Thursday 23 May 2013

What do you do on a blustery afternoon?

Q.  What do you do on a blustery afternoon? 
A.  Card, spin and take a few photographs.




Having browsed through The Ashford Book of Carding by Jo Reeve I decided to rummage through my stash of  coloured fleece and play with my drum carder.  I have had a drum carder for a year now but have only recently put down my hand carders.

I decided to blend two different shades of green with red and a burgundy.  I passed the layered slithers through the carder four times. Layering the colours one on top of the other gives a 'heathered' yarn as you can see below.  Had I fed the slithers of different colour in side by side the end result would have been stripey.


The following picture gives you an idea of the final batt


I produced six batts and set about spinning and playing the fleece.  I produced a 52g hank of double knit wool. 


Yesterday's attempt was orange.





This orange hank was the result of blending three different shades of orange and only two passes through the carder.

The beginning of the week saw me experimenting with shades of grey - each hank was produced from different proportions of grey, dark grey and white Shetland fleece.  Nothing to do with a book you might of heard about. 


All of these will be incorporated into scarves for sale in the Smithy on Shapinsay and the Made in Shapinsay event at the Venue in Kirkwall next month Monday 17 - Sunday 22.  I have been thinking about selling hanks of hand spun wool. 

I haven't just been spinning, oh no, hats have also been on the agenda - more later.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

At last

Phew - the pictures aren't as good as they could be but you'll get the general impression, hopefully.

Well it's that time of year again when the Heritage Centre opens it's doors giving the good people of Shapinsay a chance to set out and hopefully sell their crafty endeavours.  There is also a very good display of artifacts under the banner of  'Old Ways in Bygone Days'.  The restaurant has also been refurbished and is looking very smart and inviting and offers a tasty selection of meals and home bakes.  The shortbread is excellent.   I think you must be due a visit.





This is the scene that greets you as you enter the exhibition and retail area upstairs.  There is a selection of hand knits, jewelry, pottery, photographs, prints, textiles, preserves and locally handmade soaps to tempt you.  I was sure I had cropped this photo and saved it but I think this isn't that version.


Here is a selection of my bracelets and brooches made from felted jumpers.  I enjoy making them and every one is individual.  You maybe can't see so well from the pictures but I often do a mixture of needle felting and embroidery on them as well as adding buttons and beads. 



I wonder if anyone will be interested in these hats?  The purple one has a brooch on it and the orange on has three buttons from the original cardigan. 





Another exciting development is the formation of the Made in Shapinsay group which will be in The Venue, Kirkwall for a week from June 17.  More about that later.

I am pleased to have been able to post some pictures although I seem to have been unable to access some that I had cropped.  Better that you come along and have a look for yourself.  Meanwhile I am going to get a grip on how I file my photographs.  I am also off for a browse round the Quilting Museum in York.

Back soon.

It's been a while

It's been so long that I have forgotten  how to upload photographs.  I have been sitting here for quite a while now to no avail.  You'll have to take my word for it that I have been busy making hats, felted brooches, felted bracelets and a few scarves.  They are now for sale in the Shapinsay Heritage Centre.  I have a photograph of the display at the Centre to share as I have not been alone in my crafty endeavours.  It's all very frustrating and serves me right for not paying enough attention to this forum.

I shall persever and hopefully got myself sorted out.  Speak soon.