Singleton Successes

The trip to the Rare Breeds show couldn't have been better. Slightly overcast weather which made it easier on animals and humans. Little traffic on the roads to hinder the journey. All topped off with the beautiful surroundings of the Open Air Museum.





The day was topped of by a surprise success in the spinning competition. I was totally made up to win First in my class.



Our Guild did very well on the rosette front, bringing home half a dozen. At last I have something for 'show and tell' at our monthly meeting.

Plying without (water) wings

Here's my skein for the Rare Breeds show. Plied without the aid of an experienced spinner at my side. Not sure how it stacks up technically, but it looks OK to me, so that's all that matters. It's 40 yards, tied in 4 places, and weighs less than 2ozs as required. You're supposed to wash it to set the twist. I'm really nervous about this though in case I muck it all up and it goes frizzy.

Rare Breeds Show - Singleton

This Sunday I'm off to the Rare Breeds show at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton near Chichester in West Sussex. The Guild are running a small coach up and we're hoping to get everyone in for free as we're taking part in the competitions for spinning, felting and handmade items from rare breed wools.

I'm entering the Novice class for a spun skein. I've plumped for some Blue-faced Leicester tops, as ready prepared fibre is far easier for beginners to handle. It's lovely and soft, and a greyish-oatmeal colour.

I'm hoping for good weather. Apparently last year the show was deluged and everyone got soaked. The centre has saved historic buildings and rebuilt them on the site, and in dry weather it's a lovely day out. There's a working water mill, and they sell flour that's milled on site.

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I'll be working on projects from my yarn stash for the forseeable future. At the moment I'm knitting a jacket for the autumn, it's from the Rowan Classic Winter booklet. The design is Barra, and is knitted in Soft Tweed. It's mostly in moss stitch which is one of my favourite stitches.


I've got the Twig colourway on the needles and am now keeping an eye out for a nice big button that will suit the design.

It may seem a bit mad knitting woollies at this time of the year, but at least I'll be ready for the first cold snap. It seems a long way off as we all swelter in the intense July heat. It's 80 degrees F in the office today and I've got every window possible open really wide.

I wish I had a garden.....

After being at my Mum's for a week in her lovely garden, I've really been hankering after my own outdoor space.

Here are some pics of her oasis (note the lack of Hosepipe Ban up North enabling it to look so lush and green).

Due to a very weird and aggressive set of neighbours that moved in next door I abandoned my garden for several years as they wouldn't stop staring at me over the low fences whenever I was outside. (Thankfully they moved on recently.) Consequently my trees have totally overgrown my little space and the garden birds have found lovely homes. This means I'll be waiting until the end of summer and nesting before I can chop it all back and start again.

A raised veggie patch would be good to have in a new scheme. A lot nicer to grow all of my own salad veg and cheaper too.

Woolfest 2006

It was a bright and sunny day as I wended my way from Standish up the M6 and then through the dramatic scenery of Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick to my destination in Cockermouth.

A long line of wool-worshippers was already forming outside the venue pre the 10:00 opening.



Once inside I took in the scene - it was like the Knitting & Stitching Show in miniature and held in a cattle pen. Despite the gently pervading odour of animals, it all looked very much like I thought it would.





Here are snaps of a display of some Lithuanian woolcrafts with some very beautiful beaded knitting in progress.




I saw some beautiful felted work around, but I know some artists don't like people taking photos of their work at shows, so I played safe and resisted.

However the lovely sheep breeds, alpacas and goats were very accommodating as we all snapped away. There were also angora rabbits, but no space to take photos.





Some of the well known retailers were there, Wingham Woolwork, PM Woolcraft, Haldanes, and a lot of smaller businesses. Wood turning, basket making, yarn, prepared fibres of all sorts, wheels, looms, whole fleeces, books and felt. Stands of organisations - with the Wool Marketing Board, Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers amongst them.

I stayed all day, (with a quick run into Cockermouth to get some cash as not many stallholders were taking cards). There was a traditional band playing music, a cafe and a sheeps milk ice cream seller, plenty of chairs to sit down and take a break. Plus the usual queue for the ladies loo!

At 15:10 the building sank into the gloom and the heavens opened, rain sounding like a drumroll on the corrugated roof. I don't think it dampened anyone's enthusiasm. I could have spent a fortune - increasing my yarn and fibre stash to mammoth proportions, but I reigned myself in and was quite good. :halo:

Back in the South

Back home after my combined trip North to see my folks and go to Woolfest. Lots to tell about both. Also some pics of the trip.

A nasty surprise awaited me on my return - a speeding ticket! I am now an official 'criminal' and I'm not very happy with my stupidity, especially as it was on my daily route, minutes from home. I am now driving around like a model citizen and wondering how much this is all going to cost.

Looks like I'll really have to think long and hard about getting a second job, as lots of unforseen expenditure has been popping out of the woodwork recently. I wish they'd hurry up and ban smoking in bars, as some evening work would suit me best.

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I went to my regular spinning day yesterday with my newly refurbished (second-hand bargain) Ashford Traveller Wheel. This pops into the boot of the car as it's quite compact. I tried to get started with some Cotswold fleece I bought on ebay, but it is such a long staple length, that I couldn't get it to draw, so went back to my spindle. Then one of the Sues in the group came to my rescue and showed me how to prepare the fibre differently, and I eventually managed to spin for several hours. Everyone agreed that the fleece I bought was probably one of the trickiest for a beginner - who knew? I have so much to learn. I'll do a lot more reading and observing before I buy any more materials.

Via the Guild I picked up two fleeces at our last meeting. One was £2, and one was free - both are better for beginners. The only problem is storage to start with, so processing it would be a good idea, as the bulk reduces by about half once you wash and prepare the wool. I'll be very busy for the rest of the year, on top of work and household chores.