somewhat reassured. The best news of all was that I could have it done on Friday morning!! Yes, the next one. So, not long to wait before all will be revealed all over again. Just going to keep my fingers slightly crossed just in case there are any nasty surprises like last time......

So, I came home and duly rewarded myself by playing with fibre. I had done a demo of creating a multi-coloured roving a la Deb Menz at AH last time, which I had started spindle spinning and very much liked the look of. So, having more of the same fibres - red, mid and pale pink, apple green and tussah silk - I made some more.

A loaded hackle.

Dizzing off.

Resulting fluff. (I will eventually post photos of the yarn.)

These pics are to my eyes showing rather redder than actual. The darkest colour is more like a strong raspberry, but is pretty dominant in the yarn. Quite nice, anyway.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and we have a Grand Day Out planned, a boat on the canal from Skipton for the entire day. We have to leave early, so we shall have picnics for both breakfast and lunch and then find a pub - or possibly fish and chips - for supper. We both of us love narrow boating, and haven't been able to fit in a holiday on one for ages, so this is going to be a real treat. The weather forecast isn't too bad, the food is planned, the books, binoculars, spindles and knitting organised.

How long did I say we were going for?

Anniversary

2010-08-05T16:18:00.000+01:00

I noticed as I published the post yesterday that it was 4th August - and that 5th August 2004 was the date that I started this blog. Six whole years.

When I did, I had no real idea where I was going with it - and I guess I still don't - but going it is, and reasonably well. There is the occasional hiatus, but nothing too shameful. And, probably most importantly, it does what I wanted, which is to keep me focused on spinning, dyeing, knitting &etc.

Even through this year thus far, which has been for us personally a difficult one, I have been able to sometimes ignore trials and tribulations, and concentrate on what is most important. Sometimes, that happens subliminally.

I wrote yesterday that I had ideas buzzing around in my head that I need to work on, and come to some conclusions. I woke up this morning, and those scattered ducks (or more properly, ducklings) had skittered themselves in to a provisional order, and I could suddenly see where I wanted to head. It is going to take a while to really come clear, and I am still intending to take my much needed August+ "holiday". But I am feeling quietly (and annoyingly, because I am not going to expound upon it as yet!) excited.

Here's one of the first photographs I ever managed to post on this blog, and something of a clue.

And because they are after all the most important things around here, is an old one of the cats:

Max the seal point was still with us then, of course, but although they leave us they are never forgotten. And I love this photo - I titled it "Armchair hijackers". These days, they mostly take over laps, or occasionally, the Ryeland sheepskin in front of the fireplace.

I should really include one of the DSM, but perhaps I will leave that until next week, when it is my birthday, and we have a Grand Day Out planned. Of that, more anon.

As some sort of a celebration, we are being told that there is a chance of seeing the aurora tonight, courtesy of the recent massive solar activity. I'm not convinced - there has been a lot of cloud of late, and it is only a long shot. But I am off to Coven, and I will keep my eyes peeled. That would be a treat indeed. Otherwise, I shall have to make do with cake from Bettys!

Knit Nation

2010-08-04T16:17:00.000+01:00

I'm certainly glad to be home!

But having said that, I am extremely glad that I went. It was a great event, very well organised, tutors all where they were supposed to be, helpful volunteers to point you in the right direction if lost, super market, lots of lovely people.

Slightly to my surprise, I ran in to many, many people that I knew, most of them entirely serendipitously - including those that I knew were going and that I had arrangements to meet at various times. I would come out of a door or go round a corner and there someone would be, just in time for a meal or ready for a chat. It was fabulous! I had been emailing back and forth with the friend who was coming home with me, and we had come to the conclusion that I would probably have to track her down to her teaching room. But I headed out in search of dinner on the first evening, and there she was, together with another person that I had wanted to find. So we went off in a gang and had a lovely Indian meal and a good catch-up.

The next morning I had no class booked, so I had a leisurely start and got in to the market early. I was not intending - and succeeded, more or less - in buying all that much. But I had Wollmeise in my sights.....

(Erk! Flickr has gone and modernified itself whilst I have been away, and I am not sure what this is going to end up like. Fingers crossed.......)

It was pretty impossible to take sensible photographs of the Wollmeise stand, because of the crush of people around it most of the time, and the enormous choice of yarns. So, hence just a tiny flavour. I bought three sock yarns ofr me, one as a gift for the poor, abandoned DSM, and a big skein of lace weight, also for me (oops.) Apart from that, one plait of pretty dyed fibre (not all that much fibre around as one should expect at a knitting event, I suppose) another set of Knit Pro dpns, a shawl pattern and a beautiful large button destined to be a shawl fastening one day. Oh, and a Knit Nation tote to put everything in!

