Just gotta have a rant............

Its not often that I get on my soapbox, but this stupid new EU VAT law is bordering on the insane.  Talk about using a sprat to catch a mackerel - it is all the fault of big companies like Amazon who have been working the system and by basing themselves in Luxembourg where the VAT rate was 15%, and in special cases it is 5%,  they have been able to undercut on prices throughout the EU.

Now instead of paying the VAT on digital goods in the country of origin now the seller has to charge the VAT applicable in the country of the buyer and then pay the said VAT to that country.  So if I buy a pattern on Ravelry from a seller in the United States, they have to charge me 20% VAT and pay that to the UK Government.  There is no upper/lower limit to sales, so even if you sell two patterns in a year you still have to register, collect and pay the potential 32p you have been forced to collect. Does that make any sense at all? 

This is bureaucracy gone crazy and most likely it won't stop the big boys who will no doubt find a way round this, but it is putting a lot of small designers out of business - unable to face the complexities of this law.

Now my second rant - to overcome this problem, Ravelry has teamed up with Love Knitting - never heard of them or bought anything from - but now if I want to buy a pattern I have to register on their site and wait until they have vetted the pattern and made it available.  This means that outside the EU knitters are happily knitting a pattern that we here in the UK can't even buy until someone at Love Knitting decides to make available!

If you think this is as stupid as I do you could sign this petition 

http://www.change.org/p/pierre-moscovici-a-unilateral-suspension-of-the-introduction-of-the-new-eu-vat-laws-for-micro-businesses-and-sole-traders?recruiter=202390441&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Not a proper tree, but, who needs pine needles?

I had been looking out for the perfect way to display my ever growing and very nearly out of control collection of toy sheep!

When I came across I very nifty idea - the original was decorated with the usual bauble and tinsel, but I could see the potential for something that wasn't massy thingy at all

First a trip to B&Q for three lengths of lathe, one 2.5cm wide this is for the trunk  and two 2cm wide for the branches - total cost £4.50.  You will need a junior hacksaw, wood glue, clamps and pin nails.

First off decide the height of your tree - I went for three feet or 95cm, then cut various lengths from the narrower lathe - making a 45 degree cut at one end and a 90 degree cut at the other.  Then lay them out to decide the best look for you.

                                                     

If you place the 45 degree angled cut on the trunk and branches you get a better look.  Then comes the time consuming bit, each joint needs to be glued and clamped!  I did a branch at a time and once they were dry I glued and clamped the branches to the trunk.  Really it only took about an hour and I did go off and do other things in between.

Then you need to decided where to put your tree, for stability it needs to be against a wall.  I drill a hole near the top and hung the tree on a picture hook.

Then decorate!  You can use glittery baubles if you really, really want, or go for more environmentally friendly decorations.  I think it would look great with wooden objects - but I used sheep and spinning related objects (well actually there is one orifice hook at the moment - but Mr S is going to make me some mini items soon)...

Finished Tree

At the front the latest member of the flock a beautiful felted Jacob ewe - a gift from a very dear friend.

(Un)Apologetic Self Advertisement...........

They do say that imitation is the sincerest form of  flattery - especially when it comes to ideas............

In this month's Hand-spinning News under Tips and Tutorials there is a link to an article in Knittyspin in which yours truly is given a mention!  Fame at last?

You may remember, or you may well not, as it was two years ago I was experimenting with ways to produce gradient roving - well Laurie Osborne took some of my ideas and has produced some really gorgeous gradient roving which she has spun up and made the most stunning cowl - her Kayak Cowl which is available free in the same issue.

Advertisement over on to more mundane things.........

If like me, you spin far more yarn than you can ever knit, then weaving is the perfect answer to your storage problems.  Hand spun yarn makes for fabulous scarves, but better than table mats and the like you can weave material - material that can be cut and sewn!  This eureka moment, has I hope, brought a new enthusiasm for the craft. 

Before I get out my big loom and all that entails  I have been experimenting with my 16" rigid heddle loom.  And although this was fine, I found that it was very time consuming to warp.  So, just because we are staying home this December, thus saving a considerable sum, I bought one of the 'sample it looms' just for playing with colours.

  

And for this I tried some 'new to me' dyes - and result!

Highlighter pink

Highlighter Yellow

These were quite hard to exhaust(I did use the same amounts as I normally use with Landscape and Gaywool Dyes, less next time!) so I have some roving that's just a bit lighter in hue and this is what I have done so far using pick up sticks for the fibre.

Its not the photo that yellow really pops out!  Next the pink, and then who knows.............

Finally for those who don't want all the hype of the massy thingy etc

The Winter Solstice is on Sunday, 21 December 2014, 23:03 GMT - the sun starts is journey back to summer............

Happy New Year!

Wasn't my fault honest, mister....

Yesterday I decided to clean some of my jewellery, not using the old barmaid trick of soaking in gin, but just a soak, wash with a soft tooth brush and rinse in warm soapy water!  Now I've done this loads of times and I am always careful to make sure that the plug is in the sink............

Last night I did the final rinse and there was an earring missing - Mr S was convinced that it was in the u-bend and insisted on removing said pipe to retrieve the missing item.  By this time I was just a little bit upset, as I knew that I had been so very careful and the missing earring was one that we had bought at the same time as we replaced our wedding rings.......  So not just any old earring, something with a bit of romantic meaning

The u-bend was removed and carefully washed out, but no earring, he look both up and down the pipes and finally declared it lost..........  I was berated for using the sink - I should have used a larger bowl, but I knew that it couldn't possibly jumped out of the container and down the drain - I protested in vain - I was just plain careless.............

The u-bend was replaced and tested and I was left to clear up the mess - and there in the soft tooth brush I espied the missing earring..............

But as least I have a beautifully clean u-bend..............

