green

Well, it is St Patrick’s day.

Lately, I have been failing to spend much time knitting things for me – rather than for my online shop, so have tried to mix in a bit more of making for me things, and now have another pair of socks to wear as a result.

This yarn was given to me by my good friend Bren – unfortunately I lost the label so I can’t tell you what make it is – but it is a wool and possum fur blend.  |It’s lovely and soft and Bren is a star for knowing the colours I like… and you will be surprised to know green is my favourite colour!

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chicks

We have chicks hatching – 15 out. maybe more to come.  Probably a mistake to put two breeds in the one incubator, as the barnevelders rushed out, and the marans.. well.. didn’t.  They are supposed to take longer to hatch, and have a harder time hatching as their shells are thicker and more waterproof.  So having loads of chicks hatching around them and messing up the humidity and temperature, then of course I have to turf the chicks out after 24 hours..

Still, we shall see. Meantime 15 is a good crowd, we have barnevelders, cuckoo marans and some welsummers.  Alvin, our welsummer cockerel is not doing so well, so we hope to breed a replacement.

Nothing so cheering as a day old chick.

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knit along blankie

I’ve never taken part in a knit along before., although I have seen them around.  I quite like the idea of doing a mystery KAL at some point .  Though the mystery to me is why there are three initials for two words..

Anyhow, I have decided to join in one on the downsizer forum. A good way to use up some of my stash, I thought.  I do seem to have a lot of a nice olive green.  Somehow this resulted in me buying some yarn in complimentary colours…. you know how it is…

anyways here are my January squares (yes I know.. its March..)

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jumper test

Well, you asked me not to keep you in suspenders, this is the test piece for the jumper himself wants.  We are happy with it.

So all I need to do now is work out what size to knit up, probably make up a pattern, dye lots of wool.  Card lots of wool. Blend lots of wool. Spin lots of wool, then knit it up.  Wonder if it will get done this year…

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new knitting project

Last year, one of the goals for the year was to knit a jumper for each of us.  I only managed one.. But have higher hopes for this year. Well we shall see.

The problem with the jumper for himself, was settling on a colour.  He wanted a jumper from our own wool, dyed ourselves, and hand spun.  Fair enough – the ideal of being self sufficient in jumpers is very appealing! But he could not decide on a colour.

Not knowing how much yarn it will take, we wanted to stay away from a solid colour, as we would have to dye the right quantity to start with, whereas a blend would be (I hope) more forgiving. I like to blend colours on the carder, prior to spinning, and use at least three colours.  Himself became indecisive (his favourite colour is ‘warm’) and the jumper never started.

This year, I took matters into my own hands, choose the combination, dyed and experimented to get the right colours, blended the batt, and the finished skein was produced and himself approves.

I’m stalling now.. on knitting a test piece.   I love how the wool looks in skein form… what if it does not look so nice knitted up….

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my shop

One of my goals for 2010 was to sell handmade things.  And here is my little online shop.

Fear not, it was never part of my game plan to ‘go commercial’ – the height of our ambition is to cover the cost of the sheep shearer, even better if we can cover the other small sheep keeping costs (some winter feed, foot spray etc)  if we can, then we shall be self sufficient in keeping sheep.  Besides, I love making things, and this gives me a good reason!

We are not natural sales people. In fact it was just an idea until we got a little push.. in the form of a local art shop asking if we would do some handspun wool to sell.  They try to source everything locally, and we are so local we could probably join the shop to the sheep with a length of our yarn! So we spun some wool, and provided skeins in the natural colours of our sheep, black and white, and some dyed with natural materials – buddleia and onion skins.  And some sold the next day!

Since then, we have sold more in the local shop, and  I have dabbled with making other things, such as the felted bowls, and experimented with blending colours to make batts for spinning. I tentatively opened an etsy shop, and have had a couple of sales there too.  Now I have put the items on my main website, so they are available in £s too.

I find it funny how appallingly bad at the sales side I am – I’ve been shy to mention the shop here.  but I promise not to always go on about it.

Please take a little look

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recycled jumper

Two years ago – yes.. embrassingly two – I bought a huge cardi from the charity shop . It cost me £2.50, and was sized for a giant. I think someone might have gone a bit wrong with their pattern there..

So – I unwound it and got 2150g of yarn.

This Jumper used 650g of wool – so clearly I have enough left over to make another couple of jumpers! – that gives some idea of just how oversized that original cardi was!

I just made up the pattern.. using big needles, as I found it heavy and dragging the garment down otherwise, and I put in a swirly wrap around neckline, with a button I selected from my button tin (I inherited some, and I’m a hoarder..what can I say?)

Not bad then, a jumper for £2.50 – and another two to be made for free.

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stashbuster jumper

Over the Christmas holidays, having finished all my present making activities, I found time to return to my old WIPs and finally finished my stripey stashbuster jumper.  Er… bright and cheerful isn’t it? Ha – I like it anyway, despite the fact I have been working on it for about five years.  It is made up of stash, including balls of yarn inherited from my grandmothers stash. I just used oddments of DK yarn. As I made up the pattern too, it has turned out a bit on the large side, but also being fairly thin, ideal for wearing over another jumper.. so not only completely free, but also plenty warm.  (and I suspect I will be seen by motorists too! so safety aware too.. ha!).

Between this project, my sock making, and making the granny square blanket for my son, you would imagine my yarn stash somewhat depleted.. but not so.  So yet more knitting to be done, but I am a martyr to the cause….

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