From fleece to Yarn.

For quite a while now I have enjoyed knitting and crocheting and generally making things using yarns/wool. I have made things for myself such as jumpers and cardigans

              

I have also enjoyed making stuffed toys and children's clothes

                                            

                                             

                                    

                                                             

Since getting our house in Ireland I have become more interested in sourcing my own yarn and after speaking with our neighbours there who farm sheep and know only too well the fact that the cost of shearing a sheep is more than the price of the fleece.

Sheep need to be sheared but the farmer usually makes a loss in doing so. Our neighbours are fortunate in that they have 3 sons who are all able to shear sheep, in fact two of their sons have won shearing competitions and have very recently represented Ireland in sheep shearing competitions.

I have been very lucky too that in the new house I am able to have a whole room for me to use as a craft room - to me that means all my crafts can live in one room and when I finish at the end of the day I can close the door and leave it and not have to clear away to make room for something else.

Last week I spent a lovely day out in Wales learning a new skill.

The course was entitled Spinning - the basics and I have to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. 

I drove about an hour and a half south from where I live to a place not far from Hay on Wye.  My destination was a sheep farm high up in the Brecon Beacons and boy what a view they have.

 

                                                                                                 

Dunja at All in a spin was our host for the day and me and 3 other budding spinners  were definitely in safe hands. She started off explaining about the different types of fleeces there were and we were able to look and feel the fleeces. In fact from the studio we could look out and look at a some of the sheep that the fleeces had come from. 

                             

We then learnt how to prepare the fleeces for spinning, which part of the fleeces were the best and how to wash them.

Then we learnt how to card the fleece. Carding involves separating and straightening sheep’s wool with two brushes so that it can be used to make yarn for knitting. These brushes closely resemble pet hair brushes but are made specifically for preparing wool fibres.

                               

Next we got to grips with a spinning wheel and learnt how to use our feet to spin the wheel and our hands to feed the fleece slowly on and turn it into a single ply yarn. This process took a little while to master and could be likened to trying to rub your stomach at the time as patting the top of your head......it takes a while.

It was a lovely environment to work in and Dunja was incredibly patient with us as we did seem to be slow learners. 

                                    

                           

Once we had managed to fill two bobbins with a single yarn it was time to ply them together to make them resemble  what I would know as 2ply yarn. 

Once this was done and we had each got a bobbin of 2 ply yarn we used a Niddy Noddy to move the yarn from the bobbin into a skein of yarn. What is a niddy noddy? Well Wikipedia explains it perfectly 

"A niddy-noddy (plural niddy-noddies) is a tool used to make skeins from yarn. It consists of a central bar, with crossbars at each end, offset from each other by 90°. The central bar is generally carved to make it easier to hold.

                      

After a really informative day I came away with my own skein of hand spun yarn. I so enjoyed it, I would love to be able to get my own spinning wheel and do some more spinning. 

                                                     

Knitting projects

This week I've been suffering with the dreaded lurgy. Hubby kindly passed it on before he went back to sea. I felt the tickle at the back of my throat and started with the Strepsils and Lemsip Max.
The next thing to do was cancel all my appointments for the week. Luckily my week wasn't going to be too busy anyway but as most of my patients are elderly I refuse to go and visit them when I'm ill.
To be honest I didn't feel like doing anything. Poor Maisie dog has had very few walks, a quick run around the field has had to suffice.
So once I had got myself out of bed, I made sure the heating was on and settled in front of the TV. I can endure daytime telly but only if I have something else to keep me occupied. So this week I've been finishing off some of those knitting projects which I've started but never quite finished.

I've been knitting flower fairies recently, Christmas presents for little family members. I've done three and am thrilled with them.



Meet Rose, Daisy and Tulip.
I'm so pleased with them, I've had lots of lovely comments about them and several people have asked how much I would charge for them.

My second unfinished project to complete was this circular shawl.







