All Golden

The Summer sun seems, finally, to be creeping over the horizon. spring is definitely in the air and, due to being held back by the harsh winter, Cornwall is painted with golden fields of early daffodils. we are literally smothered in them down here, you cant go for a walk without falling over the things. the beaches are beautiful and the water is clear, if bone chillingly cold. the wintry winds are still roaming around though leaving a toasty day to turn chilly very fast, so keep that coat on a little longer, you might just need it.

I think i may have finally figured out why I've been in such a slump with the spinning, I started a spinning journal the other day (something I've been meaning to do for ages) and suddenly realised I'm making the same yarn over and over ...semi worsted, slubbed, aran, 2ply, spun short draw,  ....I'm am the proverbial record stuck on a scratch. so i consciously chose to do something new, something i haven't tried before, something that would push the envelope so to speak. and this is what i ended up with...

And I Loved it! i had so much fun and really enjoyed it, even when i overdid the uneven plying and one of the singles gave up the ghost it didn't phase me. well, OK, i did swear a bit when it wouldn't splice back together but a nice square knot sorted that out a treat.

Since i haven't blogged in a while (yes, yes, very bad me) i have loads of lovely yarns to show you. and this one (Weedy Seadragon), and its identical twin, are going to be a lovely scarf in this pattern. I've got the yarn, I've found the knitting needles, now all i need to do is work out what on earth a YO and TURN consist of and I'm in business.
Anyway, enough of that for now...Bring on the eye candy!!

 Cherry Red, hand dyed Falkland spun super bulky

 Sweet surprise, hand dyed Falkland spun bulky

Perfect Day, merino, nylon, mohair, throwsters spun bulky

Buisy, buisy, buisy

Life has gone nuts recently, Ive got a couple of fairs coming up and I suddenly realised i didn't have enough stock. so, as is traditional, I've been working like mad to make everything I think I'll need. the good news is that there should be some up dates to the shop very soon as I've been spinning skeins, dyeing top and knitting some pretty funky gloves. as i cant fit everything I've made into a post i thought id put up a small selection of my favourites for everyone to drool over. enjoy!

these are some of the Mad Mitts I've been knitting, their so textured and gorgeously soft. the ones on the right are hand dyed by me, the others are going to be my mothers Christmas present.

some of the Falkland I've been dyeing

one of my newest hotch potch batts, which will make an awesome hat when its done.

anyway, back to the madness that is currently my life.

If you fancy seeing my shop in person I'll be at the following fairs.

23rd Nov, Lizard Christmas market, Lizard reading room.

6th Dec, Helston Eco fair, coinage hall.

If any ones passing by, stick your head in and say hi.

Keep warm, Keep knitting

OK, I'll admit it, I may be addicted to knitting gloves. In the last week Ive managed about seven pairs and am now on my eighth (which is pretty decent for someone who only a few weeks ago hated knitting). After the first couple I even got confident enough to start writing my own patterns, which, surprisingly, wasn't actually as complicated as i thought it would be. I've got a couple of local shows lined for December, so have been making things like mad. I even started making some very nice beachcombers jewelry, which I love, even though I have managed to glue my fingers to just about everything in the process (bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "sticking with you"). I need to get it together and do some spinning (the knitting has taken over slightly), maybe the dyeing I've got planned for the weekend will kick it into gear (I'm thinking deep reds, though I'm pretty spontaneous with the colour mixing, so i might get something serendipitously unexpected).
Its definitely cold outside now (and that's saying something for Cornwall) So I hope everyone is wrapped up nice and warm. We've started lighting the wood burner in the evenings and its lovely to sit and work in front of its flickering warmth and watch the dancing flames float across the glowing logs. soon we'll have this years first frosts, so keep warm everyone, and keep knitting.

All Blue

Happy Wool Week everyone!
I finally finished the gloves, they're lovely (if a bit loose), I had to adjust the pattern for the yarn, but i obviously didn't get it quite right. never the less, they're lovely and warm, and super soft. I even made a pair for a friends birthday.

Ive had blue fingers all this week, but its not from the cold, its because I've been dyeing . so far I've come out of it with 500g of some lovely falkland top and 200g of fleece, all of which I love.

some of the colours didn't quite come out as i thought they would, mainly as i hadn't squeezed quite enough water out, but they're beautiful and i cant wait to spin them 

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.

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?

