Bah!

I emailed Blogger about my mysterious disappearing post. Written in the morning, successfully published for all to see and strangely deleted late that same evening when I was miles away from a computer. I have been underwhelmed by their usual non-response. Grrrr.....

I suppose I will have to re-write the whole post from memory when I get a spare hour.

Boo and Hiss to Blogger.

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Back in August I signed up for an 8-week Plumbing course at the local college. It was on a Monday evening. Unfortunately the Tutor was ill and the start of the course was delayed. It started again 3 weeks ago on a Tuesday evening (?!) so tomorrow I have an interesting choice - weilding my gas torch and cutting copper pipe, or attending my monthly WSD Guild meeting.

I think the Guild will have to win, even though I am embarrassed to say that I haven't produced anything of note since last month. I haven't touched my wheel or spindles. I think I must have overdosed during the Summer. I have many outstanding Projects due for the Guild. I think this is the down-side of having to work full-time. Many of my Guild colleagues are retired and have 24/7 to work on their projects. I feel like making a big sign for my office saying:

I'D RATHER BE CRAFTING


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Currently on the needles is a version of My So-Called Scarf which I perch on a stool and knit whilst my evening meal cooks away. I bought a few balls of Wendy Fusion in the Cajun colourway. This goes from scarlet to orange and pink and is half wool/half synthetic. Feels soft. The pattern won't be quite as good as using a really well space-dyed yarn, like the original version, but interesting all the same. The stitch pattern gives the scarf a fairly solid construction, doubling the thickness in effect.

Where has yesterday's Post gone?

Come on Blogger! What have you done to my last post 'New Books'? :o(

New Books (Rewritten)

Hopefully I can remember and recreate what was originally here before Blogger ate it.

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I received two new books in the post recently.

The first one is the eagerly awaited Complete Feltmaking by Gillian Harris which I bought with an Amazon voucher. Plus they knocked off the postage costs as I've had to wait over 6 weeks for it. Almost a book for free.....

Contents:

1. Introduction; History of Felt, Properties of Wool Fleece, Equipment.
2. Simple Flat Felt; Flower hair tie, Greeting Card, Table Runner, Sheep Wallhanging, Heart-shaped Rug.
3. 3d Shapes; Felt Bead Necklace, Handbag (pictured on the cover), Baby Booties, Tea Cosy, Cloche Hat.
4. Knitted Felting; Flower Corsage, Handbag, Spiral Patterned Cushion, Patchwork Scarf, Cot Blanket.
5. Needle Felting; Tooth Fairy Cushion, Heart Pincusion, Photo Album Cover, Cat Toy, Fish Mobile.
6. Advanced techniques: Cobweb Scarf, Nuno Shawl, Adult Slippers, Embellished Bowl, Poppy Wallhanging.
7. Templates, Glossary, Resources & Stockists.

At first glance, not all of the projects could be tackled by a novice feltmaker. The flat felt projects have a lot of step-by-step pictures, but the more progressive projects are not as well illustrated so you'd have to know what you were trying to achieve.

My favourite Projects to try are a variation on the Spotty Bag and the Tea Cosy (Christmas Presents).

Gillian has used Colinette Skye for the Baby Blanket Project in the 'Jamboree' and 'Fire' colourways. This yarn is an Aran-weight and a dream to felt - I really recommend it.

All in all a great book to add to your Feltmaking Library.

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The second book received is a copy of Wild Color by Jenny Dean which is currently out of print.

I was browsing on eBay and spotted it.

I read this extensively on the Guild's Dyeing Day back in the Summer while my skeins were simmering away. It shows how you can make 25 shades from just one dye bath with the use of different mordants. A really good reference book for natural dyes, a lot of which you can find in your garden. We had excellent results with annoying old bindweed!

Knitting and Stitching - after the event

Finally taken some pics of my makes and purchases at Ally Pally last Thursday.

It was a very tiring day after being up at 03:30 to catch an early ferry. Luckily it wasn't foggy, so the trip went like a dream, apart for the broken heating on the coach....Brrrrrr!

Visiting the first day of the Show, for the first time - hmmmm - on reflection I wouldn't do this again. Too many teething troubles and hold-ups. I prefer attending at the weekend.

I got a big shock walking through the Foyer on the way to the Exhibition Halls and seeing this piece of my work on the wall. Didn't have my camera with me though.

It was part of the display for the competition run by Hipknits that I entered back in the Summer. I'd forgotten all about it!

Which reminds me that I have another competition entry to complete for the Embroiderer's Guild before the end of November..... must get myself organised. My diary is chock-a-block with things to do. If only there was a fairy out there to pay the bills while I stayed at home and got on with my creativity. Work gets in the way such a lot!

The workshop with Ursula Schmidt-Troschke - Marbling on Cotton, was good after a shaky start. The organisers had only given her access to the room 30 mins before the start, so that ate into our time somewhat while she finished setting up. Here are the 5 pieces of fabric that I produced.....



I was rather restrained in my purchases this year. I bought this dyed fibre for felting or spinning from Piiku a couple of Finnish ladies. They also did prepared roving, but I wanted to leave my options open.



I bought these tiny knots of space-dyed tussah silk from a silk lady - can't remember her details.



I also bought some little bits and bobs from The Handweavers Studio some little knots of dyed merino for felting, and some silk and sparkly fibres.

