Well so much for travelling posts

didn't really have anything to post about :-) headed down south, stopped at the parentals for lunch and a cuppa, carried on down further south, stuck on motorway, got to hotel, showered, had dinner (all by myself in the restaurant, I haz a proud), went to bed, got up, dressed, breakfasted, went for an interview, got in car and drove back to parents', food and tea, drove home. 800 mile round trip :-o Hopefully find out this week if they want me or not. If they do, it's...

RELOCATION TIME AGAIN.

Aargh. Oh well, needs must etc.

Anyway, I have revived somewhat from that epic trip and have KAL progress to show you. Did I mention the KAL? quick check Oops, I didn't. Okay, Jane Thornley is running an Autumn KAL in the Ravelry group, so I decided to leap in, like I haven't got enough on the needles already :-)



and that's about it. I'm shattered so I'm off to my bed.

♥

More fame

I shan't be able to fit my head through the door at this rate.

See here - Jane is busy putting everyone's KAL projects onto her blog. There's some AWESOME work on there! Go and have a look. I'll wait.

Not a great deal has been happening here other than Izzy (the trainee knitter, remember?) coming back from another leg of her trip and bringing me FOUR Hebridean fleeces. Four. What's really nice is these are truly from the Hebrides - from Oronsay to be exact. I forgot to take a photo (duh) but the fleeces vary in colour and texture in a really cool way. There's a wiry grey one, two with sunbleached, gingery tips and one mainly soft black with distinct locks. Interesting to see such variety in one breed!

So now I have to start working out what I'm doing with them :-) I've started the scouring with the roughest fleece, a chunk of that is in a fermented suint bath as we speak. I think I need to go and buy a couple of really big containers. Maybe a dustbin?

In other news, I'm still spinning that lovely ArtemisArtemis fibre, it's so nice I'm deliberately dragging it out :-) I also pulled a chunk off the Texel fleece and have got that on the Golding. I'm shooting for a heavy laceweight, but I don't know how much it will bloom and poof out. I'm spinning it literally straight off the fleece - no carding, no scouring, just "as is." It's a really nice clean fleece in the main so not a problem to work this way. I will need to scour the remainder at some point though otherwise it will go all sticky and nasty.

I'm also knitting (of course) - I finished the Travelling Woman shawl (photos to come). I'm quite pleased, I couldn't get the curved top edge to block out right so I blocked it straight and pulled the whole shawl out widthways. I still have a bunch of yarn left, I wish I'd made the shawl wider in hindsight. However it's still really nice so putting it down as a success :-)
I'm now ploughing on with the Shetland Hap, I'm onto the border (hurray) and just started the third colour overall. Only 70-odd ever-increasing rows to go, then it's edging time. I'm trying not to think about it too much. Gulp.

Also this means I only have seven WIPs listed on Ravelry! Blimey. I really want to clear the decks a bit before I scratch the startitis itch again.

So I finally got the Saori blanket laid out and have started hemming the pieces. There's some variation in length (hardly surprising) so I have a bit of a job to come to sort that out. It looks grand though, and I think it will be nice and warm but light. The different textures are really great.

I also had a play with the peg loom I brought back from Leek. It's good fun, and once you've sorted out the warps the weaving goes very quickly. It's surprising how much weft you get through though! I suppose you are producing a very weft-faced weave so I shouldn't really be all that surprised. I'm thinking some unspun fleece would make a gorgeous bedside rug, maybe combined with some handspun. I also have a bunch of sisal cord which would probably make a fab doormat. Another project for the list!

Formula 1
Well Hungary was far more exciting than I'd feared! That was a relief as it's now the summer break so no race for four weeks. I will have withdrawal symptoms! Thank God for Eurosport. I was annoyed as the electricity board managed to cut my power off for three and a half hours so I missed the final part of qually. That's my favourite bit! I was chuffed to see Pedro de la Rosa finish so high, go Sauber! and the Lotus was much improved as well. I was also delighted to see Rubens Barrichello get one over on Michael, and horrified at his manoeuvre which nearly stuffed Rubens into the pit wall. I am not impressed. He's not improved his attitude with a few years off. Anyway, next race is Spa which is one of my favourites.

and I think that's it, other than if you haven't been watching "Sherlock" on the BBC, you have missed out and need to catch up ASAP. Brilliant.

