The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Fleecewife on September 04, 2012, 11:41:22 am
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I suddenly feel like knitting again :yippee: :knit:
Yesterday I started my Hebridean homespun plus silver thread shawl - I was sitting in a wormer presentation by Pfizer so I had to do something ;D :knit:
Then when I got home my new super chunky yarn and beautiful 10mm rosewood straight needles had arrived, so I have started a chunky waistcoat with them. It knits up wonderfully quickly so I have done a good foot of the back already. :knit:
I haven't quite finished my homegrown but millspun Heb plus Alpaca jumper - just the yoke to complete. :knit:
Then as my OH keeps reminding me, I haven't quite finished his random Aran jumper from last year - I just need one more idea to complete it (by random Aran, I mean that I do small areas of various Aran stitches, so maybe some cabling, or a bit of bobbley, or different cabling, with the main jumper in stocking stitch)
This is his third random Aran, in yarn from New Lanark. :knit:
Last but by no means least, I have just one bobbin left to spin of the BFL tops I bought earlier for my repeat Fibonacci jumper. I'm so nearly there but for the past few weeks just haven't felt like spinning. Hopefully my revived interest in knitting means spinning will come back soon. I'm sure if we had a spinning emotidoodah it would help :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:
What is everyone else working on?
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My goodness Fleecewife, you are busy.
I am spinning coloured Ryeland fleece. Gosh there is a lot in one fleece. Not sure what I am going to do with it when finished but I have a nice book of crochet Aran jumpers so maybe one of those.
The various coloured wool that I dyed myself is currently being knitted into a fairisle tanktop. Its looking nice but I am not a very quick knitter. :knit:
As a change I have just made some lemon lip balm from our own beeswax. I am very pleased with it so friends and family will all get a small pot (very small) in with their christmas presents.
I am going on a one day felting course at the end of next month so will probably dye some of the Castlemilk fleece I got from Tizaala to felt.
Sally
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I have several projects on the go, only small projects as I dont have a lot of patience . I dont knit, I can but the needles are too ' in the way' for me so I crochet. I love to do Irish lace crochet on fine needles and with fine cotton. I am crocheting beaded jug covers at the moment which I sell and I am just about to start on xmas cards!!! I crochet snowlakes embellished with tiny beads as card toppers .
Also on the go are blankets, rag rugs , Winter woollies for the hat/glove box and baby goodies. I would love to be able to knit or crochet clothes but I just dont have the patience for all that row counting. ::)
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2 rag rugs ;D
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i live in a house full of rag rugs my wife is making them wholesale currently ready for the smallholder and growers show at the end of the month...
i am supposed to be making a pile more of the 20mm crochet hooks for her to use to teach a class with but i'm suffering from c.b.a. syndrome so they'll get done when i'm ready!!!
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I'm making giant dream catchers from coopers hoops (the metal bands that go round barrels, dunno what their real names are) and reclaimed copper wire ;D
That and I've been making wreaths out of hedgerow stuff :thumbsup:
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After going on my lime pointing and harling course I have just received delivery of the materials for me to point...well just about everything (barn, steading, indoors, outdoors, ladys chamber....) :-))
So once Himself has got the cement mixer going it will be NHLNo5tastic here for weeks....:-))
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Well, I've just finished a jumper from my handspun merino and silk. I'm spinning some pretty bluey-greeny indie-dyed BFL which was part of a Ravelry member's destash. That's on my new-to-me saxony.
On my Lendrum I'm spinning cornflower blue silk tops I bought at Woolfest.
I'm finishing the second of two socks, commercial yarn, another Rav destash, before I allow myself to try out the Leicester Longwool singles I spun (span, spinned?) and fulled the other day. First time I'll have knitted with fulled singles, am also going to make socks.
And I've done about two rows of a lace wrap, commercial laceweight yarn, also green. First big lace project.
Plus I'm still washing my Shetland fleeces when the weather is drying weather (done 3, 11 to go) and then I shall have to invest in a drum carder to process them.
Unfotunately going to work is getting in the way of all of the above ;)
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I've spent the last year - quite a lot of time and when £'s allow re cladding my goats shed in plank and batton style in larch - which after the first trial we found they didn't eat :excited: :excited:
It's L shaped so 3 gables now done and I'm now on the front section (home straight) but I've opted to make every pen have a stable door to the outside to make mucking out a lot easier for me and if a goat has to be in then she can still have natural light etc. 1 stable door done and just ordered larch for another 4 then only 2 more a bit of tidying up and done.
