Monday oh Monday.

I AM KNACKERED! I had the madest weekend ever, and now I am glad that life is back to normal. Nothing Major just house guests, children and so on.

There was however a particularly exciting moment in my weekend which was when my Friend commissioned me to design her a shrug to go with a beautiful dress that she is wearing to an awards ceremony. Being the person that I am, I couldn't resist the challenge. what makes it even more exciting is that it needs to be made by march the 21st. Note here, I've never actually designed anything for anyone before, the majority of my jumpers are pieces of guess work. Added to this I need to make it on my knitting machine because the yarn is so fine it is impossible to knit by hand. Lets add just a little more pressure, I've never actually made a jumper successfully on my knitting machine yet. I believe her words were "I feel that you need pushing".

Luckily last week I was reading a book about designing jumpers so my fear of sizing has gone out the window, and Saturday afternoon I finally overcame my fear of my pattern thing on my knitting machine, and after a long excruciating afternoon I sussed it. However I still need to make the pattern, dye the mohair, and the fur trims and lace to match. And knit the thing with no mistakes, holes, dropped stitches.  So I believe that my updates will chart my progress of what feels like the hardest thing I've ever had to make.

How exciting!!!!

AHHHH!

For the first time in ages I've had a chance to take pictures and post them, and weirdly all the pictures are coming out completely black, I have no idea about camera's, any one have an explanation?

So on the knitting front, I ordered some Noro Yoroi because it was nearly half price, some for me and some for my mum, because she has started knitting! I'm so excited, maybe i'll get her spinning one day. I've been really studious and have been reading up on loads of knitting techniques and especially stuff to do with my knitting machine, I wish could pay more attention to everything else as much as I can to knitting stuff. No sign of the cashmere yet, but hopefully i'll get it before sat.

Sorry about the lack of pictures, and posting. Any camera suggestions would be welcomed.

Cashmere Dreams

Firstly I really encourage you to listen to Marie's knitcast. it's brilliant. I'm so impressed! Here is the link to the knitcast

So all I dreamt about last night was cashmere, so today I had no option but to order some to spin. It is really expensive and because I am have never spun it before I'm only gettng 100gms but it should be enough to make some gloves or a scarf out of it, I'm so excited.

Klaralund the wrong way around.

Little did I know that when I took this picture Klaralund was back to front. But you know if i don't post this she will be a distant memory. I didn't sew up the back as instructed because it was a little small. I love it, although it would be nicer in a slightly larger size.

I haven't knitted for a whole week! I started sewing some trousers yesterday, the difference an over locker makes is amazing.

I have spun up some of the roving pictured in the last post, in fact it's a three ply yarn about aran thickness. I love it, but I am really gutted because all my spinning eventually ends up that bland pink colour. WHY WHY WHY???? I'm never using red again. I think it's because the silk contains alot of white and dulls the colours right down, So I need to make sure I prepare the silk properly.
Anyway I am going to change my approach to dying. I will use a maximum of three colours, and take a more scientific approach to it.

My friend Trish has come over from the US to stay for a couple of days and very kindly graced me with some really nice wool. Pictures tomorrow.

Crockpot fibre

So the fibre from the crockpot was dry enough for me to photograph it and card it up.

Here is some of the darker wool and to the left is silk in the same dylot.

The colours in this picture are quite true to the real thing. I have carded together some silk and wool from this dyelot, but which is lighter. I am spinning it very very fine and will the ply it together. I think this is the best stuff I have dyed so far. For some reason the crockpot seems to intensify the colours.

I love friday afternoons!

I just love fridays, we have so much fun in our office, we do do our work, but we have fun too.

Guess what? the jumper is finished!! I have to be honest, I am rather suprised at how well it has turned out. It fits lovely and is so warm. Everyone who has seen it thinks it's fab!

Here it is on:

And look what came through the post wednesday, my chinese suprise from my lovely freind Vicky who has just left wales to spend a year teaching English in Hong Kong. She knows how much I love wool so sent me a treat!! It's screaming long soft scarf to me.