A new project

I have been tempted for a long time to make my own spinning wheel and now I have bought some plans for a Chairwheel and have started a separate Blog for this at http://tinyurl.com/ry6s3v So far I have not got much done plenty to plan out yet never mind gather some wood. This will be a long term project but it will keep me going and keep the little grey cells working.

1 Knit or 2 Knits.

Oh dear Tasha has joined a knitting club at school and when she has problems, like dropping a stitch or gaining stitches who does she ask????? Yep muggings here well that's OK I can knit to a point. So it is a bit of fun being able to help her sort any problems she encounters.
She is beginning to gather up a stash of wool.

She has inherited Little Grandma's spinning wheels and when the local art club sold Grandma's painting things they gave the money to Tasha. I managed to buy a Louet hat box spinning wheel for her. She took to that wheel like a duck to water. OK she has learnt to spin with my wheel ages ago. Mind you she does not spin enough at the moment. She inherited her Granddad's electric key board as she fancied to learn key boards at school.

2007 was not a good year for us

Last year was a bit bad both Little Grandma (my Mum) and Granddad (Jenny's Dad) died and then our dog died at Ravenscar when she ran off down the cliff path and disappeared.
Mum died in January 2007 sadly I could not visit her in hospital because of a nasty S & D bug so she died quietly on her own. She got the last laugh it was my brothers partners birthday ( Mum and her did not get on ). Jenny's dad died in the summer after succumbing to cancer.

Our First day out for years

Our dog Cadbury must have known something she was extra perky that day we went to Ravenscar she pulled all the way until I had to let her off the lead so I could help Tasha down a steep bit and Cads had gone.


Cads in her element at Harrold Park















I went down to the bottom to try find her and was given a message by someone coming down to go back up and I had only just got down there. So thinking Cads had turned up went up. Nope no dog Jen was just worried I was OK !!!!!!!!


Blummin knackered by then I was. So we went to the car to have some grub. Jen went knocking on doors for help etc. After some food I went down again looking for Cads.


On the way back up with out the dog I got a phone call from the Coast Guard "Stay where you are we will send a helicopter for you"

"Eh what for"

Some twit got the wrong idea just because I had had a heart transplant I was in need of help.

I ended up with 12 coastguards out looking for me and the dog and a helicopter coming out to get me !!!!!!!!

It started raining while I was waiting for the helicopter otherwise I would have got back to the car and been a bit dryer.

Well I am sorry to say I had to turn down the helicopter ride to a hospital. Why I had Jen and Tasha in the village in the car and Jen does no drive now. I was told not to go down looking for Cadbury tomorrow just in case I got in difficulty DUH!!

It was rather late when we got home and it chucking it down with rain.

A bout a week later we had a message from Boggle Hole that Cadbury had been found and looked like she had just curled up and died. When she died I do not know but could have been that day she ran off. She loved water so at least she was near water when she died.

Well that was last year. We lasted a few weeks with out a dog and decided we wanted one we were all getting rather grumpy. So we looked for another dog. Jen and Tasha wanted a medium sized dog and I just wanted another Dachshund. Well we went and visited a dog rescue place and saw more by chance than anything else a small Jack Russel not that we wanted one but He was a hit. I think it was just one of those thing that was meant to be. So we said we would think about him and this meant 3 more visits. We talked about the situation after all we did not want a male dog nor a Jack Russel but he was so good with Tasha and not snappy or too bouncy.

So Jenny and I went to see him during the week and paid a deposit for him not telling Tasha that he was going to be ours. We went to see him on the Friday and brought him home. He went straight to our back door when we got home without being shown. Later we went to pick up Tasha from school. Jenny hid round the corner with the dog ( Oh his name is Merrick) and I waited for her to come out. By the time she came out all her friends were round Jenny and Merrick so Tasha never saw them until one of her friend said I like you dog Tasha.

Come here I wanna cuddle

Tasha's face was a picture when she managed to get her jaw off the floor she went to fuss him. Anyway they are both suited she just comes in from school scoops him up for a cuddle. He is a right cuddle dog and a bed Buffalo.

How my star turned into a bag in two years.

Well it's some time since I got round to add some thing to this ramblings.Well some time ago I mentioned a star weaving I made for my Guilds exhibition a few years ago. Heck we have had another Exhibition since that one and I managed to make that star into a bag. Well the picture

opposite is the effect of the dyes as I applied them. I had a problem how to set the dye. I realised I could not lay it flat and set it in an oven as I had nothing to put it in! In the end I had to roll it up in cling film and microwave it.

However the dyes decided to merge more than I expected and when they were set they had merged into the finished colour range below. I was a bit disappointed to start with as it was not as bold as I had expected it to come out. Anyway it did grow on me so I put it in my Guilds exhibition as it was.

After a while I go the idea of making it into something but what and how?

I had seen some items of work others had made and I realised that as a star it was a suitable shape to make into a bag. How on earth was I going to make it into a bag. It was a year and a half before I had an idea in my mind what to do but how I was not at my best at that time but I finally bought some silk rather thick silk that was for curtain lining from The Range.

