AWOL

I has been ages since I was able to get online. I went to the Uk briefly the week before last to help a friend move. I got back in the early hours of Wednesday morning (19th July) the next night we had a tremendous thunderstorm and the telephone lines went out. I had remembered to unplug the computer but not the telephone and when the telephone came to life later the next day the router unfortunately didn't. We have been going through very hot weather lately punctuated with thunder and lightning storms every few days (not always with the much needed rain). My new router arrived yesterday but I wasn't able to connect as it has been thundering for about 18hours since yesterday afternoon and I didn't want to risk it. Well excuses over, I must get some photos sorted out and post details of the wonderful, wonderful parcel I received nearly a week ago from my SP8, I am still drooling over it and showing off to anyone who will listen.

Crocheted Doily with Sleeves

My Secret Pal sent the latest edition of Interweave Crochet. One of the patterns was an Annie Modesitt shruggy thing (scroll down) which is basically a large doily with sleeves. I love ingenious shapes.

My friend, Margareta and I decided to have a crochet-along and started sometime last week. Margareta has the same cavalier approach to patterns that I have - find some yarns that seem right and a hook that suits and crochet. Guage? Pah. So of course it seemed far too small when it came to set the sleeve holes. So what? It is only a big circle, just keep going until it seems right, put the sleeve holes in at around 10 o'clock and 2 0'clock and carry on until it fits. (Sorry Annie). We shall see.

I used 2 shades of SWT bamboo which seems to go on for ever. The sleeve holes look very unequal so maybe I miscounted and need to frog.




Margareta is using bits from her stash, mostly cottons.



There were quite a few things about this pattern we didn't like though. For one it is not an easy pattern to comprehend although the revisions on the Interweave website do help. The solid circle in the middle looks out of place, maybe it wont seem so prominent after blocking, but if I do this pattern again I will substitute something else. Margareta has tried embroidering over her centre. There were certain things about the pattern that seemed a bit inelegant (in the mathematical sense). For instance I don't see any need to backstitch to the centre of the last chain loop in the previous round. Why not just end the last chain loop with fewer chains and then a dc or tr or whatever is appropriate and then you are automatically left in the middle of the chain loop. Another gripe is doing 8sc (dc for non USA audience) into an 8 chain loop. I think it looks kind of scrappy, chains seem longer than sc so a chain loop (IMHO) should accomodate more sc than the number of chains to look neater. Last gripe (for now) is having to slip stitch between 2 sc (to be in the centre of a loop), again it seems much neater to have an odd number of sc and slip stitch into the middle one.

Gripes aside I love interesting shapes (as I said before) and can't wait to see how it hangs in reality (i.e. not on a model). That said if it works I might just find a nice doily pattern, work it big and add sleeves.

Anyone else done or doing this pattern?

Another Moggie

Not a furry one this time though. My partner Keith is helping out a friend by fixing the master cylinder (whatever that is) and stuff on his Morris Traveller. We used to have one exactly the same as this (but better naturally) years ago, so it feels very nostalgic. Notice the old landrover behind also undergoing surgery. It needed converting to disc brakes to get through the controle technique (MOT) here. Of course one of the new bits is faulty and he is waiting for a replacement.

In fact we still have an old moggie, a Morris Van that Keith drove over years ago and then abandoned in the garden. It has been a sort of shed installation here for about 10 years. Now since working on the traveller he has been dreaming about restoring the van. C'est possible?

Project Spectrum Update

Well it is July and July is for purples but before we go there, i can finally wind June up. The long awaited parcel from my Project Spectrum Swap Pal arrived today exactly one month to the day since it was sent. But it was so worth waiting for, take a look.



A lovely scented candle in glass holder, a sweet note on butterfly stationary and this beautiful, beautiful self striping yarn that feels so soft I have already started winding it into a ball. Here is a close up of the yarn.



This maybe the yarn I finally make a pair of Jaywalkers with.

Thank you so much Michelle from Ontario!

Le Tour

Today the Tour de France passed near by and we tootled of to catch a look.

My email outbox is playing up so though I can receive I cannot at present send. So for my brother and wife, Gareth and Holly, in Seattle, and my son's co-worker, Brian, in Bristol UK, all of whom are keen followers, here are the pictures I cannot email.

The nearest point to us was Ambrières-les-Vallées but we opted to go for Oisseau a little further on as we were running late and being a smaller place we thought we would get a better look.

We arrived an hour and a half before the leaders but it was not boring. The many forerunners, sponsors I suppose, had already started coming through in funny vehicles chucking out advertising freebies which seemed to bear no relation to the Tour. We even got sprayed down by one of the bottled water companies (luckily I covered the camera).





Then came 2 bikes in the lead with a huge entourage of cars and motorbikes surrounding them (it was hard to see the bikes). Then after a short pause everyone else in a big group. Then loads more cars with bikes on top. Then it was all over.

Dye-O-Rama Luckout

I really lucked out with my goodies from Dye-O-Rama Pal Brooklyn Handspun. She has an online shop with lots of lovelies and sent me this gorgeous yarn (500 yards of it) AND some mouthwatering pink merino with sparklie bits to spin. How great is that?

On the downside still no sign of my June Project Spectrum yarn although I know it was sent weeks ago and my pal is as anxiously awaiting it's arrival as I am. Still it will be such a lovely surprise when it arrives (it will, it will arrive).

Ambermoggie

This is a picture for Ambermoggie. Maybe some of this yarn would be useful to you. There is 200g of Handspun Shetland (I spun this over 15 years ago it came off a ram on Snowdonia, but I guess after all this time I am not likely to be using it); 4x50g of variegated browns and greys 100% wool by Carlos Lecoutre; 1 x 100g of mid brown 100% wool called Savoyarde by chat botté and 1 x 50 of 80% wool/20% chlorofibre called Petrouchka also by chat botté. I'm not very good at guaging yarn thickness but I would say they are all aran weight or thicker.

One Skein Secret Pal

I had a parcel from my One Skein Secret Pal and it came all the way from Japan. I love that these exchanges are so international. The yarn is the most gorgeous red wool/silk and so soft to touch. It deserves to be worn next to the skin so what shall I make - gloves? arm-warmers? a hat? a small scarf (they call them cache-cou here, literally something that hides your neck). The colourful card has a picture of rows of geta (Japanese sandals). Thank you pal, I hope your pal sent you something as interesting.

Under Construction

For those of you who are interested, we live in two yurts with additional bits. The latest additional bit which has been under construction, for some considerable time, is the cabin joining the two yurts. We wanted it to be made from recycled (and if possible free) materials - so far we have only bought lime, nails and crochets for the roof tiles. This will eventually house all the books now in boxes and be a kind of hallway for coats, shoes etc.
This is the view from the outside.



The walls are constructed from the trunks of an overgrown leylandii hedge that Keith removed for someone and the roof tiles are reclaimed from buildings where we live. The little 'door' at the bottom is for the cats.This is what it looks like from the front.


The mortar/plaster is made from lime and clay dug on site. The door was being thrown out (it is a bit ugly but maybe we can do something about that later). The structure is bits and pieces, mostly coppiced hazel and lathes cut from local oak.

Inside the walls are all different.
This is mainly cordwood from the leylandii hedge.



This wall is woven oak slats, the wall is packed with rubble.



The small arched window slit here is made from tumbled recalimed bricks. I am making a stained glass panel to fit in it.



Once it is finished, watertight, tidied and packed with books I will post some more photos.

Curious about the house we are restoring and hope to live in one day? Well thats another story, for another day, but when you see it you will understand the appeal of living in a tent!