Checkerboard?

Been working on both knitting and spinning over the Bank Holiday.

This is the latest from the Freedom Spirit book - the Kimono Jacket. At some point in the armhole decrease, the pattern changed and put some weird L-shaped pieces of block colour in - instead of the alternating strips of colour. I thought this incredibly weird and ignored it and kept with the pattern as set. Now I'm wondering if it looks far too checkerboard ????

There is an I-cord in the red-orange which goes across the back at shoulder-blade level to divide it up a bit, but I'm wondering if frogging is in order.

What do you think?

Elsewhere............ on the Sonata, I've continued to spin up the Corriedale. I now have about 300g spun up in what looks like varying weights!

This is all due to me getting tired at Chale Show - I tend to get sloppy in my drafting. Hey-ho. It all adds to the texture and look of handspun. When I was very new at spinning, I was sometimes criticised for mimicking commercially prepared yarn. Is it a bad thing?

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On Saturday I began another public transport odyssey by bus to see how far I can get away from Portsmouth on a Day Rover Ticket (usually £6.50). After stopping off in Chichester, I got too tired to go further than Midhurst in West Sussex.

So far I've reached:

Brighton to the East (50 miles)
Guildford to the North East (50 miles)
Bath to the North West (80 miles!!)

OK, I spend a LOT of time on a bus, but it gets me out and about for very little outlay, and I get to read a lot of novels.

How about having this great building for your local library? The people of Midhurst do.

Midhurst is the sort of place where people drive cars which cost more than my house - and men wander around in chinos, navy blazers and straw panama hats.

There was one wool shop, but it was closed for the Bank Holiday......typical.

My only craft related purchase of the day was some baby wool to make a cardigan for an expectant colleague's new baby when he/she arrives at the end of September. I haven't done any baby knitting since the 90's when all my friends were having kids, so I'll have to get back into the swing of tiny garments.

I also bought some mega-cheap audio books on tape from a charity chop after reading on CRAFTSTER that some people like to listen while they spin.


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Christmas

Here are my skeins from Monday, still a little damp, and still in need of a proper soapy wash and condition before they're ready for use. On their second plain water rinse, the colour was leeching out of some of them like mad. The beige skein is nearly back to its original creamy white. Not sure which dye bath that was in - perhaps walnut?

I made up small skeins of very fine Shetland and some double-knit weight Merino.

No plans for the merino exactly, but I did seem to get a variety of milk chocolate shades which might be nice to knit or crochet up 'something' small in future.

I'm especially liking the two shades of purple at the top of the pic (logwood and huckleberries) which I'm hoping will be enough to do some coloured bands in some natural cream Shetland in a lacy scarf.

The bright yellow skein at the bottom is annatto - this is most commonly used as a food colouring in margarine and the like.

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My Scallop Edged Jacket is still progressing slowly. The sleeves are at half length now. Progress is slow because I'm only knitting in my half-hour lunch break. Plus I have so many other things on the needles and on the bobbins!

I've already started another garment in the Twilleys Freedom Spirit. I wish I was less scatterbrained unfocused fickle when it comes to projects.

The jacket is knitted in shades 502 (Fire) and 506 (Air). This is a project for sitting down at home with the yarn around me. Rather than cut random lengths of yarn to make the blocks, I'm just knitting up from the balls.

This means on the back section currently, having 11 balls of wool tangled up around me. Not the easiest of methods, but I don't want to run out of yarn because I've made too many bad judgements on guessing how much yarn to cut off for each section. Plus I'm hoping it will be less to darn in at the end!

So far it's looking good, and the fabric is nice and firm. I have no idea when all of these Projects are going to cease being WIPs and turn into FOs. Everything I put into my blog sidebar has stalled right were it was at that time. Progress = 0%!!!!

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My trip to Dorchester on Saturday was wet and windy and I came home drenched to the skin after battling through the horizontal rain in summer clothes with an inadequate girly umbrella. The ferry was lurching from side to side - in over 20 years, I've never known the car ferry to pitch in such a way. The Commander came over the PA and said it was a combination of wind against the tide. Quite exhilarating for those who like that sort of thing.

