Sock Madness number 9 - the first five rounds

Sock Madness (on Ravelry) is now in the midst of round 5. I've managed to complete my kilt socks and have come in as the second person for Team Knit. Only 7 can proceed to Round 6 which reduces to ONE! So I'm posting now, in the anticipation of not being the first finished in Round 6.

At first I thought that I could finish socks in two weeks, unfortunately we're now down to finishing socks in days! I have to be prepared for the next round! Yarn and needles at the ready.

So the socks are:

Alohomora

Cable Madness

Longing for Spring

Mad about the Gals
(Has beads around the cuff - me wearing beads!)

For whom the bell tolls
(Kilt socks, should look good with ankle boots and a winter dress!)

Five on Friday - Five Finished Yarns

I did manage to do a bit of spinning over the Summer break. I have my Ashford Traveller permanently at our beach house, so I can swap bobbins between my two Ashford Wheels.

I've finally washed the skeins and reskeined half of them, all I have to do now is photograph, measure and put them on Etsy, the least enjoyable part of the job. Anyway, here they are:

A fibre sandwich from the Harrietville weekend, plyed with purple. Have more to go!

Alpaca, with knots throughout. Not my best knots, but always give that little extra texture.

Dyed wool from Kathy's Fibres, purchased at Bendigo, navaho plied to keep those gorgeous colours alive!

Dyed yarn from Experimental Spinning, plied with fine Polwarth from Tarndwarncoot. The fine single was not scoured, so was scoured AFTER plying. The two different fibres reacted differently and I manage to get a slightly more textured two ply.....deliberately!

This is English Leicester and was spun for a non-spinning Leanne who won it at a Harrietville weekend. I think we'll be able to make a pouch for phone and keys when she goes on one of her photographic expeditions.

I've now started several more spinning projects....but I must finish the Samoyed!

Five on Friday - regrouping!

I know......

Not alot of photography taking place and alot of work not suitable for photography taking place....do you really want to see a picture of my vacuum cleaner?

A finished Sock Madness warm-up sock, the Stroop, Stroop sock.

Another Sock Madness warm-up sock called 'Choose your own Adventure', involving choice of the stripe, the pattern and mixing it up with a dice.

And I am anxiously trying to finish the second sock before the games begin!

I did manage to make a trip with my Mum to Herring Island. This is becoming an annual event for us. From December to April, Parks Victoria run a punt over to the island where there is a permanent sculpture park and a gallery with exhibitions running. This year I wanted to see the Basketmakers of Victoria eachibition, and, as usual, they are fabulous. Lots of interesting work, both innovative and traditional.

It's a short trip over on the punt, costing me all of $2, Mum is free. The advantages of age! It's just a gentle day, where we walk all around the island, seeing how the permanent sculptures are wearing and becoming part of the landscape. We have lunch and then coffee when we get back at the coffee shop directly opposite. Well worth the trip.

Five on ffffff....okay Sunday!

A bit late, a week full of events, but very little textile work done.

I did manage to get the first Stroop Stroop Sock done. This is a warm-up for Sock Madness 9, which starts in March. I thought I'd warm up and get used to posting my projects on Ravelry, as this is part of the competition.

Sock Madness 9 Warm-up Sock
The Stroop Stroop Sock

A completely relaxing evening was spent at Melbourne Zoo with their twilights session featuring the always wonderful Paul Kelly, with Vika and Linda Bull, Dan Sultan and some other fabulous guests that I didn't quite know. Zoo twilights used to be a regular on our calendar, but we haven't been for quite some time.

I did manage to get some shots of those animals that hadn't be bedded down for the night.

A new enclosure where you can view the Lemurs up close and personal

Love these birds, the amazing Jabiru

Who doesn't love Koalas?

The last event was the 90th birthday celebrations of the Rosanna Cricket Club, of which my partner is President.

Equipment in the rooms?

 I did take some photos to add to their collection, featuring the current facilities. A great night with lots of stories!

Five on Friday - Chocolate Fleece

It's been a busy week, but no work has been done. The highlights were my youngest son coming home from his holiday in New Zealand and going to the movies with my mother, her Christmas present.

The movie was great....Cinema Nova run a series of beautifully filmed operas from the Met in New York. We saw the Barber of Seville. My mother loves opera and I get to learn a little more, then we have lunch, in this case.

