More resolutions

It seems that I might just be getting my groove, mojo, or whatever it is back for dyeing and running a crafty business.  It's been a year since I did anything much in the way of selling, and apart from one craft fair I did as a favour (it was the spinning wheel that was really wanted!) I had a very quiet Christmas season craft-wise.  Which was just what we needed.  I still have stock though, and wool and fibre waiting to be dyed, and driving back from town this morning with the hills all around me and the sun just beginning to come out I thought, I could, couldn't I?  So we'll see.

But further to my last post, there are a few other things I need to think about this year.  One is regular exercise (not easy if you can't walk or stand for long, let alone run around), making time for it and actually doing it.  Another is spinning more, and that might just run into the first one as spinning is good exercise for ankles as well as hands.  And hey, spinning as exercise?  A good reason to spin?  Yippee!  I need to try to get more rhythm to my days, weekdays particularly, that fits in resting and exercise and knitting and spinning as well as the school run and all the other stuff I do.  I don't know why it's so difficult, but it is.

Anyway, I'd better get on with it, I have a jumper to finish before the end of the cold weather, otherwise I just won't have a chance to wear it, and it is thick and heavy, perfect for the cold wet stuff we're having at the moment, plus any snow that might come our way (please let it snow this year!).  The children are back at school and really my time is my own, more or less.

New Year Resolutions

So, it seems that our house is a little bit on the small side.  And having just had Christmas we now have more stuff than ever before (and we did do some clearing out beforehand, honest).  It is now New Year's Day and the time for Resolutions.  And so, dutifully, I resolve to have less stuff, and to keep said stuff Tidy and Put Away.  And also to consider, and then do something about, making our living accommodation bigger.

It seems that we have two main options - moving, or extending.  We already have an attic room, so that option is off the menu.  (It also means we don't have the luxury of a loft, probably a good thing 'cos otherwise we'd just fill it with more stuff.  Instead we filled it with children.  Ho hum.)  Moving would be very expensive to get somewhere bigger, and a lot of hassle. Extending is also a lot of hassle but slightly more do-able pricewise.  I'm thinking that while we need a new kitchen anyway, we might as well make it bigger and more useable at the same time.  So, watch this space, 2015 could be an exciting year for our house I hope! (I will make it happen, I will, I will..)

Oh, and blogging more might also make its way onto my list, so hopefully you will hear more from me this year.  Roll on 2015!

Parcels

Look what the postman just brought! First up, this:

There will be one happy bean after school at least.

Then there was a supersized grey package that turned out to contain this:

Yes, its an Attic24 colour pack, affectionately known as a 'Lucy pack'. I'm running out of plain dk, and as I seem to have well and truely caught the granny bug I needed some more and a large pack with lots of colours made absolute sense to me. Husbean enquired whether I had bought one of each colour available and was vaguely impressed when I said there are 55 colours, and I only have 17. Restraint, you see. (One of each did cross my mind...) But I love it, and can't stop looking and stroking and hugging it. It's very squishy all in a bag like that, but I have opened the bag too, and that's even nicer.

Now I just have to finish a couple of other projects before I can really get started...

The Great Gathering

After the Wool Experience, it was the other half's turn.  So it was that we made our way this weekend, on an even hotter day, to the National Railway Museum at York with some friends.  We were going to see the six A4 pacifics, the Mallard and all its friends, all together for the first time (and quite possibly the last).  I like steam trains and so do the kids, but the men were just slightly besotted.  The way it was laid out meant that you couldn't see them all until you were standing on the turntable.  They are awesome engines and are beautiful, especially all together.

(Click on the photo to see it better; there were six, I just couldn't get them all in!)

We had a very long day (did I mention it was hot too?) and came away with exhausted kids and very happy menfolk.  And us ladies?  Well, we enjoyed the trains but also the tea and scones, and the chance to chat. And we also really enjoyed the children's storytime that involved being trains and making lots of noise!

The Wool Experience

Well, it was time to experience wool again last weekend, with the added bonus of the most delicious ice cream.  The venue was, as ever, Blaze Farm and the children enjoyed seeing the animals and watching the sheep shearing while I explored the wool. I didn't take any pictures of the actual event as I was too busy fondling wool, and I only had a limited time before the children got too hot and wanted to go home.  I could have bought so much, but as I still have a whole fleece from last year I really couldn't justify any more, so I came away with just one fibre braid:

This is Finnish, from WeaveKnitIt, and it is so soft and gorgeous, I can't wait to try spinning it. (It's also brighter blue-green, in real life, but I can't get my phone to comply.) Plans are afoot for a wheel (what are big birthdays for if not for big pressies?) but until then it'll have to be on the spindle. The spindle is of course currently occupied with something else:

so I'll have to finish that first.  I forsee much spinning in my immediate future...

Spring in the garden

Yes, it would appear that spring is finally here.  The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and the sun is shining, at least for the moment.  Our gardening started in earnest by planting seeds over the Easter holidays, courgettes and French beans, and these have been growing happily on the windowsill.  But they grew so much (as they do tend to) that they got too big, and needed to go out in the garden, whatever the weather decided to do.

I've spent a while trying to find suitable containers that don't cost anything and then planting out the plants.  So we have three bean plants in an old jute supermarket bag with the plastic lining removed, and three courgette plants in, from bottom to top, old tyres, a broken plastic box and a fruit crate.  They may not be the most aesthetically pleasing containers but they do the job.

The other things I've planted are potatoes.  I love growing potatoes and discovering all that potatoey goodness hidden in the soil when we empty out the tubs (so do the kids, it's like a treasure hunt).  We use plastic dustbins with holes drilled in them that we've had for several years now.  This year's variety is Maris Peer, and they are poking their leaves above the soil now and growing at a fantastic rate.  I am a bit behind, but they're second earlies so they'll just be a bit late.  I can wait.

Other things going on in the garden include fruit trees and bushes blossoming...

...and how could I forget the rhubarb.  Crumble, anyone?  I love spring!

Crochet!

I learnt to crochet before I learnt to knit, but never got very far with it.  However, I was challenged recently to try some crochet again, at least that's how I took it, and this was the result.

Eventually.

What do you call a polygon with five-and-a-half sides? I don't know either but I made one, and that was the second attempt.  Anyway, after two weeks, much ripping (with appropriate language) and a short sojourn in hospital (unrelated), I finally managed to produce a decent looking tortoise, with which I am quite chuffed.

I am now back to knitting thank goodness, but I suspect I will be crocheting again soon.