I went to the Ravelry talk given by Jess and Casey that night, and was very glad I had done so. Most interesting and they seem an engaging as well as talented pair. Next day in the market, I was a shameless groupie.....

This was after my second class, which had meant an early start, as not only did I have to get breakfast, but as I had screwed up my lodging booking, I also had to pack and check out, ready to move to another student residence for Saturday night.

I treated myself to a taxi ride. Ulp. Expensive, but actually, well worth it, as not only did I have a lovely old-fashioned London cabbie from Essex, but the ride across the city was both interesting and terrifying. By this time, I was becoming somewhat overwhelmed with the constant noise, and seeing the huge crush of people everywhere made me realise just how much of a country mouse I have become - and glad to be so!

I did also manage to get a glimpse of the ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth, so that was cool.

Anyway, I had a peaceful night, and then hiked over to Kings Cross to meet N and get the train home - a lovely, uneventful ride with plenty of time to chat, admire the green or gold fields and KNIT!!

Monday we spent more or less just mooching around, with more knitting and chatting - oh, and a very little spindle spinning. Then yesterday, we took N up to her next port of call in Reeth, going via Bettys in Ilkley and the Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Shop. Where we all spent money, not just me! Even the DSM - some dark Wensleydale fleece and a pattern. It was a lovely day out, but a long drive, and after all the recent excitements, I am somewhat.....knackered.

I need some time to process a lot of stuff. In the last few weeks, I've had a lot of good conversations with various people, have discussed many possibilities and potential projects, and I need to get my ducks in a row. Actually, we both do. So, we are going to kind of take the rest of the month, and maybe rather more, as holiday. Well, apart from a couple of workshops........

Watch this space.

Just an ordinary day

2010-07-24T17:09:00.000+01:00

I have been doing the monthly AH class for slightly more than ten years, now. I actually find it quite hard to believe that, but I have the paperwork to prove it. People come and go, a lot of spinning (and other stuff) goes on, many a new spinner has been launched upon the world.

And we tell jokes, do daft things and have fun. So, this time:

We had a visitor. Who, given only a small amount of encouragement, would gaily sing "Splish, splash, I was having a bath". And for those who like me could sing along but not remember who the original recording artist was, it was apparently Bobby Darin.

Someone had won Supreme Champion at a local show with a handspun, hand knitted garment, and had to endure a lot of teasing about being led around the ring sporting the rosette, and also had to be Queen for the Day.

And in case any should think that we just spent the day mucking about, work was done.

Not quite what I had originally intended, but it went quite well none the less. I had scheduled "fibre blending", meaning types of fibre, but I left it late to get supplies and had to have a quick rethink. So I took along some different colours, some tussah and some throwster's waste; drum carders and a hackle - hand cards work well, of course, too.

This was one batt that I tried at home first, using our new Ashford drum carder. We chose this one because although smaller overall, it has much depth of tooth on the drum, and has a fitted packer brush. I think I am going to like it a lot. I'll have more photos of a project of my own soon, I hope.

It was as always a nice day, and the kitchen staff had pulled out all the stops for tea - we had cream and jam with our scones, a first in my recollection, as well as several kinds of cake. I actually am often very good and don't stay on for tea - I'm not sure if it was the right or wrong day to do so.........

What can I say?

2010-07-22T11:28:00.001+01:00

I'm here, I'm alive, I'm awake (kinda). And I have no photos, don't all scream at me at once. One at a time would be quite enough!

I have been doing a lot of things, but not so much fibre work. There has been a little (very little) bit of spinning, both wheel and spindle; some sock knitting (and unknitting, as yet again I realised that I had picked up for the instep before turning the heel, not a good look - or fit).

I could take photographs of a bit of stash enhancement that has been going on, with having had to take trips to both Coldspring Mill (Noro Silk Garden sufficient for a garment, Debbie Bliss silk for small shawls and a free skein of Araucania sock yarn because we were spending so much); and Adelaide Walker (for dyed merino for a colourful S-spun-on-a-spindle-shawl; but also class supplies, so not all wicked indulgence.....) This all in the interests of entertaining our visitor, you understand.

Who most definitely deserved entertaining. An early riser, she got lumbered with feeding the starving, starving I tell you, trio of cats who could not believe their luck that there was someone up and active at 5.30!!, and willing to feed them (plus calling in those who were apparently AWOL, guarding Ole Snaggletooth and even cleaning up regurgitated breakfast on at least one occasion.

