I felt much more human today! I LOVE honey, lemon and whisky (the early night might have helped too, of course). There must be a bug going round, though - there are a lot of people sniffling in my vicinity!
I have finished the scarf. It ended up shorter than I'd anticipated, but I am really quite proud of my first effort, and would be happy to wear it (it must look reasonable then - I'm really picky about my "home made" efforts and if they don't look "right", they never see the light of day!).
The order that I placed with Scottish Fibres arrived today - two skeins of banana fibre in blue-purple and white, another ball of Ashford Tekapo in Aqua and a ball of the Ashford Random. The banana fibre is odd - Carole had me spin some at my final lesson and it is strange, silky stuff; I found it tricky to spin and ended up spinning it semi-worsted. These skeins are a lovely colour, with a subtle sheen and are destined to become the weft for another weaving project (yes, probably a scarf, LOL). I have some Jaeger cotton yarn which will do nicely for the warp and rather than try anything clever, I think I'll just weave it as simply as possible and let the banana fibre speak for itself.
I have so many projects that I want to get moving on - I need a few more hours in the day and more days in the week, really. And I have a positive Everest of ironing to get through too, *sigh*! Will HAVE to start that tomorrow, as I am seriously running out of T-Shirts for work.
Tuesday 31 August 2010
Sunday 29 August 2010
Stupid summer cold!
I woke this morning feeling horribly bunged up and slightly "spacey" - and concluded that, since I had done nothing to deserve this feeling on Saturday, I must have picked up a summer cold.
Rats!
We did go to "Wings and Wheels" at Dunsfold, though. This year, it is being held over two days; this could explain the absence of cars in the "Club" area. The Morgan Owners usually go and we had hoped to see them, although we no longer have our old Morgan, but perhaps they will be there on Monday instead.
Still, we saw the Vulcan flying, and my other two favourite planes (Spitfire and Hurricane). We left early and got caught in the rain about a mile from home (fortunately, we'd stopped at Sainsbury's in Farnham and put the hood up on the Z3 or we'd have been drenched).
I think I need to catch some zzzzzzs. Thank goodness tomorrow isn't a work day!
I did manage to ply off the merino/silk blend this afternoon - it is definitely another one of my "specials", LOL! I have some other yarns of a similar weight, so they may all come together in the next weaving project.
We watched "The Golden Compass" on DVD this evening (from LoveFilm). This is the second DVD of this film that we've had from them and the soundtrack on both was decidedly "iffy". Constant crackling sound - most off-putting.
I took the opportunity this time to study some of the lovely knitted garments used in the film - I'm pretty sure that there are patterns on Ravelry (Lyra's hat for example, which looked as though it could be knitted from Rowan Country. I have a LOT of that yarn).
Tea and bed, I think! Or honey, lemon and whisky and bed - but definitely bed!!
Rats!
We did go to "Wings and Wheels" at Dunsfold, though. This year, it is being held over two days; this could explain the absence of cars in the "Club" area. The Morgan Owners usually go and we had hoped to see them, although we no longer have our old Morgan, but perhaps they will be there on Monday instead.
Still, we saw the Vulcan flying, and my other two favourite planes (Spitfire and Hurricane). We left early and got caught in the rain about a mile from home (fortunately, we'd stopped at Sainsbury's in Farnham and put the hood up on the Z3 or we'd have been drenched).
I think I need to catch some zzzzzzs. Thank goodness tomorrow isn't a work day!
I did manage to ply off the merino/silk blend this afternoon - it is definitely another one of my "specials", LOL! I have some other yarns of a similar weight, so they may all come together in the next weaving project.
We watched "The Golden Compass" on DVD this evening (from LoveFilm). This is the second DVD of this film that we've had from them and the soundtrack on both was decidedly "iffy". Constant crackling sound - most off-putting.
I took the opportunity this time to study some of the lovely knitted garments used in the film - I'm pretty sure that there are patterns on Ravelry (Lyra's hat for example, which looked as though it could be knitted from Rowan Country. I have a LOT of that yarn).
Tea and bed, I think! Or honey, lemon and whisky and bed - but definitely bed!!
Saturday 28 August 2010
My "Studio"
Also known as my dining room............... just a couple of photos of my loom and wheels, and some current projects.
 |
| The Traveller and the Traditional |
 |
| The Shetland that I scoured, carded and spun this week |
 |
| A silk and merino blend |
 |
| Ashford 32" Rigid Heddle Loom (and first serious project) |
 |
| A closer look at that project! |
Mission accomplished!
Three cats jabbed for another year (£96.00 odd, and that's with the discount!). Even though they are "indoor cats" and never go into a cattery when we are away, there is always that sneaking feeling that they may come into contact with a cat carrying something infectious and unpleasant when they are in the run outside.