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses............

Why can't people admit a fault and not try to put the blame back on the the consumer?

Recently I was the fortunate recipient of 900grams of Plucky sweater DK yarn!  I was so excited as I had been wanting to try some of this dyers yarn so ages, but with the cost of importing on top of the yarn it was crazy money.  I spent ages searching for the right pattern and finally decided on this KC [Kynance Cove] by Isabel Kraemer.  Not wanting to look like a barber's pole I was going to knit in one colour!

First off the first skein I wound off had three knots, one only two metres from the start of the skein!  This really makes me very cross (for very cross read 'b' angry) The second skein had only two, so some improvement.

So after removing the useless two metres I cast on and as with all of Isabel's patterns it was a really easy knit.  But, the yarn kept twisting back on itself

and there was a definite kink in the yarn.  Was this normal? I asked my friends on Ravelry - try the Plucky forum they said - so I did!

I wasn't the only knitter experiencing this it seemed.  Several knitters had posted saying how difficult it was to knit when the yarn kept twisting back on itself!  I read on...

Now here's where the fun starts - it seems that 'the yarn is perfect' it is the way we knitters wind the yarn for knitting - who do they think they are kidding?

What a load of utter baloney, I couldn't believe that people were actually believing this nonsense. Surely common sense tells you that it is impossible to put that much twist in a yarn with a ball winder. If it was you could put spinning mills out of business....

But just to prove a point I did some experiments!  According to the experts if your swift goes clockwise and your wind your ball winder clockwise you are putting twist into a balanced yarn.  You were supposed to have the swift goes anti-clockwise and the ball winder clockwise?  Well I tried - if fact I wound a skein three times in a clockwise direction and it was still the same balanced yarn that I had started with. 

Bearing in mind that this yarn had been purchased from the same update, they weren't well matched for colour either.  If little me with in my kitchen can dye 10 well matched skeins, why can't 'professional dyers' do the same?

Not sure whether it is clear from this photo, but the second skein was darker and less mottled than the first - yes I should have alternated, but why? I don't have to with my dyed yarn..


And finally - why can't these 'professionals' produce a decent/untangled skein?  I have just spent over an hour winding yarn off a badly tied skein - absolute nightmare and there are three more to go - so that's the afternoon gone, when I could have been doing something productive...  

Colour my World

Last week I had my colours done!  It was something that I had wanted to do for ages, many years in fact, ever since I was told by a colour consultant in Marks and Spencer that I was a Spring person.  But as this was a 2 minute consultation done in artificial light I was never completely convinced.

Well I am not Spring I am a Sprinter Winter, which means I lean to the brighter Spring colours but within a Winter Palette of strong colours.  It was a very interesting process - first you are adorned with a big white bib, and then lots of chiffon scarves are placed around your neck.  First is the question blue or yellow - thankfully I was blue, the yellow shades just drained my face and made me look sallow.

These are my colours

and guess what - these are the colours in my wardrobe.............  So I have naturally gone for the right colours instinctively!

But then rules are made to be broken aren't they - recently I knitted this Ravello sweater

Which according to the 'rules' I shouldn't wear - but everyone says I look fantastic in it!  Its right out of my comfort zone and I wasn't at all sure, but it works, and quite honestly I don't think I could spend all day and every day in eye popping colours.

But there are colours in there that I love and over the last few weeks I have got my weaving mojo back!  At Wonderwool, in April, I bought some 8/2 Toika Tencel from My Fine Weaving Yarn with the idea of weaving some fabric which I could sew with and the colours are perfect for me. 

This a terrible photo, I have tried several times to get a better image, but the yarn has a sheen which seems to bounce the light - hopefully when its off the loom I will be able to get a better one.

This yarn comes in the most amazing, me, colours and really want to expand my weaving knowledge and expertise.  So on recommendation from a friend I bought Twill Thrills which full of the most amazing fabric and even more you are encourage to make things from the fabric, not just weave scarves, stoles or tea towels.... So as soon a the ordered boat shuttle arrives I am going to warp my eight shaft loom. 

Note to self, do try one of the simpler ones to start with............

When you could do with a TARDIS....

Seems an age since we got home from our northern travels and since then Mr S has a small contretemps with a table saw...

To begin at the beginning - amongst the pile of mail awaiting our return was a flyer promoting a table saw!  Apparently an essential item for the serious wood turner and missing from his extensive equipment.  Not wanting to stand in the way of his productive genius I agreed.  Then another flyer popped through the door, promoting another bigger and better one and it was on special offer!

So it was ordered and two days later a large pallet was wheeled down the drive - this was a serious piece of kit!  The idea had been to store said table saw in my wool store and bring it out when needed - this with a something that weighed in at 80kgs....  Obviously this wasn't going to be a available option...

Light bulb moment......  A few weeks ago I remembered a DIY program where a couple extended their kitchen into a outside passage and while the space was only a metre deep the space it created was quite impressive.  So we came up with a solution - between Mr S's workshop and the rear of the garage there was a similar space where up to now we had stored the bikes under cover.  Why I said don't you extend your workshop/shed into that space.............

That was a 11am, by 2.30pm the side of the shed was gone and since then the 'extension' has taken shape gradually.  There was a slight delay when we both succumbed to a bug, but this week things have really come along.

The speed in which the space was emptied etc meant that I didn't get a chance to take before photos, but today it isn't raining so I got out the camera...

And inside..

this is no ordinary shed, it is insulated and lined to match the rest...

And the bikes - well they have there own new place - the most nifty little bike cave that we normally use when we are away in the caravan....

This super, easy to put tent is currently home to my hand-cranked bike and chair and both of Mr S's cycles and the caravan awning...  Of course it can't really live permanently on the decking but for now it will do - far more important to have a happy wood turner!