Above and beyond, I tell you.

It has been a grand couple of weeks. I also need to say thank you for the most brilliant courgette (ok, zucchini) recipe. Coarsely grate aforementioned and throw in to frying pan. Scatter with grated cheese. Eat. Only, I did embellish a bit - cooked courgettes more or less, then made four depressions in the veg and cracked an egg in to each. Cooked a bit more, added the cheese and then browned under the grill. I rather over-cooked the eggs - will know better, next time.

It looked really pretty in the pan, and I should have taken a photograph, but it would have gone cold whilst I got the camera.

Then there is the super-fiery-hot homemade salsa. We bought chilis (sp?). They are mild, we said, intending to use, as normal, only one or two. Only somehow a further couple of packs came home with us and got thrown in. And they were not all that mild. Still, it is great salsa, and the addition of creme fraiche a stroke of genius.

So, now. There are things afoot that will be discussed in due course. Meanwhioe, we are having a few days off, (apart from AH tomorrow). Then I am off to Knit Nation at the end of next week, which promises to be fun, and I will take pics. A friend is coming back with me for a couple of nights, and then the rest of August is scheduled to be holiday, except for the appointment with the eye doc that I am trying not to think about.

There are ideas buzzing around in the brain about Projects - I am hoping that some time off will allow these to develop and just maybe even get started.

I may even write the odd blog post. Actually, I shall take the notebook to London, so there may even be some on-the-spot-reporting.

Whatever.

Poor, neglected blog....

2010-07-13T17:55:00.000+01:00

Although never too slow to write about other matters, I write this blog primarily as a means to focus and record fibre work that I am doing. As a consequence, when Real Life gets in the way and there is none to document other than a yard or two of yarn spun and an inch or two of sock knitted, the result here tends to be silence.

As at present. We have been busily occupied meeting people at airports, transporting them places, visiting other friends (most enjoyably) in the process, so on and so forth. Lots of chat; lots of things happening. But not all that much blog fodder, so to speak.

A little something to redeem myself. Last weekend was the annual Alston Hall Retreat, and although I says it myself as one of those organising this year, a cracking good one. But then, they always are.

Half of those attending were working under the eagle eye of Sara
I'm afraid I have no photographs of them, I was far too busy slaving away over in Housecraft very happily dyeing with Debbie.

We started off with a sample skein, thus:

I don't know why I had never thought of doing this before, but I hadn't. Debbie does this in a microwave, but it translates perfectly well to a pan; a Coven Dye Day is planned.

Then I painted blanks - two pairs of socks and a bag. I had to rush to get them all done, and completely forgot to photograph mine - here are someone else's as an example.

Whilst I was bag painting, the really keen ones were winding enormous long skeins for self striping sock yarn, which seemed to involve a very great deal of hilarity as well as serious work:

If you notice the two lilac lab coats here, imagine what the startling and somewhat creepy appearance of a roomful of people wearing those might be when coming upon it unawares...like some fifties sci-fi movie involving snatched body parts or something.

We are home and absolutely shattered. We keep falling asleep all over the place. I can't believe that this is all down to advancing years - surely.....

Although it is the DSM's birthday today! To be well celebrated this evening with a nice meal out. I am the designated driver, so stand a chance of staying awake, don't I??

Woolfest, primarily

2010-06-28T12:00:00.001+01:00

I had all sorts of good intentions of blogging during last week. Yeah, right, who was I kidding? I was either chilling or talking. Not even so very much knitting and spinning happened. But, by golly, we had a good time!

This is the Cocker just above where we were staying. I didn't take many photos of the actual place as it is still being refurbished after the floods, and the river banks are still showing considerable disturbance. But not so great an omission as we shall be returning nest year.

The great treat was the goosander creche. I had no idea that this happened, but what we thought was a huge family of young is apparently the creche - one of the previous year's juveniles becomes the childminder for all the baby goosander on a stretch of river. I do not envy them the task - zoom, zoom, zoom all day long, they can't half go. The greatest fun to watch.

Lots of other birds, too, but we didn't spend all that much time at actual watching - the DSM had forgotten to pack my binoculars for one thing! Prime kingfisher territory, though, so next year.......

Woolfest. Well, what does one say. Always good.

Stall (detail).

Congenial neighbour.

Utterly adorable babies.

Norman Kennedy!

Items displayed on the Online Guild stand that had been made from samples spun during our "Spin to Knit" workshop last year at Summer School.

In brief, it was brilliant. Not as hot as last year, which was a considerable relief. Very busy on Friday, but quieter on Saturday. Our sales were good, though. Met loads of friends old and new, talked until we were hoarse. Bought more stuff from other vendors than we probably should have, but, hey, we will use it and enjoy.

