After Shock

Christmas is now over and we're into the new year, soon all the decorations will be taken down and (apart from those who still have allot of snow) the world will be back to normal. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling very washed out after this Christmas, maybe its the cold, or it could be the bout of flu that's been going round but now seems like a good time to sit down and heave a big sigh of relief. time to have a bit of a rest after all the merry making a little holiday before the norm is quite reinstated. time to look forward to the new year before we have to get on with everything again. I don't know about you lot, but after my very successful fibre diet, what little space i have has once more been swamped by batts and beautiful dyed top. a good sorting is definitely needed, but that can wait for now. I also have a lovely new toy to play with, a Fleece picker from Kaydessas. great gadget, really takes the strain out of picking fibre when i want to put fleece through the drum carder without shredding the teeth. now all i have to do is get dyeing!

Freezing fingers

Summer has definitely given way to autumn now, the wind is cold and the air has that strange fragile quality to it, the leaves are already thick underfoot and it won’t be long till the first frosts are coating the veg patch with spirals of silver. so I've decided to attempt to make a pair of fingerless gloves (cold fingers and spindles not being the best of friends), and this pattern for hand warmers I found on Ravelry appealed to me as they look well within my current ability level (otherwise known as the "what am I doing with the pointy sticks again?" stage) as they're knitted flat then sewn up the side and don't have finger holes (which are apparently "tricky" ).

so far they seem to going reasonably well, even though I seriously considered chucking the whole lot out the window after having to redo the first two rows at least 5 times (thankfully the parent showed me what I was doing wrong before I did anything I might have regretted).

Hopefully they’ll work out as I’m planning to make a pair for a friends birthday. I've alredy started spinning the yarn which, so far,  has been very interesting as although I’ve blended for texture and colour before, I’ve never blended for different fibre characteristics. As gloves the yarn needs to be soft and warm but also durable. So I decided to blend super soft merino fleece with some angora and llama and a bit of BFL and astle milk morrit to increase durability. This seems to be working pretty well but I cant realy tell how well its worked till I start knitting it up.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

I think I may be in love, I finished carding these batts a couple of days ago and i just cant take my eyes off them. considering they were inspired by a picture of shockingly pink chrysanthemums and creamy white tea roses they didn't quite come out as planned. granted allot of other things went into them in the process of carding, but I still cant believe how well they came out (better than I could have imagined.), I think they may actually be the best batts Ive blended since i got the carder (proof at least that practice does make perfect). I wish I could keep them all, they're so soft and light they just scream "spin me". but If i kept every batt I wanted to then there would never be anything in the shop again. so for your delectation, and to my great lamentation, I've released them out into the big bad world for everyone else to enjoy.

Why tidyness in a bad thing

I had a bit of a tidyup the other day and suddenly realised just how many batts I have carefully set aside over the past couple of months with the intention of spinning and then accidentally forgotten about . so it seems, as there is such dire need, I will have no choice but to embark on a spinning session of epic proportion. I've been at it for 2 days so far, with a bit of batt making thrown in for variety, and have so far produced 3 skeins (as well as 4 very large batts). hopefully today will be equally productive.
I've decided to enter one of my skeins in the local harvest festival show, how could i refuse when they had a  section labeled "craft work- any other medium". so far I'm halfway through spinning up some of my hand dyed fibre and whichever is my favourite is the one I'm going to put in.

Colour my world

I've been a busy bee this week, yesterday i woke with the overwhelming desire to dye some fibre. so, I got the kit out and mix the stock solutions with no clear idea of what colours I wanted, and this is what came out the other end...

I was a bit enthusiastic with the chopstick when it was in the pan and accidentally felted it ever so slightly in a couple of places, I've definitely learned to be more gentle next time. It finally dried overnight and I ran it through the ram carder this morning with some other goodies to turn out this beauty

I found the perfect pattern for my next knitting adventure, a lovely pair of fingerless gloves I found on Ravelry. My hands always get cold when I'm spinning in the winter and these look perfect, you knit them flat and then sew them up leaving a thumb hole. sounds nice and strait forward, especially as its got some stitches in the pattern i haven't used before. I've spun up 100g of  falkland/merino top dyed by BabyLonglegs, in a lovely turquoise/purple/blue colourway (Its actually brighter in real life) 

I've also spun a slightly chunkier skein in a matching colour, think I may knit it into a hat. I swear I'm going to end up with more hats than I'll know what to do with, maybe I should consider making some as Christmas presents or something.

I started spinning up some of my new silk batts, fresh off the carder. they were so nice i just couldn't keep my hands off them. I think I'm going to call them "nothing but blue skies"

the bee's are gathering up the last of the summers nectar, its getting cold and they're becoming less active, soon they'll go into hibernation in their burrows, snuggled up warm against the cold. I know how they feel, the sudden cold is making me want to curl up on the sofa in front of the fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate and stay there till spring comes round.

It's that time again

Yes, Lady's and gentlemen. I have finally got my head in gear and pulled my finger out to get spinning. There are only a couple of items, but it's my intention to get another post out soon. I just need to finish carding the last of the batts, taking some photos (weather permitting) and packing everything and then it can all go up. so, for now please enjoy the delicious selection of fibery goodness available.

