A post with no craft content at all

Yesterday we went for our longest cycle ride so far, a 15 mile round trip on the Hillend Loch Cycle Path. We set out late so we didn't do the whole thing. Review from The Guardian here. I really hope we get good weather this weekend so we can do the Bathgate to Caldercruix (and back) ride. It's too bad this path will be closing next month for the reconstruction of the railway.

Sculpture Trail part 1

Clicky for bigger versions...

Bzz bzz Bee on a creeping thistle:

Through the keyhole...

This is one of the sculptures on the NCN route 75 Hillend Loch Cycle Path, and is by Jeremy Cunningham. It's representative of the gateway between the urban and rural areas.

Tower by Paul Matosic

Another sculpture on NCN 75. It's based on the Fibionacci Sequence.

Marsh thistle

This was very spiky!

Glacial deposits

There were lots of these along one section. We suspect they'd been found nearby and moved out of the fields so they formed 'scenery'

Glacial foxgloves?

We saw this huge foxglove growing around these glacial boulders.

And close up:


Bamboo

This was a surprise. Rampant bamboo, or bamboo-like woody grass. Bamboo, a well-known native plant of West Lothian.

Common spotted orchids:


and closer


Bog cotton:


Wildflowers:


Reclaimed...

This was next to a former colliery. It's a coal bing covered in new growth. West Lothian has a lot of dead mining industry, and there are coal and oil shale bings everywhere. The oil shale bings tend to remain stubbornly bright red and vegetation-free, but the only obvious evidence that this was no random hillock were the worn bits with coal remains.

Bothie by Stefanie Bourne

Oh dear, this sculpture hasn't aged well, in fact there's not much left of it.

Bay Willowherb


This is close to where we live. Can you guess what it is yet...?


Does this help?


Still not got it?

It's the Bathgate Face by Lumir Soukup and lots of local schoolchildren. The measurements of the faces of over a thousand local schoolchildren were taken and the averages used. Apparently it's the largest communal portait in Europe. You can read about the project here.

We also saw lots of butterflies. The path was really busy with cyclists, walkers and dog-walkers. It's just unfortunate that some of the dog walkers think it's okay to let their dogs runs around uncontrolled on a cycle path and then look confused when cyclists try to get past, giving the dog(s) a wide berth. On the way out it was mostly flat with a very gentle uphill, so on the way back we had lots of easy cycling and frewheeling. OH got to test out the very high gears on his bike, and has thanked me for making him get a bike as he's really enjoying it now. Hopefully we'll get to do the rest of the Sculpture trail next weekend or the weekend after, before it's all torn up for the railway.

Where has summer gone...

It's been so gloomy the last day or two I can hardly stay awake. If it's like this tomorrow I'll need to plug in my light box. I hope it's nice at the weekend as I really want to get out on my bike.

I've been carding the fleece I bought at Woolfest:

I'm going very slowly - I had to look up videos on Youtube before I properly 'got it' but Susan MacNiven's video was excellent:

Carding's definitely not a TV watching activity; the gentle brushing noise is too distracting.

I have also been designing, and made a cafetiere cosy out of Pencil Roving from The Yarn Yard:

That's a standard 8-cup/1 litre Bodum, and the cosy used a bit less than one 100g skein of pencil roving (I had enough left over for a matching mug mat). I'll post the pattern once I've got it figured out properly. I'm having a bit of a problem with the wording of how to attach the buttons and button loops. A diagram might be better.

I have been continuing my decluttering of life efforts. On Saturday I will be taking about 60 books and 15 CDs to the Help the Aged shop. I've had most of the books on Green Metropolis but some of them had been on there for over a year without selling, so it's time for them to go. I'm almost but not quite past the keeping certain books because they make me look well-read problem, and only keeping the enjoyable/useful books. Unfortunately, deep in my brain is a thought process that tells me that decluttering isn't simplifying or downsizing, it's just making room for more stuff and therefore it's okay to go straight onto Green Metropolis or Amazon Marketplace (or trawl the charity shops for that matter). In my head I'm also constantly mentally rearranging the furniture to see how we could fit more bookcases in, and yarn stash storage.

