Yarns from the Plain

Hello from a sunny Cheshire Plain! In this episode I reflect on my lack of productivity, review a new toy and ‘fess up on my purchases at Wonderwool Wales.

Works in Progress

A little bit of work on the Sheep squares designed by Ann Kingstone. The pattern is for a 4ply colourwork cushion knitted in the round; I used it to knit 13cm squares in aranweight yarn. I also warped up my new loom with Bute from Texere. The weft is a selection of green yarns left over from my Woolsack cushions. Sorry for the lack of pictures.

Some Polworth from EasyKnits (and some Falkland for my friend); a Manx Laughtan fleece; some Torddu from Sheepfold and some Dazzle HT from Natural Dye Studio to make a Millicent. The photo I have is rather badly lit, I'll try and sort it and get it up later.

12” Ashford Knitter’s Loom with carry bag

The Draw Something app on my phone.

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Hello from the Plain, where we're being bombarded with April showers! This is a short episode to sum up after the Woolsack stuffing event. I'd love to show you pictures, but Blogger AND Podbean are both playing up. You'll just have to go look on the Cheshire Guild WSD group thread instead.

Upcoming Events:

Wonderwool Wales is at the Royal Welsh Showground, Built Wells, Powys, Sat 28th and Sun 29th April.

Fibre East is at Scald End Farm, Mill Lane, Thurleigh, Bedford, MK44 2DP, Sat 14th and Sun 15th July 2012

Woolsack

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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Hello from a sunny spot in Oxfordshire. This episode I'm out and about, taking advantage of the lovely weather!

Woolsack Update Cushions are taking over my life. If you don't hear from me for a while, you'll find me under a pile of cushion squares and stuffing... I've finished sets 9 squares for Guild cushions, seamed my sixth cushion and made a start on blocking the 4 inch squares sent in by you, my lovely listeners.

Spinning I've spun up some Falkland sliver (gorgeous to spin!) that I dyed myself.

I also spun up some dyed carded Gotland.

Knitting I'm using that handspun to make another cushion, this time the Make Do and Mend pattern. Here's the Union flag in progress on the train.

Review Knit Today magazine, May 2012 issue.

Something I really like: The Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines at the Mountbatten Festival of Music. Here's a link to a video of the Royal Marines Corps of Drums.

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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I forgot to put a link to Florence and The Machine!

Hello from the Cheshire Plain. Thanks for allowing me this moment of self-indulgence (yes, I know, a very long momemt!)

Links Knit A Journey podcast; My Forest Canopy Shawl; Mum's Socks; Mum's Mrs Beetons; The Infamous Bobble Hats (apologies, I DID put a bobble on my Father-in-Law's!); Venezia and Autumn Rose sweaters by Eunny Jang; Lissuin by Ann Kingstone; Carol Feller at Stolen Stitches; Ann Kingstone; Information on Cumbrian dialect and the sheep counting system; Sheepfold; Blacker Yarns.

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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Hello from a cold and blustery Cheshire Plain. This episode I share spinning, update you on my Woolsack progress and reveal the answers to the Manchester music quiz.

Spinning: I finished spinning the Cheviot I got in the Secret Santa on the UK Spinners board on Ravelry from Shunklies.

Then I spun up a 125g sample pack of Shetland combed tops from Jamieson and Smith.

Woolsack Update: I finished the back for the Celtic Yarns Cushion designed by Blacker, and have knitted an edging onto one of the too small Guild cushions.

On The Needles: I've cast on for an Alletta shawl for the Alletta/Allegra Knit-along with the Caithness Craft Collective podcast. I'm using Fyberspates Sparkle Sock and Ravelry details are here.

Prizes! Prizewinners need to let me know their order of preference of these five skeins:

From left to right: Posh Yarn Lucia in "Skip" (100g/365yds); Posh Yarn Charlotte in "April Showers Bring May Flowers" (100g/350yds); Posh Yarn Lei (100g/380 yds); Fyberspates Echo Self-Striping Sock (100g/380yds); Natural Dye Studio Unicorn in "Apple" (100g/400m)

Upcoming Events: Cheshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers are taking demonstrating and holding their exhibition at West Kirby Library on Tuesday 10th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th and Saturday 14th April. I'll be there on Tuesday - come along and say hello!

The Guild is also hosting a Woolsack Stuffing Event at Frodsham Community Centre, Fluin Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire on Saturday 21st April, 11am-3pm. This event is open to anyone in the area to drop in and stuff your cushion. There is carparking at the Centre and refreshments.

Wonderwool Wales is at the Royal Welsh Showground, Built Wells, Powys, Sat 28th and Sun 29th April.

Links Posh Yarn Fyberspates Natural Dye Studio Woolsack

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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Hello from a slightly overcast Cheshire Plain. In this episode I talk about the original Woolsack, twitch over big art projects and small children and say thank you. A lot.

Works in Progress/Woolsack Update: To console myself after last week, I cast on a new Woolsack Cushion, using Sheepfold and Jamieson of Shetland yarns. It's a Blacker Yarns pattern, the Celtic Yarns Cushion, and Ravelry details are here.

In addition, I recapped on the aims of the Woolsack project amd the origins of the word. Here is a shot for the UK Parliament's Flickr stream that I found of the Woolsack:

I also interrupted myself to take a photo of this little fella:

Something I really like: Llama BBQ bites!

Thank You!: Thank you to everyone who responsed to my meltdown last week. The squares are starting to roll in. Thank you also to the lovely sandcola, who was my partner in the Fabric Postcard swap over on the Caithness Craft Collective podcast.

