What a difference a ply makes

Ouch, that's such a nasty pun, I wouln't blame you if you're wincing right now.

I've been dyeing this particular dye shade for quite a few years now.  I first used the shades in the autumn when the blackberries were out and I picked dyes that I thought I could see in the foliage and berries, purples, lilacs and greens.  It's evolved differently every time I've done it, but here it is in two different plys.  The first is a chunky yarn,  (7pi) with thick and thin singles plied together.  I posted (I think) a scarf knitted up in this very yarn.

Today I've just finished plying up the same dye lot as a 4ply, (14wpi) and I'm hoping that this yarn will inspire a local button maker tomorrow.  I'll post some more information when I've had a deep and meaningful chat with her - and not before!

The lighting obviously different but I think that pulling those fibres into a thinner single makes the colours more muted, gentler somehow.  I like them both, but definately very different animals.

The dye lot is called Kizzie and is available on Etsy if you like it.  Thats all for now, just a quick one but I'll be back soon.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91873165/kizzie-handspun-yarn

My article in The Knitter !!

I'm so pleased to be able to share at last that my article Spinning Yarn on A Wheel - A Spinning Masterclass has been published in the current issue of The Knitter!

The article takes you step by step through the parts of the wheel, choosing fibres and then spinning through from drafting to plying.

This is a first for me and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the process, I suppose because I love spinning so much, the opportunity to  write about it was just wonderful!  I think I will be unbearable to live with over the coming weeks.  I bought three copies in WHSmiths today (taking the cellophane off the magazine to have a nosey before I bought it). I thought the shop assistant was going to take me outside and have me shot!  I bought a copy for my myself, my mum and my nan, the circulation of The Knitter could rise considerably just with sales for my family alone.

Anyway, onto other things, a little while ago I posted A Waste Dye Dilemma post.  Wasting dye is something that does bother me, so I did a little experiment and dyed these fibres.

Sometimes, you can be left with dye in the pot, preferably there should be non, it should all have been soaked up by the fibres, but you know, we're not all perfect and there may be dye left.  The dye remaining from this dye lot, dyed these fibres this colour

And those fibres then spun up like this

I'm really pleased with it, it has a beautiful sheen, which I think shows up well on the photo, and I've started knitting it for my Baker's quilt, which is coming on a treat.  I'm really enjoying it and can knit while looking up sometimes (at the telly).  I believe that makes me practically professional.  Or something.

Speak soon

Baker's Quilt

OK, so maybe I should have tried having a go at the Beekeepers Quilt before I started posting all my grandiose ideas about how I was going to use up all my leftover yarn blah blah blah.

I started and lo and behold I couldn't finish.  I am a relatively new knitter, for me the spinning is the thing and I'm afraid that often knitting takes a second place to it.  So, a little bit despondantly I took the pattern, yarn and needles along to the Knit-Wise Knit'n'natter that I attend on a Tuesday night and had a word with Super Knitter Myra who took one look at the pattern, pronounced it a leeetttle bit too adventurous for my capability and in her head immediatley invented an easier version.  By the look of the Beekeepers Quilt forum on Ravelry, I'm not on my own in struggling with it, so maybe there will be others who would appreciate this simpler version.  We're calling it the Baker's Quilt, little square squidgy loaves of yarn.  (or other less twee descriptions)

Whereas the Beekeepers Quilt uses hexagons, this version uses squares.  I used yarn spun to 4ply and 4mm DPNs, but if you use larger needles, you get a larger square, depends what you want.

Here's how you do it:
 
Cast on 10 stitches.

M1 on each stitch, so that you end up with 20 stitches

There are my lovely 20 stitches on my DPNs.  The more observant of you will see that my knitting is not the neatest and not the best.  Please don't cry, because there is more.

The pattern goes as follows

K1, Yfwd, Sl1, Yback, and repeat

Knit in this manner until you have a square.  It should look something like this, although yours could
be so much neater.

