It doesn't do to get you hopes up!!!

Phew - survived, not only the awful fuss that is Christmas, but the wind and rain that swept across south Devon on Monday.  We had gone away to our usual hidey hole for the duration, but hadn't expected the weather to be so extreme and with more gales forecast for Thursday night and today we made the decision to come home early...............

I just missed Mr S running from the waves, but those are his footprints.....


Mr S and I don't do Christmas presents as such - mostly we buy each other presents as ideas occur, so to be told that he had ordered me a surprise was tantalizing to say the least!  Prodding and guessing got me only knowing looks, but a grin when I mentioned sheep!  Would he really - buy me a sheep!  No, of course he didn't but a girl can dream - two Baby Southdown lambs would look perfect in the garden and would really take up too much room...

Picture from http://www.rostraverfarm.com

No I got a pair of sheep earrings in enamel very pretty, but not, as I keep telling him, really sheep......................................

I really shouldn't have.................

Gone and bought another wheel, but I did!  Just couldn't resist and it was a bargain - honest!

Its what the 'experts' call a Dutch Louet look-alike and appears to be flyer braked tension with huge bobbins....

 The only identification is this  - Rotterdam and an address................

 

I did a bit of googling and came up with this photo of a Louet look alike on the Thrifty Knitter blog 

and another at worldwool where they are call Rotterdam Delft wheels although this looks as if it might be a double drive - but that might just be the angle...

Needs a good clean, wax, oil and some new hooks, which have all been broken off at some time, but surprisingly the drive band is still intact....

and yes I got a copy of Mabel Ross' 'The Essentials of Handspinning' along with the wheel - what a bargain.............

Recent Acquisitions

You know what they say, you can't wait for a bus for ages and then three come along at the same time!  Well the same applies to spinning wheels................

First there was an Ashford Traditional - in real need of some tlc!  Some kind person had covered the whole wheel, screws, nuts and everything visible surface with what appears to be yacht varnish - a liberal coat, not a thin coat, thick and gloopy with big blobs!  Underneath there are even bigger blobs where the varnish was allowed to run!

Every screw was glued in with the varnish, so I had to work Strippit into each screw and eventually after three days I have managed to get the wheel to pieces and am now working on releasing the wheel from the crank as I may have to re-glue the rim.....

Second there was this wheel

It was advertised with a starting price £35, while admitting that there where bits missing, it did say that similar wheels were being sold for £250 - well they might have an asking price of £250 but that doesn't mean they sold!  I paid at lot less -just about what the crank is worth - one day I might get it to spin..............

Third was a Haldane Shetland

seen next to Patience my Orkney.  The Shetland was the precursor to the Orkney so there are a lot of similarities............

I was attracted to the light wood in the first place, and the location which wasn't that far away and I got lucky and got it for my maximum - the bobbins are definitely replacements and I am pretty sure that the flyer is too - but again with some 'tlc' Prudence will be a lovely little wheel........

First Wednesday in December

Today I booked our pitch at Hebden Bridge Caravan Club Site for the Tour de France in July 2014.....................

Mr S and I had been sat at the PC ready and waiting for 9am to click by and bingo we got our preferred site for the days we wanted - why?  Well the riders will go past the gates of the site at the beginning of the longest continual climb in the UK and we will be there to watch and experience the razzmatazz that is the tour.  This will be our third Tour in the UK, the first in 1992 we cycled too, the second (2008) on Beacon Hill my view was obstructed by a foul-mouthed woman who insisted she wouldn't stand between me and the cyclists, but did, so I saw virtually nothing - this time no-one will get in my way!  Plus we already have our official T-Shirts - yellow for Mr S and pink for me!

But what of all things woolly in November?  Well it has been a month of experimenting - firstly I tried plying with beads, inspired by some exquisite spinning by Tabi of Sericin Silk 

I had been given a sample of Cormo which by chance was a perfect match for some walnut dyed silk, and this is the result

Silvered Don

I have to admit that this was second attempt at plying with beads, the first will reside along with some other first attempts shrouded in the mists of obscurity.

But this month has really been about making and using my newest toy - a Blending Board.

I had been intrigued to find out what all the fuss was about, but not at the £100 plus price tag! In fact I will have made three and still come in at under that figure!

First the carding cloth - the best prices are, as usual, in the USA, but customs and international postage costs make this less attractive, so in the end I bought from Winghams - who despite saying it was in stock took 2 and 1/2 weeks to deliver!  B&Q provided the board, nuts and bolts, Mr S the cutting and me, I did the sanding and cutting of the cloth and viola!

Punis, Rolags or Poonags - call them what you will - they are the most fabulous things to make

Here I have a blend of, Pumpkin, Pink, Lime Green, Yellow and hints of Black which magically turn into this -

and these..........

My crowning glory this month was the test knit for LindaCC -

 Hemeracallis - Day-Lily Shawl

Now its December which means dark days and knitting an Advent Stole - so far 3 days in and going OK