Woolfest (and blissful weekend)

On Friday, OH and I got up very early (5.30am - I don't do early mornings) to make our way to Cockermouth for Woolfest. On the way we saw... wind turbines!

I've always had a fascination for wind turbines. I think they look graceful and hypnotic. I might feel differently if I lived near one that gave off a lot of flicker, of course.

We also saw a giant sheep!



Once inside we saw lots of useful fibre-producing animals. We especially liked a rather determined angora goat that wasn't sure what to make of the very leggy, long-necked not-a-sheep in the neighbouring pen (it was an alpaca). I intended to take photos but between general overwhelmedness and shyness about asking stallholders if I could do so, I didn't. I met a couple of Ravellers, saw plenty more but was too chicken to speak to them, and I also met Natalie from The Yarn Yard and Mr Yarn Yard, and Amanda from The Natural Dye Studio. I was really pleased about this as Natalie lives not far from me, and desite several half-formed plans to meet up, it had never happened. And I'd missed Amanda at Wonderwool and spoke to Mr Dye Studio instead. Also I participated in this:



94 of the squares with circles inside were made by me.

OH and I sampled ewe's milk ice cream (delicious), attended a sheep-shearing demonstration (fascinating) and looked at lots and lots of yarn and fibre (tiring).

I spent... rather a lot of money, but didn't buy anything I hadn't intended to (so no 'what was I thinking' moments). My purchases in full:



In this photograph are the following items:

• Unofficial 'I Ravelled at Woolfest 2008' bag


• guanaco fibre


• angora (rabbit) fibre


• sheepy fibres - Hebridean, Shetland, BFL, Wensleydale, Gotland, North Ronaldsay (when little bags/bundles of fibre are £1.50-£2.50 each it's very easy to go in to pick 'n' mix mode)


• fibre, a batt and some 'Lochan' (merino and tencel) yarn from The Yarn Yard (plus Natalie kindly gave me a book on crocheted socks that she didn't need)


• self-striping yarn from Fyberspates


• various 4-ply and DK yarns from The Natural Dye Studio


• a raw BFL fleece (the smallest one I could find as I had to carry it home on the train)


• a pair of small handcarders from Hedgehog Equipment


• an Ethan Jakob Greensleeves Spindle

Last photos - (some of) my BFL fleece and my new spindle, which is indeed a thing of beauty (and wonderful to spin with - so much better than my cute but chunky spindle I bought at Wonderwool):





The things I regret not buying are alpaca fleece/roving, more from The Yarn Yard - the stall was really busy, recycled sari silk, hemp yarn (I got confused by the types of yarn not being marked on the yarn)... If I had another £50 and another hour of time (actually I could have had another 20 minutes if I hadn't misread the bus timetable and we ended up munching on a Gregg's pastry and getting very wet at the bus stop in Cockermouth). We were both shattered and after dinner at the Carlisle Pizza Express we were tucked up in bed and asleep by 10.30pm. We got home early on Saturday afternoon, and again had an earlyish night.

I've sorted and washed about a third of the fleece - the rest requires further sorting before I wash it. The cats love the smell of lanolin/sheep as they both spent a lot of time in the bathroom yesterday when I was soaking the fleece.

Yesterday we were starting to feel a bit less tired so went out for a ride on our new bikes - yes the last week has been expensive but we don't do 'holidays' as such so bikes and Woolfest were our summer treats. As it was our first proper bike ride and I haven't ridden a bike for about ten years we went for a shortish ride of about seven miles. We would have gone further but it started raining hard, and not wiching to overdo it or get soaked we came home. Of course it had stopped raining and was drying up rapidly by the time we got home.

After such a fab weekend it was a total downer that my anxiety kicked in with a vengeance last night.

