Acquisitions/Stash Management
My good friend Norah is moving from the Isle of Skye and has been doing a massive decluttering and asked me if I’d take some dyed wool fibre off her hands. So on Wednesday we met up for a cuppa and cake and I took 2 large bin bags of fluff away with me!
When I got back I split it into what I will use and what I probably won’t.
The bits I’m keeping I bagged up by colour and our tall freezer in the garage was filled with the fluff for a few days just in case there were any moth eggs. The fluff had been stored in her loft so it’s just in case.
The stuff I won’t use I’ve given to a new Guild member as it will be good for combing or carding practice.
Most of it is Shetland, Shetland X, merino and some Gotland. There was a bag of locks too which is great as I use that for fairy hair. I just need my felting mojo to return and I can use it up.
Dyeing
Yesterday the Guild had a fun dyeing day held at Glachbeg Croft. We used fibre reactive dyes, solar reactive dyes and acid dyes. I suspect I’m mislabelling the solar one…anyhoo here’s what I produced.
It was a really good day, a lovely location and sunny(!) so perfect. Also it was a nice opportunity to get to know some Guild members better, one is friends with Kate Davies and collaborating with her on a new knitting pattern book.
Felting
Where is my felting mojo? If you see it can you pop it back to me. This next week I will make lampshades! Hold me to it readers, I always do better when I have expectations from others. Thanks 😉
Knitting
Socks
Last Sunday afternoon I finished “Deb’s Super Simple DK Socks” using the yarn from a frogged hat. When I weighed the leftovers afterwards I realised I have enough for another pair! Wow the socks are so quick to knit. I used DPNs because I was working from 1 ball of yarn not 2 when I’d usually use a long circular.
The yarn was from Ripples Crafts originally, it’s either Sport or DK. I am planning to buy some of her DK sock yarn at the end of this month when she is at a local craft fair so I’ll have a better idea when I knit some socks with that.
I’ve cast on the 2nd pair with the leftover yarn. Same recipe as last time but a thicker grey stripe. I’m on the foot of one and the gusset of another and when this one has caught up I’ll knit the foot two at a time…so they end up the same length! I’ll show 2 finished pairs next week.
Other/household
I’m such a numpty, my habitation throw is going to end up bigger than the pattern because I stopped counting stitches. Anyhoo I’ve started the decreases, albeit quite a lot later than the pattern. It’s not a problem, it’ll just be bigger. I’m not sure how cosy it will be, but we shall see.
Sewing
I finished sewing the mock up of a top that is designed for woven fabric. I’ve decided sewing tops is not for me. I know things need practice, but you have to get a little enjoyment to do it again.
I have some very simple (I think/hope) trouser patterns and material for them so I will give them a go…but necklines and arm hole sewing isn’t for me. It’ll be a PJ top so not a complete waste of time.
I’ll maybe dye the top with some Procion dyes I’ve not used yet.
Other News
I bought some herbs and strawberry plants and some other bits for the garden whilst waiting for Norah. We had a lovely catch-up. I went to the new refill shop in Inverness for a few things. I also picked up a few other bits I’d been meaning to get for a long time. I then went to another friend’s for a spin and chat with some other ladies, I took my knitting so no spinning to show this week. Its ended up being a very sociable and fun week.
This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 12th year, but this is my 5th year participating. If you would like to find more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry.
HighlandHeffalump 
Well, Liz, you sure do keep yourself busy ! You must be young to have so much energy, you lucky Pom.
Your Guild sounds wonderful: I wish that we had such an organisation Downunder in Melbourne. We have, like, nothing. 😦
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Hi, thank you that’s very kind. I’m 50 so on the younger side of most ladies in our Guild. I’m not sure they do dyeing but you do have the https://www.hwsgv.org.au/ and I see they have a dyeing interest group as well as weaving and spinning. They are 19 mins outside of Melbourne.
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OK, smartypants, you’re young enough to be my daughter but lucky enough not to be. 😀
I should’ve confessed that my obsession is crochet – garments only, although I occasionally do a throw or a lapghan – whereas you seem to’ve managed to cover every home craft there is !!
(My next birthday is in early July, and I shall turn [gasp !] 80. Dunno what to think about it. Don’t know where those years went !)
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Yes I must confess I’m a craftaholic, I’ve done most things and occasionally crochet.
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Ok so that didn’t make sense as I typed it and then went back and then found they do have a dyeing interest group and forgot to edit lol. Check their website though it’s the equivalent of our Guild. Our eldest member is 90 and she still brings her wheel along to spin.
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Then I have hope, eh ? – about additional years, not about learning to spin. [grin]
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Yes I’m never quite sure whether it’s just not for me or whether it’s that I’m not very good at something that spoils my enjoyment. Still, there are plenty of other crafts to be getting on with. Like felting. We’re all waiting for a lampshade update you know…
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What theme will your upcoming lampshade have? It will be so fun to see it. You were gifted a very nice assortment of fiber. How lucky for you and for other guild members. You certainly had a very busy week. Now it is time to rest and make a lampshade.
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I will do a couple of seascapes as they are laid out but maybe do a landscape one with my new fibre stash to try it out. 😀
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I love your lampshades. Any desire to do something “crazy”, just abstract collection of colors? I’m a big abstract fan. I still have my felting gnome to make that I bought as a birthday present to myself. Hmm, someday. I totally hate sewing so that’s not a craft I’ll ever pursue. Learned that lesson trying to sew Halloween and ballet costumes for the kids many, many years ago. Your dying day looks like a lot of fun. How wonderful that all the excess fluff has found new purpose. Very clever to freeze it for a few days. I have to plan my extrovert days with introvert days (which my extrovert hubby does not understand). This week I have 3 extrovert days in a row which means, sorry hubby we can’t have friends over for dinner this week. Wonder if this is going to get worse as I get older??
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Whew! You DID have a busy week. Lovely that you were able to visit with your friend AND do a little fiber exchange for your felting needs. This gets to be such a busy time of the year with all the outdoor things, I sometimes wish for a bad weather day (which we really don’t get very often here in NM) to have a day inside to get caught up and relax a bit.
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The Solar reactive reminds me when I was a kid and the solar reactive paper we used to put leaves on, was pretty cool to see fabric like that :).
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Some of the others had fern leaves they’d pressed first and then laid those out, it was pretty cool.
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Wow – busy week! What a lovely lot of fiber – very cool! And so nice that there are some locks for your fairies 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you come up with for your lampshades 🙂
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It sounds like you had a great week. I have found weirdly that I love sewing garments but only by hand (something I used to hate). I think I have got used to it taking z while with knitting and therefore it doesn’t bother me that it takes a while – I love the control it gives you!
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