~*~

OH OH OH yes I forgot to mention I've added the "reactions" thingies to my posts. So just like Ravelry, you can press my buttons! Go on, click away :-)

Tour de Fleece

I am such a joiner.



The BFL fleece on the bobbin, and silk hankies on the Golding.

The fleece is being a screaming bitch to spin - it hasn't taken too kindly to carding, so I'm just going to spin up what's prepared and leave the rest for when I manage to get some combs.

Tonight I think I might break out something a bit more cheerful, colour-wise :-) I want to try out my new spindle I got from Woolfest:



Forrester, about 45g which is much heavier than I usually use, but I was all overcome by the shiny :-)

and this is the kit I got from House of Hemp:



How pretty is that???

In WIP news, I have nearly finished the Jane Thornley KAL:



Just need to finish the edges, and work up a shawl pin from some driftwood and shells.

I started the Traveling Woman shawlette, in one of Lilith's yarns - the 100% merino superwash in "Jasper":



It's much bigger now :-) and here's a better snap of the yarn:



And Finally...

A KNITTER IS BORN.



My work here is done. That's Izzy, and I just taught her to knit. She's off up North for a bit, and she's taking the knitting with her. Aaah. I'm so proud.

We Have Achieved Fleece (oh and Woolfest too!)

First off, an apology, my camera is still in Ange's car so I have no pictures for you. I took it all the way to Woolfest, left it in the car because a) I couldn't be bothered to carry it; and b) Ange has a fancy-pants new smartphone with more megapixels than my camera (jealous? Moi?) Of course, we were so addled with wool fumes that we barely took any pictures anyway :-)

I'll come back to Woolfest in a minute, first a picture-free catch-up. Use your imagination.

KAL
The Jane Thornley KAL project is nearly completed (yay!) I have just cast off the second sleeve, so all it needs now is bands and edging. I'm toying with a crochet shell edging, but I still need to ponder on it a bit more. Very pleased with it though, it is light and summery, but has a good drape. I did a bit of fancy stitchwork at the bottom of the body and it's really worked well. Pleased, I haz one.

Fleece!
I have achieved fleece! Can't remember if I mentioned it, but my lovely neighbours have gifted me a Blue-faced Leicester fleece. It was as mucky as all hell, and quite disordered, but I gave it a good skirting and pick-over, and have washed up all the good stuff. I have a large storage box FULL of lovely clean fleece now. I've carded a bit of it, both on the hand cards and the drum carder, and hopefully this week I'll get chance to start spinning it. I have a feeling the hand-carded rolags are going to spin better than the batt, but we'll see. I want to keep some of it as-is, as there are some nice locks which will make a super-fab tailspun yarn, if I can get my head around it.

Visitations and Reorganising
I had a semi-unexpected visitor last week (Hi Izzy!) so much tidying and cleaning was undertaken :-) She made her way over to Gigha, and has been having an awesome time and I think wants to move there immediately :-) I now have my lounge floor back again, and reorganised some of the yarn storage. I had a flash of genius (happens occasionally) and dug out two bread trays I recovered off the beach. They make great yarn containment devices and fit perfectly under my sideboard. I must go back down to the beach and see if I can score any more :-)

WIPs
I'm working on the last panel of the SAORI blanket - it's been going a bit slowly as I've been doing other stuff too, but I'm roughly at the half-way mark now.
Shetland Hap Shawl - I picked this up again as a potential "take to Woolfest" project, then realised there was little point as I wasn't likely to sit down long enough (a totally accurate assumption as it turned out!) However it was ideal TV knitting, watching the Grand Prix (OMG talk about Red Bull Gives You Wings) and I could put it over my head whilst watching England get knocked out of the World Cup (man, we sucked.) I'm about three quarters of the way through the diamond centre, so not long before I can start picking up eleventy million stitches for the borders and edging.

Okay, WOOLFEST!!!
Ange kindly offered to drive me and Lilith down there, as she has the biggest car :-) So a 7.15am start and a three-hour drive later (Lilith came prepared with a Thermos of coffee, clever girl) we arrived in sunny Cumbria. And it really was sunny. In fact, it was baking. The poor Teeswater sheep in the hall looked rather warm, as they'd not been sheared yet! On the other hand the alpacas looked pitiful, as only a freshly-sheared alpaca can. We spotted the cutest lamb in history - a Ouessant. You could have fitted it in a handbag - it was smaller than the average cat. In fact, we considered sheep-napping it, but decided the owner might notice. Hopefully I have a fleece coming my way shortly.