My haul from Frank Herring was very modest. I bought a small foam pad for needle felting, and a few spares for my Ashford to have in just in case. Also, some more of the white Corriedale tops to spin up, and a little bleached linen. Our Guild challenge this Christmas is to produce an item not made from wool. I thought I might have a go with some other fibres and actually take part this year.

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I know I've mentioned the dreaded 'C' word in August, but really I should be turning my thoughts to making gifts. Certainly the weather at the moment has prompted longings for winter casseroles, mashed potato, and an extra quilt on the bed. I'm stoically still dressing for summer, but my sandalled feet are begging for socks and boots......

Last year I had loads of plans to make presents which were all abandoned due to lack of time. I still have the pre-felt I made for my sister's felted bag. So at least I have made a start there!

I survived..........

Contrary to startled reactions at work when I said I was 'dyeing' on Monday - I'm still in the land of the living.

The weather was incredibly kind, despite the unpredictable cloud movement, and we had a dry day right up until we had all packed up to leave.

Coffee was drunk, cake was devoured, and we all had a marvellous time. I was treadling my legs off trying to finish the merino I started to make skeins for dyeing, as I really want to get back to the mammoth Corriedale production as soon as poss. I really need to invest in another couple of bobbins for my Sonata.

Here are the pics, starting with a good selection of spinning wheels:

This year we didn't seem to have as much variety in the colours we yeilded. From what I can remember we used the following dyestuffs:

Logwood
Brazilwood
Mugure
Walnut
Goldenrod
Annetto
Oregano
Huckleberries
Fustic
Griselinia

There were a lot of brown shades. More pics to follow when my skeins have dried. Some of the colours came out very patchy which is a bit annoying after all those hours spent spinning the yarn.


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The vendor list for FIBREFEST is now up on their website. I'm wavering a bit now about travelling down to Devon for it, as there doesn't seem to be much on offer to tempt the spinner. There are a lot of yarn producers and crafts people, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of 'raw materials'.

Perhaps I'm just suffering from an attack of gloom as the weather here resembles a day in March, and is cold enough to boot. Brrrrrrr and Bah!

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Latest Read

My latest acquisition - courtesy of an Amazon voucher:

Weaving is a whole new ball game and one I haven't even begun to get involved with as yet.

We are lucky enough to have a workshop later on this year with Martin Weatherhead at the Guild. I've only got a 'toy' loom at the moment, but I hope I can learn the principles.

The projects in this book are varied, but a few of them look achievable as a beginner.

I'll have my nose stuck in this over the weekend to work out the sorts of yarn I'll need to spin up for the job.

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Cream of the Crop

My spinning activity continues unabated. I've really got the bug at the moment.

Indigo dyeing was deferred on Saturday as the group was somewhat depleted by folk being off on holiday. Instead we had the usual good natter and a laugh and got a whole lot of spinning done.

I picked up a lonely Ashford Jumbo bobbin that was for sale on the Bring and Buy table. You can never have enough bobbins, that's what I say! It's always the way - you finish spinning two bobbins full and find you don't have an empty one to ply onto.

I was pondering recently about all white fleece being equal - colourwise - and I certainly thought so as my experience of prepared fleece has been Merino, Blue-Faced Leicester, Shetland and Corriedale. When I was spinning with Jane at Chale, she remarked on the honey colour of the Wensleydale, and at the time I couldn't see much to shout about.

Here are the two skeins of Corriedale I plied up last night next to the Wensleydale. The difference in colour of the Wensleydale really looks apparent next to the creamy whiteness of the other skeins. It would definitely be a shame to dye over it despite it being a bit scratchy.

Now I'm wondering if the colour contrast in my eyes is on the blink, or whether I'd just got tent-blind at the time - sitting in a marquee all day being invaded by the smell of garlic and cheese. (Don't ask me why we were demonstrating spinning in the food tent!)

