Preparing an Art Fibre Batt for Hand Spinning

New video posted on the channel where I talk about

how to prepare an Art fibre Batt for Hand Spinning.

Frost yarns:  https://www.instagram.com/frostyarn/

Spin City UK:  https://spincityshop.com/

Knitting and Spinning Podcast Episode 1

I decided that I enjoyed making videos so much in the past that I would start a video podcast on YouTube based on my love of all things fibre and crafting :)

Shownotes

Finished Objects and W.I.P's:

Peppermint Christmas Socks: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/MadMadamMel/fish-lips-kiss-heel

Chunky Boot Socks:  https://www.ravelry.com/projects/MadMadamMel/warm-and-cozy-socks

Autumn and Iced Gingerbread Socks:  https://www.ravelry.com/projects/MadMadamMel/vanilla-sock-with-gusset--choice-of-heel

Gnarled Oak Cardigan:   https://www.ravelry.com/projects/MadMadamMel/gnarled-oak-cardigan

Acquisitions:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MothyAndTheSquid

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheNakedSkein

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Artyfibres

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheShepherdsHutUK

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CreatedbyElsieB

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/nicmarie1983  (Frostyarn)

https://fripandbib.com   (fripperies & bibelots)

A Naturally Plant Dyed Handspun Adventure

Well after a couple of months of not great health I finally got my butt in gear and got some handspun yarn listed in my Etsy store, it is something I have been wanting to do for a few years now, and I had intended to a long while now, but other stuff got in the way such as the renovating, health and life in general. There is also the fear of failure with a new project to contend with too of course.

So I have been spinning and dyeing like a crazy busy worker bee, it has been a dream of mine to spend my days spinning beautiful yarns and naturally dyeing them with plants and I finally get to do it.

I'm even thinking of turning the old caravan outside into a workshop. I'm fairly sure John will encourage this as he is already complaining about the horrid smells emanating from the mordant and dye bath cauldrons in the kitchen and working their way through the house !!

I am working on building up a range roving of different colours using various plants to spin up multi-coloured handspun, but also spinning plain yarns in the interim to dye in solid colours and ombre, like the photo at the top of this blog post.

I forget how long it can take to spin and ply up a fairly fine yarn rather than an 'art yarn', 5 hours on average and that is before finishing and dyeing, but it is a joy to do.

I'm choosing to mostly spin with sheep breeds from here on the Northern Isles, i.e North Ronaldsay and Shetland, but I also cant resist working with some of my other favourite fibres too like Merino, Blue Faced Leicester and silk.

My freezer is also now half full of daffodil flowers as the blooms begin to fade I am dead-heading them for future dyebaths throughout the year, it makes such a bright shade of cheerful yellow :)

Art as a Form of Therapy

 Therapy can come in many forms,

and for me that therapy comes from working with my hands.

Sometimes I work with fibre, spinning a piece of art from a heap of fleece which at a glance looks like nothing, feeling the texture slip through my fingers as the repetitive treadling and spinning of the wheel lulls you in a form of meditation.

At other times the therapy takes the form of crocheting, taking a beautiful hank of yarn and turning it into an item which can then be seen in all it's beauty, no longer the ball or hank stashed away in a cupboard.

A cake baked a therapy twice over, the creating and the eating.

 My current therapy choice is working with wires and stone, crystals and shells, keeping both my hands and my mind busy whilst we nurse our Poppy cat back to health.

Just over a week ago we thought her card was up and she spent several days in the vets, trying to get enough fluids in her as her kidneys are in a bad way. But she seems to have pulled on a reserve 10th life and is steadily making progress.

So I raise my cup of tea in a toast to vets, the many lives of cats,

and Art as a form of therapy.

Imbolc Activities - Creating New Candles from Old

The other day on the blog I mentioned that the season of Imbolc, or Candlemas would begin in a few days, and I thought yesterday to make a brief video of one of the activities I would be doing as part of my preparations.

So if you would like to see a rare video of me chatting about candles feel free to click on the video below :)

Knitted and Crochet Ripple Blankets, Which to Choose?