This made from one giant ball of yarn i bought in Aldi ages ago. i often see wool i like and just buy it without a clue of what I'm going to do with it. I found the pattern for this on a knitting website and think it will look great over a dark or even pink polo neck.

So now I'm onto the final project. I'm knitting a jumper for my brother. I'm not normally a big project person mainly because I get bored and want a quick result. Anyway I was given a fabulous Kaffe Fassett knitting book, it's very 'eighties' - bat wing jumpers and huge bright designs. However my brother spotted a design he liked so after finding some suitable yarn I started.




This is the back, I'm half way through the front now. It's a great challenge! Not sure how much I'll do before I get bored and go onto something else . I've got a beautiful cross stitch project I have been doing for about 10 years! Yes 10 years! It's big but I think it's about time I finished that!

Anyway I'm feeling a lot better today so I've rescheduled my appointments for next week.


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Where does the time go?

Can't believe I've been home a week already and so much has happened!

I got off the ship and came home via my parents house to pick up hubby and Maisie the dog. I had ordered my groceries online to be delivered between 8pm and 10pm. We arrived home at 5 minutes to 8pm and the delivery lorry must have followed us down the street because he drew up a minute or so after!
Next day I started back at work doing feet at 9am. Both Thursday and Friday were quite busy, catching up with patients who needed their feet doing, answering questions about where I had been and telling the odd sea tale here and there. I've been thinking that I might print out a few of my favourite sea photos and take them round with me. I'm sure a lot of my patients would like to see them.

Saturday was a baking day in preparation for the event of the week taking place on Sunday. Our grand-daughters christening. Hubby's daughter had also asked me to be a godmother which I was very honoured to accept. So we had visitors staying with us on Saturday night ready for Sunday too.  We had a great evening catching up with each other and then on Sunday we all trooped off to the Christening.

The weather, thankfully, was lovely. It meant that after the church service we were able to go back to their house and eat outside in the garden. They had organised a neat sort of caterer in the shape of a lady with a trailer which had a log fired pizza oven on top of it. She made pizzas to order and they were delicious.
Afterwards we laid out the desserts. I had made a trifle, mini tiramisu cakes and scones with clotted cream and homemade jam. Along with several other desserts, there was plenty for everyone!
It was a lovely day. I had been quite nervous actually as hubby's ex-wife was also there and I didn't want to upset her in any way which would spoil the day. But happily it all went well and there was no bad feeling.

I've been back to my groups this week, knitting yesterday and Applestroodle tonight, It has been lovely catching up with my friends again and also a few people have said how much they have enjoyed reading my blog. That has made me happier, knowing people are actually reading this and enjoying it too!!

So a week has flown by and what will this next week bring...................Jubilee event planning....that's what!

Sewing & knitting update

Mum and I are getting on well with our quilting project! We had another sewing day last weekend and although I hadn't quite completed my 'homework' we have successfully finished the border.
We went off back to the material shop to look for material for our centre squares and came away with some lovely designs and colours. We were in there for ages because its very much like being in a sweet shop, so much variety and colour.
So we designed our centre squares which will include two main designs. Mum agreed to do one deisgn and my next task is to do 12 9" squares in a different design.
So I set to this weekend and have completed my first square.

1 done....only 11 left to do!

I also finished another knitting project last week and am very happy with this.

A crafty week

This week I've not been too busy with Foot Health work so I've taken the opportunity to get on and do some craft work, As i've mentioned in previous posts I do enjoy knitting. I've spent the last 6-8 months knitting baby clothes and having despatched the latest box of gifts to a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago I decided I would set about knitting something for me.
Its taken me 13 days to make and here is my newest addition to my wardrobe.

I'm very pleased with it, it just needs a couple of buttons and I'll be able to wear it.

Earlier in the week I asked my Mum to come and stay overnight. My Dad was suffering with a cold (or even man flu) and I suggested mum come and stay with me instead of catching his germs!
Also it was a good opportunity for us to start a little sewing project we have planned.