A trawl of the bookshops at the Show and in the West End drew a blank on Gill Harris's new felt book - my order at Amazon is still awaiting stock, so I'm not sure what the problem is on availability. I'm eager to make plans for some felted Christmas gifts and get going, otherwise time is going to run out pretty swiftly.

UPDATE: From the Publisher's website I've discovered that the publication date for this book has slipped to 26th October 2006. 7 weeks later than first announced. No wonder neither I nor Amazon can find it anywhere.

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Some ladies from the Guild are planning a whole weekend of spinning, fibre prep etc for Beginners near the end of November. Not sure if I can give up a whole weekend at the moment. I'll have to see how I get on with everything else, and if I can afford the cost.

From rattling around having nothing much to do at the beginning of the year, I seem to have gone to the other extreme and am now overwhelmed with classes, study, knitting, meetings, tutorials...... it's all go! No time to be bored.

Innocent Hats

Here's my first batch. Nothing too adventurous as yet. I managed to work out a cable one (at the front of the pic). Might try some fair isle if I get time.

I'd love to do a tam, but as I've never knitted one I'm not familiar with the method for those. Perhaps next year!

Knitting & Stitching Show - Ally Pally

I am off to the show this week, and for a change I am going on the first day, Thursday.

I have always gone on the Sunday in the past, so I thought it'd make a change to see what it's like on 'opening day'. My guess is that it could be manic from the perspective of stallholders, but quieter from the perspective of the public as it's a work day. But I could be very wrong......

I'm booked onto just one workshop this year through the Learning Curve:

URSULA SCHMIDT TROSCHKE PRESENTS - Marbling Made Easy
A practical lesson to show you how easy it is to marble on cotton.

I quite fancied this other course, but was late booking it up, and it was full.

DI GILPIN PRESENTS - Freeform Design in Knitting
Explore freeform knitting, a style Di has developed over the last few years. Working in single colour, with texture and form we will explore ideas in an ‘organic’ way. Needs knowledge of different stitches including cabling. Bring photo of a natural form eg tree bark, rock, water.

In the past I've done Indigo Dyeing, Slashing with Grids and Beads, and some of the quick knitting workshops. They've all been really enjoyable, so if you've never done one - perhaps next year - have a go.

I'll be leaving the Island at silly o'clock on Thursday morning, so here's hoping I can kip on the coach both ways. I'm aiming to get the show polished off in good time, and then head to Oxford Street later to check out all of the book shops, John Lewis and Liberty. I'm sure with 11 hours in London I'll just about manage it.

Lost my mojo

I think I've lost my spinning mojo :o(

I haven't done any spinning for days and days. Favouring instead the knitting of tiny bobble hats for Innocent's Supergran appeal.

I've been totally addicted to spinning.

Perhaps the marathon laceweight production has taken its toll.

I've a lot of 'stuff' going on at the moment, and an overfull diary. I'm thinking that evenings will be used a lot more for rest and recuperation from now until the end of the year.

On the needles

Some work in progress.

Another couple of hats for the British & International Sailor's Society. Reckon I should get my hats parcelled off soon, seeing as the weather has turned a bit nippy.

The grey one is a plain double knit, the tweedy one is aran-weight in a cable and rib pattern.




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Seeing as it's October now, thoughts are turning towards creating for Christmas. (I know, the 'c' word, sorry)

I've lots of ideas - I just need to plan my time carefully. In the summer I took some Rowan Kidsilk Haze along when I visited my Mum - a veritable doyene of the crochet hook. I am a crochet virgin, but the lure of Chantel, from Rowan's book Vintage Stylehad me stashing KSH and reaching for my hook.



After some motherly tuition I was off and hooking, and Mum was eyeing the pattern and the colours with a glint of longing in her eye. I'm reckoning on having enough yarn to complete two, so one will be her Christmas gift.

For my sister, I'm planning on making a felted handbag from Gillian Harris's new book Complete Feltmakingwhen Amazon deliver my copy.

I did a feltmaking day-course with Gill a couple of years ago. A very satisfying day's work. Everyone went away with a lovely item. I made a shoulder bag, must take some photos and let you have a look.

See Gill's Website for info. I really recommend it, she makes some beautiful stuff, and she has a lovely eclectic terraced home in Surrey, with a conservatory workroom looking out onto the garden. Envious, moi?

Here is one of her designs to give you a flavour of her own style.

Autumn Watch with Bill Oddie

I tuned in to a little of this on BBC2 last night to discover it's being filmed down the road from my Mum at Martin Mere Wildfowl Sanctuary in Lancashire. It's a bit early in the year for the main migration of geese. They usually come over in huge droves in November/December, honking overhead in V-formation. A stunning sight.

I went there this year in early July when the weather was sweltering. I was dismayed to discover that the whole place was covered in security measures and the park was patrolled by security guards these days. Mind you, after what happened on the Island with Tonga the baby penguin being snatched from Amazon World last Christmas, animal sanctuaries can't be too careful these days. A very sad sign of the times.

Here are some of the pictures I took on the day. Flamingoes.....

Mum feeding one of the many geese we encountered. They certainly weren't backward in coming forward.

A Duck with her cute ducklings.


A baby moorhen. There were masses of these, like tiny black cotton wool balls.


A special breeding pen full of goslings. A noise had just sent them hurtling down the grass!