February Update

The new year is already a few weeks old, and only now am I managing to write something for my new blog. However, I do have lots of good news to tell!


Purls of Colour designs can now be found at the following shops:

• West Clare Gallery, Ennistymon, Co Clare
• Truly Irish Craft, Inistioge, Co Kilkenny
• An Culturlann, Belfast

Lighthouse Yarns at St George’s Market also exhibits some of my pieces.

I am also thrilled to say that I am now writing two regular features for the Fondelifair blog:
Purls of Wisdom on a Wednesday, and Friday Finds on a…yes, a Friday!

I have been busy knitting, and not so busy lying in bed with a rather nasty flu. I am glad to say that I am now nearly back to my energetic self, although tonight – on a rather frosty night – my sofa is calling me rather loudly. I shall definitely wrap a big blanket around me and make myself comfortable with some knitting later on.

Recently, I spent some time doing some ‘extreme’ knitting – yes, this is what it is called: knitting with BIG needles. My big 25mm wooden needles came out…and I didn’t have to go to the gym anymore, since I got a full workout on my arms. Better than the rowing machine!

Since the needles were nearly longer than my sofa, I had to move away anything that was near, since one move with the big oars, erm, needles, and something got knocked over. It was fun though, and the result – a big cowl made from blanket material remnants – is now on its merry way to Ennistymon.

Nothing like knitting with chunky yarn in this frosty weather. Hard to believe that the Celtic Spring already started on 1 February!

A Crafty Collaboration!

Last week, Sue from Amazing Beads wrote on the Fondelifair website about her Scottish Mountain Sheep. This lead to comments going back and forth about sheep and wool, and as a result, a few days later, a big parcel winged its way to my door.

Wool! Real sheepy goodness!

Sue had warned me that it was smelly, and yes, the wool was very…erm… fragrant, but I was too excited to worry if my neighbours thought I was hiding a flock of sheep in my flat.

I washed the wool in a bucket first, and then in my bath tub. I washed it quite a few times, and afterwards sat in the kitchen and picked the twigs and the lumps of soil out of the fibre.

It was hard work (very labour intensive), but also very satisfying. It would have been easier, however, if I had an extra utility room, because there was fibre everywhere, and some later made its way into my dinner… Also, I think if you wash wool in bulk, you need better equipment and a proper comb.

I decided to do some wool dyeing, and  separated the whitest wool from the rest, and left it to dry. That’s the wool I want to spin undyed. The other wool was divided up in heaps, and I dyed it in bright textile dye I had left from dyeing cotton yarn about two years ago.

I never dyed sheep’s wool before but remembered with a shudder that I once ruined a natural white Aran jumper which I tried to dye black!  This time, I did  much better, but know now, that I probably should have used some proper wool dye. The colours came out rather pale, and I had the feeling that the fibre didn’t really soak up the dye. My attempts to tie dye also did not work – there were no groovy stripes and shapes on the fibre. However, there is a lovely effect in that some of the tips are darker than the rest of the fibre.

I have now a big pile of colourful wool  still drying in my bathroom, thanks to Sue and Fondelifair!

The next step will be to spin it…

Having a relaxing Easter

Easter Bunny hiding in some beautifully soft rovings from Lindsay Crafts

For the last two days, I've switched off the computer during the day, and only worked online in the evening. This was my holiday treat to myself. Sadly, the weather wasn't as sunny as promised, with misty clouds yesterday, and clouds and a strong breeze today, but I still managed to sit in the garden for a while, until the goosebumps on my arms told me to get inside, put a cardigan on, and get those warm socks quickly over my cold toes!

I spent a lot of time reading and eating chocolate (yes, this bunny was rather delicious...), but I also got heaps of crafting done. I spun some new yarn, finished knitting the wrap in gorgeous handspun yarn from Teddy Baby, which will hopefully go on Etsy tomorrow, and managed to finally upcycle a shirt I got in a clothes swap two years ago, while listening to Chaka Demus & Pliers - whatever happened to these guys, they were brilliant back in '93!

Upcycled shirt with new tie-belt

I also joined a new Irish online community for the arts and crafts, and started yet another blog:

http://purlsofcolour.fondelifair.com/

Is this a good idea with my track record of irregular blog writing, I wonder? And will I manage to keep two blogs running? I must say, I love the theme/ lay-out of my new blog, so I might feel enticed to write more. However, I also want to 'jazz up' this blog with a new look, so I am not abandoning blogger. Maybe I'll split the two blogs into some kind of different themes, but have to think about this a bit more.

Anyway, if I am not on here, I am over there :)