This is one of the "big wools" I'm putting together to go to CCCK. It's a lot like the "fat singles" I made a few days ago, but this one is wool rovings I picked up from a factory clearance. I've spun them very lightly and plied with a hardly there fine yarn. I made a mistake with the plying yarn and it didn't pick up any dye. You'll get an idea of how fine it is by the fact that it hardly shows up in the photo. Since I wasn't going to sell it like that, I decided to use it for a trial run or demo. One skein of big wool makes a generous chunky scarf when knitted on 20 mm needles. That's a good thing. And the shop has lots of 20 mm needles--I checked. Another couple of skeins of fat singles are on my agenda for this weekend. And a bit more of tidying up around the place, so I can enjoy my activities with room to move.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Hot Off the Needles
I put this fun scarf together last night. Big wool plus big needles made a really quick knit. And the colours had me burning along, watching for the next hot combination. This is one of the "big wools" I'm putting together to go to CCCK. It's a lot like the "fat singles" I made a few days ago, but this one is wool rovings I picked up from a factory clearance. I've spun them very lightly and plied with a hardly there fine yarn. I made a mistake with the plying yarn and it didn't pick up any dye. You'll get an idea of how fine it is by the fact that it hardly shows up in the photo. Since I wasn't going to sell it like that, I decided to use it for a trial run or demo. One skein of big wool makes a generous chunky scarf when knitted on 20 mm needles. That's a good thing. And the shop has lots of 20 mm needles--I checked. Another couple of skeins of fat singles are on my agenda for this weekend. And a bit more of tidying up around the place, so I can enjoy my activities with room to move.
This is one of the "big wools" I'm putting together to go to CCCK. It's a lot like the "fat singles" I made a few days ago, but this one is wool rovings I picked up from a factory clearance. I've spun them very lightly and plied with a hardly there fine yarn. I made a mistake with the plying yarn and it didn't pick up any dye. You'll get an idea of how fine it is by the fact that it hardly shows up in the photo. Since I wasn't going to sell it like that, I decided to use it for a trial run or demo. One skein of big wool makes a generous chunky scarf when knitted on 20 mm needles. That's a good thing. And the shop has lots of 20 mm needles--I checked. Another couple of skeins of fat singles are on my agenda for this weekend. And a bit more of tidying up around the place, so I can enjoy my activities with room to move.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Dream Machine
A friend lent me this book a couple of months ago. I came across it yesterday--in a bag with some coloured wool tops and other bits and pieces left over from the workshop we had that day. I guess that's as good a symptom as any for my need for an organisational make-over. 
Well, at least I've emptied that particular bag which has been cluttering up my space for some time. Some of the wool is spun and the rest can go back into my coloured tops collection until it is needed. Meanwhile, I started reading the book. Now the trouble with "Dream" workspaces can be that the gap between the everyday nightmare and the design ideal is so big as to be paralysing. There's certainly a fair bit of potential for that in this book. The photos are beautifully arranged, with gorgeous decorator touches, such as sweet antique sewing tools in display-style homes. But there are also some familiar basic principles and some useful processes for sorting through priorities and needs. One chapter that really interests me is "Human Energy". This includes diagrams and instructions to analyse the ergonomics of various common tasks: sewing, cutting, pressing, etc. I haven't finished reading the book. I don't expect to live in a dream home, or to enjoy a dream workspace anytime soon. But if I can just change a few things at a time, I hope my life and work will improve. So, for today, I'm going to try moving my ironing board out of the way, so I can open the storage cupboard in my sewing room. That's not rocket science, but it's a start.
Well, at least I've emptied that particular bag which has been cluttering up my space for some time. Some of the wool is spun and the rest can go back into my coloured tops collection until it is needed. Meanwhile, I started reading the book. Now the trouble with "Dream" workspaces can be that the gap between the everyday nightmare and the design ideal is so big as to be paralysing. There's certainly a fair bit of potential for that in this book. The photos are beautifully arranged, with gorgeous decorator touches, such as sweet antique sewing tools in display-style homes. But there are also some familiar basic principles and some useful processes for sorting through priorities and needs. One chapter that really interests me is "Human Energy". This includes diagrams and instructions to analyse the ergonomics of various common tasks: sewing, cutting, pressing, etc. I haven't finished reading the book. I don't expect to live in a dream home, or to enjoy a dream workspace anytime soon. But if I can just change a few things at a time, I hope my life and work will improve. So, for today, I'm going to try moving my ironing board out of the way, so I can open the storage cupboard in my sewing room. That's not rocket science, but it's a start.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Colour Improvisation
It was close to my usual bedtime when I got home yesterday--my usual bedtime is quite early by most people's standards. But I needed some time to settle and reflect. My spinning list included more "fat singles". I wasn't in the mood for that. Instead I pulled out a bag of coloured tops I had prepared some time ago. I took out some colours, added others and played around for a while with combinations. I ended up with this "bush spring" improvisation. 
Colours of new growth and leaf litter--one of the things I love about our Australian natives is the red of the growing tips. Rose leaves have the same feature. I've spun short lengths of each colour. I distributed the colours fairly well through the mix, but I haven't arranged the order of the colours--that's as random as I could manage. My plan is to ply it back on itself--navaho style--to keep the colours as separate as possible.
