My neighbours think I'm weird

I can't imagine why.



Hebridean dries on the line. Machine washed! Who knew?

As promised, the Artemis handspun:



It is IMPOSSIBLE to photograph properly.

The Texel singles:



and the batts and resulting yarn (a blend of Texel and Balwen):





Again, very hard to photograph.

Use your imagination.

Right, remember I was waiting on some Viking combs?
Well I'm not any more. Bit of an epic breakdown in communications, I cancelled the order and got in touch with Wingham Wool Work, purveyors of the Peter Teal-style English wool combs. There's a month wait, the website says. So I dropped them a wee email, and got back the fateful reply "Oh, we've one set in stock!"

My credit card nearly got singed, I got it out of my purse so damn fast.

MINE MINE MINE GIMME WANT NOW!!!1!1!!!1!

So they're on their way. I think it is fate. These are what I wanted originally, but the price defeated me somewhat. However, when I bought Genevieve the Ashford Joy, I had originally budgeted for a SpinOlution Mach II. Buying Genevieve instead meant I had enough for the proper combs. happydance

I learned Andean plying! Sandy showed us how to do it at the last Spin Saturday at Gourock - thanks Sandy! I even bodged myself a tool, as Kevin Rhodes is out of stock and Michael Williams doesn't seem to read his emails very often (and I HATE using the phone) the tool is better than your hand for a lot of singles, especially if you prefer having circulation in your fingers.

Here is my version:



Elegant, huh? Polystyrene and a knitting needle. Works a treat. I like Andean plying. Originally it was only used for the leftover singles, but I've been using it on the whole lot. It means the whole skein is plied the same in one go, rather than having a mini-leftover-lonely-skein at the end, and I can control the singles better it seems. Of course it means you don't have to carry a kate around with you too. It also means I'm not forever taking the flyer off Genevieve, which I prefer. All but one skein I've managed to fit on the standard Joy bobbin.

In other news I have been cooking:



sadly not home-grown, but Sainsbury's special offer :-)

and I am dreading next week. Monday there are "major" roadworks on the M8, and then on Thursday the Pope is coming for a visit. As I'm not a Catholic (though I can play one on TV, seven years of Catholic school you know) I won't be attending the Mass in the park (I hope it doesn't rain), but I would like to be able to get to work...Maybe the boss will let me work from home that day. They're going as far as closing a lane of the M77 to use as a bus park. Wow. It's going to be bedlam.

♥