Socks and Mitts

I've actually finished rehanking all the wool now. It took nearly three days but it was worth it .It's now sitting in baskets ready to be sold. I start on the next 50 hanks Monday. Someone came last night, to look at it ,with a view to putting it on their website to sell for me but they wanted to much of the profits so I politly said no. I've finished a sock and a mitt in the Christmas yarn and there is plenty of wool for a pair of each. I'm using 100grm of mixed colours and 50 grms red . I'm quite pleased with them and the basket weave stitch seems to grow quickly. I've tried to do a close up of the Channel Island cast on. It gives a really edge and is ideal for socks.

My friends ,John and David, flew off yesterday to Provincetown for Thanksgiving .I gave them a long shopping list to take with them. They are so good . They went earlier this year and brought me back some fabulous fabrics. With the dollar being like it is I get loads for my money . This time it's needles , books and magazines and maybe a little bit of wool.

Confessions Craft Fairs and Spinning Wheels

I can't Believe it's been a week since I wrote anything. I've been so busy with all my dying and winding wool. First of all a confession . The Blue Faced didn't get dyed with the Natural Dyes. On looking into it properly I decided I needed more time to experiment first before I ruined any wool. It did get dyed though and the results are below . I used my acid dyes on the mordanted yarn and the colours have come out beautufully and it's so soft . I think I will be keeping a couple of hanks for myself . Well, dyers privilages and all that. I did aCraft Fair at the weekend as well . Again a proper Craft Fair . After spending the last two years with an organisation that is only interested in money and having more stalls with bought in goods than crafters , it is great spending time with like minded people again. It was a really good weekend. The picture below is part of the stall. This is the wood and Christmas decorations section . The pics of my memory albums didn't turn out so I will have to try again on Sunday.

This is Christmas sock wool . I had a play last week just for fun but I like it. I've started a pair of socks .I'm using 100grm space dyed and 50grms solid red .Finished one last night it looks good . There will be enough yarn for a pair of mitts as well. I've done a 4x4 basket weave stitch and it gives them a bit thicker feel so they will be warm. I've saved the best till last . This my dears is an Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and it's all mine and it is THE bargain of the year. On Sunday I was chatting to one of the stall holders and we got onto the subject of spinning . which i just love, and she said she had a wheel that she wanted to sell. I asked what sort and how much .Back came the reply , an Ashford Traveller and £25 . I nearly bit her hand off . I said yes without seeing it . So she rang her DH who brought it along when he came to pick her up . Now it has pride of place with my Traditional in the front room. In the Summer it will become my caravan wheel as it won't take up much room. So all in all I've had a good weekend. I've still some yarn to hank up yet but it should all be finished by tomottow night. I've got someone coming to buy some so it had better be.

Not Dyed yet

Unfortunately the Blue Faced isn't dyed yet . I hadn't realised how long it would take to Mordant 25 100grm skiens with only two large pans . So whilst it was mordanting yesterday I made a start on the 50 skiens of sock wool I have . Got some done last night and have ploughed on today . I am just having a tea break then I will finish the last 10. I've done some Christmassy ones which look good . Hopefully I'll have them all re-skiened for Salmesbury at the weekend. Managed to do some of my Christmas knitting as well last night whilst watching Autumnwatch. I'm making socks for everybody.Had another enquiry about my wool ,just waiting for a phone call. My link to Made in Lancs seems to be working. Ah! well back to the dyepot.

Tired Out

No pics tonight I am to tired. Just had a long soak in a Lush bath with a large glass of wine.I've spent the last three days dyeing , hanking and doing alsorts to wool. Thought i'd encountered a blip when I started to wash the Blue Faced . It was crinkly and it stayed crinkly after I'd washed it . Not having dealt with Blue faced before I was a bit concerned so I rang my good friend at Bright Dyes , who put me right straight away. It's her fault I got the dyeing bug after meeting her at a fair last year but she is most helpful whenever I'm stuck .
I've posted my form back for Woolfest so all I have to do is pray that I get in . Tomorrow the Blue Faced Dyes.

Dyeing Wool

This is what I've been doing yesterday and today. It's Merino and it's soooo soft. November is not a good month for dyeing wool . It takes ages to dry . Luckily I have an old fashioned rack which helps but it's not very big . I've got to get another fixed up somewhere.

The box below came this morning . This my friends is a large box of Blue Faced
Leicester and it all has to be soaked and washed and mordanted ready to be dyed with the natural dyes which came the other day . So I'm going to be busy busy.
My forms for Woolfest came today and I'm golng to have to get them back quick if I want to stand a chance of getting accepted
I've sent the ones off for Wonderwool Wales but i will have to wait till the New Year before I know if I'm successful. I'm keeping everything crossed.

Finished

Well first of all my socks are finished. I started to knit them Friday night and finished them Sunday evening . Not bad really . Iwas at a Craft Fair Sunday and that helped . More on the fair later.

Tops to Socks in Six Days . Sounds like the title of a travel book.

Havn't been able to get on here for a few days been tied up.

Papa Bear wasn't well over the weekend .His epilpsey reared it's head again after five weeks abscense. This is the longest he's gone seizure free for years. Never mind it's no good bothering.

Had a good Fair on Sunday . Met up with some of the old gang of Crafters and had a whale of a time . Even tooksome money. Also had an enquiry about supplying a wool shop. Two young ladies where rather taken with my hand dyed wools and askedd if they could come to the house. I said yes but did not get my hopes up as i've had enquiries before and they have come to nothing. ANYWAY got a phone call yesterday and they came last night and had a good spend and they want more. I've to ring them as soon as i've got my stocks up . Yes!!!!

So i've got to get dyeing.

These came yesterday and I can't wait to get dyeing. They are all natural dyes and i should be able to get some nice muted effects with them. I havn't used them before so i will have to be very careful . Got some some nice new dye pots so I can start this weekend.

Hand Dyed Tops .Hand Spun Yarn

Well the yarn is spun . I was quite suprised how muted the colours are now ,considering how bright the tops were when they were first dyed. But i am very pleased with the result and now plan to do more . I've got Woolfest and Wonderwool Wales to plan for , for next year and I don't just want to be selling commercially dyed sock wools. I think it will be Hand Dyed Yarns and Hand Dyed Tops. Spinning my own yarn will take to long.

This is the yarn being plyed.

All done and hanked up ready for a wash. The colours are so soft now.


Ready for knitting.



At the moment the yarn is being swatched . It may make me a pair of socks . The yardage was 280 and the weight 100grms. I think next time I will try to spin a little finer . I'm not doing so bad though , I only started to spin in June .

Hopefully over the weekend I will get it knitted up.

Craft Fair on Sunday so I can take it there and see what the punters make of it .