Monday update of crafty meanderings

This is some of what I’ve been creating this week…

I found a mandala that had been started quite sometime ago and was about a quarter towards completion, so I finished it. I made the pattern up as I went along…

As I enjoyed it so much I thought I needed to expand my skills so I purchased this…

It’s published by Interweave Press so I knew it would be good.  As soon as it arrived I hooked up this one…

I started and finished a pair of socks. Go me!…

Eleonora continues to beaver away over at Coastal Crochet blog designing new rows for us each week. Here’s my blankets with their latest rows added…

There’s a couple of other items that I haven’t managed to work on this week. I have been spinning and I’m about halfway through a 350 gram bag mix of merino and silk from John Arbon Textiles. I can’t get the colour right but here it is thus far…

I’m struggling at the moment and I’m not sure how to put it into words. It’s a lot of things and most of it underpinned by lack of self worth. I’m also affected by a lack of understanding by a person this week of the limitations of my sensory processing disorder. The person does not read my blog.

I’m letting you know as I sense myself withdrawing into myself even more than usual. I think it might help me to acknowledge this.

So that’s it for now. Thanks so much for dropping by ❤

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New fibre

Here is the yummy scrumptious fibre I purchased yesterday from John Arbon Textiles shop in Lynton…

Top left: Merino/silk called Toot Sweet

Top right: KBN (Knit by numbers)* Burgundy

Middle right: Harvest hues in Bracken

Bottom: each in its packaging.

The natural white is the fibre domination John uses for the Stanbury Walker socks. It’s merino, blue faced Leicester and nylon.

I tried to go for colours that I have less of which meant no ocean colours for once. I adore ocean colours  😃 I want to build up a collection of different colours of handspun for colour work.

* more info here

Image source

Happy 😊 New Year

I don’t do New Year resolutions.  I do have a three goals for the whole of 2018 though…

1. Refrain from buying any 100% acrylic yarn. One exemption is if people give me their unwanted yarn.

2. I have lots of acrylic in my yarn collection and I’d like to use most of it up through this year. I need to get weaving! You haven’t seen the size of my stash , ahem, collection 🙂

3. I want to make all my gifts for next Christmas yarny items.

This is doable but I don’t want it to cause unnecessary stress or pressure.

My ultimate aim is to have yarn collection made from natural fibres. I won’t exclude man-made fibres all together because they do have their merits, e.g. nylon in a woollen yarn creates a more resilient sock.

I have been thinking this through for some time now. I have to try.

 

A yarny update

Hello lovely followers and visitors 👋

I continue with crafty business and today I bring you a few pictures.

Your memory is probably heaps better than mine but if you are like me then this next image is a reminder of what it looked like when I first brought this yummy fibre home from StitchFest… bottom middle left…

It’s an alpaca/merino/silk blend from Fleece Witch. It was very slightly felted in places which caused my fingers and thumbs to strain a bit; something that I try to avoid due to arthritis. It’s a beautiful yarn and I’m very pleased with it. From 100 grams I managed to spin a plied yarn of 515.80 metres with about 18 wraps per inch. I think I shall use it as a weft yarn to weave a shawl.

Currently on the wheel I am spinning baby alpaca (bottom left in photo above). It is sheer bliss to spin. I have 200 grams of it, enough I hope to knit or crochet or weave a shawl.

I’m surprised I’m still spinning so much. I’m a ‘seasonal’ artist/crafter so usually I would have moved on to something else by now. Maybe it’s because I’m also weaving, crocheting and knitting a bit which is keeping my spinning drive going.

Yesterday I knitted a couple of Bekki’s Christmas sacks from her newly released pattern book. I haven’t knitted in fair-isle or intarsia for years so I’m very pleased my brain is now able to engage with a pattern. The two patterns I’ve followed this far are well written and easy to follow.

I plan to knit more 😁 😍👌💕👏😤 Aren’t they cute?

If you are interested you can find out more at https://thedartmooryarncompany.com/?s=Pattern

I think that’s all for now.

Sending love and wishing you all a happy day/ evening/night wherever you are in the world

🌎🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇳🇿 🇦🇺 🇫🇷 🇨🇦 🇭🇺 🇪🇬 🇷🇺 🇧🇪

StitchFest 2017

I made it! I went to StitchFest in Totnes on Saturday 🙂

The whole week before I managed to squash any anxiety when it reared its ugly head. I did preparatory research so that I knew which stall holders to head for and made a list of what I wanted to look at. I knew that my time in the buildings would be limited due to sensory issues so preparation was key.

The one and a half hour journey down was ok for me. We managed to get parking at the school in the centre of town where one of the two venues was sited. I looked around that venue and decided to go back after I had seen the stalls in the town hall. This didn’t happen though but the intention was there.

I had an Auti moment when trying to find the town hall. They said town hall so I looked for town hall… It’s actually called the civic centre. In my head I was visualizing the words town hall so I was looking for that pattern of letters…oh well, I felt silly but nevermind, I was on a mission!

I was ever so excited 😁 that a blogger I follow was exhibiting there and I was going to get to meet her. Allow me to introduce you to Nikki of Dartmoor Yarn Company 🙂  It was already getting very busy but we were able to have a short conversation and shared a hug. Bekki’s stall was chocca full of her wonderful wares and creations. As I’ve been following Bekki  for a while I know how much work she has put into designing and printing her new pattern book “27 Knitted Santa Sacks”. You can see the little sacks hanging in the image below. They are so sweet. Also if you look by the pattern book you will spot larger sacks that are exactly the same as the little ones but knitted with a heavier gauged yarn. I can’t wait to work up some of these sacks for Christmas 🎄

I wanted to take several photos as I had this blog post in mind but it wasn’t to be and this is the only photo I took… one small part of Bekki’s stall 🙂

There was a lot of yarn for sale, I was after fibre though. First I came to Fleece Witch who sells alpaca fibre from her own herd. I bought two plaits of space dyed alpaca/merino/silk blend and 200 grams of the most gorgeous silvery baby alpaca fibre.