Drove home as usual (having packed up more efficiently, maybe we did sell more...)via Kirkby Lonsdale for a meal at The Snooty Fox, but sadly, we assume that it has changed hands and it has gone off drastically. Whereas last year, the restaurant bit was booming, this year there was just us and the food was barely adequate. We ate, is all you could say about it. We need to find somewhere new for next year, which is a shame, because it was a good spot to just break the journey nicely when somewhat knackered.

I'm allowing myself another day of recovery plus knocking off a few lighter tasks before preparing for setting off again on Friday for our next summer adventure. Should be a lot of excellent blog fodder upcoming.

But, finally......

Magrat and friend - donkeys make great lawnmowers!

Dye Day

2010-06-22T12:02:00.001+01:00

The Friday AH day was a dye day. And also, an experiment. Managing numbers had been a growing problem, and after a lot of discussion and talk, the powers that be offered me a teaching assistant - if I could find one.

Some few seconds of cogitation, and the blindingly obvious finally occurred to me. And so we had a trial run on Friday - the DSM came along. We thought tat it was well worth a go, we do of course often teach together. For the remainder of this year, he has enough leave to take if necessary - next year might require a bit more thinking about. But anyway, it solves the problem for a while.

It went really well. He took the three beginners, and I oversaw the dyeing. He enjoyed himself, and I did, and I think everyone else did, too.

Here we have the enormous vat of cow parsley. I had gathered it the day before and boiled it up, getting an extremely unprepossessing looking brown scummy liquor. But adding the alum mordant seemed to perk things up, and the resulting colour was an eye popping yellow that everyone, including me, loved. I think the cold winter and now the better than usual summer probably has something to do with it.

Result!

I had promised them indigo. I went hunting on the shelves, withoout finding much - then right at the back, I found aq supply of somewhat ancient instant indigo. I had no great hopes of it working, but it still smelt like.....indigo, so I did a quick test. And lo!! It did work.

So, I mixed up a strong vat, and let them loose. Much happy playing went on - indigo does that to people

So, we went home tired but happy - and then got up bright and early the next morning to pack to come up to Cockermouth and a few days peace before Woolfest. The weather thus far is utterly fantastic, and the cabin we are renting comfortable - right by the Cocker, which is why, of course, it is only just restored after being inundated. I will have photographs when I can get my camera back from the DSM, who is rediscovering his youth out on the fells. I'm happy - sunshine, coffee, a good internet connection, knitting....bliss!

We have already eaten at our favourite vegetarian restaurant, and spent a very happy few hours with a very old friend, her grown up daughter and two gorgeous grandbabies (and you don't very often hear me say that!) Called in at the Woolclip, too, and spent too much money. And that's even before Woolfest.....

And I am dragging the DSM round all the good ice cream spots we found last year.......

I may never want to go home!

Works in progress

2010-06-15T11:22:00.000+01:00

I was taken severely to task on Sunday at Bear Knitters for not having enough photographs on the blog lately. (I should also say, before I forget, that it was an excellent session. Very varied conversation, to say the least, and a great group of people.)

There have been reasons for this. One is now sorted - we have a booster aerial installed on the desk top, which has improved the signal no end (and strangely, seems to be improving the lap top as well, although I really don't see how that could be the case.) So, uploading images to Flickr is not longer the horrendous lottery that it was. Tick one.

The other reason is, that although I am steadily plugging away at all the usual activities, nothing is getting finished (somewhat bigger/lengthier projects than usual). So, maybe some interim shots of progress are called for?

So, here we go:

The upstairs sock. Picot top, weird heel treatment courtesy of the DSM. I knew I should have trusted my own instincts...Very nice yarn from The Yarn Yard.

Angora/silk on the Timbertops. Blindingly white in the light from the window. Still a pain to spin, I long for it to come to an end.

The Spiral Throw, in Noro. Plain vanilla knitting, but curiously comforting. I have loads of yarn - this is going to be one big blanket!

Alpaca and something from Fibrespates, being spun on one of my Golding spindles. Nice to do; probably destined for a scarf, if there ends up being sufficient yardage. Aimed at being a class sample.

And finally, Summit. Growing quite satisfactorily. I'm really pleased with the yarn, and given that this pattern has what could be a possible weakness in wear with the dropped stitches, I think very suitable for this project, as it is a good strong yarn whilst being pleasant to handle. Again, it is going to take a while to finish, I'm only halfway through one of three large balls, but it needs to be a good size to wrap around, after all.

