Ashore

 Lifting Out day and Winter Lay up of our little yacht went very well. Skipper and I motored her up to Newport harbour  and rather than mooring up overnight by the harbour wall and wait for the next tide, the crane was ready to lift us out there and then which was brilliant!  She is all scrubbed down and emptied of fittings, sails rolled and stored and is now all tucked up for her winter snooze.

 So now Skipper and I are on "shore leave" until Spring we like to get out and about and explore not just "our Island- the beautiful Isle of Wight but also the "North Shore" which is what the Islanders affectionately called England and Great Britian. We took the ferry across the Solent and stayed in Somerset for a few days. This gorgeous carpet of cyclemen and autumnal leaves makes a wonderful display on our woodland walk. 

Inspiring me to have another go at hand painting some hand spun yarn. Here's a photo of it drying.

It is very nearly time for  "Christmas Crafts at Quarr Abbey"
we open Thursday 22nd Nov- Tues 27th Nov, 10.30-4.30 each day.

A group of local artists offer you a wonderful collection of unique, quality handmade work which will be available to purchase from textiles; hand knitted and handwoven to pottery and glass; handthrown and handcrafted.

This will be my third year at the Abbey where I have been part of our "Christmas Crafts" and have held my "Open Studio" events. I love being there for the week, hope you can pop along too.

http://www.quarrabbey.co.uk/

Knitting Pattern- Mini Christmas Stockings

 

 

As Christmas is fast approaching and the evenings are drawing in, it's the ideal time to snuggle in and do a spot of knitting.
If you would like to have a go at knitting these delightful little Christmas stockings you will find the instructions on how to knit them for purchase in my Folksy shop, just click on my Folksy shop link or Folksy badge on the right hand column of this blog.
They are quick to make and ideal to use as tree decorations, gift pouches for money and rather nice when filled with a chocolate treat too!
You can knit them using up festive colours in your stash and make them as individual as you like!
Happy Knitting

End of Season Sail

 

 In October every last good day for sailing is precious. So we were pleased to be able to get out for an "end of season" sail on the Solent in our yacht at the weekend. The weather was dry with a rather chilly Northerly breeze blowing in our faces as we made our way down river and into the Solent, but once out there the wind eased completely! We raised the sails and tried to sail East, but to make any headway we needed to have the motor on too. Looking up at our Main it seems I have a bit of sail repair work to do over the winter months- our sail number is now a little tattered.

 

 Of course if you are a speed boat, it was perfect conditions as the sea was smooth. I had to be quick with the camera for this shot as it whizzed by!

 

 The water and sky look so amazing on a calm October day, the sun was trying to break through and bring us a little warmth.  A woolly jumper, headband and a flask of hot coffee was keeping me snug.

 

 At this time of year Norris Castle is more visible through the trees.

 

After enjoying our packed lunch on board we headed back to our mooring, a very light breeze started to blow in from a SE direction, we left the Main up and when the wind occasionally blew more Easterly it filled the sail and aided our speed and passage home.
Even though we didn't have much of a "proper sail" as we had to keep the motor running for the day, (there wasn't enough wind to sail without) it was still wonderful to shake out the sails and give them an airing. Nearing the end of our sailing season means weather and tide opportunities to sail are much less so days like today are special.

Weaving with Jacob

 

 Back in March I blogged about some Mill Spun Jacob wool I purchased -you can read about this and see the flock of sheep where this lovely yarn comes from, in the March archive titled "Wool and Willow".
 Over the Summer months  I have been looking forward to working with it and have been pondering the best way to show it off. Now is the time to get my loom and needles busy and get weaving and knitting with this stash!
I plan to make a selection of items; accessories and homeware.

The following photos show the making of a single weave light weight scarf which is available to buy from my Folksy shop (just click on the Folksy badge or link opposite for more details and photos).

 Using a cone of Grey Jacob wool I warp up the Loom.

 The yarn is loaded on the back roller, the paper runs between the warp threads to separate the layers and keep the tension.

 After the warp is threaded through the reed, it is tied to the warp stick and tensioned.

The weft is loaded onto a shuttle and passed back and forth across the warp, raising and lowering the reed with every row.
I gently beat the weft in place and the woven fabric is created. I wind this onto the front roller as it grows.