Paddy was distinctly miffed that he had been left behind; he was on the dining room windowsill when we returned, doing his "poor little orphaned kitten" act.
My husband has just told me that Hobbes was using my work-in-progress on the loom as a trampoline this morning (!!!!!) I meant to wind the work on last night and didn't, so there was a significant piece of woven material for him to bounce on. He can't have done much damage, because I didn't notice anything this morning when I did a little more work on it. Still...............memo to self - do NOT leave the door open when there is work on the loom.
Paddy was distinctly miffed that he had been left behind; he was on the dining room windowsill when we returned, doing his "poor little orphaned kitten" act.
My husband has just told me that Hobbes was using my work-in-progress on the loom as a trampoline this morning (!!!!!) I meant to wind the work on last night and didn't, so there was a significant piece of woven material for him to bounce on. He can't have done much damage, because I didn't notice anything this morning when I did a little more work on it. Still...............memo to self - do NOT leave the door open when there is work on the loom.
Friday 27 August 2010
Cat Jabs!
Eeep! Three of the four cats have to go for their booster vaccinations tomorrow afternoon. This means getting three cat carriers out of the garage without them seeing them, assembling them and then persuading three wily Maine Coons that they WANT to go see the lovely vet.
We clipped their claws this evening - which should make the procedure less bloody. Fortunately they are a healthy bunch, so we don't have to do the vet trip too often. The fact that we only have to drive round the corner to get to the surgery is a blessing as well, although to hear them wail, you'd think we were shipping them to some Vile Prison.
This is our latest addition - at 6 months, he isn't included in the party tomorrow but will be going on Wednesday for a check-up. He's going to be HUGE!
We clipped their claws this evening - which should make the procedure less bloody. Fortunately they are a healthy bunch, so we don't have to do the vet trip too often. The fact that we only have to drive round the corner to get to the surgery is a blessing as well, although to hear them wail, you'd think we were shipping them to some Vile Prison.
This is our latest addition - at 6 months, he isn't included in the party tomorrow but will be going on Wednesday for a check-up. He's going to be HUGE!
Carded and Spun!
I have carded out some of the Shetland that I scoured on Wednesday evening and did a bit of spinning with it tonight.
It's turning into a "novelty" yarn - beautifully fine in places, but with lumpy bits in others. This only goes to show that I hadn't prepared the fibre as well as I could/should have.
I have some Jacob that needs carding - I think I'd better have a go at that and improve my fibre prep before launching into the Shetland again. Hey ho, I live and learn.
It's turning into a "novelty" yarn - beautifully fine in places, but with lumpy bits in others. This only goes to show that I hadn't prepared the fibre as well as I could/should have.
I have some Jacob that needs carding - I think I'd better have a go at that and improve my fibre prep before launching into the Shetland again. Hey ho, I live and learn.
My First Post
A little bit of self-indulgence, I guess, but since I've never been any good at keeping up a handwritten diary, I wondered whether my thoughts (clad in my purple prose) would be better recorded on-line. Hence this blog.
So....what am I all about? I'm fifty-four, married, work with my husband and last year I learned to spin.
2009 wasn't a good year for us; in August, we had a disastrous electrical fire at one of our two production units which put us out of action for a year. I had already arranged to stay with my cousin in Devon for the FibreFest weekend and my husband insisted that I should go. I'm glad that I did, because her smallholding is the most magically therapeutic place, her Shetland sheep are adorable and FibreFest was awesome. I "discovered" spinning - bought a drop spindle, brought home some of her fleece and set out to find someone to teach me to spin.
That "someone" was the lovely Carole.Over the next six weeks, with expert and patient tuition, I learned a lot about fibre production and how to spin on a wheel. I used to drive down to Liss every Monday morning for a two hour lesson. I swear that it was the only thing that kept me sane because dealing with the insurance issue was a nightmare - I no longer had a dining room because my office had been at the affected factory. The dining room table became my desk and I was surrounded by removal boxes full of files. Entertaining was impossible.
After much research, my husband Kevin bought me my first wheel - an Ashford Traveller, double treadle, double drive. I had both clean and mucky fleece from my cousin, so not only did I learn to card and spin, but how to scour too.
At first, I produced "knicker elastic" yarn - I guess all novices do that - but gradually my technique is improving. I have learned that I like spinning "in the grease", that I'm not awfully fond of the commercially produced tops that I've tried, and that Maine Coon cats are genetically programmed to supervise all spinning operations (and can and will remove the drive band if they think the wheel is getting more attention that they are).
