In a spin?

It has been such a long time since I wrote a blog post.  Initially this was due to a problem I was having with Blogger and later due to just being too busy pre-Christmas.

The last time I blogged I had just taken delivery of a spinning wheel and I promised to write a blog about it.

Well, here is a photo of my spinning wheel, it is a space saving Ashford Joy.

The photo should be a clickable link to the manufacturer for those who may want to find out more about it.

I support The Campaign For Wool and during National Wool Week I was lucky enough to receive a sample pack of fibres from The British Wool Marketing Board.  I spun two of the samples individually, the first time I have ever used a spinning wheel, as opposed to a drop spindle, and then plied them together, again a first for me.  Here is the 100% pure wool yarn that I made.

 ...and the close up

Not bad for a first attempt!

Being the kind of person that I am, in that if I am going to learn to do something I want to have a full understanding of the process from start to finish, I purchased some raw Alpaca fleece from a local Alpaca Farm called Aston Alpacas, just across the county border in Leicestershire, whom I first came into contact with at The Whitacres and Shustoke Show in the summer.

I chose three different colour fleeces that appealed to me and here are the alpacas that the fleeces came from.

First up is gorgeous girl Giselle...

next we have pretty Amorcita...

and bringing up the rear is this lovely chap, Orlando.

Don't you just want to run your hands through their lovely coats!

Before doing anything with the fleeces I watched lots of know-how videos on You Tube and then I prepared Giselle's fleece.  I started by "picking it out", this is basically pulling it apart finely, which allows most of the dirt to fall out, so best do this over a bin or some newspaper and removing any large pieces of organic matter (hay, grass etc) and any really short knarly bits.  Next I placed some of the fleece in one of those "delicate garment wash bags" and plunged it into hot soapy water and pushed it down without aggitating it, to avoid it felting, and let it soak for about an hour.  I then lifted the bag out, emptied the water and refilled the sink with more hot soapy water and done the same again.  The final soak was in plain hot water.  The next stage is to allow it to dry naturally before hand carding the fibre ready for spinning.

The raw fleece

 after being picked out

being soaked

 out to dry

close up of drying

carding

ready to spin

I haven't spun the prepared fleece yet, but it is ready and waiting for me whenever I am ready to go.

I will prepare the other two fleeces later in the year when the weather warms up.

I hope you have found this blog post interesting, informative, educational or maybe it has inspired you to learn something new...

Folksy Friday - The A-Listers day 19

 Is it really August?  It feels more like October here, a bit on the chilly side.

I have taken delivery of a spinning wheel and some lovely fibre, but that will be another blog post, or two, or three...

Here is my new item for today

I am continuing with "The A-Listers" and here are just some of my personal favourites that were list today before lunchtime.

Click on the photo if you want to be magically transported to that item's page on Folksy.  

Vintage Black Enamelled Leaves, Onyx and Pearl Necklace by Be Beautiful Again Trinkets
Fuschia Bird Veiled Large Fascinator by Imogen's Imagination
Hedgehog Clock by With Hugs and Kisses
Brooch by Pants and Paper
Pink Champagne Earrings by Silk Purse, Sow's Ear
Dark Crimson Red Hand Knitted Luxury Tweed Wool Shrug

Folksy Friday - The A-Listers Day 11

 I've been working hard lately making lots of goodies in advance for the Winter season and Christmas, which will be photographed later this month in one big session. 

 I have plenty of seasonal items that are already photographed and so have joined in with the monthly listing club, where each participant endeavours to list at least one item per day for the month.

The August list club is called "The A-Listers" and here are just some of my personal favourites that were list on Thursday.

Click on the photo if you want to be magically transported to that item's page on Folksy.  

Botswana Agate Bracelet by Adien Crafts
Aquamarine Earrings by Silk Purse, Sow's Ear
Little Lilac Girl with Basket Card by Aunty Joan Crafts
Shabby Chic, Recycled, Butterfly Hanging Heart by PollyKrafts
Steampunk Czech Glass Butterfly Glass by Steampunkstorm
Antique Floral Lavender Sachets x 2 by Vintage Dreams

Folksy Friday - 1st July 2011 - Canada Day

Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united the three British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada (the Province of Canada was divided in the process into Ontario and Quebec) into a single country with four provinces, called Canada, within the British Empire. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution. 

These days Canada consists of the ten provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan and the three territories of Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon.  Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year that Canada gained full independence from the United Kingdom, although their Head of State is still the British Monarch.  This year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are joining in with the celebrations on their first tour together.

Canada is known for all sorts of things including mounties, animals, sports and natural resources such as wood and semi-precious stone. 

I bet you didn't know that their famous exports include William Shatner, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Michael J. Fox, Ellen Page, Brendan Fraser, Pamela Anderson, Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen and Michael Cera.  Yes, I thought they were American too!

Here are some wonderful Canadian themed items that are made by other Folksy sellers.

Click on the photo if you want to be magically transported to that item's page on Folksy.  

Rectangular Sodalite Pendant by Anna King Jewellery
Bear by Northfield Primitives
Tote Bag, Bears, Fish and Moose by SimJaTa - Bags of Swank
Labradorite Necklace with Freshwater Pearls by Lovely Things by Margaret Grace
'Plan B' Recycled Skateboard Belt Buckle by O'blue Thrasion
Balloon Love Valentines Day Card by Dach Crafts

Lace Wedding Shawls: Part 1 - Triangulars

I love knitting lace shawls, they provide a challenge of concentration, take many many hours of work, can be adorned with beads, or not.  They do require a special finishing technique called "blocking", which is a major task in itself, but the end result is absolutely stunning.