Hand weaving is always so absorbing, I love to pay attention to the structure of the cloth, working with single threads and just using one colourway has been a refreshing experience as quite often I will add at least 5 to 7 different yarns and colours to produce my handwoven work. This scarf feels calm and the natural grey tones soothe. I do enjoy working with pure wool.

Sailing -Two Rivers

 

 We keep our little Sunstar18 sailing yacht on a swing mooring on the river Medina, Isle of Wight. This blog has lots of photos of our trips afloat; sailing, rowing, fishing, knitting and dreaming. It's a great place to be.
On Saturday we decided to explore another river across the Solent; the river Beaulieu, Hampshire. The conditions was set fair, light N Easterly wind, Neap tides and warm and sunny, so we cast off and set sail!
 Well, actually we had to motor out of the Medina as there was no wind and it is always very busy at the mouth of the river with ferries,other craft and racing yachts, but once clear of the navigation buoys we did raise the sails as there was enough breeze to make 2-3knots of speed. Even though the tide was pretty slack, it was still very lumpy out in the Solent and we didn't make much headway.  We had a couple of hours sailing before the wind got very light and we turned the motor back on and entered the Beaulieu river. Here all was calm, you can just see the sand and shingle bank separating the river from the Solent. 

 A photo of the lighthouse at the entrance, I love lighthouses, they are so special giving a sailor their bearings, comfort and light in all weathers.

 

 The cottages on the riverbank. We motored up the Beaulieu for a while but didn't have time to go all the way to Buckler's Hard as we needed to return to our Island river on the incoming tide. Here's a link if you want to find out more
http://www.beaulieuriver.co.uk/

Our way home pass the Beaulieu river light and Lepe Spit South Cardinal.

The wind remained northerly back in the Medina so we were able to sail back up the river under jib only right onto our swing mooring, where Peewit our Tender gently bobbed waiting to take us to shore. It's great to go exploring and always lovely to come home.

Hot Weather and some UFOs

 It's not often, but now and again the weather is so gloriously hot and there isn't enough breeze to go sailing we find ourselves on board in need of a sunshade.
We use our old groundsheet as a Bimini by slinging it over the boom and tying it down with bits of old rope which we always have stowed aboard- you can never have enough bits of old rope, very useful.

 Washing the decks, a spot of fishing, catching up on our reading and a good picnic lunch was the order of the day. Lazy days of Summer....

 

As for my UFOs (UnFinished Objects)! This Summer I seem to have started so many makes and they are all piling up waiting for finishing. Hand knitting is so portable, I can grab a ball of yarn, some needles and my imagination and Cast on and Cast off!
However to block, sew up, press or felt, decorate and label to complete my items ready to sell I need to be in my work room for these tasks to achieve a professional finish. In the photo are soon to be hand warmers, headbands, socks and handfelted bags.

Wash, Card, Spin Alfresco!

 It's a great time of the year to get out in the garden and work on this season's fleeces. I have three large and one little yearling Jacob fleece to spin. So I started on smaller fleece, it's fibres are fairly short, however it is lovely and soft being the first shearing. It will be interesting to see how much yarn I can make from it.

 First job; to wash lightly just to remove the dirt as I want to spin this "in the grease". As I get my fleeces from a farm where the owner of the flock is a spinner herself, the fleeces are always in good order and nicely "prepared on the sheeps back" so to speak and carefully sheared.

 Second job; when thoroughly dried in the sunshine I'm ready to card the fibres.

 I tease the wool to clear any small bits or lumps and then I use my hand carders to comb the fibres so as they are light, fluffy and uniform.

 My airy rolags are now ready to start spinning into yarn.

I decide to spin the darker wool first. After filling two bobbins, I ply the singles together to make my yarn. It is very relaxing spinning in the garden listening to the bird song and enjoying the sunshine.  I usually do all my carding outside as it always makes a bit of a mess with bits of fibre, fluff  etc. (in the colder months I will light my little chiminea to keep my hands warm as I work).
 Summer spinning alfresco is a joy and I hope to work on my fleeces this way more often!

A few days later; The finished yarn worked in the garden that sunny day. Having been skeined, washed and allowed to dry in the fresh air.