Next on the production line is the moorit Shetland in fine laceweight, seen here in a very out of focus shot!

As I've been spinning for just over a year, I'm still getting a feel for all of the different fibre out there and trying to spin up as much as I can get my hands on to determine which qualities suit which application - ie knitting to be worn close to the skin - suitable for lace - hardwearing for a coat - easy to felt - resistant to pilling etc etc.

Next in line for the spinning experience is some Ryeland. While browsing, I read on an eBay auction recently that this fleece does not felt, which would be a good quality for a garment to have.

Jacky got talking to a chap at Chale Show who in previous years has shorn his Ryeland flock and burned the fleece!!!! Yikes...... I will be giving him a call tonight in an attempt to liberate this year's fleeces as I'm sure some of the newbie spinners like me would love to get their hands on some free fibre to practice with.

I've become really lazy already and have mostly gone for the easy option of spinning ready prepared tops. I need to get myself into a proper routine to wash and prepare my own fleece, as there is usually plenty around on the Island to be had. Some of it is from smallholders who have 'pet' sheep of indeterminate mixed breed, but this is still good to help perfect technique, and use for natural dyeing experiments.

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On the knitting side, I'm still beavering away in my lunch break on the Freedom Spirit jacket. Slowly working my way up the sleeves.

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This Saturday I'm planning a trip to Dorchester to Frank Herring & Son on the train.

I usually have a wander around and look at all of the looms and other equipment I'd like to be able to afford (and house!). Usually I console myself with a restrained purchase of fibre and dyestuff.

It's a really good store for all sorts of arts and crafts - choc-a-block with materials and specialist books. Highly recommended if you're in Dorset anytime.


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A Walk through Cowes

A slightly busier view of the Cowes Week Regatta.

Join me for an evening wander up the High Street.

The barbecue outside the Pier View:



On The Parade:







The gleaming cannon at the Royal Yacht Squadron:



At the Yacht Haven. You can just spot the iconic Union Jack doors of the old British Hovercraft Building through the penants. This is now the business home of pioneering yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur:



The evening's featured band on the Marina:



More High Street:





'Ello, 'ello, 'ello.......



Waiting for the Floating Bridge to cross the river Medina:



The hoards disembark for a night amongst the revellers:



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The County Show appearance is definitely off, so I will be indigo dyeing at my spinning group tomorrow. Results here next week!




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Sunset over Cowes

Away from the hustle and bustle of the Cowes Week Regatta where the High Street pubs and restaurants disgorge revellers onto the streets to enjoy the carnival atmosphere; Cowes shows its tranquil side with the sun setting slowly over the Royal Yacht Squadron as the water laps up against the harbour wall and the town is slowly engulfed in dusk.

Long may the fine weather continue!

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On the wheel this week is some lovely fawn Shetland tops which I bought from the Coloured Sheep Breeders Association at Wonderwool Wales.

I'm back on my Ashford Traveller for this job, as I want to keep the skein sizes similar to the other Shetland I've spun up so far.

This is all laceweight in cream, grey and black. The fibre just begs to be spun so finely.

My outing to the County Show looks doubtful this weekend, what with the Foot and Mouth epidemic banning the unnecessary movement of livestock.

My spinning group are planning a day of indigo dyeing, so it would be nice to attend that instead. I need to make up some small skeins for the dye pot before Saturday.

There's some cream merino on some spindles which could be wound off to do the job. I need to improvise a Lazy Kate in a shoebox this evening or next.

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The Handmade Factor

Chale Show was a scorcher on Saturday and Sunday, but not as busy as last year.

I persevered with some Wensleydale I bought in 2006. The people selling it had had it processed into a washed roving at a small mill on the mainland, but there was a lot of VM (Vegetable Matter) amongst it and it was quite matted in parts. I bought it when I was newbie spinner. I know better nowadays. It was hardly worth the effort it took to get it to this state.

