Fibre Sandwich spin along

My fibre sandwich from this years' Harrietville has been sitting around just defying me to spin it up. Along with that has been a friends that I have finally sent off to her in far off climes.

We've decided to spin it up together and post along the way and see what comes up. It's always hard when a friend is far away, hopefully, we'll at least feel that we're in the same place as we spin this communal bunch of fibres.

This is my stash and this http://knitspingirl.blogspot.com/2010/09/long-distance-spin-in.html is hers!

Another friend, shall we call her 'Doris' does not like the very random, crazy effect, so this year she sorted her 100gms into colours and is spinning it up. I haven't seen it yet, but I thought I might just give it a go!

So off we go!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I inadvertantly booked myself into Rose St. Artists' Market and Ivanhoe Makers Market on the same weekend. This is not my preferred option as it means that I'm behind in such vital things as the weekly shopping and the washing. However, having made the mistake I just kept on going!

As it happened the Ivanhoe Makers Market was on election day, and given that it is in a position where a good proportion of the voters at the nearest electoral booth have to pass us by, we hoped for a good day.



Here is my friend Mary, who comes along with some of her work and helps me out at Ivanhoe. Our sons have been friends since prep and we've been friends since she noticed me wearing one of my jumpers in the schoolyard. Always fun to have her there and on Saturday we both had a great day. It was my best day so far and I was pretty happy.

It was also pretty good for the market as a whole, as we handed out plenty of information about the market. Hopefully, we can build on all that good will.

And so to Rose St.

What the picture doesn't show is how windy it was. There were plenty of people hanging on to their stalls with each gust of wind. Despite that it was a lovely sunny day.

If not somewhat quiet! I guess the day after an indecisive election left people feeling very quiet. So quiet, up to around 1/4 to 4 I had had one sale, and didn't look like getting any more at that time of the day. Very strange though, I had a further four sales and came away quite happy.

Now I have to make more for September......

Books

Tuesday afternoons are spent in a variety of 'Workshops'. The last workshop was 'Portraiture' where we had a live model and painted her portrait over five weeks.

Our current workshops is making books. Because of the short period of time, this is not a formal book making workshop. What it is, is challenging us to think about the form of the book and how we can make a personal statement. Along the way, we're being taught simple techniques, but more importantly, we're being challenged to put a great deal of thought and effort into this book.

I have managed to quite successfully, cover the form of the book:

but I'm having trouble with the content. Not an unusual point for me to be at. Our lovely teacher has suggested that I look at black and white photographs that might surprise as you open each 'page' of my book. I like this idea, but am still at a loss regarding the topic.

I must keep looking.

Just a few 'Works in Progress'

I seem to have started quite a few little projects, attempting to work on them all at the same time! It might be the frightening prospect of two markets on the one weekend - Ivanhoe on Saturday and Rose St. on Sunday - that has prompted this, however, I suspect deeper and darker neurosis coming into play?


Firstly, there's the scarf in the beautiful Wendy Dennis yarn and the lovelyely drop stitch pattern that's popping up, not just in my work, but in quite a few knitting magazines....we do read the same stitch pattern books. I know I've said that scarves aren't selling this year and I wasn't going to knit any more.....but the yarn is so gorgeous and it's nearly done, and I didn't have an easy project for the train.......


Then there's the "toothpaste" yarn I just had to finish spinning...I needed the bobbins! Even though I have no idea what I'm going to make with it.

And, the fingerless mittens in the crazy handspun yarn. This is for a friend, but do I have to do two? and do I have to try one as a new design?


Then, there's more thick singles for the MUST do neckwarmers in 'Melbourne' colours. (Sorry about the photo...no time!)

And, I've started a hat that the guys in my favourite Ivanhoe coffee shop 'might' be interested in.

And then there are scarves on my new loom, in hand-dyed yarn in lovely 8-shaft colour and weave patterns.

AND, the prototype for a new neckwarmer....

Now, I'm off to Stitch 'n Bitch to work on my own jumper!

Late night spinning

Friday was a funny day. I'm supposed to get alot of work done on my Thursdays and Fridays, but this Friday was full of distractions. It wasn't without its' highlights including discovering that Watsonia has two very good op-shops. The Salvation Army op-shop has particularly large button and knitting needle collections. You do have to ask for them and I did have an overwhelming desire to sort them all out.......maybe another time! I did pick up some buttons and some tortoise shell knitting needles and an amazing pair of earings.

However, by the end of the day I did need to achieve something! So, remembering that I had promised a couple of people that I would make fingerless mittens in my Harrietville fibre sandwich yarn style, I thought I would get on with that project.

To make a fibre sandwich on your own, while possible, seems a little lonely, so at Bendigo there was one of the stalls selling off their 'rubbish'. A whole bag of dyed bits and pieces. $2 for as much as you could stuff into a plastic bag. I got about 170gm, but could have got more in.

I've put this through my drum card, adding a little glitz, did the quick and rough spin it up and ply with my never-ending purple single. It was full of all sorts of bits, including short bits, some English Leicester and even though dyed, had not been scoured well. Spinning was quick and fun, adding to the 'craziness' of the yarn. As it did need scouring anything could happen to the yarn with unwashed fleece and processed top in the same yarn. It did feel nice and soft, hope was still alive. So late at night I left it to soak, ready to scour the next day.

I've now washed it and hung it out and am quite happy.

And, here is my 128gm of 'rubbish' all ready to go. Hopefully a couple of fingerless mittens in different styles.

More from Bendigo?

As I was writing yesterday, I forgot the surprise phone call from the Woolcraft committee. I had won one of the prizes in the raffle the Woolcraft committee run at every show.

I forgot as the winning of raffles is not an regular occurance. Except, of course, when it causes embarrassment, as when I attended for the first time the HWSG Christmas party. The compulsory plate was happily taken along, but I had not contributed to the Christmas hamper raffle, only to win a Christmas hamper, not the BIG one, but embarrassing enough that I religiously make sure a good contribution is made EVERY year!

Anyway, my prize arrived yesterday and it's this lovely print:


It's a print by the artist, Conni Togel, and I absolutely love it. If you could see my kitchen table at the moment and quite a few balls of wool inhabiting it, you would see how well I am relating to this picture!

I will hunt through our spare picture frames and it will find a very nice spot in my workshop and brighten my day, just where I need it!

Remember the Australian Sheep and Wool show in Bendigo

It's just like a dream......the train trip to Bendigo.......seems so long ago....and all I can think of is, 'gee, I wish I had (made that purchase/bought more of)....

Any, just to recap. Catching the 7.10am train from Southern Cross station, Jacqui picked me up at 6am at my place, a bunch of us headed off to Bendigo. After missing the first connecting bus, (they were organised this year, sandwich board and all!), we finally arrived at the Bendigo showgrounds.

There were lots of lovely people to catch up with, my favourite or funniest, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought that, was Charley at Ixchel in her lime green fluffy bunny suit with blue fluffy tail, (which apparently got lost over the weekend). I did finally purchase one of her beautiful mixes of merino, angora and tencel. All her wares are beautiful.

Anyway, here are my purchases:

Lots of tops in all sorts of colours, lots of spinning. Another drop spindle...you can't have too many, can you? And another tunisian crochet hook, and a little bit of yarn.