rockpool candy

A Little Bluebird Sings Again

Over the last few years, I've leapt on any unattended loom in my vicinity and relished weaving. But I knew that a loom of my own was a long way off. Extra-wide, 8-shaft countermarch looms aren't cheap, or that readily available on this side of the Irish Sea.

Then a little, brown sparrow of a loom came into my life.

Woodworm-ridden, rusty 

and delapidated after 30 years in a stable, it had lost its voice.

But I treated her wounds, painted her metal-work gold, and gave her a new coat of blue.

Missing pieces were replaced using reclaimed mill bobbins and timber.

Pretty bows

And lace bobbins now adorn her limbs.

Spare findings hang in her basket.

And she's started to sing again. Her voice was as rusty as her heddles had been.

But the cloth is starting to flow, winding around.

We've a way to go. The weavers amongst you will spot that the harnesses are hanging too high and need adjustment; and that my tension in the 30-year old warp that was on her isn't even.

But Rome wasn't built in a day. And wings take a while to get back their strength. And one day, I plan to turn her into an 8-shaft too.

But for now, in the early-morning autumnal mornings, she and I are humming away together, enjoying our new friendship and getting to know each other; making our new slice of Ulster history.

Secret Santa

So how did my secret Santa turn out? (see 18th November 2007 post)
Well here it is.

And this is it as a wall hanging.

Sorry about the shots - taken with a mobile. I AM getting a new one soon.

So, I carded the tiny pieces of waste felt into to the de-dagged wenslydale (Which had felted together so much, that I had to cut any bits I could find off!) Then spun then to make the slubby pink and green yarns. These, I then crocheted these into corals and urchins.

I felted small scraps of red and green fibre that were caught up in the fleece, to make small seaweeds.

I used the hula-hoop loom to weave bits of green felt into an anemone, finishing off the edge with big, pink fleshy lips.

Used other pieces of pink felt to make a cluster of mushroom-style corals.

Scrunched a large piece of wendslydale into a woolly coral.

And then sewed them all to an old car sponge.

I'm happy to say that Elaine got my  little reef at the gift giving and she's going to put it up in here Bangor fibre shop, Muse.

My louet

Ok, so I caved!
I know, I know, I said I wanted a double treadle, travelling spinning wheel with three speeds and a large orifice, but to quote my mother "(I'm) an impatient child".
And I just happened to be on ebay looking for a ball winder, which arrived yesterday,

when what should appear in front of me, like a completely-calorie-and-guilt-free, all-you-can-eat chocolate cake smorgasbord, but a louet, with swift and carders. Buy now, for next to nothing!
Well, I would have been rude not to.
So I am now the very proud owner of a single treadle, not-necessarily-built-for travelling, one speed bobbined louet. It does have a very large orifice though (ooh er!) And boy, do I love it!

No, the fried egg pod chair didn't come with the wheel.

But the ability to spin did! So as soon as I'd assembled the S20, I started into my Secret Santa project.
Back in October, everyone in the Guild brought in 100g of fibre. These were put in a sack for a lucky dip. Whatever you pulled out was to be taken home and brought back in December made up into a wrapped gift.
There wasn't quite enough to go around, so I loudly proclaimed that as I worked in discarded materials, rather than take 100g of nice new fibre, I would take the crappy stuff lurking at the bottom of the Guild's store cupboard that no one wanted to touch.
Me and my big mouth!
I got a bag of stained and felted skirtings from several different fleeces, including a curly Wenslydale. Some of it was washed, other bits still in the grease, and all of it packed with rough-as-chuff kemp and bits of Ulster hedgerow.  NNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCEEEEEE!

As well as this bag of scratchy delights, I was given the felt off cuts from the Guild's banner.

Nothing bigger than about 5cm square.
So I put the two together and carded them, then spun them up.
The results are currently drying on a radiator.

I'll have to keep what I'm going to do with them a secret until after early December, but I think you can all rest assured that I won't be turning this yarn into undies.

I'm reserving something FAR scratchier for that job.

WIP & Spinning and Dyeing Workshops part 2

I thought you might like to see the 'art yarn' I created in my spinning class

It's all terrible lumps and bumps. But it was nice to sit at a wheel again, after a 27 year break. So I might not have the technique down pat, but oh, how the blood pressure drops right away.

So a spinning wheel has joined my wish list. I definitely want a travelling one. It has to have a large orifice, be double treadle and then it's just a case of being the right height for my dodgy back....... I hope that Santa's listening and thinks I've been good enough this year.

The secret guild

Now I don't know about you lot, but my image of a guild is either one of a bunch of blue-rinsed old biddies munching on custard creams and knitting nasty acrylic layettes or a deadly assasin's group meeting under cover of darkness, all sporting one rolled trouser leg.

How wrong could I be?

Last Tuesday I sought out The Ulster Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers for their monthly meeting at the Ulster Folk Museum.
I was met with warmth and smiles by about 25 women of various ages and nationalities. Some had their spinning wheels with them, others brought split braid work, felting or current projects.
Not a custard-cream crumb-encrusted layette, or a rolled trouser was in sight!

I found myself surrounded with a wealth of knowledge covering several generations; a cupboard filled with the guild's small but invaluable library (available to borrow at £1- a month); and enough fibre inspiration to feed my yarn obssession for many years to come.

As young (ehem, I mean late thirties) women, we seem to have cast off the guilds and all that they can offer us and I reckon it's time we did something about this.
A week ago I would never had thought of making a circular loom from a hulahoop and a few screws.

But the guild had been donated one that evening and they lent it to me along with a book explaining how to use it.
So now I can add circular weaving to my long list of fibre-related addictions. I was up until 3am with it that night and have a long list of ideas to try on it.

My first attempts might be a bit ropey, but the resulting anemone form isn't that bad.
And can't help thinking it's a brilliant way to introduce kids to weaving, too. It's cheap, easy and very hard to mess up.

So grab your hula hoops and find your guild. You never know what's waiting for you. Just don't roll your trouser legs up.