Oh then on to the extention for lambing ............. It'll never end
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. native breed natural 3-colour 3-ply thick work jumper :knit: (some Manx Loaghtan, mainly Moorit and Black Shetland and Grey Falkland, homespun from prepared tops)
. I Learned to Spin work waistcoat; triangles of homespun, all kinds, as I try out new things and :knit: them up! (Problem is, I keep coming up with yarns I love so much I decide to make a jumper out of it... (see above)
. fibres to contribute to the I Learned to Spin waistcoat include (but are not limited to): Manx Loahgtan, Moorit & Black Shetland, Grey Falkland, Massam, Black Welsh Mountain, white Corriedale, oatmeal and white BFL combed tops; unknown gifted black and grey fibres; our own commercial white fleeces; my own Castlemilk Moorit fleeces; maybe a bit of Heb if I can use it; North Ronaldsay combed top (definitely going to want to use a lot more of this, it gives me goosebumps it's so gorgeous); mixed coloured native breeds fibre; mixed coloured alpaca fibre; Icelandic fleece (from Iceland); Southdown fleece; Jacob fleece
. Rainbow Corriedale combed tops .... :knit: a shawl? a waiscoat? So many ideas... But it's calling me to spin the rest of it! ;D
. Fermented Suint Bath - all my fleeces are to be washed this way, initially. I have the plastic dustbin full of rainwater, now just to trim up a fleece (probably the Jacob if it's greasy enough, otherwise one of our own) to prime the bath.
. pattern for foxhound jumper, and black, white and tan homespun yarns to do the pattern in - done :relief: (Ma's making :knit: the jumper for BH, all but the foxhound in commercial yarn)
. socks :knit: for myself; first one done (commercial yarns) except I can't now see the stitches in the toe to sew it up and release the needles to :knit: the second! (Must get on with this one)
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A citrus shaving soap, a pink knitted cardigan for my 7 year old and a cross stitch Gypsy Vardo. Not all at the same time, but almost.
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Plums, what is a Gypsy Vardo?
Sally
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Its the bow top caravan/wagons. The old fashioned, beautifully decorated Romany type. I was meant to spend my 10th Wedding anniversary in one back in March but the anniversary got cancelled ::) I love them
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How does an anniverary get cancelled? Mind you, ours more or less did this year as we were rowing. ;D We had a card from friends or it would have been totally ignored until the evening when we'd made up.
:knit: wise, I am still doing extreme knitting but haven't done any for ages as I spend most of my day on the sofa. The arthritis or whatever I am suffering from means I can't sit upright for very long and I find knitting is impossible on the sofa because the back gets in the way. I want to get one of those reclining chairs that also rise up to help you stand. Then I'll be back to the :knit: big time. It'll be something to while away the hours.
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I took on three one-day old lambs for bottle feeding which meant we were tied to the house. Never mind, the caravan will wait for another anniversary. We spend 364 days of the year rowing so surprised the anniversary's never been cancelled before ;D
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I've been out catching mucky piglets to bring in for weaning - but now I'm off to make mucky pig soap ;) ;D
Will report back with photo's in a couple of days - hope you'll like them :fc: :excited: :excited: :excited:
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I have just started spinning on my new (old) wheel and have done little bits on my Cheviot tops (bought very cheap for learning, they are actually quite nice and soft), also on the drop spindle(s).
:knit: -wise, I have done the back of a navy blue (New Lanark wool) sleeveless top for my OH and it has a nice pattern with cables twisting all the way up, now I need to find the time (and willingness) to actually start the front and finish it!
Then I have a pair of socks (my first pair, commercial yarn) which is almost finished and I am actually quite proud of :thumbsup:
Also a knitted cat toy for a friend's child, I only need to sew it and stuff it, then it's ready for delivery.
On top of that, there's the mixed crochet/knit for babies (my friends keep getting pregnant :o ??? ::))
And of course my day in-day out job in the lab, which never leaves enough time/energy to do all I want to do!!!!
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And of course my day in-day out job in the lab, which never leaves enough time/energy to do all I want to do!!!!
work does tend to get in the way, doesn't it? :roflanim:
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Maybe this years bad weather has encouraged more people to spinning. I couldn't ever imagine being able to try spinning, let alone owning a wheel. Now Ihave a wheel bought a week ago and love it :love:
I'm still working on perfecting my spin, on Saturday hopefully I'll be learning how to ply together then I can knit :trophy:
OH already warned family that it'll be socks all round for gifts for Xmas ( maybe. Next year moe likely ) .