As for spinning as a sanity-saver....in November last year, Kevin was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and had a kidney removed. Fortunately, the cancer was completely contained and he has made a full recovery but on Christmas Day, he had to have a partial removal of the gall bladder and complications followed. He was in and out of hospital until the end of January.
In between hospital visits and work, I did a lot of spinning. And knitting. And eating! Kevin lost 5 stone and I put on 2!
Fast-forward to July 2010 - while hunting for a seat for the porch in a local antique centre, we came across what looked like an Ashford Traditional wheel. The scotch tension knob was missing, the footman was swinging free and the flyer hooks (and other bits) were corroded but a renovation looked "do-able", so we bought it for £55. I sent pix to David at Frank Herring's in Dorchester and he confirmed that it was an Ashford (about 30 years old). It took a weekend, lots of TLC and Ashford Wax, a maintenance kit, new tension knob and Kevin's expertise (he had to take the wheel apart, hub and all, and re-glue it), but in the end, I have a Traditional that spins beautiful fine yarn.
As for the loom - all this yarn I was producing (some of which looked distinctly "individual") required an end use. I didn't think knitting would cut it and I was fascinated by the idea of producing cloth. Thanks to my mum sending me a birthday cheque, I was able to fund the purchase of an Ashford 32" rigid heddle loom and am teaching myself to weave.
So, that's me so far.............. we have to start the business from scratch as our customers have (quite understandably) found other anodisers and finishers to process their work. Financially, it has been and continues to be hard but we are determined to survive and prosper.
What am I going to do with this blog? I will post about my projects, my cats, my family. If it is of interest to others, then that's lovely.
So....what am I all about? I'm fifty-four, married, work with my husband and last year I learned to spin.
2009 wasn't a good year for us; in August, we had a disastrous electrical fire at one of our two production units which put us out of action for a year. I had already arranged to stay with my cousin in Devon for the FibreFest weekend and my husband insisted that I should go. I'm glad that I did, because her smallholding is the most magically therapeutic place, her Shetland sheep are adorable and FibreFest was awesome. I "discovered" spinning - bought a drop spindle, brought home some of her fleece and set out to find someone to teach me to spin.
That "someone" was the lovely Carole.Over the next six weeks, with expert and patient tuition, I learned a lot about fibre production and how to spin on a wheel. I used to drive down to Liss every Monday morning for a two hour lesson. I swear that it was the only thing that kept me sane because dealing with the insurance issue was a nightmare - I no longer had a dining room because my office had been at the affected factory. The dining room table became my desk and I was surrounded by removal boxes full of files. Entertaining was impossible.
After much research, my husband Kevin bought me my first wheel - an Ashford Traveller, double treadle, double drive. I had both clean and mucky fleece from my cousin, so not only did I learn to card and spin, but how to scour too.
At first, I produced "knicker elastic" yarn - I guess all novices do that - but gradually my technique is improving. I have learned that I like spinning "in the grease", that I'm not awfully fond of the commercially produced tops that I've tried, and that Maine Coon cats are genetically programmed to supervise all spinning operations (and can and will remove the drive band if they think the wheel is getting more attention that they are).
As for spinning as a sanity-saver....in November last year, Kevin was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and had a kidney removed. Fortunately, the cancer was completely contained and he has made a full recovery but on Christmas Day, he had to have a partial removal of the gall bladder and complications followed. He was in and out of hospital until the end of January.
In between hospital visits and work, I did a lot of spinning. And knitting. And eating! Kevin lost 5 stone and I put on 2!
Fast-forward to July 2010 - while hunting for a seat for the porch in a local antique centre, we came across what looked like an Ashford Traditional wheel. The scotch tension knob was missing, the footman was swinging free and the flyer hooks (and other bits) were corroded but a renovation looked "do-able", so we bought it for £55. I sent pix to David at Frank Herring's in Dorchester and he confirmed that it was an Ashford (about 30 years old). It took a weekend, lots of TLC and Ashford Wax, a maintenance kit, new tension knob and Kevin's expertise (he had to take the wheel apart, hub and all, and re-glue it), but in the end, I have a Traditional that spins beautiful fine yarn.
As for the loom - all this yarn I was producing (some of which looked distinctly "individual") required an end use. I didn't think knitting would cut it and I was fascinated by the idea of producing cloth. Thanks to my mum sending me a birthday cheque, I was able to fund the purchase of an Ashford 32" rigid heddle loom and am teaching myself to weave.
So, that's me so far.............. we have to start the business from scratch as our customers have (quite understandably) found other anodisers and finishers to process their work. Financially, it has been and continues to be hard but we are determined to survive and prosper.
What am I going to do with this blog? I will post about my projects, my cats, my family. If it is of interest to others, then that's lovely.
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