Dyeing & Felting

No dyeing or felting this week as the kitchen was a bombsite for a few days, so I’d packed all the dyeing and felting gear away in the study wardrobe.  With guests arriving on Sunday afternoon it seemed best to leave things packed out of the way and concentrate on tidying.

I sewed a clasp to a felted purse that I made some weeks ago.  The purse is a bit big for just using as a change purse, so I was thinking I’d maybe use it for keeping some scissors, tape measure etc. in  or perhaps charger cables for my phone, Fitbit and iPad.

(Has anyone noticed how many places in my house have this green faux suede?  Two years’ ago I cut up our old sofas, so this green fabric is on my sewing desk, computer desk, spinning chair, rocking chair, 2 arm chairs and a footstool!!!!)

Knitting

I finished my hybrid shortie socks (RCR/HES) and re-did the toes of the previous HES pair I had finished.   I’m going to have a wee break from knitting socks at the moment.  I now have 6 pairs of hand knit socks 🙂

My YOP list has ‘knitting some socks in handspun yarn’ and at the moment I don’t have any suitable, so I’ll work on my spinning for a bit.

My Nurmilintu shawl is progressing slowly, I’ve just completed the next garter stitch section and as I’ve guests arriving I don’t think doing lace work is likely next week.  I did one row of lace and went wrong somewhere so tinked it and I’m going to map out each row so I can check I’m on track.

I don’t know how anyone manages to knit fingering weight jumpers/sweaters.  I’m so ready for a chunkier yarn project once this shawl is finished.

Spinning

I did the tiniest bit of spinning and chain ply with some camel and silk fibre.  It is coming out lace weight.  I have decided to try making up some rolags to try spinning it in a woollen prep to see how that comes out.  I also thought I’d try spinning it a bit chunkier weight as well.

Weaving

On Monday, I had my 3rd try at weaving a dish towel.  This time I used the 12.5 dpi reed on my Sampleit Loom.  I double thread the warp, and started with single thread on the weft, but then part way across I started to do double thread on the warp.

My next trial will be on the 15 dpi reed.  If that doesn’t give me a fabric I like for a dish towel then I may give up trying and switch to scarves etc.

Ignore the dodgy edges, this is all about testing the fabric thickness.

Other News

We had our broken boiler replaced on Monday/Tuesday and our broken oven replaced on Saturday.  The plumber also fixed the downstairs loo that stopped working months ago!

On Wednesday I made waffles with the waffle machine that was my husband’s family’s one when they lived in Germany over 30 years ago!  I was nervous plugging it in but it actually worked!!  I personally don’t like waffles and having eaten about 5 in a row and feeling very overfull it didn’t help me warm to them.  I’d hoped it wouldn’t work so it could also be thrown out, but as it works my husband says we have to keep it.

I did some tree branch trimming and managed to do more de-cluttering, and gave some things away and did some tidying and cleaning. In some rooms it is now getting to the point where there is a place for everything and everything is in its place, which is a nice feeling.  Lots more work to do though.

My friend Susan, and her 2 boys, arrive on Sunday (today) afternoon for a week.  I’m so excited to see them, as it’s 2 years since I last saw them.  We have lots of plans including disc golf, stand up paddleboarding, a castle and dolphin watching trip, so hopefully the weather will be kind.

Having packed away my dyeing and felting stuff in the wardrobe where I keep all my yarn and fibre, I am resolute that I am going to be on a yarn diet in 2020.  It is back being totally rammed full.  I have lots of yarn that is waiting for me to dye, I have lots of fibre that needs to be spun and I have lots of purchased yarn that is assigned to projects in my queue on Ravelry, so I am going to enjoy the challenge.  So when I’m down at Perth Festival of Yarn on 7th September, my plan is no single skeins of 4 ply/fingering weight will be bought.  I will however be looking at some of the weaving yarns available.  In a couple of weeks we shall see how I’ve done!

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