Upcoming Events: Cheshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers are taking demonstrating and holding their exhibition at West Kirby Library on Tuesday 10th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th and Saturday 14th April. Come along and say hello!

The Guild is also hosting a Woolsack Stuffing Event at Frodsham Community Centre, Fluin Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire on Saturday 21st April, 11am-3pm. This event is open to anyone in the area to drop in and stuff your cushion. There is carparking at the Centre and refreshments.

Wonderwool Wales is at the Royal Welsh Showground, Built Wells, Powys, Sat 28th and Sun 29th April.

Links: Woolsack; Sheepfold; Jamieson's of Shetland; CogKNITive Podcast; Caithness Craft Collective.

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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Just a brief set of show notes to accompany this appeal. Please, please, please, if you are in the UK and can knit a 4 inch square in British wool, either your own handspun or commercial British yarn, please do so and contact me for details on where to send it,

Thank you,

Nic

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Hello from a gloriously sunny, if blustery, Cheshire Plain. In this episode I talk about my crafty AD/HD, bemoan a lack of pictures and send you a postcard from my recent break in the Lakes.

Works in Progress: I cast off my Damson! It's not yet blocked, but Ravelry details are here.You can't see the loopy border in this shot, but proof that it is indeed finished.

I've also been dying more yarn (Kid Silk Lace from Posh Yarn) and fibre (more BFL and also some Falkland Sliver from DT Craft & Design, and a selection of Gotland curls from May Hill Gotlands (gotland_mayhill@yahoo.com) in the Forest of Dean and carded grey Gotland from Blacker Yarns) to use up the dye solutions from last weekend.

Talking of last week's marathon dying session, I used the dyed Sheepfold Clotted Cream and some black Hebredian to crochet a set of interlocking rings for the Cheshire Guild's exhibition on the theme of circles. I also took the dyed BFL fibre and needled felted it on in a series of cirlces along a length of the undyed BFL top which I'd lightly needled felted to keep the wave of the fibre visible. Of course I've not been so clever as to take photos of them before I handed them over to the Exhibition Secretary, so you'll have to wait a while, or come and see the Exhibition!

Woolsack Update: I've been working on more little squares using JaneKAL pattern recipe to make up cushion fronts and backs made by members of the Guild and seaming some of them together. It looks like we could have over 30 cushions just from the Guild alone, let alone any from members of the public who come along on the day. I'm so excited!

I've also started warping up my loom to weave a cushion in Wool City Wool 4ply from Texere Yarns.

A Postcard from ... the Lake District: Sadly the vast majority of photographs I talk about in the clips were lost when my memory card corrupted, but I have this shot of me behind Dove Cottage...

...my Cream Tea...

...a view from the drive north from Windermere, showing Derwentwater glistening by Keswick...

and a shot of some of the alpaca...

:

Links: Woolsack; Keswick Launch on Derwentwater; Dove Cottage; I Wander'd Lonely as A Cloud, read by Graham Williams for LibriVox; Find out more about The Terrible Knitters of Dent at the Dent Village Heritage Centre; The Alpaca Centre; Wonder of Wool exhibition at Rheged; Susan Crawford; Kate Jenkins; Freddie Robins; Joss Wrigg; Amy Twigger Holroyd.

Upcoming Events: Cheshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers are taking demonstrating and holding their exhibition at West Kirby Library on Tuesday 10th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th and Saturday 14th April. Come along and say hello!

The Guild is also hosting a Woolsack Stuffing Event at Frodsham Community Centre, Fluin Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire on Saturday 21st April, 11am-3pm. This event is open to anyone in the area to drop in and stuff your cushion. There is carparking at the Centre and refreshments.

The WOW exhibition runs at the Rheged Centre, Cumbria until Sunday 15th April and is open daily.

Wonderwool Wales is at the Royal Welsh Showground, Built Wells, Sat 28th and Sun 29th April.

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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Hello from a glorious Cheshire Plain. In this bumper episode I discuss dying, squawk about space and am rendered speechless...

Thanks for the feedback on Episode 41: A Postcard from Manchester. It's been a privilege to share the memories the music invokes for you. A couple of people are close but no one has yet identified all of the clips, so I'll leave it open until March 31st. PM or email me with your answers.

Works in Progress: Slooooooow work on the Damson Shawl as part of the Caithness Craft Collective Knitalong, but the end is in sight. I hope to have it finished for next episode. Ravelry details are here.

I've also been dying yarn (Clotted Cream from Sheepfold) and fibre (BFL from DT Craft & Design) to make something for the Guild Exhibition.

I need to hand it in next Saturday, so I'd better be quick! I've also dyed 100g of BFL in a purple to ply with the Cheviot from Shunklies. No more progress has been made in the actual spinning, though.

Woolsack Update: I've finished my fifth cushion for Woolsack. The pattern is Tilting at Windmills by Woolly Thoughts. It needs a bath in Soak though, to soften up the Jamieson's of Shetland Aran yarn (now discontinued I think). It's not scratchy so much as just a bit stiff.

Here's the front...

...and the back...

Review: Knitty Issue 39, Spring + Summer 2012.

Something I Really Like: Astronomy, my telescope that I still can't use and my SkyView app. Here's the photo I took when I stopped recording. It's slightly blurry because I was too excited to get the tripod out and do it properly, I'm afraid. Venus is the brighter light on the right, with Jupiter on the left. It really did appear just as I was saying it. Uncanny!

Links:

Woolsack; A Playful Day; Subway Knits; Counting Sheep; The Heathen Housewife; Prof Brian Cox.

Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune.

We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - we're covering 4 continents now but I'd still love to see where you all are!

Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!).

TTFN, Nic

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