Woolgathering

I should have kept off the computer today and been resting my arm but I got a bit carried away with this little project in Publisher. It’s one prototype. I shall need to do something bolder as an alternative. Tomorrow I’ll mock something up in PSP.

Bigger at Flickr.

If it’s too small to read: it is a flyer to promote the Sanday Spinners’ new Introduction to Spinning course. We are selling the island idyll concept (I hope.) A joint effort between the spinners and the island’s accommodation providers, we hope that it will be a successful venture for all concerned.

The Sanday Spinners’ website is coming along nicely too. Should be ready for launch soon. We are attempting to get a shift on with it on Saturday evening. The PayPal account is ready to go but there is a large job to be done in uploading stock, descriptions, and photos.

Oh, and a small matter of getting some spinning done, of course!

And now I am going to switch off and do something less stupid instead.

I have decided to apply Project Spectrum as a discipline and am about to go raid my stash box and sort it out into element groups. Anything that (remotely) fits the elements colour groups for PS3 gets knitted and knitted to schedule. Same with the fibre box.

This element of discipline may save me from avaricious moments such as the one I just had. Now, give me some good reasons not to fall prey to that spinning project for “Water” (Black, Blue, Purple). Really. I need reminding why not. It’s URGENT!

I’ll photograph the results of my stash sortie, as soon as the light returns.

Fired (ho, ho) by my paper-crafting PS3 experience yesterday, I decided that it was high time to get those knitting needles moving on a Fire project. This morning I settled down with my Araucania Nature Wool, from the swap I did via Ravelry, and cast on.

What am I knitting? I’ll tell you when I have finished it, because I really don’t know what it will end up as yet. I’m hoping for a little felted bag but although the Araucania is marked as Aran, it seems a bit lightweight for the job. So maybe it will be a felted pouch…

I haven’t swatched (too little yarn) and am trusting to luck as regards my first fulled knitting project. I’m knitting by eye and mental arithmetic - and trusting to luck that I’ll get around 30% shrinkage in the wash.

What I do know is that the colours are spot on for the Fire theme and I do love the dull red shades. I also know that I have tried to knit a fire theme in, by working in a supposed Elder Futhark rune, Kenaz.

Kenaz, or Kano K
Kenaz represents a torch, beacon, guidance. Renewed clarity and freshness. You feel free to give or receive.

Reversed.
Expect difficulty in some situation or relationship

The “rune” is very rough and ready. I should have spent more time in planning and charting but I told myself that the felting process will mask a multitude of knitting sins…

If despite everything the project works out, it will either remain Kenaz or be renamed Brand. I quite like Brand. It’s a very red word.

Cast on just before breakfast and by lunchtime I was two thirds complete. It set up a burning pain in my right shoulder, so now I will rest it for a day or two and get onto something else. Maybe some paper and ink, maybe some stitching. I haven’t decided yet. While Kenaz is resting, I can try to work out  a plan for assembling the finished item, whatever it is, and for lining it.

Kenaz at Ravelry

Project Spectrum Three

Fire ATCs at Fairhand

Look what came this morning.

It came from Grizzly Mountain Arts, via Etsy. It’s really difficult to photograph, but I hope that it shows up well enough to do it justice, because it is perfectly lovely.

Can you guess what it is yet?

It’s a needle minder (aka needle keeper) and it is to stop me from either losing my needle when I am sewing, or from pricking my finger when I find my needle somewhere that I didn’t realise I had left it (a frequent occurrence.) Here it is, minding my needle on my cushion cover (a WIP.)

And it’s all done by magnets, very strong ones. Strong enough that I can use this to mind heavier things such as my spinning wheel hook - so I shall get plenty of use from it. At the moment I am wearing it as jewellery, fastened to my fisherman’s smock - habitual spinning gear. It would be nice if I could attach my cable needles to it when knitting, but they are generally made of aluminium…

The keeper is made from a vintage button, decorated with lilies. The back magnet is on a little turned piece of ebony.

