Finally!

I have been trying for several days to actually get to writing a blog post. But life this week as been a bit more hectic than usual, at least in terms of my social life!

Viz: cinema, lunch with Friend, dinner with DB/SIL, day out and lunch with another friend, Coven, coffee with another friend, visit to mama, opera, and finally - Bear Knitters.

Pauses to draw breath....

It has been a good week. I even managed quite a bit of knitting (although much less spinning, which I must try to remedy today, before I get withdrawal symptoms.) And - reason for wanting to blog , well, at least one among some.....I finished my purple shawl.







It's nice. Lots of mistakes, but it looks ok, and is lovely and soft, and for all the small size will, I think, be cosy. It seems - if I stick with relatively straightforward patterns, I can just about manage something approaching lace. So, next up, and for a travel project to boot, the bottom up version of "Birch". (I was going to put a link, but they all seem to be to unknown personal blogs. If unfamiliar, it is easy to google.)

I had intended taking some nice, easy fingerless gloves, shamelessly ripped off from one of the friends I saw during the week, but they are such a fast knit that they will be sone before I go. So, I need to decide on a fresh sock to cast on, and should that be plain or fancy......dunno, guv. I have to take sock needles for my workshop, so I could even take the wherewithal for two - depends on how+999999999 - well, whatever I was going to say has vanished because of the (obvious) interruption by Neelix. Who was desperate for a cuddle, and who could refuse?

Anyway, I have carved out a little time from the necessary rounding up of equipment, clothes and so on that has to start now, really, to avoid any last minute panics on Tuesday. We need a calm, quiet, early night if I have to get up at sparrowfart on Wednesday and then be in a hot sardine can for twelve or thirteen hours. Is it worth it? You bet!

Fly away and home

We had a lovely - well, few hours, really - in Cornwall. DMIL was looking and seeming very well, if somewhat curmudgeonly about modern life (I forgave her) - otherwise full of good humour and very welcoming. We spent time happily chatting and doing puzzles - I was in excellent form with the crosswords, surprising myself more than anyone.

We went out to lunch on Saturday to one of our regular pubs. This one, in fact. We all of us felt like going to the sea, even though it wasn't quite the nicest of days. And they do good fish there.



Plus they even supplied a cat immediately adjacent to our table!



After returning DMIL for her afternoon zizz, we went to all the usual places.







There was a lot of this weed on the beach, making interesting shapes.



You should, by virtue of my having played around with Photoshop, be able to see that these are cormorants.



There were maybe half a dozen of them luring by the harbour entrance, because there was a shoal of fish there. And of course, being a Saturday afternoon, several fishermen on the harbour wall. One of them managed to hook not a fish, but a cormorant, and we stayed for ages in the biting wind watching as several men extremely carefully caught and disentangled the hapless bird from hook and line, not a particularly easy task. It was seen for several minutes looking considerably agitated in the harbour, and then it headed out to join the rest, who had been hovering in a rather anxious way just out in the open bay.

I took several other photos, but not surprisingly most of them are variations on a theme. I did take one indoors - DMIL has always picked the last of the summer's hydrangeas to dry for winter decoration, and this one was such a fabulous colour I couldn't resist it.



I also spent quite a lot of time knitting the border on the purple shawl and have only a very few inches left to do. There will be photographic evidence shortly!

And now, a busy few days before we leave for SOAR. Not just the washing, ironing and packing, but also socialising and even organising a little business - no details as yet, but I'm hoping a couple of new things will open up.

And tonight - The Time Traveller's Wife. I'm nervous! I really liked the book, and one can never just tell with a film!

Moving on....

The battery charger for the camera battery has disappeared. I wish I would stop losing things, not all of which turn up again. Mind you, the DSM is probably now worse than I am. Last night, he was thrashing around in the sitting room plaintively demanding "where are my glasses?" and I was (ahem) paying the appropriate amount of attention. Until suddenly the question stopped, and he did have the grace to roar with laughter, because his glasses case was in his hand.

We seem to have reached that stage. Uh huh.

I meant to take a photograph of the purple shawl, but I forgot (what was I just saying?) Perhaps I will simply wait until it is completed - I can't have many more rows of body to do, and hopefully will be able to take it on the latest flying visit to Cornwall this weekend to work on.

I continue to spin the white faced woodland. And have just dyed a couple of skeins of it. I was given a small quantity of bits of walnut hull - I am not a great fan of dyeing with walnut, unless it has been gathered by me or a friend, as this was. After all, there are lots of nice natural coloured fleeces around, so why dye brown? Although this is quite a pretty colour.



Then, at AH on Friday, there was this ginormous Masham fleece, which somehow clambered in to the car and came home with me. Not the greatest of fleeces, probably ram by the....aroma....and looks maybe a bit coarse. But I have only washed a tiny bit so far, and it may prove better inside the giant bundle. But I wanted actual fleece for "the project" whatever that turns out to be, and there it was.



