Stainless steel and silk heaven

I've finally felt like working and with a commission as incentive, I ordered 5 cones of the gorgeous stainless steel and silk from Dairing.

As well, I've finally moved my knitting machine into oldest son's bedroom. It isn't technically his room any more as he lives in a shared house in Thornbury, but that's what I've called it! The knitting machine has been sitting idle in the garage since the closing of TSBtextile in Greensborough, so I was a little worried about the state it was in.

Really.....it was more about me than the machine. It's never been so well loved as I cleaned and oiled my way to finding that I'd put it together incorrectly......twice! It's now singing happily and I've finished the first scarf and working on the second.

I use the knitting machine because it creates the fabric quickly, but also, it is alot easier to simply create folds which give the fabric a 3-D bounce making it interesting. I create different sorts of folds, some just pick up stitches 5 or 10 rows below, sometimes I move the picked up stitches to twist the fabric. And this time with the last cone, I'll try something new.

As well, I'm trying to be efficient and recording what I do and how long it takes, always an interesting occupation.

Five on Friday - what on earth have I been doing?

Well, I have been overseas, and yes, there will be photos, but I'm still sorting them out!

Here are my Five on Friday. I have started working well this week and am feeling active, we arrived back at the end of July after 6 weeks away and it's taken 4 weeks (or more!) to get my act together.

From the last experimental spinning, where we worked with Blending boards, I've spun up this, and it's nearly finished! We're at experimental this Saturday (the 5th) where we'll be spinning embroidery threads and the rooms will be buzzing with activity as the Handweavers and Spinners Guild has a Spinning Open day from 11 till 3pm.

I need to practice my weaving and thought I'd try something simple! A spaced warp with a separate warp for a little bit of seersucker. Warp looks good.

Actually weaving very nicely, except the seersucker is just a softness, rather than a bubble. Maybe when it's washed. 

I'm not supposed to buy anything this year, but couldn't resist the amazing fleece from Andyle when the Black and Coloured Sheepbreeders came to the guild. One of the few meetings I attended. It's been sitting in my car.

Thought I'd better spin up said fleece. It's gorgeous, happy so far.

 And I did fit a bit of knitting in as well.

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!