Sprint

Yup, motorsport content again ☺ Bank Holiday Monday was time for a trip over to the Smoke (literally as it turned out, a huge fire in Thornton Heath meant some nifty work on my part with the road atlas and Google Maps to get us home again) and to Crystal Palace for their annual Sprint. For those not familiar, sprints are not "racing" as such - each competitor has a number of runs on the circuit one at a time, and the fastest wins. There are lots of classes so like cars compete against each other for the honours. At this event there was also a nice sideshow of interesting cars and bikes, and you can wander around the paddock to look at the competitors.





I found some Honda Civics - my Mum had one of these! Cracking little car it was too:



There were some very serious Minis:



some tidy French retro:



and one of my personal favourites:



oh and the beloved found his next car...he wishes:



There was Actual Knitting Content™ - my Liesl got an outing (excuse the gratuitous butt shot, that's what happens when a certain person is put in charge of the camera)



and I took my latest project and knitted in between cars ☺

Latest project, I hear you cry? Yup, I caved and cast on another project...I do have a (feeble) excuse - I wanted to try out the Wollmeise before KnitNation, to see if I wanted to buy any more. Of course I do. It really is nice, feels like cotton, knits like a wool/cotton and apparently blocks like a dream but I haven't got that far. One thing I have found - it's somewhat overspun imho, so it tends to twist up a bit. This gave me a problem when I cast on the first pattern I had in mind - Pogona. You have to switch between stocking stitch and reverse st st. This lead to this:



EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW. I often have a slight ladder when swapping between the two (and some Rav-searching has suggested some solutions) but the twist seemed to exaggerate the problem to an unacceptable degree :-( After a little soul-searching I faced facts and ripped it all out. It's now becoming Sweet Jazz, a nice shawly, crescenty scarfy thing with an appealingly pointy border. Moving on nicely so far, no picture because it really doesn't look very exciting yet.

I've been doing some weaving -



made a start on the "net" curtains for the lounge window. I'm sick of the neighbours gawping! Note the rather dubious warping set-up - I do miss having a really big dining room! I finished the weaving today, I just need to secure the edges and give it a wash, and see what I end up with...there's still quite a lot to do yet. I'm still ploughing on with an epic peg loom rug as well. I keep doing a row or two whenever I walk past.

Colour Project

Still on Red for a week or two yet, I've decided to use the blog as my sketchbook so here's a bit more (I still haven't photographed the yarn I spun, oops)



I was hoping to do some painting, but to be realistic, I doubt I'll have time or space - my huge collection of art materials will remain unmolested for a little longer I fear!

~♥~

didn't we have a lovely day...

the day we went to London?



Yup, the Ravelry LSG UK Hoars Meet Up.

Look! Tweasels in their natural environment (the pub):







Now, I am the first to admit that I dislike London. I love some of the things IN London - the yarn shops, the V&A, the British Museum, the Doc Martens shop (is that still there?) but London generally you can keep. It's too busy, too dirty, too noisy and there isn't enough greenery. No, Hyde Park doesn't count. Really, no, it doesn't. It's a field.

However, it has some compensations.



Need I say any more on this matter? I thought not.

Also:



The coned yarns are from the Handweaver's Studio, where I met up with a few other weaving-minded souls in the morning. It's a great shop, see:



Well worth the short trip up to Finsbury Park.

I actually had a really good time, it's the first time I've been into the Smoke since I moved, and it was weird coming into Paddington on the Great Western, I'm so used to landing at Euston. I kind of felt like I hadn't arrived properly, if that makes sense. What absolutely gobsmacked me, and this is one for the railway buffs, is that the Paddington trains from Reading had slam doors. SERIOUSLY? I thought Southerners were all advanced and posh?! SLAM DOORS??!? Haven't seen them in years. Even the Clyde Coast line trains have sliding push-button doors.

ANYWAY. I digress, as usual.

