What a great way to start a Sunday, particularly when I have no commitments today, except for the knitting group this afternoon! Looking out of the window and seeing this means:
1. A great excuse to stay in bed for a few more hours
2. An even better excuse to spend the rest of the day indoors, knitting and spinning!
This is the snowiest I have ever seen London, the sky is still heavy and grey and it looks like it could snow for some time yet. As a northerner I know this hardly counts as snow, but please indulge me!
This was my great start to yesterday - a parcel from the Yarn Yard, arriving Saturday morning at home, just as predicted. Thanks Natalie!
From the top clockwise; porage oats (socks for dad's birthday); olive (might be heel and toe for a different pair; bunny (probably socks for me).
And here's the bargain Rowan Classics I snapped up at Get Knitted; eight balls of silk/wool for a Clapotis, and a couple of balls of cashmere/wool 4-ply. Er, probably more socks ;-)
Yesterday I went along to Vauxhall City Farm to try out their Saturday spinning group; turns out I lowered the average age by at least 15 years, so the wealth of experience and knowledge on offer there for a novice like me is incredible! The women who attend are not only experienced spinners, they knit, quilt, embroider, and do natural dyeing too. And they make excellent cakes!
The group has its own spinning wheels and other equipment, which are all stored at the farm, so if you don't have room or resources for your own wheel, it's a great place to go and practice. They have lots of raw fleece there too, and run dyeing courses and so on. I was made very welcome - and my Louet S45 proved of great interest to the other spinners, many of them commenting on its compact size, very handy for inner city dwellings!
They have just got a grant of a few hundred pounds to run a 'sheep and wool day' at the farm, at which they hope to have a sheep shearing demonstration, and to show carding, spinning, knitting and so on. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute to the event, seems I am the new sock-knitting expert!
4 comments:
That place sounds like heaven!
let me know when the shearing and spinning day is; I have friends with a little girl who might find that interesting.
You are an expert sock knitter in my book! The farm sounds very cool! We have a farm in the city that holds a sheep shearing demonstration each April for us suburbanites. The shearers keep having to remind the crowds that they are not hurting the animals. The spinners who are there are so very kind and informative. You may have me spinning yet!
Nice to see the snow shot - missed it up north (just got back). Still waiting for my get knitted order, they seem to have got confused. Would like to go to the sheep & wool day - let everyone know the date.
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