Knitting Kits on Etsy

This week has involved a trip to a sports day in a field with friends (humiliation), but it was held in Longridge, a beautiful town on the edge of the Forest of Bowland.  And there are sheep in this little small holding that are ready to be shorn, or sheared.  We decided that it would be great to take the newly sheared fleeces and spin straight away so we're just waiting for the nod from Andy who is the sheep man and we'll be over there like a rocket.  It's interesting how many people want to see something like that but wouldn't necessarily offer up the information.  We're all closet fleece fans!

Also, our hens have taken to jumping through the hatch on our boat in search of titbits.  I admit this is totally my fault because at first when it was a novely I did give Babs a few bits of cheese or a tomato and now I'm reaping the rewards(?) of hens in the boat.  The poor dog doesn't know what to do with her - kill her or kiss her.
Anyway, this weeks etsy news, I've posted some fibres for spinning and felting, Bluefaced Leicester and silk mix, dyed with pale lilacs and purples.  I'm spinning silk and BFL myself at the moment and it's such a lovely fibre to spin with.  The silk isn't particularly obvious but there is a beautiful sheen on the finished yarn.

Also, I'm selling some little handspun knitting kits, to try to encourage people to have a go at handspun.  It's a little bit of a shot in the dark for some knitters, understandibly and hopefully a little experiment with a corsage kit will allay any fears.

So sorry - long time no post

Wow I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by and I was trying so hard to be regular with this blog!  So, since I last posted after the heady heights of Radio Lancashire my etsy shop is up and running and I'm running round (figuratively) like a headless chicken trying to promote and network it.  I've been told it's a long haul so I'm prepared for that but I'm also aware that I might now be looking at facebook, etsy, folksy etc in my sleep.

We went to Woolfest which as usual was brilliant.  There was ideas and inspiration all over the place and as usual there was a fashion, which this year was felting - it was all over the place! I love felting though so I was in my element and will be running some classes at knit-wise over the next few months.

This is a French breed of sheep that had such a tiny little lamb it had to be photographed.  Poor little thing, it was sat on it's mother's back, just lovely.

And the alpacas had just been shawn, looking gangly and skinny, as if their legs couldn't hold them up.

This felt coat caught my eye and although I don't think my photo does it justice, was beautifully made, the curls on the pocket are little Wensleydale locks and compliment it very well.

I loved these little Injabulo star buttons in deep navy blue, they've inspired me to dye my next fibres in deep shades, they are just drying out in the workshop (shed) and will be in the next post.  This will be my motivation to post it quickly.

Felting is something that children can easily get involved with too so we'll be running felt necklace making with mums and children on Friday mornings through the summer holidays - boys can make a caterpillar and girls can make necklaces or caterpillars.  Actually, boys can make necklaces too if they like - whatever floats their boat.  So if that's something you'd like to do, give us a call at Knit-Wise and we can keep our ankle biters amused. My own will be there too so let the mayhem begin.

Knit-Wise
42 Church Street
Ormskirk
Lancs
L39 3AW

01965 580 590

I will post again soon - promise!

Cathy

Sheepfest & Radio Fame!

What a turn up for the books!  I was at Sheepfest in Clitheroe, Lancashire on Saturday for a festival in the town which involved all the schools and local businesses decorating (wooden) sheep.  We had our own little lamb advertising Lazykate and Bowland Wool.  I don't have any pics unfortunately of Larry, we didn't want other sheep to feel inadequate.  I do however have one of our stall.  This is about five minutes before the heavens opened for the whole bloomin' day.

I also achieved my five minutes of fame playing a sheepy game on Radio Lancashire.  Fame and fortune beckons as they have asked me back next Thursday 19th May for a slot on the afternoon show, doing some spinning and felting.  Feel excited and absolutely horrified in equal measures.  Don't tell anyone tho!

I've dyed some Blueface Leciester and silk fibres, some to sell and some to spin to go in kits.  It's looking good even though I say so myself and it's great to have everything drying so quickly.