There are other good things to tell you about. My date has rekindled (hurray) so I'm all happy about that. I'm not telling you any more :-)

I have a new chair! A spinning chair! You may envy me now:



Isn't it awesome? I love it. This means I can sit properly and spin, rather than sinking into the sofa and wrecking my back.

I was given an incredibly generous present. I'm still rather overcome to be honest.



That's a Don Porritt tapestry loom. Oh my. I don't actually know how to make it work yet, but I'm going to find out! As far as I can tell, everything is there ready to go, just the reed needs a clean as it's gone a bit rusty. A soak in some Coca-Cola and a going over with some wire wool should sort that out. I just need to put aside some time to devote to sorting and learning.

I think that's it, I've just been to the dentist for a super-deep clean and I feel like I've been smacked in the mouth with a cricket bat. Hopefully though this will make my gums better - I'm not convinced personally, they've always been a bit dubious, but hey, I'll give it a try and see what happens. I get a week off then go back for the other side to be done. Can't wait...at least the anaesthetic has worn off enough so I can drink without dribbling, and the bleeding seems to have abated somewhat. Ouch. Soup for dinner again :-(

~♥~

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 :-)

SAORI musings

As promised :-)

I first saw SAORI weaving on Ravelry (no surprise there then) - made by Terri in Canada. Her website and blog are both great and gave me lots of inspiration - and also a lot of affirmation that freeform weaving could be a valid form of expression and could also retain the functional appeal of textile. Also, like a lot of my craft stuff, I like to wander into the free-range realm quite often, and it's nice to know I'm not alone in that place :-)

Some more digging led me to research the SAORI philosophy in a bit more depth. SAORI is actually a trademark now of the people who make the looms, but it is much more than a name or a technique. I recommend you have a look at SAORI Worcester's site, especially here and here, which describe it far better than I ever could :-)

I think what appeals to me most about this philosophy is the celebration of the unique, the no-mistakes approach and the meditative qualities. Something that clicked with me was one of Misao Jo's principles:
Kikai to ningen no chigai o kangaeyou / Consider the differences between machines and people

Hmmm. Yeah. I like that one. It takes me back to my days of studying ceramics and the importance of the hand of the potter in bringing a piece to life. Perfection never interested me when working with clay (still doesn't) - one of the many clashes I had with my idiot lecturers :-) It also calls to mind the philosophies of William Morris and John Ruskin. Interesting. I could chew over this one for a while, and probably will :-)

And this principle I adore:

Kira-kira kagayaku me o motou / Let's look out through eyes that shine

Being open to seeing beauty in everything (remember Morris again!) is something that I've strived for (striven? strived?) over the years. It has been noticed that I look at the world in a "funny way", or see things that other people don't notice. This is probably because I look, rather than just seeing. I tend to bump into things and am at risk of falling down holes, because I'm always gawping somewhere and not looking where I'm going :-)

I just had an interesting thought. I reckon, if I had been born five or ten years ago, rather than 30-odd (aargh) I'd probably have been diagnosed as autistic already :-) I think I meet quite a few of the criteria. Hah. One part of this is the one aspect of SAORI that I really appreciate, but only on an intellectual level, which is the community / group aspect. I think it's great, but I'm not sure I could do it. My social uncomfortable-ness (I can't think of another way of putting it!) seems to be increasing as I get older, rather than decreasing. Though saying that, maybe this sort of activity would be beneficial. More to ponder on. Like-minded people and all that. I spend a lot of time, when I'm in the company of other people, thinking "what am I doing here? What are they thinking? Why am I not having fun like they are? I really don't want to be here..." It used to bother me a LOT, but I think I got over that. Now I don't really care :-) and spend as much time away from social situations as possible. I got better things to do...

Anyway, enough cod-psychology for now. I'm a third of the way through sleying the reed so I need to extract digit and go thread warps. Pictures soon, promise.

~*~

Keeping Busy

This being made redundant thing means I got to spend time working from home. As I have nothing much to do, work-wise, I've been busy round the house.

