Drop Spindling for fun

I know have my favourite take along project in its own little carry all.

Remember this bag I created for the Woolybutt summer challenge. It's just perfect to contain my drop spindle and current bit of beautiful fibre.

The drop spindle is just fun and I love this beautiful dyed tussah silk top from Fibreworks.

The spindle is made from Banksia and I bought it at the Australian Sheep and Wool show in Bendigo. It spins just nicely.

You can see how much I've done! Yes, sadly, yesterday at Rose St. was not very successful. In fact it was a very dispiriting day. It was a quiet day overall, however, the two other textile stalls went along OK, I just seemed to be very uninteresting with few lookers, much less purchasers. Unfortunately, it happens. That's the life in a market and I have to respond by looking at what I had and where it can be improved.

Let's see, not enough variety in the neckwarmers and I suspect all the 'fashionable black' wearers were not interested in dots of bright colour, so more 'subtle' colours are required. Not enough fingerless mittens and I suspect the lovely young ones who did stop by are a bit more price sensitive, so some more of my new design, the lace up fingerless mitten. And more shawls! I really made these for the summer, but they seem generally popular.

So there's my to do list for the next to weeks, when I try again at the Craft Victoria's Craft Hatch in the city library.

Found the camera at last!

I really did think that we could get through this house renovation without much disruption. Yes, I am a glass half full (well, three quarters full!) type person. Subsequently, I'm now in a state! Part of this resulted in my misplacing the camera. Needless to say, I've finally found it!

I've been busy today, sewing on buttons on my latest batch of fingerless mittens - 60, to be precise. I'm off to Rose St. Artists' Market tomorrow, hopefully the rain will hold off for us.

So, I thought I would just show you some of the work of the past two weeks.

These are the articles I finished for last weeks Ivanhoe Makers Market.

1. Blue fingerless mittens made from the beautiful wool roving I bought on my weekend away at Tarndwarncoort.

2. New design of fingerless mittens, very simple but laced up down the back of the hand. Just using the yo,k2tog at the beginning of each row and using the resulting 'loop' to lace up with a twisted cord.

These both sold last week!

3. A funky simple beany using three different yarns together.

4. A black and white, feather and fan scarf, knitted lengthwise. This is the first of the upmarket footy scarves. Know a Collingwood fan out there?

These are the mittens I've just finished.

1. Two more mittens using the last of the Tarndwarncoort rovings. All that handspinning is just wonderful for my sanity.

2. The purple mittens use the pattern 'Stars and Stripes'. The grey mittens use the pattern 'Twist and turn'. Both these patterns are from the No.5 Vogue Stitchonary on Lace, that I just recently received. More on my purches in another post!

3. The hat is using some hand-dyed 12 ply from Morris and Sons. I managed to make their sale and picked up a few more cream wool packets. There's a little feather and fan pattern and the rim is stocking stitch which rolls up. I've got a hat like this and it's fun using the natural curl of stocking stitch.

All I have to do now is put the price tags on and I'm off tomorrow to market!

I know why I spin!

As I was gathering all my latest spinning up to wash it and let it relax and set, I just looked at it and thought how wonderful to have these yarns that are just mine! Thought I'd share them with you.