There may be signs of spring around the garden, and there may be warmth in that sunlight beaming down, but the wind is still cold here at the cottage. I wonder if had we still lived in Derbyshire would I be pottering in the garden more often? Sometimes imagine what is must be like to live in Arizona like Vanessa, picking strawberries in April. As it is I think I will be playing catch up again in a few weeks. Instead I fill my days with indoor projects, working on the cottage, yarny projects and so on.

These two lap blankets I made a few weeks ago (please excuse their unblocked disheveldness), as part of Heather from Beauty that moves Hibernate workshop, there was a pattern for a knitted dishcloth. I'm not normally a knitter preferring a hook myself, but looking at the pattern I realised just how easy it was to create.

Having no current need for some dishcloths I thought the pattern would work well using some super duper extra chunky yarn from my stash and big needles. I'm really very pleased with how it worked out, also using some hooky edging to finish off too.

I still had plenty of cream yarn left over, plus the blue which I had got at a bargain price whilst at hobbycraft in Aberdeen, so decided to have a go at a ripple using Lucy's pattern from Attic24, love this one also, although for someone who prefers to crochet I think I may like the knitted one best!!

So which do you think, the Blue or the Mint One?

A quilting commitment

I've been thinking lately on starting a new patchwork, what you have to understand is that me and quilts have a bit of an on again off again relationship.

Thing is I want quilts, I like quilts, I love having my own handmade quilts around the house. 

But they just take me soooo long to make.

Take for example the new 'Winter' quilt we have hanging in the living room (pic to follow), it has been hanging up since January (note: after christmas), but it took me 2 YEARS!! to finish, hmmmm.

The two quilts on the photos actually didn't take long at all. They were made using old pillowcase and fabric from my stash for the windows in the bedroom in the summer when it doesn't get dark up here.

(if you look closely, the pale blue fabric with the blue flowers on was used by mum to make her wedding dress when she married my dad).

My aim is to have a quilt to hang up for each of the four seasons and so far I have my autumn quilt which I made a couple of years back, my spring quilt also made a couple of years back, and now the winter one.

I still need to make a summer one and this is the challenge for this year.











I have the fabric for the top (bought over a year ago on ebay), I have a pattern in mind also so I have no excuse. Wish me luck !!

Of dresses and kitty cats

 It's been a mixed and busy sort of week so far, trying to fit in some crafting time around getting my first crochet tutorial ready to publish. (fingers crossed this will be tomorrow, eeek)

 I'm attempting to make some sort of house dresses using an old 70's pattern and some fabric from the stash, something which doesn't matter if they get muck on them. It's always dressing up day in this house :)

 I've also been trying to make time amongst photos and typing, to read some of my new treat, a book that has been on my wishlist for a long time now, and with a new addition out recently. It's an American book, so contact for supplies are over the water, but it covers everything you could possibly want know about running a homestead, from canning to giving birth on your own!!

Right off for a quick shower and to settle in for the evening with himself and a dvd, neither of us seem to be able to catch up on our sleep since the clocks went forward, so not too late a night. Evening all :)

How much fun can you have with a box of wax ??

 One of the craft based thing we have tried this week is an idea I have seen all over pinterest lately, the 'crayon & sandpaper' t-shirt, which involves drawing a design on fine sandpaper heavily in crayon, then turning over and laying it face down onto the chosen t-shirt.

It was half way through doing my 'rainbow bright' inspired design that I remembered the advice I had told the boys, about the design printing in reverse, and that my star would be at the wrong end of the rainbow, hmmm.

After laying your design on to your chosen t-shirt, you use a hot iron to press and transfer it to the fabric :)

 When you peel off the sandpaper you will be left with your design :) Only two points to note first make sure you lay a news paper inside the t-shirt so the design doesn't go through.

 Second, make sure to wash the item separately from other clothes the first time you wash it.