I've been cleaning out the range and fitting it with some new seals:





(this is what the inside of one of the lids looks like after a couple of weeks - eeewww)

Which resulted in managing to hit a decent temperature for the first time this winter (firing it on coal helps too...) -



I've been doing a little DIY - a loose doorknob meant a quick fix with Araldite and a G-clamp. Inelegant, but effective.



I've been doing some crazy weaving:



using up some of the stash mountain and trying out a mixture of fibres. I'm going to put this through the washer once it's finished, and hopefully there will be some uneven felting and shrinkage.

I've been sorting through some of my patterns and vintage magazines:



and re-organising my shelves.



I started playing with the inkle loom I won on eBay:



It's rather good fun. I can see me getting some use out of this. I have Helene Bress' excellent book on inkles to give me lots of ideas.

I have finished the Craft Fairs for the year, and made a grand total of £47. Wow. IF I had a day job, I don't think I'd be giving it up anytime soon. Oh well, good experience. :-)

I finished the hat and scarf commission - I've not a photo of the finished hat yet, but it is the Watchcap pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann, worked in doubled Manos del Uruguay. I used the yarn single in warp and weft for weaving the scarf, 5dpi (I think!)





I finished my Noro legwarmers - stripes of Kureyon and Blossom.



I finally finished off my top-down Raglan a couple of weeks back:



and yes, I finished trimming the ends after this shot was taken!

I was lazy and ordered in from Tesco -



whose home delivery service, by the way, knocks Asda into a cocked hat on level of service and sensible use of carrier bags. Way to go Tesco!

Finally it was Yuletide Night in the village, and I may have bought some yarn:



Well, I have to have something to keep me entertained whilst I'm sat around posting my CV on the internet and praying for a miracle ;-)

~*~

Stuff and an Oops

I'm still here :-) and it is still Crazytown in more ways than one. The beloved's father has been in hospital, so we have had all that going on, and he's now coming out the day before the beloved is supposed to come up here for a few days. Sigh. Hopefully all will pan out okay and the father-sort-of-in-law will manage at home again. So there's that.

Work has been crazy, and not all in a good way. Let's just say Odd Things are occuring. Also colleague was sent to another office to cover for a fortnight and it has been INSANE ever since. Meh. Me no likey very much. I'm writing this while waiting for databases to copy to India. Over a very slooooooow connection. Happy days.

I dropped my mobile phone (cell for you Americans) down the toilet today. Well done me. It fell out of my back pocket - I felt it go and then there was a splash...at least the toilet was clean. Eeeewwwww. I fished it out in double-quick time, it's still working but somewhat erratically. I've got it drying in front of a fan heater as we speak. Oops.

Yarny Things
I bought some linen warp yarn from Texere, as I realised that all the lovely cones of stuff I have acquired are useless for warps - they're not strong enough. I scored 10/1nm Connemara linen for £9 a cone. I hadn't quite realised just how fine 10/1 is though - 10,000m / kg. That is fine. Like fishing line. It works out about 50wpi. Gulp. However, doubled it's about right in a 12.5dpi heddle. I'm playing with some just now and it is a BUGGER to deal with and maintain tension. (The warping peg flying off Did Not Help.) However I like it, and I have about 27,000m of it to use up (3 cones - that's not a typo!) I wonder if I could knit it as well? I have won an inkle loom on eBay, so if it ever arrives it might be good for that too as you need a good strong yarn. Might make good weft as well. Pondering.

Next, I have been commissioned to make some Christmas presents by a friend! AAARGH! Actually, not so bad but I'm working with a very chunky yarn and was planning on weaving a scarf and knitting a hat. I'm beginning to think knitting the scarf might be a better option. I've sampled the scarf and, well, I will show it to my friend and see what he thinks. I'm not 100% convinced myself. Hmmm. So I've got that to chew on.