At this point, you will need to separate your stitches onto two other DPNs, first stitch on one needle, second on the other, third on the first need etc, until you have 10 stitches on each needle. You should then be able to open the pouch so that it looks like this:

So, now it's time to fill the pouch with a little wadding, so that there will be a comfortable bounce in your finished blanket.

Now it's time to cast off, go through the two stitches together and knit them and then cast off as you normally would.

You should end up with a little filled pouch of wonder like this one (if you're lucky),

My casting off tension is a little bit too tight but people in the know tell me that if I use a larger needle, my problems would be over.  Tiny Owl Knits says that one of the best things about knitting this way is that you can knit on the go, and it's absolutely true, its so easy and portable.

I've been able to knit up eleven in quite a short period of time and, surprisingly have got to the point where I can knit and almost follow the plot of Borgen (Danish subtitled political drama).  Almost.

It's on its way!  And for a novice knitter, I'm quite pleased. 

I've taken the information I've written here directly from the Knit-Wise blog (which I also write) as it's Myra's pattern and so deserves to be on there, so that is why it's repeated if you're wondering.

 http://www.knit-wise.co.uk/blog/content/bakers-quilt

In other spinning news, this yarn has been knitted up into a scarf, I don't know if this picture does it justice but it'll give you an idea.

Ginny knitted this up with some little bobbles at the bottom and a cute hand embroidered edge, which I'm afraid on these photos doesn't really show up.  I have, and am wearing this scarf.  I really must stop knitting up the wool I intend to sell, but I can't help it - it's too tempting!

speak soon

Cathy

Beekeepers Quilt for Leftover yarns

My favourite type of spinning is to a 4 ply, I find it easier to keep consistent, although when I have a lot to do I can start to lose the will to live half way through.  You know how it is, spinning a chunky yarn gives almost instant gratification.

So, when I have little bits and bobs of leftover fibres I almost always spin it to 4 ply, so I've decided to have a go at the wonderful Beekeepers Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits

I think that this would really suit all the little handspun 4ply leftovers that we have and make something very beautiful.  As I've said before on here, I really struggle with wanting to knit anything that's more difficult than knitting and purling and I think that's all that's used here.  AND it uses DPNs which I can't use either, so quite a big learning curve but because the hexagonals are quite small it should be do-able.  I'll be taking the pattern along the the Tuesday night Knit'n'natter to get started.

These are the yarns that I thought would go together quite well

I'll add more after I've finished these two.  If you fancy having a go yourself, here's a link to the Tiny Owl Knits Beekeepers Quilt

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-beekeepers-quilt

I had hoped to be posting some new dyed fibres but unfortunately I've been laid low with a stinker of a cold and am posting here with sudocrem on my top lip a la Adolf Hitler.  I'll hopefully be back up and dyeing on Monday

See you for now.

New Year - new stuff

I'm not one for New Years resolutions and yet the 1st January seems an excellent place to start with new stuff.

So, we have new Niddy noddies going onto etsy and although this is a tragic photo I though I would upload it anyway.  The light is atrocious at the moment for photographs so I'll not use this for etsy but I'd like to show it on here just as a sneaky peak.

Niddy noddy with a curvy midriff

The first set of niddy noddies all sold out over the holidays and so Jim has made us a batch more, mostly in the same style but these two were a little bit different.  I like that we've got a bit of versatility and I think they look great.  I will try and photograph them again tomorrow to put on etsy, I'll see how the light goes. 

Talking of photographs and setting new goals - I would like to be able to take some better pictures than I am doing now.  This is not really a difficult thing to do as my photography skill are somewhat lacking.  But, we have a great camera, a Nikon somethingorother so it's only my ability that is holding things back.

I came across this site - blipfoto while I was reading Helen Cowans blog.  I've read her blog for a few years now and her photography is just brilliant.  She keeps some of her fantastic pics on blipfoto.

The idea is that you take a photo a day and load it up to an online journal.  There are forums and tutorials to help you improve and by the end of the year you will have a record of what you've taken and also (hopefully) see how much more excellent you have become.  I've started today, which granted is the 2nd so I'm already behind (no change there) but I've started so I intend to finish. (not really very good at finishing either).