Colours of new growth and leaf litter--one of the things I love about our Australian natives is the red of the growing tips. Rose leaves have the same feature. I've spun short lengths of each colour. I distributed the colours fairly well through the mix, but I haven't arranged the order of the colours--that's as random as I could manage. My plan is to ply it back on itself--navaho style--to keep the colours as separate as possible.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Big and Bold
I had "Fat Singles" on my to do list yestarday. OK, no jokes about dating prospects are allowed! These Fat Singles are wool: thick wool, with just enough twist to hold it together and not enough twist to require plying to balance it. The dyeing process helps to relax out the twist, and--of course--adds the strong colour. There's nothing subtle about these, unless it's the variations in shades, which always manage to surprise and delight me. 
On my first attempt I drew the wool out too much. The singles were too thin and kept breaking. Then by the time I'd added enough twist to hold them together, they really needed to be plied to prevent them twisting on themselves. I called that pair, the mixed doubles. You can see the two skeins on the right side of the pic. My next attempt was much more successful. I have more of these to do today as well as some more shawl pins. I've also got a bit of paperwork to get through and a couple of appointments, so I'll have to manage my time carefully to make the most of the day.
On my first attempt I drew the wool out too much. The singles were too thin and kept breaking. Then by the time I'd added enough twist to hold them together, they really needed to be plied to prevent them twisting on themselves. I called that pair, the mixed doubles. You can see the two skeins on the right side of the pic. My next attempt was much more successful. I have more of these to do today as well as some more shawl pins. I've also got a bit of paperwork to get through and a couple of appointments, so I'll have to manage my time carefully to make the most of the day.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Working with Wire
I like working with wire. To me it's an extension of my textiles and a way of giving more structure to some of my work. I bought myself a gizmo at the Craft Show the other day to help me with my wire. I do love gizmos and this one is actually technically called a gizmo: 
The mechanism is remarkably simple. I've been tempted to buy it before, but was put off by the price. I'm not very good at remembering numbers, so I can't tell you whether the price last weekend was lower than usual, or if I was just in the mood to hand over the cash. Whatever! I bought it.
Yesterday I picked up a couple of beading magazines. What did I find in one of the feature articles? Yep, some beautiful coiled wire work by Darius Q Seeto. So I have a bit more inspiration to go with my gizmo.
Today I do have a list of things to get done, and playing with coiled wire is not on the list. I think I can solve that little dilemma by making the wire work a reward for accomplishing some of my other tasks. Now: a coffee, clear the sink and on to my list.
The mechanism is remarkably simple. I've been tempted to buy it before, but was put off by the price. I'm not very good at remembering numbers, so I can't tell you whether the price last weekend was lower than usual, or if I was just in the mood to hand over the cash. Whatever! I bought it.Yesterday I picked up a couple of beading magazines. What did I find in one of the feature articles? Yep, some beautiful coiled wire work by Darius Q Seeto. So I have a bit more inspiration to go with my gizmo.
Today I do have a list of things to get done, and playing with coiled wire is not on the list. I think I can solve that little dilemma by making the wire work a reward for accomplishing some of my other tasks. Now: a coffee, clear the sink and on to my list.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Book Beauty
Two books to look at this morning: 
The first, "Principles of Pattern", I picked up from the Guild Textile Bazaar some time ago. The second, "Plants and Their Application to Ornament" was an unexpected find in a little boutique in Rathdowne St before a coffee with my friend M recently. I'm hoping that the two together will help me to bridge the gap between my fascination with botanical art and my desire to decorate fabric . . . or at least to take some more small steps in that direction.
The first, "Principles of Pattern", I picked up from the Guild Textile Bazaar some time ago. The second, "Plants and Their Application to Ornament" was an unexpected find in a little boutique in Rathdowne St before a coffee with my friend M recently. I'm hoping that the two together will help me to bridge the gap between my fascination with botanical art and my desire to decorate fabric . . . or at least to take some more small steps in that direction.In other news, my eye is settling nicely with regular antibiotic drops. If you want a laugh, you can try to imagine a middle-aged, short-sighted woman leaning back in front of the mirror trying to land a drop of fluid into a blinking target a couple of centimetres across!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Snap
Not just one sock, but two socks:
I finished the pair yesterday. This morning I celebrated by putting them on and enjoying warm toasty toes. Unfortunately I then had to go and spend two hours waiting at the doctors' surgery to have someone look at the sticky red swollen eye I woke up with this morning, so my leisurely Sunday morning was shortlived. I got a good bit of drop spindling done while I was waiting--that's some compensation. Now I have antibiotic eye drops and ointment to use and strict instructions to look after myself. OK, OK, that's not going to stop me knitting.
I finished the pair yesterday. This morning I celebrated by putting them on and enjoying warm toasty toes. Unfortunately I then had to go and spend two hours waiting at the doctors' surgery to have someone look at the sticky red swollen eye I woke up with this morning, so my leisurely Sunday morning was shortlived. I got a good bit of drop spindling done while I was waiting--that's some compensation. Now I have antibiotic eye drops and ointment to use and strict instructions to look after myself. OK, OK, that's not going to stop me knitting.
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