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I'm really enjoying reading about what everyone is doing :thumbsup: :wave: So many busy people :yippee:
I haven't progressed much with my spinning project, although I have tried a tiny bit of some Portugese Merino on my small bog-oak Turkish spindle. It spins like a dream, from shoulder to floor without having to twirl again. The merino is difficult to draw, not because it's not lovely and open, but because the staple is a bit short, and it needs far more twist than I'm used to putting in. I have been rediscovering why drop spindles are called that, with several clatters on the floor :-[ :-[
My sparkly shawl is creeping forward, and the silver addition looks just right.
I finished my super chunky vest top in record time - just have to sew it together, my least favourite bit.
My OH is getting on with building my Wool Shed (for storing fleece, washing and drying it and weaving floor rugs on my big loom, maybe using the Ashford loom for textiles too) It's well away from the house and the road, so once it's done I won't be disturbed. It has taken ages to get this far - the final roof truss should be ceremoniously raised on Saturday. I am 'allowed' to help then by driving the tractor to raise the truss while my OH runs up and down the framework bolting it all into place. I'm sure he was a monkey in a previous life :roflanim: I doubt the whole building will be finished and watertight before next year, by which time I will have forgotten how to warp up the loom........ :innocent:
Keep your updates coming - it's fascinating :knit:
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Teabags. I am making bathmilk in teabags! These are perforated bags that are filled with a magical blend including goats milk, essential oils and shea butter which you then allow to infuse in your warm bath :)
There will be a 'plain' one with oats in the goats milk blend which I hope will help soothe Chicken pox and the like. A little more work to perfect them and then I need to sort out pricing but aim to get these for sale for Christmas.
My 10 year old daughter is hoping to make my stepmum a top using her sewing machine and lots of imagination. Her middle school is planning a textiles after school club so hopefully Milli isn't the only one wanting to learn dressmaking skills and the club will go ahead :fc:
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Just finished embellishing the ceramic agate jewellery I made at pottery class. Only require clasps for ribbon then ready to wrap for Christmas. Wish I could afford my own kiln.
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Plums, you might want to advertise your oats-and-goats-milk one on psoriasis and eczema sites, as that sounds very good for such sore skin - I've certainly used oats in the bath when my skin has been bad.
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I've got into quilting over the past few months. Today I made the husband some combat ovengloves (he wanted manly ones and the camouflage fabric was deemed manly enough)
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/Ovengloves2.jpg (http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/Ovengloves2.jpg)
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/Ovengloves.jpg (http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/Ovengloves.jpg)
The last big quilt I finished is my floral frenzy one
Here's the front
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/FloralFrenzysofaquilt.jpg (http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/FloralFrenzysofaquilt.jpg)
and the back
http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/FloralFrenzysofaquiltback.jpg (http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z372/smallholderinthecity/Quilts/FloralFrenzysofaquiltback.jpg)
I'm working on a very geometric design now with blocks of colour rather than patterned fabrics.
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I love the concentric quilting :thumbsup: I used to quilt but it's got pushed to one side by spinning and knitting at the moment :)
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Finished spinning on the second reel today. Learned how to ply the two together and used a niddy noddy ( love the name ) and made my first bundle of wool :excited: :excited:
Now to find a pattern to :knit: it into something :knit: and start a new spinning bobbin :excited:
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Love your quilting sitc, especially the floral quilt.
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Woohoo on your first yarn :thumbsup:
Do you know about washing and 'snapping it' to finish it before you use it? (ignore me if so :))
One of my favourite features about Ravelry is the ability to search patterns by yardage - ie I've got this much yarn, what can I make from it ;D
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I was advised to just wash in soapy water but haven't heard of 'snapping'. Tell me more... :)
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Wash it very carefully in water a tiny bit hotter than you expect to wash the finished article in. A bit of detergent (never soap) to wet it. Lots of care not to swoosh it, or you'll felt it. Leave to soak for 10 mins so it gets wet right through. Lift it out very gently, change the water, lie it back on the clean water to rinse.
Lift it out, squeeze out the water. Then put your hands in the skein, at either end and snap them sharply outwards so you 'stretch' the skein, move your hands to different places and do it another couple of times. Hang to drip dry with a weight in it (spray bottles are good, hang them on the skein by the spray handle).
The snapping can be replaced by thwacking, if you have woollen spun. Take one end of the wet skein and thwack the other end against the bath or something. Retrieve cowering dogs from under the bed, repeat a couple more times. Hang to drip dry but without the weight.
