Drop Spindles

 I'm a knitter at heart, but because of that, I became interested in spinning.

Like most beginner spinners I started off with a very basic drop spindle and some very dodgy fibre which was half felted and difficult to draft.  

Turns out that the fibre being so awful did me a favour.  I persevered with it, and even though the "yarn" I made with it was a lumpy bumpy mess, it was good training.

Now, I'm confident spinning almost any fibre on a drop spindle and it's one of my favourite things to do.

However, this has led to a whole new level of stash enhancement, in fact it could even be a hobby in it's own right! That and all the beautiful spindles that are out there looking for a good home, it's a rabbit hole that I have well and truly fallen down.

A fresh look at blogging

It's been a while since I last blogged, this is mostly due to time not being on my side.  Lets face it if given the choice of blogging about knitting and other fiber crafts and actually knitting or doing something with fiber there really is no contest.

I've been watching a lot of podcasts whilst knitting lately (mostly podcasts about knitting funnily enough) and thought that the format most of them take would translate well to a written blog too.

So, with that in mind, my cunning plan is to  get my act together and blog more regularly include more photos and be a bit more interesting.

So first of all, before starting out with the new format, here is what I've been up to recently:

Campsite Shawl by Alicia Plumber:- this was a very quick knit because its a DK weight yarn and it's a well written and straightforward pattern.

Ashburn Shawl by Melanie Berg:- this thing is huge! I used Ginger Twist Studios Yakety Yak yarn in the Might as Well be Spring colourway, Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Bramble colourway and Ginger Twist Studios Splendor in the Girl on Fire Colourway

Pure Joy Shawl by Joji Locatelli - I love this shawl, it's so easy to wear and the yarn is smooshy, cozy

and has great colour.  I used Sublime merino silk 4ply (that's the purple) and Hedgehog fibres Sock yarn in the Melody colourway.  Zoomed off the needles despite being a 4ply/fingering weight shawl.

Girl from the Grocery Store by Joji Locatelli:- another quick and simple garter stitch shawl in fresh Spring colours, Hedgehog Fibres Bramble and a lovely green from the Knitting Goddess (lost the ball band so can't give you the name)

A pair of Vanilla Socks made using Hedgehog Fibres Boom Box.  These will be going in my Box O Sox a year long KAL by Yarngasm.

At Dawn Shawl by Joji Locatelli knitted using Superb Bamboo superwash by Rico yarns.  The pattern came from Interpretations Vol 1 which I picked up at Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2017.

And finally, another pair of Vanilla Socks for my Box O Sox.  Knitted two at a time and toe up with a Fish Lips Kiss heel using Knitting Goddess Blue Faced Leicester and mixed British wools  spun in Yorkshire in the Gunfight at the OK Coral colourway.

Well PHEW! That was a long one, but it clears the decks for the next time when I will bring you new things I'm working on, perhaps a finished object or two and my stash enhancements from Edinburgh Yarn  Festival and any other additions to my stash I might have made since then.

TTFN

A moment of Madness

I'm off on holiday soon with my family, most of whom are outdoorsie types who like nothing more than to be dripping wet, covered in mud and astride a bycicle with a seat like a razor blade! Me? not so much. I like my outdoor experience to be a little more civilised, leisurely walks, open air cafes, outdoor decks with stunning views where you can sit with your knitting and a drink (coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and gin in the evening) You get the picture.

The problem about being surrounded by people who spend most of their free time outdoors is that they have a permanent tan. I am a typical Scots lass, blue eyes fair skin which is prone to freckles (in fact the only thing that disqualifies me from being on a shortbread tin is that I have brown hair not red) I don't tan, I never have and I suspect I never will so this year I decided that I would get a "Fake Bake". Good idea? you'd think so wouldn't you.

I trotted into the salon full of the joys of spring got chatting to the very friendly young woman who was going to give me my treatment (hang on, treatment! it's all sounding a bit serious) I explained to her that I have never had a tan and I only wanted to look lightly sunkisses, a healthy glow (rather than being as palid as Golem) and that my skin was dry in some places and normal in others, she assured me that solution number 9 would achieve just that effect and that I wasn't to worry this product worked on all skin types.

So brimming with confidence was I that I happily stepped int to the little booth where the compressor powered equipment was all set up. 15 minutes later I emerged feeling like I had just been given a coat of shellac and looking alarmingly brown. Again I was told reassuringly that this was just the guide colour used so that the "technician" knew that all exposed areas had been coated. So I left the salon with a pamphlet of useful advice on how to care for may new tan, it would develop over night and in the morning all the brown stuff would wash off in the shower leaving me with the desired effect.

During the evening I watched in horror as I went from pasty to mahogany! I lasted all of 4 hours before I fled to the bathroom for a shower and oh boy am I glad that I did. Even after using soaps on the banned list because the oils in them remove the fake tan I still look like an Oompah Loompah (from the original film with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka) causing great hillarity in the household. Oh and guess what, remember I said I had dry skin in places (namely my hands) they have turned out even darker than the rest of me!

Oh well at least I'm not at work and will spend most of my "Orange Period" in the company of complete strangers who I will likely never see again. From now on I'm sticking to my traditional blue/white complexion, and I don't care how many people go snow blind because of it. (there is no picture to accompany this post!)

52PPIV Total fail!

24 pairs, that's all I managed to do in the space of a year :( Still, not to be deterred, I've signed up for the 26PPii. I should be able to get through 26 pairs in a year shouldn't I?

Anyhoo here are my first pair

Summer Spirals made with Opal Cotton.

Ear Worm

"When you swim in the sea and an eel bites your knee, that's a moray."

I had to share this with you, its been going round in my head ever since I read it on someones Facebook status (thanks Ava)

52PP IV

Well its the end of the first week of the 52 Pair Plunge IV, and I have been busy getting some submissions ready.

The idea of the Plunge is to knit a pair of socks every week for a year so that you end up with 52 completed pairs by the end of May. Now I know myself pretty well, and I know that I will be distracted by some shiny new pattern for a shawl/sweater/toy at some point so my strategy for getting the plunge finished successfully is to knit like a maniac early on so that if I do fall off the wagon I have at least a couple of pairs in hand (enough to give me time to finish a simple sweater for example)

Here are the first of the pairs

1/52

Emily's Socks

These are made for my DD and are a UK size 2. I used Knitting Goddess 4ply sock yarn in a semi solid pink colourway and had lots left over soooooo.....

I used it to knit these I made some mods to the pattern to give these a picot edged cuff.

And last but by no means least, I knit some baby socks (thanks goodness for pregnant friends, these little fellas knit up in no time)

I don't need a psychic to tell me that there will be a lot more of these in my immediate future LOL!

Its been a while

Abject apologies, I have been missing in action for months now and its due to nothing more than my lazyness.

I have been knitting (They will have to prize my needles from my cold dead hands!) and cooking most of my spare time away.

I knitted this little fella with left over sock yarn, I think he turned out pretty well.

I've signed up for the 52 Pair Plunge IV, and as the name applies I will have to churn out a pair of socks every week for a year!! That along side all the other works I have in progress ( finally started a February Lady Sweater) should keep me amused for the foreseeable future and should provide a suitable amount of Blog Fodder.

As for the cooking, cupcakes have become a passion in our house since DD had a bake sale at school. They are so simple yet look so impressive. Also confectionery has been a theme with fudge, toffee and peppermint creams being the most requested items. I had a bash at a home made BBQ sauce which turned out really rather well, and should I be able to recreate it I'll share the recipe here.