One of our patterns on Knit on the Net is this one which was knitted up in a chunky yarn.  I like it but it might be a little bit sudden for a lot of little girls rooms, so I thought of knitting it up in the pink BFL/silk.  If I spin it as four ply, then the cushion would be smaller but nicer I think.  I'll spin it up first and knit it, and as my knitting speed is slow and stop, if you could keep all this information in mind for the next four months!  It will possibly be ready then.

Well seeing as this post is all a bit pinky/purply here is an example of the felt I'll be making at the felting classes we're going to run at Knit-Wise in Ormskirk. I'll post details of times etc as soon as they are finalised. We thought it would be nice to do classes at the weekend, but also run them for mums/girls/nans through the holidays.  It's always nice to have a bit of bonding.

Speak soon

Please like me

I can't believe time has gone so quickly, but my brain has definitley hit near explosion as I try to get to grips with a new Folksy shop, facebook and stumbleupon.  I'm loving and hating them all in equal measure and spending my days running to check if any more people liked me than five minutes ago.  If I get 25 likes I can do something special, which I haven't worked out yet.

So, if you're passing facebook or folksy, please give my page the once over.  Just think how happy you will make this little sad spinner.  If I can post a link I will.  Just give me a few weeks to work it out.

www.folksy.com/shops/lazykate

www.facebook.com/lazykate8

I'm at Clitheroe castle this weekend, thats the 7th for Sheepfest which sounds like it's good fun.  The town dress up sheep, cardboard ones that is (perhaps real ones too but lets leave that there).

I think this is from one of the local schools.  Bowland Wool will have their own sheep that Rosemary is decorating.  I'll take a photo and post it next time.  It's all very strange.

I'll be selling my handspun wool and also fibres but I also have some lovely knitting needle boxes as well as some kits of my own and also from Bowland Wool.  If theres any room at the table I might even take my wheel so brave people can have a go.

I was interested to see Knit on the Net has been relaunched.  For any who don't know, its on online UK knitting zine which has been published quarterly for a few years now.  Although they are now charging for the patterns they feature, there are archived patterns, which include a few of ours for you to download.

This summer vest is entitled Looby Loo and is knitted from handspun silk.

And this chunky beret, D'arcy Spice is in our Eliza yarn, which is still available now.

www.knitonthenet.com

Hopefully see you at Clitheroe. (There's a fab sausage shop there too, as if you needed more incentives) x

My first image has to be this - my friend Shirley has knitted up this bunting, with the word SPINNING on each flag.  She used my own handspun for each flag and it will be used for a window display at Knit-Wise in Ormskirk.  I'm so pleased with it I can't tell you. She's a bloomin marvel!  This photo was taken pretty quickly while we tried to avoid it being blown off the top of the boat in the wind!

With the arrival of some beautiful weather last week, I got back to the dye pot.  It was lovely to get back to having a washing line full of fibres in fab colours.  I experimented particularly with this one and I wasn't sure whether it would look good once spun.  My original plan was to sell it for spinning fibres but I was too curious to let it go so I've spun it myself.  Can't help it!  As I was spinning the singles, I was a little bit worried that it was going to look good, but I shouldn't have worried, it's come out lovely.

The spun yarn is deeper than the photos give the impression of, more gold and burgundy.  I'm really pleased with it, but I do need to stop wanting to spin everything myself.

I didn't get to Wonderwool Wales as I was teaching and manning the shop at Bowland Wool in the forest of Bowland.  It was such a beautiful day to be in spectacular surroundings.  I had just one student, Debbie who spun Bluefaced Leciester on her first bobbin, but, during the break went home to bring one of her own Alpaca fleeces back to spin.  It was such gorgeous fibre, light and soft, from Ellie the Alpaca.  With the second bobbin full, the fibres were plied to a zebra skein of BFL/Alpaca mix.  It was a lovely day.

Finally, after my last leftovers post, I'll show you what I put the leftover fibres to.  It's by no means anywhere finished as I've run out of the edging fibres but it's on its way. Things will all be a little slower over the easter hols what with children, friends, parties etc but I'll try and get as much done as possible. I know you know how it is!

