Current projects

In the late 1990’s I went with a friend to a Spin-in in Wellington, NZ. While there someone gave a small group of us a workshop on how to turn a heel when knitting a sock. Ahem… Last night I cast on my first ever sock! I’m using Drops Fabel in the 340 colourway and this pattern…

I have this shawl on the go as well. I’m using my handspun blend of alpaca/merino/silk that I bought at StitchFest from Fleece Witch  I’m using a pattern recommended by another blogger, (I’m so sorry, I forget who), from Ravelry. The Melodia pattern can be found here.

I’ve just finished spinning the baby alpaca fleece, also from Fleece Witch. It took a long time as it spun so finely. I have 200 grams that has spun into  1339 metres of plied yarn! Wowsers! It looks like a lace weight yarn but I’ve yet to knit a sample. It is super soft, lustrous and absolutely yummy to spin. My plan is to use some of it as a weft in weaving a shawl.

On the wheel I’m now spinning a white merino/nylon mix that I got for a good price from John Arbon .

There’s other creative delights going on or waiting to be completed but they can be for another time.

Thanks for visiting  😚💛💜💚💙

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A confession, a book and a doll

I have a thing about dolls. I still have many of the dolls from my sixties childhood. They are hidden away. I’ve kind of felt ashamed about my doll love affair. It’s childish. I thought people would think me childish. Yes I am childish in many ways, after all, being child-like is an autistic trait. But. The new, no, …the real me… is gradually appearing and taking over and conquering the fears of the person I thought I was.

So, I’m coming out. And, my dolls should come out of the closet too.

I need to find a glass fronted antique style cabinet to display them. This is important as our home has two fires and sooty dust is a fact of life.

A year ago, before my shoulder became fully frozen I was completing a lot of jigsaw puzzles and this was one of them…

This jigsaw helped me re-identify with my authentic doll loving self. As a child my mum encouraged me to play with my dolls. I didn’t know how. But i did love to look at them. I liked collecting them. (During my teenage years I found all my dolls under the house and in the refuse bin. They were rescued and hidden away!)

Wind forward a year later too late November 2017 when I bought this book…

And inside I found the pattern for this doll that I completed last week…

I made her with my handspun yarn and she’s stuffed with fleece, yarn ends and a bit of poly fill.

My dolls are still in the closet. It’s time to get them out.