(OK, can someone tell me why the Snowshoes lick things like shiny cardboard, photographs, glossy magazines? What possible nutrient can they be lacking that could be this supplied? One of them has just been at the recycling pile next to the pc. Weird little animals!)

Ah was a good day, as ever, with no less than three beginner spinners. Unfortunately, only one of them got it in the time. Though for once, I am not blaming myself! On the way home, I remembered that I am signed up for Maggie Casey's teaching spinning class at SOAR - I shall see if I can raise the problem I encountered with her. If anyone can help, Maggie can!!

Saturday was a bright and glorious day. We went to my niece's housewarming and birthday party for a while, and I am thrilled to announce that she has won a prize!
For this. It is a little startling to one of my generation, but I genuinely like it a lot. It has her signature wit, and I like her fascination with the things that are overlooked or discarded. Anyway we sat in the garden for a while, and then had to depart early because we had tickets for the first opera of the season. Werther, by Massenet, which I didn't know and had not expected to like, but did. Apart from wanting to slap Werther for being so daft as to shoot himself for love of an unattainable woman. The music was super, though, great performances. And just nice to be back in the theatre.

Sunday we were pretty tired, and chilled out - how nice - we have managed a few days ike that recently, which can't be bad.

So - now. Do I go on a battery charger hunt, or spin?

Duh.....

Rural vignettes

The morning dawns (figuratively speaking) grey, cloudy, misty. Madam Ruby has popped in, deposited the morning rodent into the litter tray, and disappeared again. Fortunately, not for too long.

The doorbell rings while I am in the shower. Later, when I remember to think about it, I find a plastic bag hanging on the door knob, stuffed full with Wensleydale locks. Now, that is a good sort of delivery to have! And I also know that it comes from barely a mile away up on the tops, giving an extra (spin? twist? lustre?) to buying locally. That's a good start to the day.

The weather picks up, after I get back from the local market. It isn't a farmers' market, but I do notice that there are more stalls selling bread, baked goods that are from very close by. That's nice to see, even if I don't often buy from them. The fish, which I do buy, comes fresh every Thursday from the west coast, which is as local as you can get to here for fish, so I suppose that is something.

By mid-afternoon, after I have made an initial browse through the latest Spin Off, the sun is shining warmly, and I make a foray up on to our eccentric garden to pick spinach for our supper. The neighbouring house (not the other half of ours, wherein resides the Troll) is owned by the Trust and is a holiday let. All this week, whoever is in there has been practising the English concertina whenever there has been late afternoon sun, and he is doing so as I go to start back to the house. But it is too nice - the warmth, the bright light on my face, the music (country dance tunes).

So, I sit there for...well, I don't know how long, and it is bliss.

And then a neighbour arrives on the doorstep offering rhubarb crowns. Now, despite the fact that is is a little bit the horticultural equivalent of ginger beer plant, I accept gratefully, as we don't have any at all, and rhubarb is well known as a spring tonic......crumble, anyway.

As I have been feeling....seedy, this week, with the strange non-cold virus, and am only just beginning to feel human again, this is all a most excellent boost. I have AH tomorrow, which I look forward to, but I do know that I have three beginners in the class. This is probably the maximum I can properly manage, and do something meaningful for everyone else.

Which reminds me, I need to add three beginner spindles to the to-go pile.

Yet another scarf

The scarf knitted from the camel and silk has been finished - knitting and dyeing. This is the "before" version:



I had originally thought that a teal/blue sort of colour would look nice. But I sat and stared at it for a while, and thought to myself that the natural colour was beige, which would tend to dull down those colours. Whilst something in the gold/red/.....tawny would be enhanced.

Tawny, of course, being inspired by the season.

So I dragged out the famous free dyes liberated from the former carpet factory to see what I had, and then flew entirely by the seat of my pants. A quarter teaspoonful of "Bordeaux" with a tiny bit of "(something) yellow. Eyeballed in the container when mixed with a little water, it didn't look right. Bit more yellow - nah. Sprinkle in a little bit more - yeah!

Don't you just love my scientific method of dyeing?



But I just love the colour I got. Maybe my instincts aren't so dusty? After all, I don't need to exactly duplicate this colour, and I could get into the same ball park, all the while the dyes last.

Today didn't turn out quite as I had imagined. I had completely forgotten that a friend was coming over, and had just finished leaving her a lengthy answerphone message to say that I didn't feel so great with the cold and that the DSM had to have an emergency visit to the dentist, when she arrived.

Oops.