There are thousands upon thousands of patterns available for lace shawls, coming from various parts of the world including Shetland Lace, Estonian Lace, Orenburg Lace, Faroese Lace, Icelandic Lace and many more.  Many designs are very similar to each other with only very slight differences, whilst others are quite unusual. 

They also come in different shapes and sizes to suit the individual needs of the wearer and to compliment different shapes or design features of the wearers wedding dress, ball gown or other outfit.  Colour is a matter of preference but even for a wedding, one does not have to stick with the traditional white or ivory.

In the UK, lace shawls are rarely worn whilst in the US and other countries they seem to be quite popular.  This could be due to the climate but lace shawls are surprisingly warm considering how thin they are and I am on a mission to promote lace shawls to brides here in the UK.

This week I have chosen to feature shawls that are triangular in shape and with the aid of some lovely talented ladies on Ravelry I can show you some of the designs available and how they can look being worn with wedding dresses.

All photos are protected by copyright and this is noted under each photograph.

(c) rooknits

(c) rooknits

Rooknits, AKA Ruth from Wolverhampton, UK made this herself from the pattern for the Aeolian Shawl designed by Elizabeth Freeman.


Ruth made it using a laceweight Silk/Merino blend yarn and she added some sparkly multi-faceted beads by Gutterman to the edging.



(c) clarabeasty

Clarabeasty, AKA Vicki from Ottawa, Canada made the Gail (aka Nightsongs) Shawl designed by Jane Araujo for her friend Liz, who had specific ideas about her shawl.

Liz wanted a shawl in fall/autumn colours and chose this particular pattern as it reminded her of leaves. Vicki knitted this using a handpainted laceweight 100% Alpaca yarn.



Vicki commented "A piece of lace doesn’t have to be part of the ‘big outfit’, it can just be a bit of fancy to toss over your shoulders while you’re running through the chill, rain, or snow from the church to the car or to wear in the cooler evening."

(c) clarabeasty



(c) AKM





AKM, aka Audrey from North Dakota, USA made the beautiful Haruni Shawl designed by Emily Ross from 100% Alpaca laceweight yarn for her sister's wedding.








(c) Midorian

 





Midorian, AKA Vera from Bern, Switzerland made the Luna Moth Shawl designed by Shui Kuen Kozinski for her sisters wedding.



Vera used a laceweight yarn that was 67% Mohair, 18% Silk, 10% Polyester, 5% Nylon and added sparkly beads to each point along the edge.









(c) Zibor





Zibor, AKA Robin from Rhode Island, made the Swallowtail Shawl designed by Evelyn A. Clark for her own wedding. 


(c) Zibor

Robin used a 100% Alpaca laceweight yarn and added 1,208 4mm Swarovski bicone clear crystal beads.








I would like to thank all of the ladies who helped to make this blog possible by allowing me to use their photographs and I think that you will agree that all the brides featured look truely stunning.  Further blog posts featuring wedding shawls are to follow over the coming weeks.  Please remember that the photographs on this blog are protected by copyright law and may not be used without the permission of the copyright holder.

Folksy Friday 18/2/2011 - Pack a Poncho!

In warmer weather I often wear a poncho which I made several years ago when I was expecting my first child, they are great to wear during pregnancy to keep warm.

Ponchos were originally created by the ancient people of the Andes and designed to be worn as an outer garment to keep warm and if made from waterproof material can also keep you dry.

They come in all sorts of colours and patterns and are worn all over the world.

They can be made from all kinds of fabrics but are mostly made from wool and are either woven, knitted or crocheted.

Here is a photo of my poncho which I have been wearing over the past 7 and a bit years.  It is made from a cream coloured sparkly aran yarn with a central cable back and front with the rest being made from moss/seed stitch.

Here are some wonderful ponchos that are made by other Folksy sellers.

Click on the photo if you want to be magically transported to that item's page on Folksy.  

Green Dragon Poncho by Nithria Crochet
Shades of Grey Poncho by Candyfloss
Crocheted Mini Poncho with Loop Flowers by Poppy Seeds
Big Purple Softie Kid's Poncho OOAK by MrsGKnits
Plus Size Poncho in Warm Orange and Brown by Craftsgarden
Grey Red Black Plaid Twill Poncho by Fashion Couture

Folksy Friday - All Shawls

I love shawls.  I think they give an air of romance regardless of the style of shawl that is being worn.  In Victorian England in the mid 1800's sheer lace shawls would be worn with crinoline evening gowns and opera-length gloves.

They come in a variety of shapes and styles and can be very lightweight with an open texture like lace or they can be heavier with a more solid texture.

Shawls are used for symbolic reaons, to compliment an outfit or to keep warm at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is warm enough for men in suits but not for women in dresses and where a jacket may be inappropriate.

I will be writing more blog posts about shawls in the coming weeks but here a some I made earlier.

Here are some shawl related items that are made by other Folksy sellers.

Click on the photo if you want to be magically transported to that item's page on Folksy.  

Pendeen Shawl by Purple Sheep Knits
2 Ply Shetland Baby Shawl by Pooji
Handmade Lavender Woollen Lace Shawl by WinterComforts
Love Knot Shawl - Peony by Silky Prudence
Baby's 4ply White Heirloom Shawl by The Knitting Yarn
Tall Lady Sculpture With Shawl by Sandra June Originals