My step daughter had a baby on Christmas Day and it looks like the Christening will be in May. I said to mum that I would love to make a patchwork bed quilt as a gift. Mum is the Queen of Quilting in my eyes. She laboured for a good many years over a double quilt for me and my husband as  a wedding present. I haven't done a lot of sewing recently and have never done patchwork so I knew mum would have some good ideas.
She had been and bought a few bits of material and so on Tuesday we planned our quilt and decided on pattern and the colours we would use on the border. We cut out the material and on Wednesday we spent the day sewing.

Busy sewing

Our border materials

Part of our completed border

We didn't finish the border but have divided it between us to finish separately.
I will post more pictures as it progresses

Knitting and nattering

I've been going to Knit and Natter for just over a year now. I have always loved knitting, needlecraft, cross stitch etc but over the past year or so I have increased my knitting. The main reason for this seems to be the fact that so many people I know seem to be reproducing, and everyone loves a newborn baby in a knitted item!!
I started knitting as a child, I have a lasting memory of my paternal grandmother sitting in a rocking chair, knitting, needles clacking away as she created something. I never remember what it was she knitted but I know she was fast!
My maternal grandmother always knitted too and she knitted squares to be made into blankets right up until she died.
A few years later I started on the epic adventure of kntting my own jumper out of remnants although I was fairly organised in that front and back were the same and the sleeves were the same as each other. It must have taken me at least 18 months to knit this jumper and eventually the day came when I could sew it up and try it on.
With my mums guidance I sewed it up and then jumped up, all excited about the prospect of trying on this long awaited garment. I ran into the kitchen with it and pulled it over my head and looked in the mirror. My mum was waiting in the lounge and says that all she heard was my voice, "Oh God, its awful".
Sadly it was one of those rare moments when something really does look better on the hanger than it does on! I think I only wore it about 10 times and then it went on a journey to the charity shop.

About three Christmases ago, my parents bought me wool, bamboo needles and a pattern to knit a cardigan. It was gorgeous wool, a pale purple colour and I enjoyed knitting it so much it was finished by the end of January. And so began my new found interest in knitting.

I was sat in the hairdressers last February and started reading a newsletter from a local town and Knit and Natter was advertised in there. I took the email address of the lady who organised it and a few days later I was sat in a local coffee shop knitting with a bunch of other ladies.  Not all old, grey haired ladies, I hasten to add. One girl is younger than me and a very talented and dedicated knitter with plans to open her own knitting shop sometime in the near future.
We meet once a week on a Tuesday between 5-7pm and there is also a group on a Thursday morning which I go to if I am not working. I have made some new friends and also learnt new skills and swapped patterms and ideas.

I have been mainly knitting smaller items, bootees, mittens and hats but have advanced to small baby jackets and even a cuddly toy. My favourite so far is a baby  jacket I have knitted using a pattern book from 1943 - still in fashion I think. I also fundraise for the RNLI so have knitted about 4 lifeboatmen so far all raffled for funds.

Cuddly bunny

Wrist warmers

Bunny Bootees

I made this lifeboatman to be raffled in aid of the RNLI

This last few months have been busy with two family babies arriving by Christmas, I was busy knitting a lot. I also decided that my friends childen would get novelty egg cosies as a present along with an egg cup so I knitted four different cosies and then bought 4 plain white porcelain egg cups and some special paints. I had a great time decorating them each individually and parcelling them up for each child. I was really pleased to received thank you notes from them all expressing how much they loved them.
I wonder if the same could be said if I had bought them a computer game or something similar.

My best friend had a baby girl yesterday so I finally finished her little parcel of knitting and will post it tomorrow,

The next baby is due in July so before I start on their knitted gifts I have decided to knit something for me! I'm on a waistcoat at the mo and when I finish it I shall post a photo.