My yarn, let me show you it...

(AKA The Okay, The Bad and The Ugly)

Made from merino roving I bought at Wonderwool. It varies between DK and super bulky I'd say. Hmmm.... art yarn, 15 metres of it. Oh well, my spinning abilities can only get better.

A kind Raveller sent me some raw Suffolk fleece in a Karma swap. Florrie cat is obsessed with it and both cats have decided it smells very interesting and sheepy. Before and after washing:

I've combed the half that I've washed and started spinning it - very slowly. It's so much harder than using pre-prepared roving.

Woolfest on Friday... I've got to look up all the logistics of getting to Carlisle bus station fro the railway station, getting from Cockermouth Main Street to Woolfest (I know there's a shuttle bus but it depends how it ties in with our bus from Carlisle), where our hotel in Carlisle is etc. I'm trying to mke a list for Woolfest so I don't get overwhelmed and buy too much, or buy the wrong things.

Oh well, since everyone else seems to be doing it...

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done. You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings. Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you. Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy. In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed. For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved. At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility. You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer. How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependable When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical

What's Your Personality Type?

Actually I tend to vary between different types depending on my mood. I always get the I though... redoing the quiz and changing the answers for the questions I dithered over I get:

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's Your Personality Type?

Absent Without Leave

A long overdue update. I won't bore you with all the details, but there has been...

dyeing:

The little rose that was a bud for a day and a flower for eight hours:

and then the whole thing died - it hadn't rooted and had obviously used every last scrap of energy to make that tiny (1 inch across) rose.

Overtwisted and tentative attempts at spinning:


A delicious cheese fondue:



A bargainous pile of books thanks to the Christian Aid Book Sale:

(That little lot cost the grand total of £10.50.

More secondhand books (from Oxfam this time) and yarn (that's Fyberspates Faery Wool on top):

Those books were all brand new both in the sense of unread and very recently published. I wonder if there's a bookshop giving that shop a weekly donation or something.

I also love the Virago Modern Classics limited editions with their designer (and very feminine covers. I already have some of them in paperback, but I acquired these two (Excellent Women by Barbara Pym and The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield), and A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark is next on my radar:


A secondhand oriental bag (from Armstrong's Vintage Emporium:


which makes a wonderful crochet hook roll:


Actual crocheting has been mostly for a blanket project for Amanda at The Natural Dye Studio which has a time limit so I haven't been doing much of my own stuff. I have frogged my Garden Party Wrap (designed by Kim Guzman) as I was using Aurora from The Yarn Yard and although the pattern is great and the yarn is great, the result was somewhat... fussy to say the least. I think a plainer yarn (I wish I had the hard-to-find Noro laceweight that the original design is done in) for the pattern, and a plainer pattern for the yarn.

Here ends the overlong and overdue update.

Dye-stained hands

I have ordered a Procion dye starter kit and a selection of undyed yarns. Hopefully it'll arrive before the weekend and Sunday will be devoted to the production of colourful yarny goodness. And mess.

This comes after the success of our food colouring dye extravaganza a couple of months ago, involving Supercook food colouring (20p a bottle in Tesco), lots of white vinegar and a variety of pale coloured cheap yarns from John Lewis, resulting in this:


(As a point of interest at the way different fibres take up dye, the two yarns on the left were done using the same combination and dilutions of dye but the left one is wool and the right is silk.)

I'm a little apprehensive at using 'real' dyes from mess and safety perspectives. Food colouring just felt like playing at dyeing. The thing I'm most worried about: spilling dye on the laminate flooring. We rent. I'm sure I'll come up with some way of protecting the floor - opened out binbags and lots of newspaper? I'm glad I finally ordered a dyeing kit as I've wanted to try this for a while but it kept getting shoved down the list of yarny priorities, I intended buying a kit at Wonderwool, but didn't. I'm skint now.