After marking out the star shape with plenty of overlap for any problems sewing it up . I also found the star it self was not even. Oh well I managed to sew up the lining so it could have a draw string and then I had to sew the star to the lining which I managed with a struggle so I ended up with a bag with four flaps.

As it was it looked rather boring what is more this years Guilds Exhibition was looming ominously. I managed to find some leftover dyed yarn which I used a cord twister to make it into the draw string. It still needed something. I remembered doing a workshop for my Guild making weavette flowers. So I made some from some tops I bought at my Guilds open day that worked nicely. The flowers were sew on the points of the flaps. I also put some buttons in the centre of the flowers which just set them off.

It still lacked something I found in my Mum's treasure trove some jingle bells which put on the bottom corners of the bag.

So here we are two pictures of my star bag.

Dunnit made a Star

Well I finally finished it the other week. Ok Ok I've not been keeping up to date so what yer gonna do to me rubber stamp me or what.
At the week end I turned the biggie 50 yer big deal some rotter gave me a rotten cold or flu so did very little apart from sleep.
Hey where did that picture go it's run away Oh well better try again Hmm something is not working.
Well having finished the star I thought I better get done to doing one in ernest for my guild exhibition so its nearly done well it would be if someone had not given me this 'Orrible cold. I would have taken it to Guild to put up for show'n'tell and been there for the AGM too and been able to be there to take over as chairman (mad fool that I am).
Oh! so you decided to download Hummph pity you are in the wrong place just cannot get the staff these days. Ha gotcher now stay ok

I have found working with the Yarnshifter very enjoyable but you must keep an eye on what the threads are doing and beat them up and re beat them or you loose so much space. This one was fun to do but room to weave near the finish disappears very quickly if not kept an eye on it and beat it up regularly. Also because I spin soft yarn it frayed quickly in the middle so I had to be very careful not to break them but tis done now. As I have not finished the edges I could tidy it as it is and crotch the edges or I could turn it into a pyramid and crochet the edges together and stuff it as I go. Well all in good time.
Must finish the next one.

More star trouble

Well as you can see it's just not right sob but lets put it down to the learning curve. So I spent a day unraveling this lot back half way up the point then beating up the weft a bit. After that started again weaving.
Today was a Guild committee meeting prior to our AGM on the 18th. I put my foot in my mouth and said I would stand as chairman what do they say only fools rush in or is it lambs to the slaughter. OH well must be mad.
Well I have been slowly progressing on the star it looks better I guess I will have to take some more pictures. I am nearly back to the same place as the above photo but it looks better an even space across the middle. Then when it is off I have to do another or 2 for the Guilds exhibition May 1st -13th which coincides with WSD national weaving spinning & dyeing week. I've still got to dye them when I have woven them I hope they will be finished in time.

Yarnshifter star

The other month I ordered another small Yarnshifter kit so I could make more shapes. So I am having ago at a star well things were going OK untill I found that I needed to beat the weft more so it curves up to the points as it will not fit in the middle so I had to start again this is the first attempt. I still have to down load the rest of the photos I have taken.
I have bought some white yarn to do a star so I can dye it so that I can enter in my guilds exhibition, the theme is Fire and Water. I hope to make 2 stars and put them back to back one fire one water.

I have also been back to The Freeman over night a few weeks ago for my MOT. It was not too bad but my heart took exception to the angiogramme and went bezerk for 3 hours it went on and on and on. Not only that had to lay flat for 2 hours after the angio and then sit still for another 2 hours.Phew was I knackered. Worse still I was hooked upto a monitor overnight so could not get out and mooch about or even go to the loo or a shower.
There were 4 of us for MOT's one was a teenager she was 18 and had her heart transplant when she was 3!!!! Well that gives me hope for a long life and being around for Tasha's 20th birthday.

In a rash moment I have said I would stand for chairman for my guild at its AGM which is on my birthday as well. Then I become an OLD GIT he he I will be 50. If I am lucky I might be allowed to go to the AGM if I get home quickly so the family can do what ever they have planned Gulp.

Ketchup

I have been having fun with my yarnshifter and been using some space dye yarn I did in a slow cooker and 4 coffee mugs ages ago. I had to change colours on the last piece as I ran out of yarn. I will have to take a picture or two. I have ordered an second kit so that I can make the more complex shapes in the manual. With luck I should get it next week.
Yesterday was my second anniversary of my transplant and we went out for a meal to celebrate. It was very nice pity we had to go home and pick up squirt from school and make tea for her. Must go out more often mind you it's a joy just to be able to go out!!
On Thursday I have to go to The Freeman for my MOT. I will be staying overnight to get the results. I will be having the usual blood checks also a cardiac biopsy and a coronary angiography. I hope it's going to be warm the room where the biopsy is done it's always so cold.
I'll be glad when I'm home on Friday. I will have to take something to do or read so I do not get driven up the wall with having to listen to what rubbish everyone else wants to watch on telly. Bleagch I hate 2nd hand telly!!