Anyway, my Five on Friday is all about my chocolate fleece; well THREE chocolate fleeces. Given to me by a friend, surplus to a school's requirements, I thought I had three bags of fleece, but turns out to be three fleeces.

I've already given some away at Experimental Spinning, and am processing the rest of that fleece on my wool combs.

The fleece is not particularly good, all the best bits have gone. It is actually a lovely fleece, a bit dirty, but a really lovely chocolate, couldn't quite capture that.

 Part of the deal was to get better at using the wool combs. There's lots of rubbish left over.

Could do with an extra comb, but you end up with a lovely product, ready to spin.

25grams done, just want to get to 100 grams quickly!

Five on Friday - new year, new start, new idea!

Ok, so I haven't blogged much, but after a relaxing Summer holiday I feel that perhaps I need to take a new approach. It is fun and I like the discipline of having to do something so I can blog about it!

Taking a leaf from Leanne and her photography blog, where she has themes for her various, varied and numerous posts, I thought I'd start a 'Five on Friday'.....five pictures of the work I've done through the week. Hopefully, they'll form the basis of more extensive blog posts, but lets start with this.

Here they are:

1. Coming back from the beach, where I've been taking pictures of shells. More food for my A-Z of shells design project, which is a bit slow at the moment because I need to do some spinning and/or some dyeing.

2. Having finally started, after years and years (yes, really!) of spinning a multi-coloured fleece that was a gift from a good friend, to design and knit this fairisle jumper. The pattern is loosely based on banksias and is coming up quite nicely.

3. Knitting more socks. Now I'm trying to time how long it takes me as I want to try out for the Sock Madness Forever Groups', Sock madness 9 on Ravelry. It opens up on the 1st February for Registration.

4. I like to have a few bobbins of fine spun singles to ply with so I've been topping up my natural and purple. I want to do alot of spinning this year, a definite stash busting year!

 5. And today, I went to see Jean Paul Gaultier at the NGV International. It's finishing soon and it full of amazing stuff, though I did think I saw something labelled as knitting when it was crochet!

So, don't forget to see Jean Paul Gaultier, it finishes on February 8th....that is, if you're in Melbourne!

TSB textile - August newsletter

                                                                       

TSB textile opening hours:

                Tuesday 12pm till 6pm

                Wednesday 10am till 5pm

                Thursday 10am till 5pm                                                  Saturday 11am till 4pm 

77  Grimshaw St,     Greensborough

tsbtextile@yahoo.com.au

               

TSB textile newsletter – August 2014

Yes, I know it’s September, but I was sorting a few things out before I wanted to send this newsletter out! Hope you’re all well and finally enjoying the improving weather.

I’ve decided to finish my time in Grimshaw St. I’ve given the required notice and will be finishing on Friday the 3^rd October. I feel it’s about time, I need to relax before Christmas and get my house in order. Having said that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in my very own studio and will miss the discipline of turning up each day and having to work.

I’ll be applying for a few things, probably do a market or two before Christmas, but I’ll let you know.

I still have a couple of Saturdays where we’ll be doing the 5000 poppies project. Here’s the timetable:

Saturday 13^th 5000 poppies project. Bring along red yarn, needles. I have the patterns, and spares of everything if you don’t. For further information http://5000poppies.wordpress.com/ I’ll only be there till 3pm, as I’m off to Laughing Waters in Eltham open day.

Saturday 20^th I’m off to Hobart and MONA, a birthday present from my husband J

Saturday 27^th 5000 poppies project. A chance to do more! 11am till 4pm

The Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria is a collection point for the poppies, so I’ll be taking them there in October when I go to Experimental Spinning on the 4^th October.

Some of my friends are participating in various activities, here are a couple:

Lyn Fitzgeralds’ art group Pastel Palette are holding an exhibition “Be Inspired” at the Heritage Golf and Country Club in Chirnside Park.  I’m hoping to get to the opening on Sunday 14^th at 2pm.

Michelle Fountain from Metafour Studio (http://metafourstudio.com.au/ ) who is fast becoming, if she isn’t already, the master of rigid heddle looms and will have her first official outing to the Black and Coloured Sheep, Sheep and Woolcraft day at Cranbourne Public Hall on Sunday, the 28^th September.

I know both are a bit distant from those of us north of the river, but both will be worthwhile, I really want to go to both.

Remember to drop in sometime and see me at TSB textile. I’m always working.                   Cheers, Teresa