Woolgathering

Spin! Beth

I think that it has to be done, don’t you?

When I was trundling down the drive with my bin bags this morning it occurred to me that today would have been a good day for exposing my cyanotypes. Blue sky, sun, minimal wind. I was busy beating myself up about not having prepared the fabric - due to not having a clue as to how I can dry my fabric in darkness.

Anyway, as it happens - the clouds are already gathering. The chances of clear skies around midday would seem to be minimal. In fact, I am already doubting the wisdom of putting my washing out on the line.

It’s the Equinox today. (Yes, I know many people think it always happens on the 21st, but it doesn’t.) The sun, when we see it, will be sinking ever lower in the sky, making it less suitable for my exposures as time goes on. I have an inkling that I may have to wait until next summer to play this particular game.

Craft Club tonight. Quilting. I’ve packed my needles. Oh, my… scary stuff indeed. I shall be all nerves and thumbs.

Actually, I packed a crate full of stuff. I am still short of a couple of items, which I might try to find at the shop today (dressmaking pins and a thimble) and those quilting needles are still not here - let’s hope that postie brings them today.

I opened up my Indigo dye kit, raring to go - and discovered a total absence of Spectralite, without which I may not proceed.

Darn it.

Also, the silk paper making kit lacks details on how to mix up the CMC granules. Anybody here know how? I’d be grateful for some help.

I’ve emailed Fibrecrafts to seek assistance in both cases…

It is odd, the way that things come together in our lives, is it not?

Last Monday evening I was woebegone at the thought pf patchwork quilting. Today I am enthused and excited. Not only that but I am able to state that this blog is diversifying at this point and will be adding fabric to fibre.

What happened? See this post at Fairhand, regarding Shibori and Indigo Dyeing and the PS3 Water ATC Swap.

Since I wrote that post I have been busy thinking; developing my ideas and doing some shopping. My ideas are still vague - for I have no idea what I am capable of until I try this out. At this stage I can say that I am working up ideas to create blue and white patterned cotton fabrics for cutting up to piece a small quilt with. I have 3 metres of white cotton fabric coming - plus a beginner’s indigo dyeing kit from Fibrecrafts. That’s for the Shibori. I think I’d like to do an organic piece, a wall hanging or cushion cover size. I hope to quilt random shapes as directed by the print pattern that I achieve.

But while I was at Fibrecrafts I recalled something else I have been wanting to try - cyanotype printing. Again, I bought the beginner’s kit. I envision fabric cyanotypes using found treasures from the beach - feathers, seaweed, shells etc.

Perhaps I could piece alternate squares of each type of fabric. My original idea was to flat dye some of the cotton to alternate the Shibori with. I guess a lot depends on how successful I feel that I have been with these techniques…

…and/or others

Others? Well, I was so close to getting free delivery that I kept on spending (I had a little windfall recently) and I finally bought some marbling materials. I have long wanted to marble paper for my various papercraft activities - but I can of course marble on fabric too. I made sure that I got several tones of blue ink (I just got the cheapest ones to experiment with), and also added a metallic pewter grey shade (rather pricier, so only one shade of that range) which I have an idea might be useful leavening.

Then I succumbed to the Silk Papermaking beginner’s kit as well (but it seems that I forgot to order the Natural Dyeing kit.)

That should keep me gainfully occupied all winter!

Also on the shopping front last night (led astray by SpinningGill) I committed to the quilting idea and bought a rotary cutter, some quilting needles, and Imperial graph paper. The Craft Club is funding most of that as group supplies. The rotary cutter is mine. Gill got one too, and we ordered a third as club supplies. I need an A2 or larger cutting mat as well, I think.

Now I need a way of marrying these new pursuits to the old ones and creating something involving fibre/yarn/fabric/dyeing/printing. Assuming I ever get the hang of a needle, that is!

On the knitting front - nothing happening. Mr L came home and we reacquainted ourselves, caught up on our sleep, then spent much of yesterday and today making paper logs for our winter fires. The Sanday Spinners don’t seem to be having a stall at the Farmers’ Market tomorrow and I don’t feel ready to mount my own stall so I think I shall not be selling tomorrow (I’d likely make a loss.) I’ll probably keep building up stock for the Xmas Fair. I’m feeling tired and nerve-jangled and not at all like sitting behind a table being bright and friendly… and away from my husband again.