Autumn Wreaths

Well that was a busy week, kicking off with the Mad Tea Party last weekend, which was great fun as always, although maybe I should have taken some behind the scenes photos so you could all see the dashing in and out between rain storms, putting up umbrellas in the fairy tent lol

Also welcome to my new blog followers too (waves) hello there :)

The last few days I've been limiting my internet time, after all the blog partying I was having technology overload so turned to a spot of autumn crafting. I know it is weeks away, but next week the boys arrive and I want to use my time with them well doing boy crafts and trips to the beach (weather permitting of course).

There have been several items in my autumn pinterest board that I have been itching to do, often things I couldn't afford/justify buying so decided to make my own. Autumn wreaths is one of these and most of the bits I needed I already had left over from other projects.

The top wreath I made using a willow ring I wove the first year we moved up with willow twigs from the garden, the autumn foliage I bought last year from the garden centre for an autumn mantelpiece display. All the fir cones, seed pods were from around the house, the only thing I bought was the wired hessian / burlap ribbon from ebay.

The second wreath I bought a base for and then spent a good couple of hours wrapping with some yarn from the stash, all the felt/fleece was left over scraps, buttons yarn and fir cones from around the house. I will hang both wreaths with the left over hessian ribbon later in the year.

I am looking forward to autumn this year as always, we may not get the coloured leaves due to the wind whipping them all off come September, but I love the cosiness of it all. Blankets, warm fires, apple pies, plum crumble, winter cushions, just so snuggly :)

An Apothecary at Home

I'm having a bit of a blitz in the cottage right now and as it is only half finished, we are quite limited on storage space. One of the ways I have found around this is by finding fab ways to display stuff, thereby freeing up valuable space in cupboards. Recently I was finding it difficult to find things in my witchy cupboard, when I saw a piccy on Pinterest and a light bulb went ding!.

Another lady had created an apothecary shelf, and I thought this was a fab idea for my remedy/incense herbs. So off I went raiding John's wood stash and using his power tools whipped up this  !!  I am so pleased with it, been ages since I have done any sort of woodwork, and looks good if I do say so myself.

I painted all the lids black on the jars they were already in, got some labels from a store on Etsy, hung it up and stood back. Now please ignore the fact it is slightly wonky on the wall but what do you think?

Actually I have been on a bit of a pinterest crafty streak, making bits I have been meaning to for ages, just need to find time to photograph them.

Right must get on and start making dinner, squash and chickpea stew tonight, yumm, and make some meatball calzones to freeze for when the boys are up. If I am not back before, see you at the party on Saturday :)

Summer in a bottle

It would seem that summer has finally found it's way to Orkney today with Beautiful, huge cloudless blue skies and some actual heat. Of course a once around the garden this morning means being able to see just how much the weeds are taking over.

One good thing has come form the odd weather this year, and that is our Elder trees are absolutely covered in blossom, much later than the rest of the UK but certainly welcome. It has been cordial and wine making the past couple of weeks, with two batches of cordial bottled and frozen, and another being used as we speak.

This is our go to recipe from the River Cottage Preserves Book

Ingredients

• About 25 elderflower heads
• Finely grated zest of 3 unwaxed lemons and 1 orange, plus their juice (about 150ml in total)
• 1kg sugar

Inspect the elderflower heads carefully and remove any insects. Place the flower heads in a large bowl together with the orange and lemon zest.

Bring 1.5 litres water to the boil and pour over the elderflowers and citrus zest. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.

Strain the liquid through a scalded jelly bag or piece of muslin and pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar, the lemon and orange juice.

Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes.

Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilised bottles. Seal the bottles with swing-top lids, sterilised screw-tops or corks.

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 Also this is the first year there has been enough to make Elderflower wine. I don't hold out much hope for berries, the early autumn winds usually trash any foliage on the trees, and certainly berries would be lost too, but you never know.

I have also been working on my contribution to the Mad tea party taking place this weekend, can't wait, its going to be fun :) If you need me then I will be hiding away somewhere with my laptop and a picnic enjoying visiting the other parties. But first, where is that list of 376 jobs I need to complete before I take a weekend off....?

