Woolgathering

Forgot to say - I hoard jam jars. Ostensibly for preserves, I amass far too many for use on the intended manner, and occasionally I rationalise the bags of rubbish.

The other day I was clearing them out before we went to the bottle bank. Mr L asked for some of the nastier ones, to go into the garage as paintbrush cleaning pots and screw storage etc. I spotted the Lloyd Grossman sauce ones (Lidl sometimes do them on a BOGOF basis and we like the green curry ones) in his hands and suddenly realised that I had a far better destination for them. I seized them back and went to clean the label glue off a little better than I had done previously…

…and today I began to sort out little pots of colour. I’m putting scraps of fibres and small embellishments in colour-sorted jars. I’ll decorate the lids at some point, as they aren’t pretty at the moment, and then I’m going to line them up on the windowsill in my workroom as storage cum decoration cum inspiration. They are nice jars, they have a pleasing shape to them.

The only thing is, I don’t have enough jars of the same shape to sort all my colours in a totally aesthetically pleasing manner. I’m going to have to buy more curry sauce!

Spinning

I’ve plied two bobbins of my early Jacob spinning and it is now both skeined and soaking in the sink. It was funny to see how the spinning had improved so rapidly across the two bobbins. I shall have to mix up the 5 balls before I knit my wall hanging, or it will be a very funny shape indeed!

I had a spiffing time yesterday. I really did. I found that I was relaxed and happy and perfectly able to talk to people who asked me questions - without stopping spinning to do so! I didn’t even blush furiously when complimented on the fineness of my spinning. I didn’t even demur…

It is strange to think that only a few weeks ago I was fretting about the demo and how I would never be ready for it. I kept wailing “I can’t possibly do this in front of people!” and I meant it.

I owe much to those very kind readers who sent me tops and roving. They know who they are, and they have my heartfelt thanks and gratitude - as does my wonderful husband. I really would not have made it without my new wheel, I am sure - and the gifts have given me time and space in which to settle to spinning without tussling with carders and combs and knotty tangles.

I had a lovely fibery conversation with a lady who spotted the mohair/merino tops that I was given. She was something of a fibre junkie and she was asking about character yarns. I showed her my first three balls of Jacob, and I think she would have made off with it on the spot if she could have, she stroked it and said she loved it and it was her favourite item on the table. I didn’t cave in, though - it’s mine and I do plan to knit it up when I have plyed the rest of my early Jacob spinning.  This I can do now, because I finally have the new driveband on the Haldane. In fact, I think that I may go and do it right now. I fancy a change of activity.

I have been working on the second Hedera sock. I’ve made a fairly serious error - I seem to have skipped a row on the 4 row lace pattern. Unfortunately the error has occurred right at the point where I picked up the gusset stitches and I find myself enormously reluctant to tinker with it now, so the error will probably remain - testament to the notion that nothing is perfect.

Whatever - the old arm/shoulder thing  is complaining. It seems to take very little knitting now to set it off. The best thing I can do, save giving up all my obsessions interests is to rotate activities, and not do any one thing for too long a stretch. Plying up the Jacob sounds like a really good idea, much as I want this sock completed and out of the way. Do you think it possible that I could teach my Dragon to K1P1?

finished cheviot

Originally uploaded by demiurged

I niddy noddied my last bobbin of plyed Cheviot this morning. Here’s my first really knittable handspun. Proud? You bet!

The two scratty skeins on the left are the leftovers from plying bobbins together. I learned Navajo, or chain, plying with the ends. But there’s five reasonable skeins there.

But what to do with them?

I’d like to dye, I think - but have no plans for a knitting project as yet. I suppose that will come to me once I see the dyed product.

And now? Well, I am going to add these skeins to my Ravelry stash

The Navajo-plyed skeins are up for grabs - anybody want them for a textiles project? They could be felted as surface decoration, or couched/stitched - or braided… anything really. I don’t recommend them for knitting though, unless it’s going to be felted - but there’s only a wee bit, so knitting anything other than a pot holder seems impractical.

You can have them now, or wait until I dye them… and see what happens.