New Drum Carder and Old Spinning Chair

Two rather exciting new pieces of kit to show you! Firstly I have decided to invest in a brand new Drum Carder. I have been considering purchasing one for a long time and finally took the plunge and bought an Ashford carder which I'm thrilled with. It will speed up my fleece preparation as I have been using hand carders for this task up til now and  I often found I needed to "card" little and often to keep up with my spinning,  I will now be able to prepare plenty of rolags in advance  to keep my wheel turning.
I also want to experiment with yarn blending and colour blending so my new drum carder will be put to good use.
I have attached my drum carder to a small table so as it is always ready to use and can be easily handled while sitting at my chair.

The second item to show you is my sweet spinning chair. I went to an antique and collectors fair at the weekend and spotted this lovely chair. Made of  solid wood with three chunky legs and a simple styled back rest. I have been looking for one for ages so am thrilled to find such a good one. I really liked it's simplicity. It is practical, functional and looks good and best of all it is extremely comfortable to sit on and spin a yarn.














































I will make a smaller cushion for it when I get time, something handspun and handwoven will look nice.

Space to Create

 I have reorganised my work room and have had a really good tidy up. There is now more space to create!
 A great thing about doing a good sort through is that you find yarns you have put to the back of the shelf and forgotten about.
I am enjoying hand knitting this handspun blues and cream mix (I'm not quite sure what the wool is) the finished piece will be for me, I'm knitting a neck warmer/cowl and plan to finish it with these lovely ceramic buttons made by Jude Allman   http://www.etsy.com/shop/judeallman 














I now have space to store my spinning wheel as well as my loom and I will be able to work with them in situ rather than having to use the kitchen table.















I  store my wool stash on high shelves that go all the way around the room like a colour wheel This always inspires me and helps me to select colour themes and allows me to choose different yarn types easily. My handspun yarns are stored in baskets.














As you can see my work room has a nautical flavour, the mediterranean blues, whites, the wood and ropes, the photos of our boats and simple woven baskets, these all uplift me and make me think of sunny sailing days.
















It will soon be time to get the boats ready for the sailing season, but while the weather is grey and cold I settle in and reach for my lovely yarns and get creating, feeling refreshed and energised in my creative space.

Waiting for the next opportunity to hang my "Gone Sailing" sign on the door.