Woolfest here I come

It looks like I'm going to Woolfest. OH didn't take much pursuading. I think it was the mention of 'alpaca' and 'rare breed sheep' that did it. I've said that if we're going we'll need to book the hotel soon, like by the end of the weekend. There are no cheap train tickets to Carlisle, so it doesn't matter when we book the train.

The amethyst chips I ordered for the Arachne's Tears scarf I'm making from Interweave Crochet arrived today. They're a bit big but they were the smallest ones I could find as most of the bead websites I looked at didn't state a size. They're very pretty and match perfectly but I also have more than I need. Now I just need to buy some purple thread at the weekend and finish the scarf.

I've realised I have far too many WIPs. I must try and get the ones that won't take much effort to finish finished.

Wonderwool

3 skeins Posh Yarn Eva 2-ply in variegated bright green
2 skeins Posh Yarn Eva 4-ply in bright tuquoise/green
1 skein Posh Yarn Lei in a bluish colour
4 skeins Knitting 4 Fun linen/cotton blend in lilac
3 skeins The Natural Dye Studio DK in Barcelona (BFL Dazzle DK), Scots Pine (BFL Dazzle DK) and Deep Delft (Alpaca/silk DK) for my blanket project
drop spindle
flick carder
merino roving in dark red and two shades of purple
a half bottle of Penderyn single malt for OH

Nelli and I had a great time being seduced by beautiful, soft yarns. Among Nelli's purchases was this marvellously luminous sock yarn:



I was so overwhelmed by yarn and colours and Nelli breaking into The Llama Song every time we passed a stall marked 'alpaca' that I neglected to take any photos. Nelli and I purchased drop spindles with a view to becoming expert spinners. "How hard can it be?" we thought and off we went... well *ahem*. Let's just say the first thing I did when I got off the train in Edinburgh yesterday was go to Waterstones and buy a book on spinning. OH thinks he's got it sussed and we're going to have another go at it tonight.

The problem with Wonderwool was that we got to the 'I want one of everything' stage and decided to stop. Of course there are lots of things I regret not buying, but thank goodness for the internet - I can still acquire my dying kit and undyed yarn and Fyberspates yarn.

The problem with going to Wonderwool is that now I really want to go to Woolfest - the more you have the more you want. Woolfest is much closer to me geographically but it takes about five hours to get to Cockermouth using public transport. Realistically we'd have to stay for a couple of nights in Penrith which would make for an expensive trip.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the metreage of yarn I bought will not be being added to my yarn non-diet tracker!

Tomorrow, Wales

Early start tomorrow. Urgh I hate early starts, and hate long train journeys even more but hopefully Saturdy's fun will make it worthwhile. I've narrowed down the crochet projects I'm taking with to four (two scarves and two stoles/shawls) and initially laid out about a weeks worth of clothes but then discovered that most don't fit any more, which definitely helps with narrowing it down to three days of clothing. I'm still deciding what books to take for on-train reading. I started with eleven and have narrowed it down to five so far but that's still too many.

Ho hum. Not much else doing so I'll leave you with 'Shiraz squashes a hat' and 'The lazy cat's guide to scratching post use' respectively.

Learning from experience

I have learned two valuable lessons this evening:

1. Never ever leave a swift with a half-wound ball of yarn unattended, not even for a second, if there is a cat around. I have had both 2-ply and 3-ply snapped this evening as a consequence of briefly leaving my swift.

2. Never underestimate the value of understanding partners and their miraculous yarn-untangling abilities.

Why diets don't work...

Points at four figure number on right hand side. Admittedly this is because I've developed something of a taste for laceweight and sock/fingering weight yarns lately which makes it very easy to vastly increase the metreage of stash for relatively little money. I appear to be going to Wonderwool next weekend, as a kind friend invited me to stay with her and OH bought me the train ticket. I have been trying to be very good and cut right back on unnecessary spending so I can make the most of my trip. It was all going so well until I had to go into Edinburgh and buy a birthday present. That bit was fine, and I spent exactly the amount of money I intended etc. but it broke my non-shopping habit. This is what happened over the last few days:



They weren't all full price, that would be really silly. The fact that there is chick lit in that pile (I loathe chick lit) says something about my state of mind lately. I only read chick lit when I'm not feeling great mentally and physically. Of course, if I throw it down in frustration part way through I'll know I'm not actually as bad as I think. After a lot of deliberation about whether I could wait or not, I booked a hair cut for this week but the hair salon I go to has put its rates up. So that's another chunk out of the Wonderwool budget.