But enough of that, I have even bigger news. I Finally finished the hat!!! and i did it with no help so I'm very chuffed. I still cant quite believe I managed it as i had to learn loads of new techniques, but whats more amazing is i think may actually have developed a taste for knitting. so expect more knitting projects here soon. possibly a hat if i can find a good pattern.

 but anyway, on to the piccies.

Doesn't it look lovely. Just  incase anyone wants to make one of they're own, here's a

link to the pattern on Ravelry. Enjoy!

these arm warmers are what i went on to do after the hat, they're so toasty and soft. I had such trouble taking a picture of them though.

All I have to work out now it what to knit next...any idea anyone?

Dreaming of Dubai

Ive been carding like mad, both my orders of fibre arrived practically on the same day so I have 20 batts worth to get through (about 2kg worth). so far I've managed 10, and I'm dyeing to start the next colour, but I'm trying not to overload myself (i tend to bite off more than i can chew, and that leads to trouble), so I'm taking a little break today.
anyway, here are some sneaky peaks of what will soon be in the shop. hope you all like them. I've been thinking about foreign climbs, so several are named after cities.

this one is called Dreaming of Dubai

and this one is called Damasdus, maybe ill make one called Istanbul to go with them.

the weather cant seem to make up its mind at the moment, right now its blustery and cold but very sunny (when the clouds don't sneak over) yesterday it was absolutely baking in the morning, then decided to downpour, even though it had been stormy overnight. very odd. more sunshine would be nice, then all the tomatoes will be nice and ripe, just ready for picking. the chicks have inherited their mothers Houdini like traits and are now living in the veg patch (we cant get them to stay in the run, they just escape every time we shoo them back in), this is good news as far as pests go, but bad news for my pak choi, as they seem to have taken a liking to it. they are incredibly cute though, so i can probably forgive them munching my stir fry staples.
I finally finished the 4 ply that is eventually going to be the strap for my bag, all i need to do now is sow everything together and then put the button on and it will be done.

hopefully it will be ready to wear very very soon.

Pour Passer Le Temps

Just a short post today, thought I'd show you all what I've been up to.

these two skeins are hopefully going to be knitted into a stripy pair of arm warmers as theyr so soft and lovely I couldnt bear to part with them.

As I haven't been feeling very well I decided to treat myself and test out some of  JazzTurtles new fibre, I mixed it up with a load of other stuff from my blending box and these beauties are the result.

As you can see I've been keeping busy. The bag will soon be done as well, I found some beautiful batik dyed cloth in the local fabric shop and have used it to line the inside, all i need to do now is spin a nice chunky 4-ply for a strap and then sow it all together.

Batt Bananza

I've just remembered that Monday is booked solid, so I've had to move the up date further into the week (possibly wed, have to see how it goes). therefore sit back and enjoy this alternative program of Eye candy instead.

 Ive finally finished my mammoth batt card (1kg of fibre!) so have lots of lovely goodies to share. I'm not going to show you everything, as most of it will be in the update and i don't want to spoil the surprise for everyone, but hopefully there will be plenty to drool over.

I made a massive 7 of these batts, which I've decided to call Tree Nymph. I'm also going to pull a couple into roving, which is always lovely to spin.

these are a new idea I had this morning (yes, they are that fresh), HotchPotch minibatts! great fun, never the same twice

this is something i spun for the tour de fleece, I was intending to include it in the update, but i just cant bear to do that, it breaks my heart too much. so I'm going to keep it instead, even though i have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it.  

this skein just screams Punk Rock, its got tons of attitude and goodies hidden in it.

the first of the Candyfloss Carnival batts, so lovely and soft.

Tree Nymph minibatts, very pretty.

Anyway, hope your all looking forward with anticipation now I've whetted your appetites, as there's more to come very very soon. 

Being Brave

Ive been at the drum carder again, having fun with the lovely hand dyed merino fleece that i was saving for a special occasion (well, until i was brave enough to put it through anyway).

Desert Sun. isn't it lovely, makes me want to go on a long Holiday somewhere hot. A friend of mine goes to Dubai once a year and when he comes back he always paints these amazing golds and cinnamon's and bright intense blues, maybe I'll one day go there and experience all those beautiful colours he loves so for myself.

this batt was so pretty i decided it deserved two pictures.

Today it the beginning of the Tour De France and (for those of us on Ravlery anyway) that means the beginning of the Tour de fleece challenge, which may possibly be my favourite spin-a-thon. I've been rummaging through my stash of fiber to come up with some beautiful fiber to spin, so expect an influx of lovely new yarns in the next few weeks. like this lovely falkland number (freshly spun today)

 

Bountiful Promise

Another scorcher of a day and the veg are beginning to look a bit desperate, have to get the watering can out this evening or wave goodbye to any hope of fresh salad in the near future. Really reminds you how close starvation is if you rely totally on what you yourself grow, drought suddenly becomes a much bigger problem than "oh dear, the lettuce have copped it, have to pop down the shop and buy one instead". On the bright side, we have baby veg appearing, cant wait till its all big enough to be picked and eaten.

