Day Two - Two August Challenges!

This is today's picture for the August Break Challenge, yes I know the title should have been circles, but the fluff I used for this yarn was called bubbles so I'm going with that, bubbles, a bit like circles, maybe.

The second challenge is that of the Wensley Yarn Workers August Challenge, this is my offering, the idea is to use the photo as a stimulus for creating something yarn associated. I couldn't resist the fluff to make this art yarn to go with it. It was fun to spin as it was full of slubs and bits and sparkles and silk and, and.. it was gorgeous. I actually preferred the fluff than the spun yarn.

August Break Day One - Breakfast

An odd picture I hear you say. Well this is the first picture in the 'August Break' Challenge. Breakfast was the title of today's  photo. Very apt as The traindriver and I had our wedding anniversary yesterday, we had a meal and stayed the night with breakfast at the Knife and Cleaver in Houghton Conquest. It was lovely. We chose this place as it is where we spent our wedding night four years ago.

Tomorrow's photo challenge is 'Circles'.

Sock Kits

My have I been busy today. Nine, yes nine sock kits. I have sewn the zippy pouches, printed off the pattern, made row markers, put needles together with washi tape and assembled them. Next week they will go into my Etsy shop (there is a link here on the blog) but this weekend they are coming with me to Derbyshire for the Wensley Yarn Workers Open Day. I will be knitting socks to inspire others to pick up pointy sticks and join in.






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More Adventures in Spinning

As a new spinner I decided to take part in the Ravelry Tour de Fleece, with my challenge to create yarn I could knit. I joined the Woolmakers Bliss team and tried to spin every day that the cyclists cycled. the only exception was last Friday as it was my son's wedding day so I was busy.

This picture shows from left to right the progress I have made. I love the red on the right. I just had to start knitting with the pink. I'm having fun.



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It's Been A While

For one reason and another I have not been blogging as often as I should have done. The main reason is work and being too tired. However, I found myself with a free weekend this weekend and got busy with the sewing machine. My friend Kate at our knitting lock in asked for a cosy for her interchangeable needles. I managed to find this lovely piece of Liberty print lawn and the first one was born.

I was on a bit of a roll then and thought that mine was getting a little tired and I made it out of fabric I didn't really like in case it didn't work. So the red one just happened.

Then, thinking that maybe I should think about putting one in my Etsy shop, The yellow one happened too. Item details:- These babies take 13 sets of needles, 9 of the slots are for the smaller ones and the rest for the larger ones. There are three large pockets for the cables. small scissors, needle gauge and a tape measure, and then three small pockets for the round stoppers that go on the ends of the cables, for row markers, safety pins etc. Have you noticed there is also a slot for the key for doing and undoing the needles from the cables, there on the left hand side of the picture. Clever eh!

A good weekends work I think. I have also been asked for crochet needle cosies, I'll work on that next weekend.

Bluebell Bliss

Introducing my new toy. I'm thrilled to bits with it. It does exactly what it says on the tin and the more I spin the better it gets.



The service from Louet was excellent. Ordered on Monday, delivered on Friday and spinning on Saturday. Took me a little while to get going..



This is my first bobbin, plyed, 2 shades of shetland fluff, now yarn for knitting.



This is the second bobbin. Not yet plyed in dark blue. I'm much happier with this one. I think I'll Navaho ply this. I've also spun some cream shetland. But it isn't as good as this one. All in all I'm really pleased. Happy dance!

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Learning to Take Photographs

This is one of my favourite photos that I took on the photography course that we went to on Saturday. The theme for all of the pictures was curves and lines. I hope you can see the line of the wall behind the flowers, maybe a little blurred but it is there.  

Lovely lines and curves on this one, a different photo altogether, the first one I used macro and a low f stop to get close to the flowers and the background blurred but on the one of the estuary at low tide I used a bigger f stop. Tricks taught by Rachel and Phil from Photography Made Simple. This is the second course we have done with them, both have been just fab.

I tried hard to balance this one and get the view central to the doorway, curves at the top.

No curves or lines on this one except the bubbles of water, just me playing with the shutter speed and motion. I definitely want to take more photos of fountains or waterfalls. It was a great day.