Shibori Ties and Dyes

 The first scarf was folded long ways down the center and two circles of stitching one inside the other done three times made the patterns in the middle.Then half circles stitched in the same way on the edges.

This time I used soya beans wrapped with cotton to make the small squares. Lines of small stitches pulled tight make the long patterns in between the squares.

I had no idea how hard it would be to describe the methods I use to make these Shibori patterns. I will take more photos next time which will definitely help.

Bringing an Old Wheel to Life.

During a craft Fair at Hazeldean Farm, Chesham on Sunday a member of the public arrived with an old spinning wheel brought at a local auction to see if my friends and I could get it to work .

 I don't usually have much hope for projects like this as old wheels are rarely very usable. The first thing to sort out was the drive band. It was a double drive but had two separate bands instead of one long one wrapped round twice. Put on by someone who wanted the wheel to look right but had no idea how it worked. 

We then thought that the tension screw and the whorl on the flier had been fixed so they could not move but this proved to be just old age and with a bit of encouragement these parts loosened up and the wheel was soon working again. 

The owners were thrilled and the wife of the couple is coming along for spinning lessons. A good result and fun for everyone.

Something a Bit Different

The WI is 100 years this year and the Bucks Federation is celebrating by decorating trees around the county. This is the tree in my village of Coleshill. Look out for other trees if you are in Buckinghamshire.

This is Goldilocks and the 3 Bears along with their bowls of porridge that I have knitted for my grand daughter. I really enjoyed doing it and I am knitting a rabbit with hand spun Angora. Very appropriate I thought.

Recent Projects

Here are a few things I have been busy with lately. 

The blanket is a Kaffe Fassett design knitted in hand spun Jacob and Shetland. The blue is indigo dyed Jacob.

This is more Jacob again using  indigo dyed yarn. Knitted in the round it was a quick and easy project that I am very pleased with.

This waistcoat came about after talking to friends about how to use art yarns. It was a good stash busting project and I have incorporated core spun, cabled, racing stripe and three ply as well as the usual two ply. It was originally for sale but I fell in love with it and have been wearing it myself.

Boucle Yarns

Here are some Boucle yarns I have been spinning over the last few weeks. They are made using three singles. A base spun S with low twist. The looping single spun Z fairly thin with a high twist. These are plied in an S direction. I used sewing thread to bind them in a Z direction.

The base singles are Shetland wool. They must be spun with a low twist as  they are plied in the same direction as they are spun. Any over twist is corrected when you bind Z wise. 

The looping singles are Mohair except the first one which is Lincoin Long Wool. A long stapled curly wool works best for making the loops. I use a sewing thread for the binder because it is thin and strong and saves time but you could always spin you own.I have used metallic thread for the skein opposite which gives a shiny finish but a rough feel.

Indigo Dyeing on Silk

I had a good days dyeing even though I prefer to dye in the summer there was a clear day when I managed to get the scarves dripped if not dried. The patterns on the silk were made buy tying and stitching. I kept using the dye bath untill all the colour was used which is why the wool samples got paler as I worked.

This is the dye bath and the next picture are the scarves hanging and turning blue in the air. It's like magic. The indigo  needs air to go blue. You can see there is very little blue in the vat. You can also see the corks tied into some of the scarves to make the shibori pattern.

Hazeldean Christmas Fair.

I will be here come and say hello and start your Christmas.