Sunday 17 August 2014

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook Review




If you ever wanted to know anything and everything about sheeps wool.

Sunday 3 August 2014

Handspinning (Part 2 - Washing)


My first two fleeces arrived. One was a Shetland and one a Texel-Shetland cross. The Shetland was very soft compared to the Texel cross which had a much more coarse texture. I decided to process the Shetland first.

Dirty sheep!


Sunday 27 July 2014

Car Boot Finds

There are some great finds to be had at a car boot sale and who doesn't like a bargain? I'll admit that I've been put off them in past. Sometimes there aren't many sellers or there just hasn't been anything interesting. 

I'm looking to try out kettle dying yarn but don't want to waste a lot of money on a new pot that will never get used for cooking. Someone suggested looking at a car boot. There's one just down the road every Sunday so I had a wander that way. Below is the success find for £1.00. Not too bad.


Sunday 20 July 2014

Handspinning (Part 1 - The Wheel)

I've been so distracted lately...since purchasing a spinning wheel! I never intended to start spinning, it just kinda happened. I'd purchased a bag of alpaca fibre with the idea of turning it into pom poms but then I wasn't so sure it would work the way I was imagining. So what else could be done with it? This is what led me to start casually looking for a second hand spinning wheel. I had looked online but most were for collection only in a county far far away.

Then, on the way back from doing some food shopping on a Sunday afternoon, not long after starting the search, there, in the charity shop window opposite, was a spinning wheel. Single treadle. Single drive. Scotch tension break. One bobbin. Hardly any nicks or dents. All looked to be in working order. Nothing to suggest it was for 'decoration only'. It was like it was meant to be!


A thing of beauty


These last few weeks I have spent most of my free time do nothing but spinning and have been documenting the whole process. Next time I will talk about the raw fleece and washing methods I have been experimenting with.

Have you made any exciting purchases lately? 

Miranda 
x

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Map of Wool Shops in Yorkshire


Hi there! 

In recent months I have been on the hunt for some good wool shops and general craft stores and unfortunately have come across some real stinkers. But I've also been to some absolute gems. Some far away, some close. So today I thought I would share a list of wool shops and other craft supply stores in the Yorkshire region. Places that I have been to and would recommend to others. 

The map can be found by following the link below. I will update the list as I come across new places of note. Please let me know of any you think I should visit and add to the map.



Happy crafting.

Miranda x

Sunday 15 June 2014

Staghorn Handwarmers

Following on from the wonky scarf, I made these lovely staghorn handwarmers.


The confidence is growing, some improvements have been made and some lessons learnt (the hard way - sometimes that's the best way). I will go into more detail after the jump...

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Upcycled Photo Frame

I've always been an advocate of recycling and try to implement the three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - where possible. So the concept of Upcycling really appeals to me. Taking something that would otherwise end up on the scrapheap and improving/changing it into something beautiful and/or useful is both rewarding and enjoyable. 

After having a bit of a Spring tidy, I came across this rather neglected, dented and a bit 'meh' photo frame. A perfect candidate for a bit of a makeover.


Saturday 24 May 2014

The Wonky Scarf


Well, here it is. Chose a scarf for first easy project and went for the moss/seed stitch because it had a nice texture and is reversible. Alternating knit and purl stitches across each row. I used seven 50g skeins of Twilley's Freedom Wool in Taupe 424 on 10mm needles. Took about a week sat in front of the telly on an evening. 

The tension started out rather uneven. 


Sunday 18 May 2014

A little introduction

Hi there! 

I thought I'd kick off this blog with a post about my latest obsession - knitting. I was recently lusting after a gorgeous Icelandic wool jumper. The wool they are made from, called lopi, is spun from the fibers of the their domestic sheep. Lopi comprises a mix of the tog (outer course fleece) and pel (inner softer fleece) to create a lightweight water-resistant and breathable wool. The design of the jumpers vary but generally have a large diamond or zig-zag motif that circles around the neckline. There will have been a lot time, skill and craftsmanship gone into making one. Unfortunately for me, I just don't have that many pennies. So there was only one thing for it - learn to knit!

I hope you will check back soon to see how I got on with the first project - a rather wonky looking scarf...

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