I had hemp on my shopping list and I was pleased to find that Adelaide Walker had not only hemp sample packs but a number of other unusual fibres also. I was well and truly in yarny heaven!

I managed to stay for about 40 minutes before sensory overload drove me outside. I managed to text Lovely Husband to say I needed to go and also managed to get myself back to the car. I had never been to Totnes before and would have very much liked to wander around the town but that will have to wait for another day.

The drive home was difficult and the following day I was rather tearful. Today I’m good though so I’ve recuperated really well and quite quickly. It really helped that the event was exhibiting something I’m passionate about plus I have my little haul to gaze at 🙂 I started spinning one of the plaits today. I’ll show you progress on that in another post. In the meantime I’ll finish with four images of my ‘haul’ 🙂

 

A Red Dilemma and a FO

I use to love red but nowadays I have difficulty with this colour. As an autistic person I find colour a sensory stimulant so as I’ve mentioned before colour is very important to me, like it is too many of you. Just in the last few months I’ve come to realize this aversion to red which I find rather strange as I don’t believe it’s happened before.

However, I cannot get enough of blues, greens and aqua. I’m hungry for them! Add a little pink and lavender and I go into dream mode.

Yesterday I warped my loom with these wonderful colours. In reality they are more bluey than depicted here…

Pure yummyness 🙂

I had just removed a scarf the day before. This scarf took me an age to do because I felt put off by the redness of it. It is to be a Christmas pressie.

I’m currently spinning a merino and silk blend in natural white. It’s very slubby though and not in a pleasing way. Perhaps it’s my lack of skill.

A little crochet has also happening but I’ll wait til it’s finished before I show it again.

Thanks for dropping by 🙂

A yarny update of one FO and current WIP’S

Hello lovely readers,

I thought it time for a yarny update. For the uninitiated FO is Finished Object and WIP is Work In Progress.

I’ve finished spinning this lovely blue merino from John Arbon Textiles. They call it royal blue but I think it closer to cobalt as it has a slight purpleyness about it so I’ve photographed alongside two pieces of Bristol Blue Glass. I have 807+ metres from 200 grams.

Currently on my hook is my grandson’s jumper (not shown) and this cushion cover. I’m using Lucy’s (of Attic 24) Neat Wave Pattern. I’m really enjoying it and love the colours.

And on the wheel I’m spinning this fibre…

And here it is on the bobbins…

So there you have it 🙂 Bye for now xxx

Handspun goodies

Hello!

I promised pictures of my latest handspun yarn in my previous post and here they are below this text. I’ve just added  the total number of metres of plied yarn completed in the last eleven days… 2032.60 ! That’s 4064+ metres of singles…. over 2.5 miles. Wowsers!

Nothing much to say…

Hello lovely followers and visitors,

I feel it’s been a while since I last posted and I thought it is better to post something as it would be so easy to let time just slip by, creating a situation where it becomes increasingly more difficult to write anything.

So here I am with nothing much  to say but wanting to connect with you all the same 🙂

I’m constantly spinning fibre to almost the exclusion of all other activity. My loom is feeling neglected, poor thing. I’m am very pleased with the yarn I am producing. I’ll provide images in another post. Promise.

I’ve started a new medication and it’s taking time to get used to it and to feel the benefits of it. I’ve also started to use Rescue Remedy and aconite and I am finding them helpful in reducing my autism associated anxiety. My G.P. recommended I try them.

It’s a lovely sunny day here in West Somerset. I think I’ll publish this and go for a walk around my garden before I allow myself to spin again. I’ll see you again soon.

Much love, Tracey xx

 

 

 

Thinking about Executive Functioning

It’s really odd that I’m only just started to think about executive function and how it does/does not impact on my life. Strange I know but I believe it’s because I’ve been so focused on sensory perceptual issues.

So I’ve been sitting spinning and as the wheel turns my mind whirs away too. To be honest my thinking hasn’t got me very far…not yet.

As a much younger person I was told I was very slow,  lazy, and that I never think. I remember clearly being told that my friend was a pleasure to teach as she only had to be shown once.  These words were so hurtful as I tried very hard and practiced diligently. The guide motto of ‘Be Prepared’ often came to mind. I would practice doing tasks or an activity to try and be quick and efficient as possible. Sometimes this was fun other times it just caused greater anxiety.

There’s lots to think about and ponder upon. I don’t want to hang on to all this stuff. I want to sort it out, see how it relates to me now, and then let it go.

So back to spinning… I start spinning or weaving or whatever and I just keep on going. I cannot stop easily to go and attend other tasks.

In my last post I showed you this fibre called Higglety Pigglety…

Here it is as a single ply on the bobbin…

And finally wound into hanks…

The two hundred grams of merino/bamboo fibre after plying has made approximately 760 metres.

Now I shall go and reread all the stuff on executive function/dysfunction…again. Often I have to read a text many times before it starts to seep into my brain… and it has nothing to do with lack of intelligence.

Please leave a comment if you can recommend a helpful book. Thanks.

Bye for now xx