Wednesday 14 May 2014

April already - surely not

No it's no longer April it is May! How did that happen?

Trips away, happy visitors and the general ebb and flow of life mean I haven't been quite as productive as I would have liked. The usual story of good intentions and any excuse to do something else.  That said I am happy with what I have achieved and although this post consists mainly of hats I have been busy making other 'stuff'.

I have knitted a few more hats with my hand spun wool.  I enjoy this activity and it is transportable. 

 
This hat is quite thick but fun with a mixture of sari silk, thick and thin hand spun wool, hand spun with glitzy bits and some with slubs.  I hadn't predicted that it would end up this shape so it was a pleasant surprise.
 
 
The thickness of the wool makes a difference to the shape as the next photo demonstrates.  Hand spun wool again and the same pattern and size of circular needle but more of an aran weight than chunky.
 
 
I have also been playing with felted woolly jumpers.  A bit like the knitted hats I am not always sure how they will turn out.  I need to learn to plan as at the moment they evolve as I go along.  This approach can involve unpicking stitches from time to time.  This hat had two different bands before I settled on a thick rib taken from the front of a large jumper.
 
 
 
It sits like a beret on an actual head but you get the picture.  I am still thinking about putting a button on the centre at the top.
 
The next hat wasn't quite finished when I took the pictures.  I was unsure whether to put a band on it.  In the end I finished it off by edging it with buttonhole stitch and some pale grey hand spun wool.  I am tempted to keep it.
 
 
 
 
There are a few more but that's enough of hats.
 
And now for something completely different - spinning wheels.  I love my spinning wheel.  I have had my Ashford Traveller for 25 years or there about.  Still my thoughts wander from time to time to something different.  eBay made the purchase of spinning wheel number three (I'll describe number two in my next post) relatively easy.
 
 
As I said in the previous blog the new wheel is old, Swedish and missing one vital component - well two but the double drive band is easy to replace. 
 
 
 
What I need to source are some bobbins.  The regular Ashford bobbins I have aren't the right size.  I am hoping that my other half can adapt one or two, if not I will need to have them made.  Another more novel approach might be to buy another spinning wheel of a similar style and vintage with bobbins, or at least one bobbin.  I have noticed that there are a couple on eBay with a different seller.  I have a few days to think about it.  Guess I better run the idea past the other half?  Who knows it could work out cheaper than having them made and then we would have spares. 
 
 
The spinning wheel I have purchased has a not so well done mend on the wheel itself which may be sortable (is that a word?) but I am happy with it as it is.  The timing was perfect as it all fitted in with a pre-planned trip south.  A family member happened to be visiting friends near Dunblane just days after the purchase was finalised so they collected the wheel and we then picked it up from them.  It was meant to be and I am sure bobbins will be found (one way or the other).  It lends itself to spinning finer wool whereas wheel number two is good for chunky art yarn. 
 
Well key rings, hair clasps, brooches, hats and scarves won't make themselves and I have a line in fridge magnets to explore.  Anyone for a felted fridge magnet?   I also need to tackle the mound of washing we produced during our last trip away in the camper van.
 
Cheerio