Analyse This

Saturday's spinning workshop at the Guild was another take on novelty yarns. We spent the morning analysing and re-creating a commercial yarn. It was fascinating. What initially appeared to be a fairly ordinary slubby yarn with a bit of contrast, turned out to consist of three strands, each involving special techniques. After pulling our sample to pieces, analysing the structure and fibre content of each component, we put together our own version.

Here's what we came up with:

• slubby cotton wrapped around a core
• mohair boucle
• silver lurex bullion

. . . no that's not three yarns: all those techniques went into the one. We worked in pairs for this exercise. M and I chose white/neutrals and with a silver touch. M and M, the other team, worked in strong pinks and greens. With exactly the same basic structure, the effect was very different. I'd like to repeat the exercise on a few more commercial yarns and see what I can learn. On the other hand, spinning by hand does have some different constraints . . . and all those special techniques are intensely time consuming. Still, it's always good to extend and learn some more.

Welcome Friends

Filous' Patisserie is back!I arrived at the Guild for the last Spinning Workshop of the year to be greeted by the familiar smells of the French Patisserie around the corner. It's almost a year since they were taken out by a stray driver. I've missed them! So much so that a couple of times I've slipped a "get well soon" note under the doorway of the building.

Yesterday I couldn't wait to welcome them back. I was barely in time for class, so I couldn't line up for my traditional coffee and chocolate muffin. I did just poke my head in the door and take a delicious sniff and call out a quick hello to the familiar staff. After the workshop they were packing up for the day and we had time for a quick chat. It's been a stressful and uncertain time for the owners. Some of the staff have had to find other work. They're an artisan business, so yes, it's personal. Most of the interior has been rebuilt--an out of control car in a room that size does a lot of damage. Happily, the atmosphere has been rebuilt too. I'm looking forward to re-establishing my Filous habits.

Meanwhile, the spinning workshop was really worthwhile, and worth a post of its own. But now the sun is shining and I have a list of chores to tackle.

Dreaming-Designing

This past crazy week has involved designing of a different sort for me. As well as textiles, I've been working with graph paper and pencil: I was going to say, "bricks and mortar", but it's actually "timber and plaster". My dream studio in my little back yarn may soon become a reality. Reality and dreams are never quite the same. The sales manager from the Cedar Shed Company came over yesterday morning to measure and quote. I was shocked when I saw how little space would be left behind the house if I get the shed I've been thinking of. I'm now wondering if I need to get rid of the little shed that's already there. Then there's the reality of where everything will actually be stored and used. What seems huge in comparison with the size of my land becomes much more restricted in comparison with the materials, tools and activities I want to make room for . . . On the other hand, there's an awful lot of unwanted plant life and other stuff in that small space out the back. I would need to find a way of dealing with that before a shed could go in, or simply pay more money for some-one to rip it out and throw it away. That's rather confronting.

Today my thoughts will be elsewhere. There's a two day plying weekend on at the Guild--it's the next in the series of monthly workshops I've been doing this year and I've been really looking forward to it. I expect it will fully occupy me for most of the day, which will be great: tiring, but a complete break from other concerns.