Woolfest is much more "woolly" than Wonderwool - probably because Wonderwool is too early in the year for shearing, whereas Woolfest is bang-on in the middle of shearing season. There was fresh fleece everywhere, and somehow I managed to not snag a single one, apart from the potential Ouessant. Fail. Ange scored two lovely Shetland fleeces though, cowbag that she is :-) I think I was suffering fleece overload to be honest. I did spy a Lincoln / Merino cross that appealed, but it was HUGE and really needed combing to make the most of it. I wanted to get some English wool combs, but as the only proper ones available (it seems) are £210 from Wingham, I gave them a miss.

So what did I buy? Well, lots of fibre :-) Some beautiful tops and batts from Daniela at FeltStudioUK (again - I can't say no to her batts); some more blended tops from Wingham, along with some goodies for carding; some fibres from Freyalyn; back issues of Spin-Off from P&M; silk brick from Oliver Twist in a gorgeous green; some Udderly Smooth handcream (if it's good enough for dairy cows, it's good enough for me); a lovely shawl pin from Michael Williams; (and I'd like to apologise now for drooling all over his fabulous new skein winder - I'm saving up already); a kit from the House of Hemp for the Metamorphosis Coat though mine won't be so long; a bag and badge from the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers; some fancy yarns for Jane Thornley-type projects; and finally a BEAUTIFUL Forrester drop spindle from Spindlers2 and some fibre from them as well. Phew.

In other news, I'm shattered, I need a holiday, my ironing basket has gone critical and I joined an online dating website. Yeah. Y'all can start laughing now. Let's just say I smacked myself upside the head a few times and I think I've got my shit together relationship-wise now, i.e. yes I'd like one please. Knights in shining armour or sheep farmers are particularly welcome to apply for the role...

:-D

Ravelympics

I'm ready. (Don't get me on the whole Knitting Olympics / Ravelympics thing, 'kay? This is supposed to be a fun challenge, not politics.)

I have wound the yarn.

I have swatched.

I have shed tears of frustration over colourwork knitted flat.

I have got over myself and figured how to work colourwork flat.

I am preparing to be up at 2am Saturday morning to cast on (but I'm trying to work out a way round that one. I'm not sure it's a good idea.)

I have prepared and tagged the projects on Ravelry.

And now...it's just the waiting.

Here is the yarn:



Here is the swatch - pretty isn't it?



It will be a Berber Jacket, pattern from the lovely Jane Thornley. I may not work the chequered pattern at the top of the yoke - in the swatch I didn't like it so much as the two-coloured ribbing. I'm also probably going to do the fronts and back, sew it up, then knit the sleeves downwards in the round. I will also have to watch the breadth of the shoulders - it's a dropped shoulder, and I do not have very wide shoulders. A lot of stuff ends up a bit big across my back so some careful measuring will need to be done I think.

Also I am going to finish my socks:



Which I have been working on since JUNE LAST YEAR, ffs. I have no warm socks. This will be remedied. Yarn is Regia Kaffe Fassett (I think - it's certainly Regia anyway.)

In other news.

I KNIT A SWEATER!!! AND IT FITS AND IS AWESOME. Also knit completely from stash. Go me.

Right, please excuse the pictures. I look like shit in this photo, well even more than usual. I am not a photogenic person without the aid of a team of make-up artists. And Photoshop. Jules - no rude remarks okay? Otherwise I will have to smack you. Hard.



Top-down raglan, in handspun Wensleydale from Teo's Handspun on the Isle of Skye. Bought when I was on my holidays up there, and I FINALLY got brave enough to knit it up. I have virtually no yarn left, right the way through the second sleeve I was panicking I was going to run out. As it turned out, I have maybe 20 yards left. It is delightfully sheepy, very cosy and surprisingly soft. I haven't dared wash it yet, to be honest. I have a terror it will drop about a foot. I will have to brave it sooner or later, but at the moment I'm wearing it :-) Ange's dog thought it was FABULOUS. He couldn't keep his paws off me :-)

Employment News

There is none. Nothing to report, not an interview, not a dickybird. Nowt.