Right! Coffee now (well-earned after making another half dozen fire bricks) then some Amazon shopping (I need technique books) and a quick tidy of the utility room in readiness for marbling and dyeing activities. Making these paper log brick things has fired me up to finally get around to paper-making. I need to protect my bags of shredded paper that I have been hoarding - prevent ‘im indoors from hijacking it for the paper log maker! I’m going to start with shredded waste paper but I hope to move up to seaweed and rhubarb skins and other fibres once I have the basic technique under my belt - then he can have all the waste paper that he wants for the fire

There won’t be much scarf knitted today. Here’s the plan:

• venture forth to the Post Office (FiL b’day card and a Swap-Bot swap) done
• and the Stores, for cake-making stuff done
• make Spinning Cake flapjacks[1] made, and measuring and weighing done ready for morning
• make Minestrone soup (beans soaking) and garlic bread done eaten! it was delicious
• clean and tidy for spinning group tomorrow done
• dye a vat of Cerise fleece for next Wednesday Done. I might stop at one
• card the dry fleece from the weekend’s dyeing done - 11 batts
• wind more cashmere all done, except for the cone that I am knitting from - and also wound 150 gms of alpaca singles (1/16 NM - so that’s 2,400 metres. It took ages)
• block the “Tangles” scarf done
• laminate the materials I downloaded from the BWMB done

That should keep me quiet for a while.

I have the urge to closet myself in the workroom and work on a project that I have had in my head now for over a year. It fits so nicely under PS3 Air, that I really should have galvanised myself before now. But the time suddenly feels “right.” If I do tackle it, it’s a large (for me) project that will certainly delay my Sky and Water.

I also need to do my “Air” ATC packages soon. I want to include some needle felted ATCs, and have those to make yet. I’d also like to do a larger needle felted panel for “Air” (and for “Earth”) to go with my “Fire” one. I have a half inclination to make an Elements wall panel for the “Any Other Crafts” section at the Show this year.

If the day becomes any less grey, I’ll try to find time to photograph my 26% completed scarf.

Over and out. I’m off to see if the car will start today.

EDIT: I was hunting knitting needles in the Stores. They had 35cm needles in metal, in 3.25mm and 3.75mm - but I needed 3.5mm. Except, I didn’t, of course. It’s 3.25mm that I am working on. Dammit. If I can find time, I shall go out later and buy them.

SECOND EDIT: enthusiasm for dyeing and carding is waning. The raw mix for the flapjacks[1] was delicious, so I have high hopes for them.

[1] For the benefit of USAnian readers - “flapjacks” are chewy buttery syrupy oat bars, not the things that we term “pancakes”. Nor the the thing that you term “pancakes”. We call those “Scotch Pancakes”. Confusing, isn’t it? Today’s flapjacks were extemporised and extrapolated from the basic recipe and have the added goodness of honey, orange, muscavado sugar, seeds, and muscatel raisins.

I have white skeins of handspun wool

I have Dylon cold water dyes

I have vinegar

I am dying to be dyeing!

Can I find any useful comprehensible information regarding how to go about this project? No. And I really do not want to ruin my spinning efforts…

Clickety-click! Words are on the pics

As promised:

Well, I think I have to be less snitty about Purlescence and their postage charge. The needles arrived this morning - packed like this…

Overkill, perhaps, but maybe if I was buying 12″ straights I would be delighted to see them packaged this way. Still, not entirely planet-saving, is it? Postage at £1.14 and the cost of the box, plus a wee bit of effort (not much - they didn’t post them until Thursday) probably does amount to £2.00.

Also in today’s post was our pump sprayer and thus we have been in the garden. Well, when I say “we” I mean that Mr L was in the garden and I was providing moral support and cold drinks from the relative comfort of the utility room. Mr L lifted a strip of grass along the length of the ground that we are working on, and it was very hard work. Then he sprayed the whole area. I am not entirely sure that he got the thin edge of the wedge though, as I was very busy myself.

The trouble with our utility room is that it is not heated - and with a back door that neither fits nor is insulated, and faces the prevailing winds, the tendency is to just throw things through the door in the winter and then run away sharply. So, by the time that we reach this point in the year, there is much work to  be done.

I kept the back door open so that we could chat as we worked and I knuckled down to the winter’s mess and grime. We now have a useful room once more. I shall be able to experiment with paper-making and wet felting, and some dyeing. Mr L will commence his efforts this very afternoon, with some wine-making. There is still a little cleaning work to be done and the room would benefit from a coat of paint (not to mention a new back door and a heater) - but there is plenty of space and worktop to go at for the time being.

What was not in the post this morning was my yarn from The Yarn Yard. Disappointing now that I have needles. I thought that it would come today as I know that Natalie was posting parcels out on Thursday.

Even more disappointing is my memory. I thought I had a set of 2.25mm coming, and I didn’t. I have 2.5mm and 2.75mm, so I cannot switch the current troublesome sock to short needles after all. To be honest, I am considering re-knitting the sock on 2.5m needles anyway. I could call this sock the practice sock, and start again. I think that there is sufficient yarn not to have to re-use the stuff that I  have already knitted.

One of the great advantages of having a tidy utility room is that I then have a well-lit room in which to take photographs. Here are those skeins that I mentioned yesterday.

In picture 1: Left - yesterday’s 2 ply, with 2 bobbins of similar slubby yarn plyed together (not washed); Centre - Navajo 3ply from a single skein of the slubby singles (not washed); Right - my original yarn, washed, plyed from a slubby single made on the Ashford and a finer, darker shaded, single spun on the Haldane. All lovely, all distinctly different, all from the same batch of dyed fleece.