Still, it all worked out just fine - the three of us had a nice lunch out, and a bit of a chat, did a bit of knitting (all three) and it gave him a some respite from worrying about his doomed tooth. Which will likely come out on Friday, when his INR had been checked, because the sensible dentist doesn't want to yank it if the DSM is then going to exsanguinate in the chair! It's a shame, they have worked hard over the years to save the gnasher, but have finally lost the battle.

Sorry if that is TMI - blame it on me being sat here writing blog posts at some stupid hour again.

(watch this space)

I don't know what title to use for this post. Perhaps by the time I have finished writing it, inspiration will have struck? Or not?

We had a great day yesterday, teaching a spinning workshop. We were revisiting "old friends", always a pleasure. But I had taught a spinning workshop with them previously, and wanted to be careful not to repeat too much, whilst at the same time giving those who were new to the Guild (and newish spinners) something to get their teeth in to. So we did basics in the morning and then played with spinning colourful yarns in the afternoon.



We had fun!

I did really enjoy it, which considering I have something of a cold sort of thing, is good going. Ah, well, get it out of the way before our trip.......

Speaking of colour -





The virginia creeper is turning the most glorious shade of red. This is one of the compensations for the summer ending and autumn beginning - all the wonderful reds and tawnies. Our foliage is by and large not overly spectacular these days - I am sure that woodland used to blaze with colour much more than it does now. (Unless that is in the same false memory folder as those long, hot summers of our youth?) But there is fabulous colour to be seen still here and there.

And, finally, colour in a finished object!

These are the fingerless mitts from Felt Studio UK's batts that I bought at Woolfest.



I had envisaged some slightly different originally, longer and more ornamented, but in the event, the way the yarn turned out (very nicely) that didn't seem so appropriate, and I ended up with something rather more functional. I do actually have a small amount of the yarn left, so I might try out a less functional and more decorative neck piece. (Long pause for cogitation.)

No inspiration has struck for a title, though, and my head is feeling decidedly muzzy. Lunch, and then I shall drag my sorry arse and my knitting out in to the garden for a while, as The Sun Is Shining!!

Heigh ho

Twelve o' the clock and all's well.

Not exactly. I'm awake, when I don't want to be.

Being awake and a'doing at midnight is fine and dandy when you have said to yourself "OK, so I'm a night owl (true) and I am going to stay up until the wee smalls doing this and that joyously selected from the catalogue of Things I Like To Do. But when you have settled down all comfortably curled up with the usual suspects who share the bed with you, listened to one and a half podcasts and - bammo - suddenly you are totally conscious and unsleepy with wee, wandering aches in various parts of your anatomy. Well, that's a bummer.

So, the philosophy these days is to get up, do something from the next day's "to-do" list (which can't be noisy, otherwise the DSM gets disturbed, so boring vacuuming is out) (And so is making the phone calls on tomorrow's schedule, for, obviously, the same reason.)

Hence, a blog post, albeit a photoless one as crashing around the house gathering the necessary would likewise be ditto.) To be followed by some spinning. All washed down with a nice cup of herb tea. Which I could, more pretentiously, call a tisane.

I am probably awake and slightly aching because of having been at a Valley Fibres meeting. The chairs are not the most comfortable in the world, and neither is the wheel I took, the Little Gem. Is there such a thing as the perfect travelling wheel? I ask myself by the way. Anyway, a very pleasant evening, talking about spinning, and wheels, and people's alpacas. And the recently discovered knitting group in HB, which is to be investigated tomorrow evening, by someone else, not me - though I will probably try to get there soon.

And Sunday was the Bear knitting group, another lovely relaxed occasion. Good company and dam' fine cake, going some way to not having Thursday evening cake, as the coven is otherwise occupied at the moment and so not convening. Can a coven convene? I rather like the sound of that.

Went to Adelaide Walker last Friday, for (mainly) workshop supplies. I was reasonably restrained. Although I might have to go back before we leave for SOAR, as SueB has made a request for cashmere which can't be fulfilled at present but maybe can within the time. Such a hardship.

The same current projects have been worked upon - the Whitefaced Woodland is spinning up fast and satisfactorily, and I should soon be able to do some more dyeing; the green and purple mitts make slow progress, and I have decided that the top bit on the completed one is too big, so I am making some decreases in the second which means that the first is going to have to be frogged back to just above the thumb. No biggie; if I could just spend some solid time on them, they would be done in a trice.

But no - I start another mini-project. The pretty dyed Polwarth that I S-spun and left as singles for crochet is being crocheted. Into a bag, what else. Which will be lightly felted. It is nice to work, and I very much like the way the colour behaves and appears in double crochet (that's UK double crochet....) So much so that I am exceedingly tempted to grab one of the kilos that is meant to be stock and do it all for a more major project. I could really do with a new waistcoat.......

So, that's the news that's fit to print. Now for a little soothing spinning......