Well, there's always tomorrow, right?

Road Trip

After a PARTICULARLY bad day, Ange took pity on me and carted me off to Twist in Newburgh, in sunny Fife, for a fibre fix. What a great shop! Fibre all laid out, ready for you to weigh out as much as you wanted. Fat wheels of lopi (yup, I bought some) just right for felting (I'm going to make a waistcoat) spinning and weaving stuff, yarns, buttons, books...Great stuff. Just what I needed, and I brought back some lovely merino tops and an 80/20 merino / silk blend for spinning for the Berber Jacket. I really need to get my ass in gear and take pictures. I also bought Caroline a maintenance kit JUST IN CASE - I have a horror of her snapping a driveband and leaving me wheel-less.

Tomorrow if he weather is decent I will try and take some pictures of the Woven Woods vest (I still need to finish the armholes...gah) and the bits from Twist. I have been a bit remiss on blogging things lately. Must remedy this.

~*~

First FO of 2010!

The Ripenings Shrug. I just need to find a suitable shawl pin.

***

This is the current view outside my house:



That is a sheet of ice behind my car :-(

So I've been playing in the stash to take my mind off it:



~*~

Woven Woods and Glorious Colour

I seem to be blogging on a daily basis so far this year! No I've not joined Blog365 or whatever, I just seem to have a lot to say at the moment. It won't last. At the moment I'm just waiting for my camera batteries to charge up so I can go for a walk. I wish they'd hurry up as the light just now is fabulous.

Colour
Anyway, while I'm waiting, I thought I'd witter on a bit about colour. I have a head FULL of colour, especially at the moment as I've been looking a lot at Jane Thornley's work and thinking about the Inspired Knitter's Club. I have developed a deep, uncontrollable need for a particular colour. I can only describe it as a mustardy, olivey, goldy green. There's an example here, and Alchemy do a couple of colourways - "Dragon" and "Hidden Place" that are near. I think Colinette do something too, but they've taken their site down for maintenance. Hang on, I'll surf Flickr and see what I can find.
Aha! Jane's Woven Woods wrap. I hope she doesn't mind. Jane - if you do, let me know and I'll just do a linky instead!

Right, see that colour on the edges? Above the button. THAT kind of colour.

Woven Woods button fastning, originally uploaded by thornleytwo.

If anyone can tell me how to dye that colour, I will be eternally grateful.

Kaffe Fassett
Of course if you are discussing colour, then the patron saint must be Kaffe. Oh Kaffe, how I love thee, let me count the ways. I mean, how can you not adore a man pictured on his home page in a blue spotty shirt, brown cords, spotty socks and a big bunch of dahlias, sitting on a quilt? His colour sense is pretty much the same as mine, and I don't think he's ever produced ANYTHING I don't like. A lot of people diss his knitwear as being boxy or shapeless, but of course he's not designing a garment per se, it's a piece of art to wear. I share his love of patterns too, as anyone who has seen one of my paintings will testify :-)

When I grow up, find another settled job somewhere and can buy a house, it's going to be decorated in a Kaffe-crossed-with-a-gypsy-caravan style. There will be lime and purple. It will be AWESOME.

This leads me to show you one of my Xmas presents. My beloved got me this, and I don't think I have squeed so loudly (other than getting Caroline of course) since next door got a Border Collie puppy.



Okay, so I got Glorious Knitting. "So what?!" I hear you cry. Philistines. But wait, there is more. Inside it was:



Oooooh. Wait, it gets better.



Click for bigness. That is two posters produced for the Channel 4 TV show in the late 80's. Look, I got a Kaffe pinup! Hee!

But that isn't all. Look at the front page of the book:



IT IS SIGNED!!! SQUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEE!

Can you believe this book was in a second-hand shop? Can you BELIEVE it?

Anyway it is now MINE, my precious, and it's on the list of "things that I will risk life and limb to rescue in case of fire."

Spinning
Last thing, as my batteries must surely be charged by now.

Look! I made handspun and...IT DOESN'T SUCK!



That is the Rockpool Candy batt, plied with sewing thread - about 75 yards. The black is the Jacob that came with Caroline. It's a two-ply, about 50g but I've not measured it (doh.) They're both really well balanced, and I has a Big Pleased.

Right, off for my walk. It's too nice a day to miss.

~*~