And why diets don't work...? Because everything should be in moderation, and in my case certainly, denying myself things or severely restricting them only makes me want more than I would have had I not tried to restrict them. Forbidding things only makes them more attractive. It's the same with food. Although I generally eat reasonably healthily, Ravelry and it's goddamn cake () icon has made me crave fondant fancies and Victoria sponge with buttercream icing.

I thought the Violas I bought last year were supposed to be annuals, but my garden currently has these:





It must be all the wonderful bokashi compost we made. The flowerbed does look a bit odd with bits of eggshell in amongst the plants. I see Gemini Knits has some handpainted yarn in a 'Winter Pansies' colourway. Ooo, I must resist temptation.

I have just finished my Thirds scarf in Posh Yarn Helena in 'Kingfisher'. Hopefully I have enought yarn leftover to make a lacy pair of wristwarmers. It's drying after a light wash, but here is a sneak preview of it pre-washing:



OH is in Switzerland this week, at CERN for a conference/meeting (his departure was accompanied by stress from him and floods of tears and wailing from me, as per usual). It doesn't start until tomorrow but I heard mutterings about 'meeting up for beer and food'. OH will be home on Friday, but he'll get back after I've left to catch the train to Wales, so I won't see him until next Monday which will be the longest time we've ever been apart :,( I've learned that the best way to deal with this situation is to keep as busy as possible. Last year when he went to Switzerland I cleaned the whole house. I'm not sure I wnat to do that again - I'm not a naturally clean and tidy person and I don't think my skin has forgiven me yet. I have lots of yarn to wind into balls as there are two projects I want to get started to take to Wales with me - I find it impossible to sit and watch TV now without crocheting at the same time.

Round-up (very pic heavy!)

It's been a bit of a tough week, interspersed with priods of insanity (not in a good way). This morning we got up to this outside the window.

(I wish I could have posted a nice photo of snow-laden trees and hillside, but no such luck as we live on a soul-less, vegetation-free new development). It's all melted now. Winters aren't what they used to be. This is my Granny's house in about 1991

(Sorry for the poor image quality - it's a scan of a rather kinked negative.)

Today I located my copy of Mrs Beeton in one of the boxes in the garage - 1992 updated edition, bought for a fiver in the Waterstone's sale a few years ago. My OH proceeded to be immensely amused by her (or rather the editorial board's, nowadays,) advice on choosing wine, laying tables and suchlike.

I also potted some cuttings my mother sent me from the roe that grew below my bedroom window at her (old) house. Roses have always disappointed me with their showiness, but frequent lack of scent. However the rose below my bedroom window was the most fragrant I have ever experienced, so I requested cuttings. Two of the five had had it thanks to being at the mercy of Royal Mail for three days. I would have preferred to use organic rooting compound, but they needed potting fast and I couldn't get organic locally so Baby Bio Roota it had to be. I just hope they take.


I started my blanket kit a few days ago. It's very satisfying since every square is like a mini accomplishment, and I'm being very disciplined about sewing in the ends as I go. These were the first two squares. I'm up to about six now.


I made a quick scarf from some handspun I bought from Daniela Kloppmann FeltStudio. I really liked the way it turned out, but it's made me desperately want to order a drop spindle and some roving/batts.