It felt very itchy as I wound it into a skein. As a colleague suggested, it might improve with washing and a lot of fabric softener. I thought I might dye it, but it's a nice warm cream colour so it seems a shame. The processing seems to have ruined the qualities of the fleece somewhat. Of course I'm not sure if this was a shearling fleece or not, so it could be the innate quality of the fleece. Although most Wensleydale I've encountered during my time as a spinner has been as soft as Blue-faced Leicester to the touch.

While at the show I was approached by a rep from a local company looking to supplement sales from its store in Ryde with natural Island-made products. She was interested in natural dyed handspun knitting yarn, and whether as a group we generated any handspun yarn for sale. I gave her my card and finally agreed that I'd mention it at our next meeting. I'm not sure she quite grasped what I told her about the labour-intensive process of hand produced yarn and the prohibitive costs it would entail.

As this is a particular soap-box subject dear to my heart, I sat and actually thought about it.

Working things out roughly in my head:

Material Costs: Fibre, dyestuff, mordant.

Labour: Spinning, pre-mordant of yarn(?), prep of dyebath, dyeing, washing, drying, labelling.

Overheads: Heating, lighting, transportation.

The selling price of 50 grams of hand-dyed handspun produced this way would be at least half a days work + costs + overheads. As I said before, unrealistically prohibitive.

What sort of return would you get once the retailer had battled you down to a wholesale price? You'd be paying them to take the yarn off your hands!!

Hence the reason that hardly any yarn or fabric is produced in the UK today, despite us being the main producer of wool for centuries and the industrial North churning out millions of yards of cotton and woollen fabric in the 19th century.

It's a sad fact that many people's buying experiences are of ridiculously inexpensive mass produced imports, and they are so far removed from the actual 'making' processes that take place in textile production; they simply can't imagine why you couldn't hand over a beautiful ball of handcrafted yarn for £3.50.

How often I've heard people walking around Craft Fairs commenting incredulously at the prices being asked for handcrafted items. As a maker, it can be totally disheartening, and it only seems to either drive people out of the creative arts altogether with the eventual loss of the traditional skills; or drive the prices down ridiculously low to selling the items at the cost of materials with no labour charged at all!

I look forward to the time when running with the herd is no longer de rigeur, and people seek out the unique and the handmade and are willing to pay a fair price for the privilege.........

*end of rant*

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My latest spinning includes the finished silk cap I prepared on the tutorial last week plied with some merino. I then plied the excess merino with some left over kingfisher silk for a contrast (just a small skein of this).

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On Friday I visited the exhibition of Vectis Quilters at the beautiful Botanic Gardens at Ventnor.

Unfortunately my camera battery died shortly after I took these shots, so I can't show the variety of quilts on show, more's the pity. There were some beautiful examples, and the hours of labour were very evident in all of them.

Impossible Picot

I'm used to adding a decorative edge to my knitting after the construction of the main garment piece.

The Freedom Spirit jacket I'm working on uses a scalloped edging pattern which is laid down before the main knitting starts.

What a struggle! Immediately after the cast on, I found myself attempting to yf, k6, pass previous 5 knitted stitches over the first one. It was impossibly tight and I had to resort to fingers to assist. I'm still not convinced it looks the same as the pattern photo.

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At our last Guild meeting we had a demonstration on making Thai jewellery. This was very interesting. From very basic tools and components - waxed thread, fish bones, stones and shells - the Thai chap made really attractive necklaces with pendant beads. Each necklace took around 3 hours to complete. The main knotting principles were macrame based with variations.

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This weeekend I am demonstrating at Chale Show, and it will be my first outing with the Kromski Sonata. Hopefully lugging my kit from field to field will be a breeze with the rucksack arrangement. Projects to do on the day will be to spin up some natural white yarns to skein up for our dyeing day later this month.

The weather forecast looks good, so it should be a fun day for everyone.

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Our Guild swept the board again at the Weald and Downland Rare Breeds competition and came home with 17 rosettes, including the Show champion.

Well done to all of the ladies who entered.

The standard of entries was reportedly higher across all classes this year so it was a good challenge.



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