What was the week that was..

It has been really busy since the fabulous trip to Wonderwool on Sunday. I have owned up to the spend on Ravelry, did I over spend, well that depends on perspective - me not enough, Mr S - too much! Well we will see how much he spends at the Model Railway Exhibition this afternoon and decide afterwards...
















On the whole this week has been one of mainly highs - Mr S's birthday, the news that a friend got a distinction in her MA, a lovely evening spent with friends and then today we had a 'fight' with the GP's receptionists, well perhaps not exactly a fight, but why oh why do they take it upon themselves to alter Mr S's prescriptions?

Mr S is a coeliac, so he gets a lot of his basic food stuff on prescription, but near;y every time we pick his up there is something missed off. Today is was spaghetti, a simple enough request, but this was the third attempt to get some, and he had particularly asked for it because of the 'tour'. So this morning has been taken up with a trek between GP and Chemist and we still have to go back this afternoon - why does life have to be complicated?

The rest of the week has been taken up with organising the itinery for the 'tour' - this entails a detailed list of sites booked, roads directions and getting together details of all the places we want to visit. Mr S has now got quite a substanital folder and me - well I have now got a tour' stash of epic proportions















Wednesday in a panic - I was sure that I didn't have enough - I spent the morning dyeing up another 400grms of BFL (a Wonderwool perchase) using some Landscape Dyes (another Wonderwool purchase). I have to say that I liked these dyes a lot. They come in 100gram tubs, large enough to get a teaspoon in which I like, and there was no exhaust! All for £7.90, but that equates to £1.97 for 25grams a lot cheaper than the other dyes I have bought, even adding postage! (Wonder if Mr S will agree to a diversion?)

Now all that needs to be done is pack.........

Hey! Big Spender

I thought I would share Mr S's gift! He really is a great sloppy romantic and picked the following when we were leaving the hospital on Tuesday....





The daisy, not the egg cup!














This is one of his endearing features, I have lost count of the daisys I have been given over the years. Never huge bunches of flowers, indeed if he came home with a bouquet I would be really worried, that's not his style. But then I got to thinking that it is the small things that really count - silly things really, but from the heart and meant and that's what loves about.

Staying together when the going gets tough, through sickness (my accident - his heart) and in health (the days when we were fit and cycled the Wiltshire Cycleway one May Day weekend, in poverty - when he was sacked for being ill, in richness - now when we have finally retired and the pensions are being paid (worth the wait) and all the days in between.

All this in one little brave daisy

I love you, Dr B******m

Today after a two hour wait the lovely dishy Dr B gave Mr S the all clear - doesn't want to see him again ever........ Best news we could have had - all he has to do is keep taking the pills, not put on too much weight and LIVE....

Hooker's Green to Kalahari

Wonderful day dyeing Saturday. It is so much more fun when you have friends around you and you are all engaged in similar activities. So with the help of my friends I dyed 500 grams of BFL Rovings and a skein of BFL Superweash Sock Wool - not bad for one day!

Inspiration - well I had intended to let the dyes lead me but I had admired S's Terry's Chocolate Orange (can't find the link at the mo) which used Kemtex Mocha and Burnt Orange and her Kalahari Sunset so this was the first combination that I tried on Saturday - but I used a Kemtex Charcoal, not Helen Deighan's Charcoal For some reason this particular dye will not set. This is the third attempt at using this dye colour and no matter what I do all I get is a very pale insipid nothing. Love Pink, Hate Peach used this grey.

Here is the result I got using Tumeric and Red plus my charcoal - not at all what I was expecting. But not unpleasant... more insipid.....
















The rest of the day I just let the colours lead and the results are here drying on the line




















The BFL skein was left to last - named by Mr S 'Delia' - used the space dyeing technique S demonstrated in February - I just love the way the colours have blended.















Mr S is offering a set of my handmade stitch markers to anyone who can work out why he called this 'Delia'.


So really please with the way the holiday stash is growing, the question is what do I spin where? We have now sorted out the details of the 'Tour' and booked the sites so it is beginning to become a reality, not a dream. We have been planning this ever since we were told that Mr S needed heart surgery last August, it gave us something to hold on to when the going got tough. Tomorrow we see the specialist for a final consultation - so closure of one episode of our lives and the beginning of the next.............

Drop Spindles

Been a really frantic week, the Spinning Weal on Monday evening and on Wednesday helped a friend to buy a new car, had one of my heads on Thursday that ran into Friday - so not much spinning done. Although I have been having a fun time making drop spindles, stitch markers and beads!



Also trying to get enough fibre together so that I will have enough to keep the habit satisfied on our travels through the United Kingdom - would be awlful to get to Loch Ness and have nothing to spin.........

Where have all the daffodils gone?

I can't believe that it is Sunday and another week has flown by, slipped through my fingers and now lost just to memories. I must be getting old, as I don't remember days going by at this rate before, and I definitely remember that time when I was young moved so slowly, especially before a birthday or the school holidays (but then holidays always seem to whizz past don't they?) and of course the sun always shone and snow wasn't wet and cold! But enough of nostalgia (is that how you spell it?) life is for living and should be lived to the full, so what have I achieved?

Over 200 grams of spun yarn, nearly nine inches of extremely complicated double heddle weaving, a pair of socks and cast on another, made some beads for stitch markers (mis-read the instructions and instead of baking the clay at 100c I did it at 250c when it said 250 fahrenheit dumbo!), made bread, did the weekly shop and attended of Local History Forum where I presented my thesis and a display of silk and the processes used in 19th century silk mills (plus the usual every day chores like dusting ugh!).














Also spent some time in the garden seeing what damage the winter had done to some of our more delicate plants. I can't believe that our olive tree didn't make it. (although I am not surprised at some of the losses) the tulip and foxglove trees are starting to produce buds as is the small apple tree - so spring is really here at last - although we only have one poor solitary daffodil and we planted over a 100 when we moved here five and half years ago...........















Spring was reflected in the Fibreholics parcel that arrived Wednesday - all the colours of spring were represented and I am so happy that I gave it another go (I had been disappointed with my first parcel, but S persuaded me to give them a second chance!)














Spring colours seem to be invading my dyeing and spinning and I am particularly happy with 'Any Dream Will Do! as I have managed to keep in the yarn the colours from the roving.











So perhaps the week hasn't really flown by and wasn't wasted (note no day time TV featured) - and all in all a lot has been accomplished. But now I must get down to writing a list for Wonderwool Wales - would hate to forget to buy something I really, really need..........

Some of my rovings....

Just thought I would share some of my successes (will keep the failures out of sight!!)

Playing with some new hardware and software!

What's better than chocolate?


A new inkle loom that's what! As readers of this blog may recall Mr S is a dab hand at woodwork and offered to make me an inkle loom for Easter.....
















It is just waiting to dry completely, then I will lightly sand and wax before use.

Who's a lucky girl? Because not only did I get a new loom, but I also got some new 'photoshop' software for editing my pics.












These are my first attempts at a picture collages - practice will make perfect... am now off to sort yesterday's dyeing spree............