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Ooo, a bit more to it than I thought. I have Stergene washing detergent for wool, thought I'd use a tiny bit of this.
Will stick to stretching and snapping for now and will save the thwacking for an evening after a bad day at work :D or training obi ( noise and weapon confidence ) then retrieve terrier and kitten from beneath bed and up the chimney :roflanim:
Thanks for your advice jaykay :hug:
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Congratulations Mammyshaz :thumbsup: The ladies from the Wednesday group were full of how well you were doing (four of them came to my 2nd Friday Fibre group - you are of course welcome any time you can and want to come across.)
Most of the people I know (mainly on Ravelry!) use Ecover or similar washing up liquid to wash the plied yarn. And some, myself included, give it a rinse with a glug of white wine vinegar in before the final rinse - apparently it combats the something-or-other in the detergent that could cause some errrm, I think it might be denaturing of the protein in the wool. Also, some say the vinegar may just help to deter moths.
When washing and rinsing fleece / wool, it is very important to not combine any more than two of the three things : heat, soap, agitation. Also, any abrupt change in temperature does not want to involve any of the other three things.
So first wash is hot and has detergent - do not agitate. You can gently squeeze the soapy water out, but do not wring. First rinse should be the same temperature as the wash - as there will still be some detergent in there. And again, therefore, do not swish and when removing, and squeeze not wring. Third rinse can be cool as the detergent should now be gone : some say it should be cold to 'shock' the yarn, especially woollen (as opposed to worstead) yarn. You can swill it about a bit in this rinse as you do not have detergent nor heat. After final squeeze, roll it in a towel and squeeze the towel.
jaykay, there are several on Ravelry who say to not hang a weight on worstead yarn either, saying that you don't want to stretch the yarn before knitting it because it will just go back to its natural shape and deform the garment. But clearly you do weight your worstead yarn, and your yarn and jumper are gorgeous! - so what's your view on that?
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I've got 3 bottles of ecover at present ( special offers ::) ) :thumbsup:
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I haven't yet washed any of the skeins I have spun but have been told by my spinning guild to put a weight on once washed so would also be interested to hear the pros ond cons of it.
thanks
Sally
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Maybe it depends on the actual weight of the weight :innocent:
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I'm sure it does, it's never a heavy weight.
As far as I can see, woolly jumpers or whatever contract when you wash them anyway, which is why you block them afterwards.
If you've spun worsted, then drying with a bit of tension maintains the smooth structure of the yarn and you don't usually spin worsted with very crimpy yarns anyway, though you can, it's just a bit less 'true worsted'. So when you're knitting with it, dried like this, you get the feel of what the finished article will be like, once it's been washed and blocked.
Similarly if you dry woollen yarn unweighted you preserve the thickness and fluffiness, which again gives you a better idea as you knit with it of what the finished article will be like.
That's my thinking anyway :)
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f you've spun worsted, then drying with a bit of tension maintains the smooth structure of the yarn and you don't usually spin worsted with very crimpy yarns anyway, though you can, it's just a bit less 'true worsted'. So when you're knitting with it, dried like this, you get the feel of what the finished article will be like, once it's been washed and blocked.
Uh-ohhhh.... so since I do not weight my worstead (Shetland / Falkland 3-ply - so reasonably crimpy) does that mean the jumper will be larger once washed? (If so, would anyone like to come and live in it with me? I'm knitting it really big and sloppy in the first place!)
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I am so jealous to be reading this thread - spinning sounds amazing, even though some of the "teccy" lingo is a bit bemusing ???
Well, I've just started doing cross-stich, saw a magazine in Morrisons with a freeby kit the other month & thought I'd have a go. It wasn't until I got the kit out of the wrapping, that I realised I couldn't see it properly ::)
To cut a long story - I've now got glasses :o definately not 8)
Now to find some cross-stich patterns with pigs on them :love: :pig: :love:
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So Beewyched, whats stopping you from spinning? :knit:
Sorry no spinning icon so have used knitting instead
Sally
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TBH Sally I wouldn't know where to start - ok, yes I do - will be spending lots of time mooching at the demos at the SS&GF :excited:
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Every winter the rag rug needles come out.
A trip to a couple of charity shops supplies the meterial to cut up and make the rug with.
Quick rough dreawing on some hessian backing and away you go.
http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Ragrugs/ (http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Ragrugs/)
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Every winter the rag rug needles come out.
