sparkleduck

On the twelfth day of Christmas...

2012-01-06T23:22:00.001Z

... the few decorations that we'd put up came back down ... including this little chap, who's one of the best Christmas cards I've ever had, I think!

I hope that you've had a merry christmas, and that 2012 will be a happy one for you.

It's Making Monday time again

2011-08-29T23:11:00.000+01:00

Hello again... it's been another week of very little making. I've added about an inch of ribbing to one sock, started the toe of another because I was impatient to try the yarn, and perhaps most importantly, I've been trying to make an effort to rest enough, as I'm on a fairly rapid medication change, and I stand most chance of maintaining an outward appearance of a normal human being if I can channel the amount of energy I normally seem to need to cope with fatigue into maintaining composure instead. Spending about 3 hours during the day on proper rest is actually rather hard - I'm something of a fidget-brain, wanting to explore or do things as much as possible. Sleep, music, audiobooks and feeding the ducks seem to count, but knitting, sewing, reading, the computer, TV, walking, chatting to friends, cooking and spinning are not rest. (grrrrrrrrr!)

So, whilst not resting, I've made something tangible: cheese scones, from a Delia recipie, with smoked paprika in place of cayenne pepper, and whatever cheese was in the fridge. Yum!

M would like to point out that he has contributed to Making Monday by making crumbs from one of the scones ;o)

Making Monday - Look What Other People Made!

2011-08-23T00:22:00.001+01:00

I wanted to write this post last week, but I just wasn't in a fit state to string words together. The last few weeks have been particularly groggy and unproductive. I've only managed a couple of rows on the Westknits mystery shawl since last time (and the final clue came out today).
My grand achievement for today was 'making' dinner, and that involved feeding pizza, garlic bread and salad to the oven and/or the appropriate slicing device, and I'm not sure that that really counts. It doesn't feel like much to be proud of. Writing this might be a greater achievement.

Since I can't celebrate what I've made today, I'll celebrate other people instead. Last weekend - 12th and 13th August, I went to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham.
My friend Kirsten

had a couple of quilts on show, including this 'grow-bag' baby sleeping bag

complete with dummy. I have a strong suspicion that her daughter will be a happy little ladybird when that quilt gets home!

Gillian Cooper had a gallery of her 'Unsung Muses' work (that's her, viewed through one of the pieces is the first picture)

What about the raw materials?
Everything around us is made. Some of it is made organically, as plants grow. Plant fibres can then be processed, in large factories, primarily by machines, or in smaller factories, with more manual input...

Micheal Oakshott of Oakshott Fabrics sources Oakshott's range of fabrics from a weaving cooperative in India, providing the weavers there with a steady stream of work - and providing quilters with some fabulous fabrics to work with:

On the right-hand side of the Oakshott stall is the blur of activity that is Helen Howes, who designed and made a lot of the kits and samples that are on display.

Finally, one of my favourite quilts. It's small (about 30cm square, I think), quite simple, ad a cheery splash of colour:

I've got quite a lot more photos, but the lighting in the exhibition hall varied from orangey sodium to almost daylight, depending on the weather at the time, so some tweaking will be required to make them presentable!

Gosh. I think I have another achievement - this post is more than I thought I could manage.

See what other people have been up to this week at http://theyarnyard.co.uk/blog/category/making-monday/

Making a start

2011-08-08T23:52:00.005+01:00

Hello! I don't seem to have been here much recently, and I'm feeling a bit shy, so just peeping in with Herdy for bright, pink reassurance.

There's quite a lot that I'd like to say, but I don't know how to, at the moment, so I'm going to evade that little difficulty for now by joining in with The Yarn Yard's Making Monday blog project.

Just little things for now...

I've turned this...

...into this...

...which is the first clue from the WestKnits KAL mystery shawl
The yarns share two colours each, so it's going to be low contrast, but no issues with the colours clashing.

I've also persuaded my much neglected sourdough starter to show signs of life - look - bubbles!

If there hadn't been any life left in it, it would have been evicted from the kitchen

Woolfest

2010-06-27T17:36:00.004+01:00

Yay! I made it to Woolfest for both days, met lots of lovely people, had a good natter with friends, and am now sitting on a sunny beach in Cumbria. (yes, you did read that correctly - sunny and Cumbria in the same sentence)

See you in a few days!

Chocolate!

2009-11-01T23:37:00.003Z

Is it wrong to buy chocolate just because the wrapper is a pretty colour?

Or indeed, two bars, because they looked nice together? I wouldn't usually buy milk chocolate, but it is Green & Blacks, so my husband didn't mind...

OK, I bought some more - dark, this time. I liked the way that the wrappers complemented each other. And no, I haven't eaten it all yet!

Yarn at I Knit Weekender

2009-09-20T20:37:00.002+01:00

Autumn in the Woods, originally uploaded by sparkleduck.

This is probably my favourite out of the yarns that I sent to the I Knit Weekender. It's a merino lace / cobweb weight, in a colourway called 'Autumn in the Woods'. It's autumnal, without scaring those who aren't exceptionally fond of orange.

Copper Beech, originally uploaded by sparkleduck.

This is another of my favourites - a merino / silk lace weight in 'Copper Beech'. The true colour is slightly browner than I can see on my screen right now. I dyed some baby alpaca / cashmere / silk laceweight in this colourway this week - just one skein, to see if I liked it, and it's not going to escape - it's going to become a Damson shawl for me. I think I'll be dyeing more of this one...

The Birds Ate the Berries, originally uploaded by sparkleduck.

This one is 'The Birds Ate the Berries', on a 100% merino sock yarn. It's a high twist yarn, and quite bouncy. It was inspired by the evidence left behind (usually on your nice, clean car or windows) when the birds have discovered the brambles.

If you missed it at I Knit, there should be sparkleduck yarn available from the Woolly Workshop shortly.

I Knit Weekender

2009-09-11T02:39:00.004+01:00

It's the I Knit Weekender, starting tomorrow - or should that be today, now?

Some of my hand dyed yarn will be there with the Woolly Workshop.
There will be:

Merino / silk laceweight - 725m / 100g - 70% merino, 30% silk
Organically farmed merino laceweight - 673m / 50g - 100% merino
Wool / silk laceweight - 1200m / 150g - 50% wool, 50% silk
Merino / Tencel laceweight - 800m / 100g - 50% merino, 50% tencel
High twist superwash merino sock - 330m/125g - 100% superwash merino

As with all hand dyed yarns, they are best treated gently and handwashed. Sock yarn, obviously, should handle a bit more of a beating...

I'm hoping to get an etsy shop up and running very shortly, and make the sparkleduck website somewhat more exciting when I get some more time. It's a tough choice - dye more yarn, knit something, go to I Knit, spend time at the computer making things pretty, or watch ducklings. Yes, ducklings, in September. I'd show you a picture, but I've lost the lead to download the photo from my phone.

Hello, world

2009-07-14T00:14:00.000+01:00

I've temporarily escaped from the Aeolian shawl of forever to grab some blog space ... but I hear the knitting calling again...