I sold some stuff at the Craft Fair!!! Woohoo! A wee felted bag and a crazy scarf, of course two things that I totally thought would NOT sell. Shows how much I know, huh? So now I could do with making some more stuff as it is the big fair at the end of the month and I'd really like a "cushion" of extra stock.

Still waiting for this database...at least my tea is cooking at the same time as it is Knit Night.

What else? Ah yes, Mum's Xmas pressie is coming on - toe-up socks in one of Lilith's (Old Maiden Aunt) yarns. I'll take a piccy when the first one is done. Dad wants a hat so I need to get on with that.

And now my tea is ready so time to go :-)

~*~

Crazytown

Welcome to Crazytown :-) Pull up a chair, you'll have to move some yarn, and possibly a cat, help yourself to a chocolate biscuit while I put the kettle on. This might take a wee while.

I'm slowly drowning in a sea of yarn, books and equipment. Yes. it was that time again - the Visit Down South. This time, I got to stay with the beloved for a couple of days, which was lovely and we went to car boot sales (why are there no car boots in Western Scotland? I think we should be told) and washed my car and had birthday cake and lots of great food and admired the garden and also bought yarn. So all good there.

I then toddled over to the Parental Units and got more good food and Sorting Out was achieved. Well, I say sorting out. It was more a case of discovering that the corner where all my Stuff was has been taken over by Other People's Stuff. There is a suspicious box of railway books in there, and an old television. Neither have anything whatsoever to do with me.

It turns out that Mum has been rescuing things from Granny's house, before my uncle's pyromaniac urges take over and he starts burning books to fire the heating. Bless him, he is a man of many talents and charm, but he does not have the hoarding instinct that runs so strong in every other part of the family. So, instead of a gentle meander through my paperbacks, in search of the rest of my Terry Pratchett books, I came home with this lot:



That is a pile, bum-high, of mainly books, only about 20% of which are actually mine. (the bag on the right is full of coned yarn! Yay me) The rest is a selection from Granny's ginormous collection of cookery and gardening books. Let me explain a little. Years ago, my grandparents had a quite serious fire at the house, which did a lot of damage and wiped out a lot of their belongings, books included. (The ones that remain smell decidedly odd.) When the insurance came through, Granny was keen to replace her reference books, which she did in some style. Some were second-hand, or from library sales, the rest were new. There is a ruddy mountain of the things, and I, as you know, am a sucker for gardening books. It appears I also have a severe blind spot where cookery books are concerned too. In short, I'll not be short of a recipe or 500 over the coming years :-)

I came back with something else too. Mum has been threatening me with this for the last year, and I'd swerved it up until now. Finally, Dad got involved, fished it out of the garage and opened the Big Green Box.



Yes folks, it's a knitting machine. A Singer, dating from 1967. My mum bought it brand new for £55 16s 9d. That was expensive.
We always thought the instructions had gone, which had put us off as no-one had the faintest idea how to make it go (even Mum has forgotten.) However, when Dad opened up the case, he discovered the original manual, all the tools, all the extras and the original receipt. Well, I could hardly say "no" at that point, could I? It was either me or the tip, and that seemed a shame. I was thinking "eBay!" at first, but when I had a good look at it and the handbook, my curiosity got the better of me. I'm keeping it :-) I shall be spending a good chunk of the weekend servicing and cleaning it, and seeing if it needs any serious work doing. I'm determined to get it working now - I loves me a technical challenge, and I've definitely got one here...

Craft Fair
Nearly forgot!

EPIC fail on the selling front. We didn't shift a THING. Got some interest and some nice comments, and had a nice day keeping Ange company and having a super-quick tour round Troon, but NO SALES. Meh. Hopefully I'll be doing the next one too which is November so peeps will be thinking Christmas. I hope.

Here is our stand - I think it looks pretty darn good:



Another New Addition to the Family
A picture says a thousand words, so:



Yep, I bought a loom...

And now Firefox is being a muppet with Adobe so I shall have to sign off and beat it with a big stick.

~*~