I'm taking a chance putting this on here as it's my open exhibition entry piece - what if they say no! I'm quite pleased so far, but it's early days and it isn't my opinion that counts.  You have to be brave though and have a go, don't you?

Now, I really do need to go and do some ironing. We're going to be going out in our dressing gowns at this rate!

Mmmmmm! Leftovers

The question that all spinners face from time to time is what to do with leftover fibres?  Fill cushions? Run it through the trees for birds to use in their nests? What if it is hand dyed and ever so slightly felted?  What if it looks like this!

Well I liked this dye lot and had spun wool that was sold, with these being the leftovers. (Possibly could think of another way to describe them).

I decided to spin the fibres very thinly. I didnt check it wpi because I did want to spin freely but it's pretty much ended up being 4ply.  It was easy TV watching, no pressure, chatty spinning and great fun  Here are the singles still on bobbins and here is the skein.  Lovely, but not very much of it.

So I'm going to use if for a piece of textile artwork, I have a friend who is a screen printer and teacher and we're going to do some experiments and hopefully do some brainstorming and see what we can create.  Easter holidays are hurtling towards us so the college where she teaches will be completely free of students, allowing us time and facilities for our cunning plan.  That is the plan, unless gossip and coffee gets in the way.  I will keep you informed.  About the artwork.  Not the gossip.

The last spinning workshop at Knit-Wise went very well with the next one being on April 16th.  We're hoping to start a spin n chat (?), treadle n talk (?), each Wednesday, with biscuits and coffee and at only £2 per session it's a steal.  Anyone interested can turn up or call Myra at Knit-Wise for more information.

Knit-Wise                01695 580 590
Church Street
Ormskirk
Lancs
L39

Bowland Wool - Yum!!

The last few weeks have consisted of a lovely weekly hospital stay where the daily treatment consisted of free Jeremy Kyle (why, NHS why?), a spinning workshop at Knit-Wise in Ormskirk and a very interesting visit to Bowland Wool.

Our first Knit-Wise workshop was great fun, the ladies went home at the end of a loud day (laughing, not swearing) with a lovely skein of wool which Rennie said she would frame.  We should all frame our first skein, don't you think? And I would have done if my dog hadn't ragged it all over the place.  Although as it was my very first skein, it didn't look much different after she had finished than it did before!

The weather has started to pick up now, although it's still cold, and we made a start on the field!  It's a small miracle but we got our little plough out, which I think could have previously been owned by Noah himself and with the help of the weight of a small child we managed to plough over the field.  And then we found that if the small child drove the mower, the weight of a large man would make all the difference.

So our first beds are in, separated by laminate flooring boards and a bamboo wigwam.  We're ready to go.  Only another eight or so beds to put in and we may have the start of a kitchen and dye plant garden.

Last week's highlight was a visit to Bowland Wool in the forest of Bowland in Lancashire which is the most beautiful area to visit.  The land is owned by the Queen don't you know.  She allowed us access as long as we put our best accents on and promised not to touch.

Bowland Wool is run by Rosemary Johnson, who is championing the wool from Bowland Farmers.  The wool is Bluefaced Leicester, which is a favourite of mine because of the staple, which makes it easy to spin and it is also less irritating to the skin, so people who don't normally like wool on their skin can ofter tolerate BFL.  The palette she has chosen is lovely, muted, classic shades that will knit up beautfully.

She is passionate about keeping all the textile crafts alive and so there are workshops on quilting, knitting, dressmaking, and now spinning, as I will be running a workshop on the 9th of April!  There is also lots going on over the Easter holidays and I will post more nearer the time.  It would be lovely to meet any of you.

I would really recommend a visit to the area if you're looking for somewhere interesting or inspiring for a day out..  The countryside is just so beautiful, the forest of Bowland is famous for it's food.  Of course there is the Inn at Whitewell to visit for a meal, and then to Rosemary at Bowland Wool for your fix of all things textile.  Go on, you know you want to!

Kettledrum,

Root Hill Estate Yard,

Whitewell Road

Dunsop Bridge

BB7 3AY
01200 448005