A trip to a couple of charity shops supplies the meterial to cut up and make the rug with.
Quick rough dreawing on some hessian backing and away you go.
http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Ragrugs/ (http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h117/castlefarmpoultry/Ragrugs/)
Love them :thumbsup: Do you work from a pattern or a kit? Maybe something else I could try, now I can see properly ::) ;)
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Castle Farm, I love them, especially the white and gold Celtic Knot :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Beewyched - specs come to us all in the fullness of time :tired: :roflanim: I hate having to wear mine for spinning, knitting.....even EATING now :rant: :hungry: They steam up when I cook and never have the right focal length for what I want to do grr grr :P And as for wondering where I last put them down :dunce:
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Thankfully I only need them for close-up stuff like sewing & reading at the moment. I did ask the optician if I REALLY needed them & she told me that my arms are only so long :roflanim:
I've noticed what you mean about the steaming-up - I have to remember to take mine off to drink my coffee ::) ;D
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Spent this weekend sorting out the car area. A friend who has recently moved house wanted lots of gravel removed from the garden to place a lawn.
Spent Saturday afternoon loading our large van with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of the gravel then today :gloomy: and more :gloomy: as we dug the area and removed wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of compacted soil before laying a membrane and shovelling a very weighted down long vans worth of gravel onto the parking area.
Had promised the boys a BBQ yesterday but too knackered so had no choice but to ave it today, under a gazebo for the :gloomy: and the chiminea lit to dry us off.
Now I'm absolutely knackered and at 90 degree angle when I stand up until my poor old joints loosen ::) at least I could see what I was doing, I'm blind as a bat since very young and wear contact lenses so that no bouncy dogs can knock them and cause a blackeye :eyelashes: spectacles didn't cope with my accident-prone life ::)
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Ah but when you become even more ancient MammyS, you wear your contact lenses all the time and then have to have reading glasses too :-\ I have just given in and ordered several cheap pairs so I can have them on my desk at work, at home, in the car......
I couldn't go to Guild on Sat as it was forecast dry, Sun rain and I needed to gather my sheep. I'm so glad I did it that way round, boy did it rain yesterday. I'm glad I wasn't borrowing gravel in it :-* Or wearing glasses while I worked with them, my mad gulmoget split my lip as it was ::)
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Ah but when you become even more ancient MammyS, you wear your contact lenses all the time and then have to have reading glasses too :-\ I have just given in and ordered several cheap pairs so I can have them on my desk at work, at home, in the car......
:D what great things to look forward to in a few years ;D
Hope you are ok today regarding your damaged lip, ouch :o
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Castle Farm,
I love your rugs. I feel a new craft coming on :excited:
Sally
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Castle Farm, your rugs are amazing. I can't believe they are rag rugs. Well, I can but you know what I mean. :roflanim: Do you sell them?
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My crafting seems to be split between knitting and crochet, anything I can do whilst doing uni work, which means the wheel is out (not good enough to read and spin yet!)
Currently crocheting two mock ups for my bridesmaids shawls, to decide on which wool.
Knitting my jumper for me (a test run before I knit one for the MIL :fc:)
Still knitting my shawl which I started months ago...
Crocheting a Game of Thrones doll for my friends xmas prezzie
Knitting a hat for another friend's xmas prezzie
Knitting some slippers for me as an 'on the go' project
Annnnnd I've still been meaning to rip back a hat I finished last month that is too small and add another repeat in.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nanashimoriko (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nanashimoriko) for piccies of my projects
Sometimes I think I may have too many projects on at once. *looks longingly at her wheel*
Dans :knit:
ETA ravelry link
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Dans, with all that on the go how do you manage uni work too?
I love the picture Lis slippers. Do you have a pattern you could share?
I am a bit suspicious of your own purple slippers though. It looks a bit like a thong to me :roflanim:
Sally
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lol, if you look at how long it's taking me to get through it all you can see where the uni work fits in. And the simple knitting works well whilst reading papers.
lol that's exactly what the OH calls the slippers. He always says I'm knitting thongs! Have done 4 pairs of them now, put soles onto the ones for the MIL as she has difficulty walking. They are really simple to knit up and the pattern is free http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/118-10-slippers-in-rib. (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/118-10-slippers-in-rib.) They do morph from being a thong to being little baskets before people realise they are slippers though.
Dans
PS if you're not on ravelry and I can't access the pattern I can send it to you.
