Handspun Project Completed

Hand Spun Hand Knitted Cushion.

At the beginning of March I blogged about carding the fleece and then spinning the yarn.

Here is the finished handknitted cushion ready for the exhibition.

I used garter and stocking stitches in my cable design to produce a textured effect of waves across the cushion with simple K1P1K1 raised borders to add definition to the cable.

Being Handspun gives this cushion a naive character that I feel comes from it's natural homeworked production. It has been lovingly and carefully made from the "sheep's back" through all the worked stages of scouring, carding, spinning, skeining, washing and knitting.

Local sheep, local wool and made by me!

I will also be displaying one of my Hand Woven Small Rugs at the event.

TWINED THREADS

An exhibition by the Isle of Wight Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.

May 1st-6th 10am -4pm.

I enjoyed designing this cable stitch pattern and while working on it thought it would look really good knitted in some colourways too, particularly good in nautical and seascape themes for a cushion or bag on the boat and beach.

Olympic Dreams

Hopped on the car ferry from Cowes and had a lovely day out in Dorset. We visited the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy where the 2012 Olympic sailing events will take place.

It was a gloriously sunny day with a cold wind off the sea, what I would call bracing! which certainly blew the cobwebs away and refreshed the lungs after a couple of hours drive through the Dorset countryside.

Viewed some little Pico dinghies going out for a lesson; they got a lively sail.

Had a brisk walk around the marinas and waterside and then enjoyed a warming cuppa in the lovely cafe upstairs overlooking the bay.

I love sailing and especially enjoy watching the racing. It is thrilling to watch all the yachts race in the Solent in Cowes Week. Over the years Skipper has competed in different classes of yachts, crewing for various boats from Sigmas to Dragons.

At Cowes it has been great to watch our professional sailors compete, to watch them gain the edge, push the boat and crew to the limits using the wind, tide, tactics and that magic something to win.

I don't think I will be called up any time soon to represent Britain in the Olympics!! but I'm certainly inspired to take on the challenge of winning the Mirror Dinghy Race Series for 2011 which has slipped through our fingers two years running now.

Our dinghy has had her new paintwork, so when we get a spare moment we will get the dinghies down to the river and hope to get some practise in.

Handspun Project

It was a lovely Spring Day so I decided to light my little chimenea in the garden and do some carding of my Hampshire Down Fleece outside in the sunshine.

I am taking part in an exhibition in May and I plan to display some hand knitting and hand weaving, but time is running away with me and I need to have the designs in by the end of March!

I'm hoping to have enough handspun yarn to knit a cushion. The fleece I'm working with is quite small, so I'll see how it goes.

The fleece has been lightly washed.

I use my hand carders to prepare the fibres into Rolags.

Later on after an enjoyable day in the fresh air. I came inside to

Spin and Ply the fleece on my Spinning Wheel

Here are the first Skeins.

These have been washed and are now ready to ball up and knit.

I really enjoy knitting with my own handspun wool.

I will update you at the end of the month on this Handspun Project and show you the finished piece of work.

Right I'm off to get the knitting needles cast on!