I appear to have acquired some sock yarn. I already have lots of sock yarn, but most of it is from Indie dyers such as The Yarn Yard and Posh Yarn and obviously far too beautiful to be used for socks. I don't understand the fascination for making socks - socks are functional and most of mine are plain or have flowers or other patterns on, and socks are hidden and get worn out. They're not on display, and special socks invariably lose their partners (probably to the drainage pipe of the washing machine, where they may may cause a blockage months later as they gather a protective armour of soap-scummy slime). Also, socks cost £3 for five pairs in M&S even if they are in boring black. Anyway, 'don't knock it till you've tried it' as they say, and I have acquired some Regia Sock Yarn, Kaffe Fassett Design Line in Landscape Caribbean from John Lewis even though I did get pounced on by a sales assistant who decided that I didn't look like a JL customer with my unwashed, unbrushed hair and scruffy fleece - as I said it's been a tough week (I don't shop in JL's yarn dept very often because of the recent increase in pouncing). Maybe I'll be converted to making socks yet. I just need to find a pattern that will fit my tiny feet, and good free crochet sock patterns are harder to come by in the first place, let alone for my midget feet.

Treasures

I ordered a blanket subscription.

Last night I finished the ruffley scarf of nightmares. I forced myself to sit and finish it as it was becoming an anxiety trigger:


(Link to pattern is in a previous post)

I've been sorting more of my stuff. To cut a long story short, my mother has moved 'down south' as we call it, or to fuckinglondon as I think of it. In a great hurry I had to pack up my stuff and am only now actually sorting what I want to keep. I've got the aran jumper my Granny knitted for me about 15 years ago (okay I'll need to lose about 30lbs in weight before it could be considered 'flattering'). I've put another dozen books on Green Metropolis and have brought my shawl upstairs (I've finally been deemed responsible enough to have it):

I believe I was given this shawl as a baby, apparently by an old woman who lived in an electricity-less cottage above Dunkeld, and dyed and wove yarns into shawls. I've always liked this shawl, but as a teenager I was not allowed to have it to drape over the end of my bed. I still find this insulting - I was a very unrebellious teenager. I had Laura Ashley bedlinen and wallpaper and I much preferred to go fishing with my Dad, do cross-stitch or sit in my room programming my computer than go out drinking or have friends round (well okay, I guess it was an unconventional rebellion). I'm currently wearing the shawl although it's a bit too warm. I've got that many crocheted shawls planned I decided I'd better see if I could actually wear one. I like it but I can't help feeling 30 going on 73. I've been trying to find out about the shawl, so far unsuccessfully. The label says "This is an exclusive Cally Cottage Product Handwoven and Dyed Dunkeld Scotland." I assumed it was made of wool but I'm not convinced - it's some kind of loopy boucle yarn, but feels almost artificial. I'm reluctant to chop off a bit of the fringe to do a 'burn test' to work out the fibre even though it wouldn't show as the fringe has a very handmade all-different-lengths look to it. Smell is no guide - it smells like my mother's linen cupboard where it's been stored for the last umpteen years.

Oh goodness

My Bessie's Blanket Starter Kit has just arrived from The Natural Dye Studio (a full week after it was posted, bloody Royal Mail. That's bumped the yarn metreage up a bit. I'm super-impressed with the contents of the blanket kit though and am resisting the urge to order a 3-month subscription until I've got at least a few squares done. Ooo, I can't wait to get started.

Blargh

Well, as you can see, the Yarn Diet has been a failure so far. I have several projects nearish completion which should help, but yarn in the mail outweighs the yarn in use. Oops. Unburdening in other areas of my life has been slightly more successful - today I have listed another 45 books on GreenMetropolis bringing my total to over 200. Unfortunately most of the books I've added are either obscure textbooks or books that there are many copies of already on there.

We had my OH's parents visiting for most of the last week, and I have almost finished 'reclaiming the house' having removed/thrown away/tidied the random things left lying around. I have still to remove the meat products from the fridge (we're mostly veggie). I wonder if the 80p in the bathroom was some kind of housekeeping tip...? One of our recipe books is missing, and I have my suspicions.