I've been drum carding again, and though more pics may appear soon, this one is so lovely i had to share.

think i may call it something like Candyfloss Carnival, Its so lovely and fluffy, all cormo and alpaca and throwsters, with a big handful of merino thrown in for good measure

I'm also currently working my way through 200g of Falkland (isn't it lovely), spinning it nice and thin, just right for summer.

Mini Batt Madness

I really enjoy making minibatts, I made quite a few since i brought my carder I'm really getting into my stride with them, I think I'm even beginning to develop my own style (which is nice). I carded a whole load of them over the weekend so I'm just going to show you some of my favourites.

Aren't they lovely, sadly no matter how many photos I take I just cant seem to get them to look as beautiful as they are in real life. more practice needed on that count I think.

this is whats on my spindle (well, one of them  anyway) currently.

I'm attempting to do the felt add-ins technique from Lexi Boerger's book Intertwined. I have to say I'm struggling with it, but then again whats the point of choosing to do something challenging if it doesn't stretch your abilities. now i come to think about it, possibly my decision to vito the auto wrapping may not be helping, but ive got so far into it i may as well just keep going as i am.

My Favourite Hat

I thought it would be nice to show you something made with my hand spun (mix things up a bit), so this is my favourite hat. its made from a skein of my own hand spun (unsurprisingly), and its spun from one of my hotchpotch batts, (the first hotchpotch batt i ever made actually).

 My hotchpotch batt mixes are made from all the little goodies that get left over from projects, like pieces of top, yarn scraps, spare fiber from the drumcarder. I swear it must have at least 15 different ingredients, its definitely got at least 3 different silk preparations in there. anyway, I love it to bits, the pattern is by Ruth Stewart and was free on Ravelry. I should probably mention that i wear it inside out (i prefer the pattern of the stitches like that).

Batt Attack

I'm not feeling brilliant today, and I'm not sure why. I don't have a cold or hay fever, or anything concrete like that, maybe I've just got the blues. I was hoping it was going to be nice and sunny today to cheer me up, but sadly (despite glimpses of sun earlier) it has turned out to be one of those in between days. ah well, at least  its not heavy and humid. I was planning to lug the drumcarder outside and do some carding but i think i may do it inside instead (breeze is a bit chilly). but on the subject of drumcaders, I finally got up the nerve to card the fleece. and It was Awesome! I swear, in the last couple of days i have produced the best batts I've made so far. its like I've turned a corner or something, just goes to show that practice does pay off.

                                                                   

these are my first ever textured batts, the curly blue faced Leicester fleece I dyed was amazing through the drumcarder (though I need to be a bit more rigorous about picking the twigs out as i discovered half way through). I put the Falkland in as well as the bluefaced Leicester, and also quite a bit of kid mohair and silk. I was also going to put nepps in, but i never got round to it, and on balance, i don't think they need them anyway. I cant wait to spin them.

these are  my newest hotchpotch batts (there was only supposed to be one, but when i took it of the drumcarder it was 30g shy. so i made a mini batt to go with it to make up the weight). as usual they have a bit of everything in them as they're made from all the goodness that comes off that gets left on the drumcarder after I've finished carding a batt, and are lovely (though as usual very hard to photograph), there's even some of of the nylon I dyed in there.

these 4 batts are all my spindrift blend (lots and lots of silk in there besides other goodies, theres even a little alpaca), wonderfully smooth, think I've really got into my stride with smooth batts, which is nice. I swear i put about 8 different colours in them (somehow, it works),

I've also been planning a present for a friend shhhhh, don't tell them, its supposed to be a surprise but i cant work out what to spin, I've got so much beautiful fibre littering my bedroom at the moment (some mine, some other peoples) its really hard to choose. maybe I'll spin one of the top's i dyed myself, that would be a nice present and very colourful. hmm, have to think about it some more.

Going Batty

I have had my new Louet drumcarder (which I utterly adore) for 8 days now, I ran out of fibre by the 4th. I must have carded about 2kg at least of fibre and have ended up with over 14 large batts, at least 20 mini batts and 10 micro batts. I'm realy enjoying experimenting with all the colours and textures, i found the colour blending exceptionally satisfying. I have also discovered that taking picture of batts that accurately represent their colour is a lot trickier than I would have previously suspected, does anyone know any good tips or tricks for taking good batt photos?
firstly, to avoid confusion, you should probubly know that I always name my yarns and fiber blends, always have, don't ask me why though because I'm not sure myself. so that over with, on with the batt parade... Scummow (Cornish for things washed in by the sea)

lavender fields


one of my Hotchpotch batts


Cheshire cat

Clowning around

Apart from a few choice items I am saving for a special occasion and what’s left of the fibres too fine to blend on their own, my entire stash has gone through it. I must say though, that even though its arrival was delayed by a couple of weeks (props for the folks at Scottishfibers, whose customer service was excellent) I have had an immense amount of fun with it so far and am now impatiently waiting for tomorrow as it is Wingham wool works annual migration to Parr (a little village by the sea in west Cornwall) where they will be setting up shop for 2 days, therefore a perfect opportunity to buy more fibrey goodness to feed my drumcarder.