indieknits

Guess what...

I've been spinning!!

It's pretty uneven, but I'll get there with more practice :)

fuzzy head (again)

This really is my last post before we go away...

Yesterday was a fun day - I spent the first half of it spinning and plying my first nearly proper yarn!

In the evening we headed down to the Buffalo Bar to watch Sharon's band the Gresham Flyers, and also met up with Lara who was my fantastic SP7 spoiler! It was lovely to meet fellow bloggers and to watch Sharon's band - they were awesome. We did take some pictures but they didn't really come out (there is a downside to digital cameras - that slight delay between pressing the button and the camera actually taking the picture means they never come out how you want them to)

This morning my head is quite fuzzy...too much beer....

I'd better go and pack!

More attempts at yarn

Here's some yarn I spun on my new wheel:

Sorry the picture's a bit fuzzy - I quickly took it this morning so that I could blog about it at work, as I don't think I'll have time to tonight.

What do you think? It's lumpy and unbalanced, but I love it.

My Lace Swap Pal contacted me! I am so excited.  She's going to be sending me a fab package all the way from Singapore!

Interweave Knits arrived yesterday, and I have fallen in love with the Swallowtail Shawl.

What else? Steady progress is being made on my sunrise circle jacket, but I won't take pictures yet as there's not much to look at.

This time in 3 weeks I'll be in Dublin again!!!

Introducing my new friend...

Here's my wheel!

Isn't it lovely? I've given it a test drive with a few rolags kindly given to me by the lovely lady from the Sheep Show, and it's all ship shape! Now all I need to do is practice, practice, practice!

Is anyone going to Fruitstock this weekend? Hipknits are going to be there! I'm going to be heading down in the afternoon (around 5ish?)  so do look out for me and come say hello if you're there.

High off Varnish fumes

Well, not really. It was surprising non-stinky.

My wheel arrived today! Here it is in its box...

...and unpacked...

and varnished!

I used a quick-dry clear varnish, with a satin sheen rather than gloss. In a couple of hours it will be dry, so I may assemble it later on if I'm awake enough.

I'm going to collapse on the sofa for now.

My first yarn!

The Sheep Show was great! Although we did bottle it when it came to shearing - I was too scared of doing damage to the sheep as it wriggled quite a lot.

After a  brief spinning lesson, here is my first yarn:

I found it so much easier this time round. Maybe it's because the lovely lady that taught me wasn't having to check on anyone else. She was also very good at explaining the process and made me grasp it quite quickly. I definitely want to buy a wheel now! (fingers crossed for that bonus...mustn't jinx it...too late)

I'll leave you with a picture of the sheep in their trailer:

Have a lovely weekend!

Another FO

I knitted and felted the Clutch bag from One Skein last night:

Before felting:

After felting, and with buttons sewn on:

Check out my photo album for more info.

I'm still debating whether or not to buy a spinning wheel, which one to get, whether to go and collect it and carry it home on the tube or whether to order it online and run the risk of it being delivered when I'm at work...so many decisions! Luckily I found a mini one in a charity shop!

Not quite what I was after... but what a good find!

Successful weekend

I went to a spinning class yesterday - it was great fun. I learned to use a drop-spindle, a spinning wheel and had a go at carding.

I'll definitely continue to practice on my drop-spindle, but I'm not sure I'll be buying a fleece anytime soon! I think I'll just buy the wool carded and ready to spin. If I get good and still enjoy it I'd like to buy a wheel (once we move into a bigger flat).

Also, I FINALLY finished Hourglass number two and it's sitting by my window drying. I'll post a picture as soon as it's dry! I am so glad that I got it finished after all this time - I can finally start on other projects. Currently OTN is an Airy Scarf (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts) just because I thought it would be a nice touch to an outfit if I have to go to more interviews.

That's all for now, I'm hungover from last night so am having trouble looking at the computer!

Laura x