Gratuitous picture of the Official Blog Puppy. More to come.

I am feeling rather horrible today, with a distinctly upset tummy. I think I’ll spend the rest of the day just spinning quietly in a corner. Or maybe I’ll find a box and start making that lightbox.

Woke this morning to find that the Melbourne puzzle Hunt had reached its conclusion, which means that we can call a halt to the annual madness, if we wish. A bout of puzzle fatigue saw us tail off at the 19 puzzles solved stage, with six to go, and we dropped from ninth to 20th. We’re happy - we aimed to hit the top twenty this time, after making 31st position last year. We might have tried again today if the thing had not been won yet but, to be honest, as for last year, it’s a relief to find the thing closed.

Next year we really must enlist at least one or two additional team members. The need to bounce ideas against differently-working minds is paramount. With just one more brain on the go, I am certain we’d make the top ten. Perhaps a knitters’ team next year? I mean, doing puzzles is not as difficult as following a lace chart pattern, so it should be a doddle for a knitter…

Hmm… a mystery-KAL-plus-puzzle-hunt-team.

Works for me!

The CISRA Puzzle begins at the end of the month - room for two players on our team. We could give the knit-and-puzzle thing a test run ready for next year

Leave a comment, if you are up for it and I’ll be in touch. Being in a time zone that means that all team members are awake together at some time would be a bonus. (This blog runs on GMT+1)

Anyway - the point of this rambling is to say that normal service would be resumed now, if only we were not expecting our first-ever houseguests on the Windswept Acre. This blog’s normally relaxed attitude to housework tends to culminate at such times in frenzied and exhausting activity. So, that’s today and tomorrow sorted. The rest of the week is down to entertaining, though I hope to be able to knit my way through several conversations I doubt that much knitting or spinning progress can be made until the week after next, however.

I was setting up my project control list yesterday and came to the realisation that my WIPs are not all that far from being controlled, and I can see the effects of stash busting happening too. The spinning fibre stash is what is really out of control, though. More spinning time needed, urgently!

Oh, and I have castonitis again. I want something new and exciting and knitted on straight needles, to counteract all the sock knitting that I have ahead of me.

I’ve signed up for the Yahoo Group EZasPi… could this be a clue as to where my castonitis may be leading me? I do hope not, I loathe circular needles*! I was thinking maybe a Wabenschal by Birgit Freyer (http://www.knitting-delight.com/free-patterns.htm) - with half an eye on the “Scarf” class at this year’s annual Industrial Show.

Then again, once I have washed and blocked my swatches, I could start Mr L’s sweater instead.

Which is the more likely option?

Got to to go, I am in the middle of dyeing my make-shift pair of curtains that are intended to temporarily replace the shrunken sitting room ones.

* I haven’t posted this yet, as I was going to take photos, but I just acquired some knitting books - and all because I wanted the Pi Shawl instructions (and the Amazon free postage). Which is madness, given the circs-aversion. I want to achieve the Pi, I really do. (I just wish it could be done on straights) And I want to design my own, so this project is on hold until I acquire a good lace stitch dictionary. What is worse is the fact that I think I want to do one in handspun, as a throw for the sofa. EEK! Will post more ordered thoughts on this topic later.

A holding solution has been determined for the Curtain Problem. I recalled that we had two natural cotton curtains that we had acquired at Glenlivet. They are pretty rammy things but will provide an interim trim for the bare window. More dye will be purchased and I’ll dye these white things and hang them up. From here on in there will be no need to draw curtains for some months, so the fact that they won’t meet in the middle won’t matter. That will give me breathing space in which to find two pairs of acceptable and economically viable curtains for the Final Curtain Solution.

The too-short pair of already-dyed curtains will morph into cushion covers, or somesuch, so they will not be totally wasted. It’s just a shame that they aren’t large enough to make throws of, for the Poängs.

I hope to get sufficient dye to allow me to dye the pink throw that covers my tatty sofa. Then we shall be fully co-ordinated. That may be the first time in my life that I have ever been able to make that particular claim!

In Knitting News: I am about to carve off the thumb on my first Alpaca Warmer. I like knitting these, though tinking mistakes is sheer hell. Not yet decided, but seem to be leaning towards the knitting of little fingers, if only for the experience. I don’t like the look of mitts with wee fingers and much prefer the appearance of the totally fingerless ones. I think I have enough yarn to do both and allow a compare-and-contrast exercise to be undertaken. They are going to be very pretty, whichever way that I finish them off.

Craft Club News: tomorrow we are having beading demos and I don’t have to do anything but watch and enjoy!

Spinning: going slowly. I’ll hope to start a new bobbin of the grey/red stuff before going to F’s on Wednesday. I don’t want to rely on Wednesday Spinning as, if the weather is kind, I’d like to cycle and would then leave my wheel at home.

Migraine: Progressing nicely through Day 2 now. Hoping to go blow it away in the bay when the tide goes out.

And now, back to the mitts.