I do have another pair of socks I want to cast on, and I am still browsing the amigurumi book (sorry!) Although the fit of startitis has cooled, it has not entirely vanished. More likely pushed aside in favour of Woolfest preparations. Are we ready? No we are not! (But we will be.) And AH on Friday, just to add to the brew. That is going to be interesting....I will try to report back if I have time and/or a signal. I'm hopeful of having internet access in Cockermouth, but not very.....

So, there's all the news that's fit to print at the moment. There is a lot coming up over the next couple of months. All good fun for the kiddies......

Oh - and can anyone tell me why Blogger's apparent spell check button now does ~~this?~~

Some progress and a spindle

2010-06-09T21:41:00.000+01:00

Only some; nothing dramatic. I continue to spin the angora/silk. The amount in the bag does not seem to diminish.....

The spiral throw/blanket is growing nicely. I really must photograph it. Trouble is, as it grows, it takes longer and longer to complete the circuit and therefore to up the number of ordinary rows to short rows, so it seems as if I am getting slower and slower. I think that probably final size is determined by how much willpower one can summon up to carry on as much as anything.

But I am spending more time on the "Summit" wrap (which also needs photographing) as the construction is so fascinating. It is actually very simple, little more than stocking stitch, but in the yarn I am using it is quick to work and I love watching the curves grow. (I tried adding a link, but Blogger is not co-operating for some reason - it is in the current Knitty, anyway.)

What I do have a photograph of is this.

I had some visitors wanting to talk about spinning this afternoon, and one of them brought this spindle to show me. It is Nigerian - she did tell me the exact origin, but I am ashamed to say I have forgotten. Very crudely made, very heavy, but spins surprisingly well. As you can see, just a not totally straight wooden shaft, and an iron "whorl", also uneven, and roughly welded together. Fabulous.

The water is still choppy, but the wind is dropping........

2010-06-04T16:16:00.000+01:00

By which I mean...

Wednesday, we went in to Manchester to see "Pygmalion" at the Royal Exchange. It was lovely, I enjoyed it enormously. So maybe that was why I wasn't really paying proper attention when walking back to the car, as I managed to not see a stupid little step outside Urbis and therefore crash ignominiously to the ground. Fortunately, the only real consequence was my damaged dignity, which I gathered around me and scrambled to my feet, assuring the pleasant young man who had come rushing up to offer help (in case the two old farts were really in trouble....) I did feel rather battered and stiff yesterday, but it has worn off. Phew. I did check carefully for broken or dislodged body parts, but everything seemed to swivel around and bend as it should, without causing untold agony!

The next day was the major milestone. The DSM went in to work.

Yes, indeedy, the first day of a hopefully long and slow phased return, which he coped with very well, probably better than I did. The hideously enormous fly in the ointment is that he has learned (they kept it from him before, sensibly) that the newish bosses have decreed that everyone is to move back to Lytham, probably in August. Again, he is coping with that better than I am, but I remember all too well how grim it had got before the move to Preston. I'm thinking of possibilities - but not moving, definitely not worth it for two years. We shall see.

So, he is at home again today - working a little bit - but this morning it was so gorgeous that we went out for a very short walk. It was already pretty hot, but so beautiful!

Pink purslane, which grows well in our shady woods.

And a few bluebells. There are loads more up in the Crags proper, but we didn't have time to go that far, and besides, it is half term and too busy.

And then, the finished and washed "Citron" from Knitty. I loved doing this pattern, pretty simple, but just varied enough, and with a series of "target" sections to keep you moving on. I shall, I think, do this again, but with a crisper yarn - quite possibly spindle spun. The yarn I used for this one is a merino/soy silk blend from South West Trading - very nice, but a little floppy, doesn't quite show off the gathered sections well enough.

I have now cast on "Summit", also from Knitty, which is similar in that it also has a series of sections to work through. I have nearly finished the set up bit, the yarn for this is a rather thicker one than I often spin, the purply merino and silk blend I have recently finished.

Spinning goes only slowly, no idea why. Partly, the angora fluff/silk mix I have on the Timbertops is fine, fine, fine - not frog hair, but still fine, and needs a lot of twist, so takes a while. I have found another bobbin of the Polwarth to navajo ply, having though I had finished that; I have some more ultra fine something or other on the Schacht, nearly done but not quite. I need to get the DSM upstairs on the pc to finish organising the SOAR trip, then it would get finished! I also have some chunky on the go on the Lendrum jumbo flyer. Not to mention one or two (ahem) spindle projects.

Still, I think the bout of startitis is nearly over, and I can concentrate on finishing a few things!