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The reincarnated Peg bag

I never did get around to finishing the spring quilt this afternoon that I am working on perhaps tomorrow, instead it's been yet more seed sowing (carrot, celery, cauliflower), and more wine racking.
Today has been the turn of the Sloe (very very slow) blackthorn, it was made nearly three years ago and has finally cleared after about 20 rackings, today there was a thick layer of around 1 1/2 inches of jelly in the bottom, nice.
It better be good after all this time. On a side note, the Sloe vodka made last autumn is fantastic, best batch yet, good job I had enough sloes for 2 bottles, mmm guess what my tipple will be tonight.

Although I haven't finished the quilt, my crafting mojo has been on the go this week, last weekend my old peg bag died on me, so I was in need of a replacement.

Behold the reincarnated Peg bag heehee. made from the finest charity shop acquired linen cloth and bias binding. Even the hanger was cut down from the original bag, a bit of the old carried into the new :)

linking up to http://shabbynest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/frugal-friday_12.html

and http://sewmanyways.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sew-darn-crafty-partyweek-61.html

and http://carolynshomework.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/inspiration-board-link-party-46.html

A recipe for Dubbin

Dubbin : leather food for boots etc, and DRUMS !!! :)

One of the disadvantages of living out in the sticks is that when and idea or urge pops into your head and you need to purchase something to complete it, you need to be patient.

I have learnt well since coming to Orkney, the art of patience, whether that be waiting upon a delivery from the mainland from an Internet order, or waiting for a trip to town.
It's not that it is far to town, only about 17 miles I think, it's getting there. Although we do have a car, I am reluctant for us to pop in at the weekend just for a few bits. Often I will go in during the week, but as I don't drive I need to rely on our buses which are not exactly frequent, and a quick trip to town can be a full day wasted.
So whats this got to do with dubbin? Well a little while ago some of us started a little drumming evening, and although I have got a small hand drum, it sounds crap. A friend suggested using dubbin on it, which is used on leather, fab.


Well the problem is, I didn't go to town last week, I am not going this week, which means waiting till next week. toooo loooong!

I had a bit of a browse on tinternet to find out if you could make it. turns out it is made from tallow, beeswax and fish or mink oil. Found a website where they make their own and got the recipe, tweaked it a bit and Bob's your uncle, got it made, Go Mel !!
so here is the recipe:

Dubbin
30g lard
15g beeswax
5g fish oil (eg cod liver oil capsules, squeezed into mix)

gently melt together lard and beeswax
add fish oil, I used 10 large cod liver oil capsules as I was guessing.
melt this into the mix too. pour into a jar and done :)

A quilt for autumn

Just killing time in the library while waiting to pass the shopping onto his nibs on the bus, then off to my meditation group for the evening.

It is absolutely freezing here in Orkney this week, winter has certainly arrived with bouts of hail and sleet already. I know we are forecast another bad winter here in the UK, but come on it is only October !

Still trying to draw out the Autumn season here for as long as possible (although secretly I can't get Christmas songs out my head most of the time), with the Halloween blog party coming up on Saturday, lots of preserve making and batch cooking and freezing for winter, but also with the completion finally of an autumn quilt for the lounge wall.

When we were south last month John treated me to some quilting fabric at a fab shop in Castle Douglas, most of the fabric is Red rooster fabrics I believe. Now I am not a big quilter, in fact this is only the second time I have made quilts so please don't look to closely at my corners.

We were in desperate need of some pictures for the rather large bare wall in the lounge. So instead of just buying what ever pictures we could find on Orkney simply to fit the space, we decided seasonal quilts are the way to go. We can switcheroo them round and can look forward to each one coming back out as the seasons change, and they mean something to us. Rather than some random print bought simply because it colour coordinates with the room.

Really pleased with the results, but patchwork is so blooming fiddly!

linking up to:

Fabric rosettes

Several weeks ago, Cami over at youseriouslymadethat did a fab tutorial on making fabric hair rosettes and a knew I had to give it a go, these were super fabby quick and easy, and a great way of using up scraps of fabric you love left over from other projects.

I decided to make two of different sizes/

 The larger one, I glue gunned a hair clip on the back to use in my hair of attached to a buttonhole etc

 And the smalled I attached a safety pin, for wearing as a mini corsage. Aren't they cute :)