[Fleecewife]

I'm wondering how you all got on with those projects and resolutions, now that six months have passed.


Do you all find it easier to do craft work in the summer or the winter?


Polyanya, have you got lots done to sell at Shetland week?  I can't imagine how you manage to make enough to stock a shop or a stall.  I'm the world's slowest spinner and knitter, so the only way I will be able to have items for sale is when (ok if) I ever produce anything beautiful on my rug loom.  I wish I had confidence enough in the things I make to feel I can offer them for sale.


I've spent the last wee while knitting knee rugs from commercial yarn, and experimenting with spinning a variety of fibres unfamiliar to me.  Now I feel inspired to go back to my old love of knitting socks, so I've been washing a special Hebridean fleece to dye - makes lovely soft muted colours.  It's an old lady fleece which is pale enough for the dye to show.  I'll add some trilobal nylon to the mix to make the socks a bit tougher - I hate spending ages producing hand knit socks only for them to get holes in 

[Buttermilk]

I have just knit a shawl with home spun merino and silk bought from John Arbon textiles, and I am in the process of knitting another to the same pattern with home spun shetland.  In between I have been playing around with blending on the drum carder as well as plying my silk thread and trapped cashmere with another silk thread.  This has given me a wonderful soft, fluffy and very fine yarn which I intend to knit up into a cobweb shawl.  These items are all destined to be christmas presents. 

I have my rigid heddle loom warped up and waiting, ditto the inkle loom, as well as some needlework all set to go.  I am trying to find an hour or two each day to play around in the craft cabin shut away from the world.

[Lesley Silvester]

I crocheted a jumper to my own design with commercial yarn only to run out before the end. My LYS owner has found a couple of spare balls which she is saving for me. Also started knitting an aran jumper for number 4 grandson which is coming up too big so I have decided and started on a crochet jumper for this ear and finish the aran for next year. Spun some more Llanwenog to finish the jumper I started ages ago and also some merino/silk tops which I am half way through crocheting a shawl for me with. I've also made myself a wheelchair blanket in commercial yarn which is a mixture of granny squares and all round.

[Fleecewife]

I spent this morning washing fleece for my socks.  I have a beautiful toffee, grey and black Hebridean fleece, and a white Hebridean fleece to use in the socks, then I got carried away and washed two more, one of which is a gorgeous Heb, but crimpy and soft like a Shetland - I'm looking forward to starting on that one, but it will have to wait until 3 other wips are done.   Thunder clouds are lurking and rumbling, so I'll dry the fleeces indoors.  I spin them then lay them on a rack in the boiler room and being Heb, they are dry in no time.

[Polyanya]

Fleecewife I feel like a mad hamster just going round and round at the moment, thankfully most my 'selling' craft is small - I can't justify spending days to make one item if its selling for a song. So I don't sell many hanks of yarn especially as I tend to  produce multicoloured artyarn. But I've produced lots of buttons, knitting needles, cowls and shawl pins and I'm busy making more for the Wool Week, phew!

Love the sound of your Hebridean fleece (lovely colours) - I blended some of my Shetland  fleece in natural colours - Shaela (grey), Moorit (brown), back , pale grey and cream on the jumbo carder and then spun it in layers then knitted into cowls so it knitted into stripes but each stripe blended into the other colour (quite fetching).

Yes its full on at the moment, just how I like it 

[Fleecewife]

Your cowls sound lovely Polyanya.  Maybe that will be next in my queue to make - it will be the turn for spinning and dyeing some of the fleece from my 2 fat white Shetland wethers.  I also intend to make one of those large, warm shawls which have the tails crossing over at the front then being tied at the back - I so hate dangly tails 


I had a quick peek at your website - what a lovely place you live.  I see you have been playing around with polymer clay.  There are some polymer clay hand spindles available, can't remember where, but those should be quick and easy to make, in a variety of weights, for sale on their own or as part of a kit.  I might even have a go myself 


Keep working and enjoying what you do.

[Lesley Silvester]

Great website, Polyanya. I hadn't registered that you had one until FW mentioned it.

[Polyanya]

Thank you for the compliments FW and MG and thats a lovely idea about the spindles Fleecewife, I keep meaning to make some dizzez  how on earth do you spell that? I wish I had more time, just so busy with all the milk I'm getting, you know yogurt, chevre, making my fist hard cheddar on Monday then theres all the soap and skin cream