It’s just perfect and it only cost me $7.50 - arrived beautifully packed, at a shipping cost rather under the actual mailing rate. Communications were also excellent. A highly recommended seller and I would be back for more of these eminently collectable little items if only I had the dosh. I do want one of their tatting shuttles, as soon as I can afford one.

In the meantime… I really should complete that cushion cover! I’ve left it out on my desk, to remind me to pick it up. I need a change of activity anyway (see next post)

I have been thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice, just for once, to be that person who has more money than sense? Just for 24 hours would do, for the experience. Just once in my life, I’d like to do AND instead of OR or NOT.

OK. As you were. It’s only a yarn fetish speaking. Nowt serious.

I need to knit. It feels like ages since I had my needles out. There are so many UFOs to pick up and crack on with, and loads of new projects in my head but, most of all, I am just craving the act of knitting. I need to promise myself some knitting time this week. The only problem is, I am getting a lot of discomfort in my left hand. It’s not the spinning, because I haven’t been spinning since Wednesday morning. It may be the spinning that has kicked it off/made me aware of it, but this is now feeling like a chronic problem. I wake every morning to find my thumb joints really aching and all my top finger joints are stiff and achey. I am pretty sure that the top thumb joint is enlarged too. It’s looking like old age is setting in with a vengeance. Maybe if I just rest it… but I really do want to be knitting!

If I do knit, I may cast on something new. I feel like I need a quick one-skein/large needle fix. I’d like to see something on and off the needles again in one afternoon, really. Then I can pick up some socks in progress or renew my battle with the beaded shawl, or something.

I shall whip the Araucania into a quick hat  or bag or something. I’ll call it a PS3 project, and defend the need to cast on anew

Overall, I feel the need to cast off a few of these WIPs that are lying around the house. Then I can whittle down some stash, while I carry on creating more stash on my wheel… ARGH!

I love this so much that I want to eat it.

Etsy :: copperpot :: wool roving 100 merino 4oz. TORCH ISLAND

I think Mr L should get some nanny software he can set up to keep me away from Etsy. I’m getting some very lustful feelings…

I have never before considered knitting underwear but this kit could make a convert of me. Cheaper, nicer, prettier… more fun than M&S thermals.

Etsy :: danishknitdesign :: Charlotte, knitting kit in more color options

I rather like the Louise kit too.

But I don’t have 35 dollars. If I did, I’d be busy making next winter’s warmwear. Pretty, are they not?

I’ve just seen some lightning so I think it is time to power down and go open some wine.

There is a wonderful article at Orkney Today about the now defunct Sanday Knitters company.

http://www.orkneytoday.co.uk/news_item.asp?newsItem=3330

As I understand it, the Sanday Knitters were victims both of their own success, and of the high delivery costs entailed in getting raw materials in, and finished garments out, of Sanday. In fact, we had a conversation about this with one of the knitters, only last week.

Let’s hope that the Sanday Spinners can approach a similar level of success. Bags I the trip to La Belle France.

Spinning group plus 1 today. Very snug. Lots of wheels. Lovely almond tart, warm and gooey from the oven and tasting of a good old fashioned Bakewell. Silence descended, as it always does when a really good cake appears. Eating cake is a serious business.

I finished a bobbin of my supposedly fat single, then plied off some of it with the thin single. The thin single lasted just long enough to fill a bobbin of 2 ply. It made a lovely skein with virtually no bias - my skills are improving rapidly! The shading in the skein is beautiful and I couldn’t be happier with it. I couldn’t wait to spin more before washing so this first skein is currently hanging in my kitchen, drying.

I’m feeling enthusiastic about this hand dyed project. There is already a second bobbin of fat single on Constance. This time I concentrated hard on making it fatter and slubbier (easy, with the expertise that I exhibit in carding *cough*). I now need to spin some more of the dark fine single. But one bobbin is sufficient for this afternoon as my headache is rapidly worsening and I want to be rid of it before going to the mainland.