Our very fat dog, Brodie

I will try to keep posting my efforts, I think even if my photos never get to be brilliant, at the end of the year I will have a lovely record of our life.

Here's a link if you'd like a look
http://www.blipfoto.com/

See you soon

Fruit Cake & Baking Bread

We normally head off to Center Parcs at this time of year but as Mimi has started High School this year we thought we'd better be good and keep her in school.  So!  We've decided to have bonding days instead.  This Tuesday was bread baking and cake making.

I haven't posted a recipe on this blog before but this is a seriously good one, easy too.

Boil in the Pan Fruit Cake

Cooking Time  approx 1 1/4 hours

Oven Temp 150 electric  gas mark 2

Ingredients

4oz butter
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups self raising flour
at least 2 cups dried fruit
2 eggs

Put the butter, sugar, milk and fruit into a pan, melt it all together and then bring to the boil.  Let it boil for five minutes, stirring once or twice to mix.

Let it stand for 5 minutes.  Whisk the eggs, then alternatively add the flour and eggs to the pan and mix.

Line bread tin with greaseproof paper and put the mixture in, cover the top loosely with tin foil.

Cook for 1 hour then remove the foil and cook for approximately 15 minutes more.  Keep checking to see when it's ready.  Much will depend on the amount of fruit and your own oven.

Try not to make the mistake as I did a few weeks ago of adding the flour before you try to boil the mixture.  But! if you do, it's not the end of the world.  It tasted fine.

Note the carefully placed greaseproof paper. Are you worried Nigella?

Our bread making went something like this:

We used Nigella's bread recipe which uses half white bread flour and half wholemeal which produces a lighter loaf.  Not that my dad and me are competitive, but he was told about five years ago on a bread making course that he had made the best loaf.  Have I ever heard the last of it? 

So our loaves went something like this

Kneading the loaf.  He doesn't want to be pictured since that unfortunate incident in Lytham in 1967.

                                                           Loaf ready to be left to rise

                                                                         Risen!

My dad decided to go for the old boring tin method.  I have to say though with the sun shining through the window it's pretty enough to make the Hovis boy weep.  And it tasted good too.  

Slightly ashamed of my cow pat version, even with the sun on it.  Tasted great though!

I promise we'll be back to woolly things soon.

December Spinning Workshop & New Fibres

Saturday was spent in the safety of Knit-Wise's upstairs, out of the chilly wind and the rain, drinking tea, eating biscuits and fighting with spinning wheels.  Despite checking the wheels on Friday there was definitely a case of revenge of the machines, even from Alison's NEW Ashford Joy wheel which she brought from home.

Despite this, Gill and Annette managed to spin two skeins each and Alison spun Corriedale and Soybean fibre  The women were victorious!!

                                   
                                                      Annette with the first of her skeins

                                              
                                  Gill with her first skein, could be smiling or could be about to
                                                    throw the wheel right out of the window

It's always great to meet new friends through a love of textiles and Annette and Gill are both incredibly interesting, both have done City & Guilds in Textiles and Annette is in the process of completing a Fine Arts Degree at John Moores University in Liverpool.  It will be interesting to see how have spinning fibre as another string to their quite substantial bows shows itself.

I'm drowning a little bit in fibre at the moment,  hopefully in the next few days I'll be posting some new fibre onto my etsy shop (which I have to say is looking a little bit depleted at the moment).  The aforementioned soybean fibre, which both myself and Alison loved, will be on there in packs of 100g and also smaller packs to have a little go at if you're not sure.  I think this image shows the beautiful colour of the soybean which spins similarly to silk, a short staple and quite a lot of it up your nose.

It's either like a cossetted Princess' flowing locks or a tatty dogs underbelly.  You can decide.
The bamboo fibres look very lovely too

Beautiful.. but not as lovely as the Princess locks soybean.  There will also be some flax and some Wensleydale. Not sure about flax really, but as soon as I've spun some I will report back.

Just to finish on, here's a link to something that has had me laughing all week.  If you're feeling a bit down, watch this a couple of times. It you don't laugh, check your pulse!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnQuYq2AGek

See you soon