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Dans,
I have recently joined Ravelry but when I click on the link it says "Uh oh, Sherbert couldn't find your page"
Can you send it please?
thanks
Sally
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I've just washed and dried the fleece from my 2 GFD lambs and am planning to turn them into a peg loomed rug. I was going to weave the wool in the raw, but may try to card it into rolags (?) and weave those instead. Have never tried anything like this before -I knit, but no carding, spinning or weaving.
My mum has given me an elderly rag rugging "machine" from the 1950's, still in it's original box. If I can work out how to work it, I may have a crack at rag rugging as well. Other than that, am still knitting a baby alpaca scarf, started last winter (I know, pathetic isn't it!) and looking at some gorgeous local Jacob's wool (3 colours) I bought last winter and planning what to do with it - other than just stroke it and admire it!
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ooo good luck Blackbird. I'd like to try peg loom rugs one day!
Dans
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I have asked OH to make me a peg loom for christmas So hopefully I will be trying peg looming next year :excited:
Sally
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I've just washed and dried the fleece from my 2 GFD lambs and am planning to turn them into a peg loomed rug.
Oooh, do let us know how you get on Blackbird. I, briefly thought about doing the same with my pile of GFD fleeces, but then I remembered that there aren't 48 hours in the day. Ho Hum.
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I've just washed and dried the fleece from my 2 GFD lambs and am planning to turn them into a peg loomed rug. I was going to weave the wool in the raw, but may try to card it into rolags (?) and weave those instead. Have never tried anything like this before -I knit, but no carding, spinning or weaving.
When I was a weaver, I used to make rugs with unspun, unwashed wool which had been carded on a drum carder on a cotton warp on my four shaft table loom. They would be washed afterwards. They turned out very well and were one of our best sellers.
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:wave: I'm back after a little break from TAS 8)
For the first time I am blocking a newly knitted jumper, with another one to do. I have never done this before, but thought I should give it a go. I have spread a damp towel on a sweater drying mesh thingy, pinned out the back (this one isn't knitted in the round, most unusual for me) then covered it with another damp towel. It's in the boiler room so should all dry quickly, then I can do the fronts.
Is this how you all block your work ie have I done it right? Is anyone else like me and doesn't usually do it? :knit: :knit:
The second jumper is the sampler Aran. It has a big multi cable bit up one sleeve which definitely needs to be blocked. This one is in the round, so how best should I go about blocking that sleeve?
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Fleecewife, I have knitted for years and until a couple of days ago thought that blocking meant pinning into shape and ironing it carefully.
So in answer to your question, no, I have never blocked before. I am going to try doing it the proper way when I have a finished garment though. I expect it will give a more professional finish.
Let us know how yours goes.
Sally
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Same here; I thought it was just pulling it about a bit when it's wet then drying it flat.
jaykay does it properly, I think - she'll tell us when she gets on if no-one else comes along beforehand.
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When I was knitting stuff to sell, I used to steam the separate pieces then pin it out to shape on a board that was marked out in squares to get the right size. Not sure it that is how you should do it but it worked for me.
For something knitted in the round, you could do the same.
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I've pinned it on a mesh drying thing, after measuring it to make sure it's all the right size. The design means that the edges curl a bit so they are well held down and are the reason I decided to block it.
The particular problem with the circular Aran is that it has a complicated cable down one arm, which has tended to roll and pull the sides in a bit, so I couldn't think how to lie it flat. But I think what might work is to roll up a damp towel and put it up the sleeve, then wrap another round the outside and leave it to dry.
I just have to finish sewing the crew neck over then it's otherwise done, just in time for our anniversary (apart from the blocking). It's only taken me seven years to knit :knit: :D Or rather, I started it seven years ago then it lay in a bag while life dealt us some bad blows, and some good serendipity came our way. :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:
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I block using by those foam gym mats. Also blocking wires ( which are the same as some welding wires) and T pins. Wash, roll in a towel, march all over towel, unroll and pin out to the size and shape you want, using stuff listed above. Leave to dry fully.
Really not difficult nor even very time consuming. Just need somewhere to leave it where cats and dogs can't lie on it ::)
I got hooked on the 'before and after blocking' thread on Ravelry. The lace shawls are amazing after blocking but even jumpers and scarves are way better. And so it proved.
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Jaykay, I have an unsued foam gym mat so will definitely be blocking when I finish the next item.
thanks
Sally
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Jaykay, I have an unsued foam gym mat so will definitely be blocking when I finish the next item.
thanks
Sally
I think most people have an unused gym mat. :roflanim: