I have two little visitors to my workroom this week, Lottie and Lily; they have come to stay whilst the rest on their family has a little holiday.
They're a most charming and entertaining pair who love company and a conversation, especially if it results in something to munch on :) They are keeping me company for the rest of the week.
Apart from that, I have been trying to finish clearing out and am down to one box now, which is a relief; then I have to start going though everything little by little again, as is the nature of keeping belongings under control. However, my visitors have instigated a change for the better, unexpectedly.
Having invested in a craft table - 6 feet long by about 3 feet wide - I realised that I might not find it as useful as I had thought because it would be too big to fit into my workroom. That thought remained until I had to get it out for the Guinea Pig cage and suddenly realised that because I could store some items under it, it would fit quite well as I had a gangway all round it. I lose my open space but a table to put things on when I unpack my fleeces etc is, in reality, far more use. Hey-presto! I have somewhere to do other things too! Admittedly, I need a couple of small blocks of wood to clamp my equipment to but the table is hefty and sturdy enough to use wool combs on as well as other things.
Having recently been to Yorkshire to learn how to use the English Longdraw method of spinning, it is now my duty to keep practicing, that is, once I manage to wash the fleece I am working on (Hampshire Down) sufficiently and make a good Rolag. The quality of each stage very much depends upon the quality of the process that precedes it.
As regards other making, I have only finished one other item recently and that is a Rainbow item as part of a Weavers, Spinners and Dyers project. I have decided not to finish it the way I originally intended and it will remain a bag, not a wall decoration.
It is made of handspun wool, each colour plied with white and it's lined with white silk. The button is a large crystal. My thinking was that the rainbow is refracted white light, hence the white lining and the button, which can, in certain lights, flash with colour. The little knitted loop visible in the first image will be removed. I have no idea what I will keep in it.
A while ago, I also managed to finish a cushion cover that I began knitting a long time ago.