HOW TO...use a nostepinne

I'm a big fan of nostepinnes, I like them for their simplicity and portability, and since all my yarn comes in skeins i thought it might be nice to do a tutorial about how to go from a skein to a ball of yarn using one. so with a little sunshine and a helping hand to take some of the pictures, here you have it, my first ever tutorial.

all you need is a skein of yarn and a nostepinne (though anything from a loo roll tube to wooden spoon handle works just fine)

open up the skein and place it over something like a chair or your knees, though if you can find a willing victim  volunteer to hold it open they work best.

untie both the ends so the skein so it will reel off freely.

wrap one end of the yarn around the nostepinne about half way along (if your right handed its easiest to do this from right to left). I tend to wrap the yarn over itself as it stops it from slipping off when your not holding it.

wind the yarn around the nostepinne until its covered about an inch...

then begin to wrap over that yarn, from the bottom right up to the top left turning the nostepinne slightly as you go so each new wrap sits next to the one before.

continue to do this until you run out of yarn, then tuck the last few inches under one of the previous wraps to prevent the ball from unwinding.

wriggle the nostepinne out from the ball, and there you go, one nice, tidy ball of yarn ready to knit.

Happy knitting everyone!!!

Rock Bottom

Having hit rock bottom energy wise I am now attempting to climb out of the hole created by catching some sort of bug (species unknown) which has caused me to sleep almost nonstop for the last 4 days. other than that i have zero symptoms , not even the sniffles, so there does seem to be an upside.
I have finally started a knitting project that has been on the cards for quite some while now, a knitted bag. right now its still unsown as I'm going to get some material to line it with, and hopefully a catch, later in the week. I used a lovely hotchpotch batt which i spun into a chunky single for the project and it looks so good, now all i have to do is make up my mind about how i want the strap (I like my bags to be hands free, less hassle that way) and it'll be sorted.

there are also some beautiful yarns in the works so expect, I just need to set the twist and then i can photograph them.

After the Rain

I have officially fallen off the band wagon with the spin-a-thon, I've been at it a little (which does count I suppose) but the enthusiasm just isn’t there right now. but today the sun is shining (which is nice as recently we’ve been having that much needed rain, and when it rains in Cornwall it really goes for it) and I’m going to get out and have a good walk which should cheer me up no end.
The knitting is coming along as well, though its still at the uninspiring stage, cant wait till it actually looks more like a hat and a little less like an amorphous mess. But in the spirit of optimism I’ve included a photo for everyone to enjoy.

Yarn Dreaming

I've been spinning like a daemon, well, except for yesterday where i got slightly caught up in carding some beautiful batts. I usually name my yarns after the blend, so the first is called candyfloss carnival. I haven't named the second one yet, I usually don't name hotchpotch batts, but this one is so special i think it deserved one...have to have a hard think and see if i can come up with something appropriate.

I've also started the knitting project with the the green yarn (subsequently decided to name it sea green), no pictures as yet though as its at the visually uninspiring stage. I feel a bit like I've jumped in at the deep end. previously all I've ever knitted are scarves, and the typical plain all the way down variety at that. this is a hat on DPN's and I've also had to learn to cast on, which was rather intimidating to say the least. haven't quite got the hang of the juggling you have to do to knit with 3 needle's in your hand at once, its trickier than it looks. anyway, hopefully it will be far enough along soon that i can take a couple of pictures to share with everyone. hopefully it wont drive me nuts before then (this is my first attempt at actually enjoying knitting, so far its going quite well as i haven't thrown it across the room yet),hopefully this will continue.

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).

Yarn Pile

Sadly the lovely weather we've been having has broken and now the rain is falling, ah well, at least its good for the garden. Wouldn’t want the peas (which are only about a foot tall at the moment) to shrivel up after all, especially after all the trouble we had getting them to sprout in the first place. I finally have some yarn to show everyone, its not that I haven’t been spinning (I have), I just like to save up my skeins till I have a decent amount so I can finish them all together (less hassle that way). I've been playing around with thick and thin singles (some very large), I’m going through a chunky yarn phase at the moment and chunky with slubs has always been my default yarn. If I stop concentrating I automatically start making slubs, I suppose you could call it my autopilot setting.
so here they are, in no particular order. beech trees, Cheshire cat, two i have yet to name, summer lightning and fruit cocktail.. Enjoy!