Purple Rug

 

The purple rug is off the loom and finished.  I washed the rug and thanks to the breeze this week drying has not been a problem.

 

I spun fleece from my English Leicester sheep and dyed it in a purple and a mix of blue and purple.  I also dyed some grey fleece which I spun. I have also used dyed fleece for texture.

The rug was woven on my Stanley Dann 4 shaft floor loom.

Colourful Locks

 

Some of my English Leicester fleeces from the lambs. 

 

The fleece is soft and lustrous and silky

I have one more fleece to hand dye.

 



 

So more colours will be available at Fibre Arts Australia Ballarat Winter School next week.

Spinning more Yarn

This week I am spinning chunky yarn for the Australian Ballet Costume Department.  Today I am spinning white  English Leicester which I will dye later in the week.

As well as dyed yarn I will be spinning some natural grey. This afternoon I am sorting through volumes of grey fleece .  The weather has been very kind and I have managed to dry fleeces over the past week.

The yarn is to be used for costumes for Sleepy Beauty which will be performed later in the year by the Australian Ballet.

Too Exhausted to ...................

We were all too exhausted to celebrate New Year's Eve.  It wasn't planned but it just happened that shearing took place on New Year's Eve.  The sheep I am sure a very pleased although the weather was cold on New Years night.  We brought the sheep into the house yard where there is plenty of shelter. 

The wool is the best we have had for years.  Most of the sheep were coated which has resulted in very clean wool.  Now its time to get spinning and dyeing and weaving.

I'll be back at the Arts Centre Market on Sunday.

Colourful Cloud

Lots of fleece has been in the dye pot again this week.  I am packing some for the Arts Centre Market in Melbourne on Sunday.

This is the soft cloud effect when the the fleece is hand carded.  Even though hand carding can be tedious you can separate your colours and plan your spinning.

Three 200gm balls of 8 ply ready to be knitted into scarves.

This morning I met a friend and we enjoyed a walk through the Ballarat gardens.  Well worth a wander if you are coming to Ballarat.

Feeling Lost

I am way behind in my work. Amidst the sadness of losing Michele I have been just working on whatever comes my way. So lots of colourful fleece which needs to be weighed and packaged.

We are in the strange time between death and the funeral. Lots of emotions, memories and I must say exhaustion. I really cherish the most supportive care and love from family and friends. Although we had known for some time that Michele's cancer was terminal it has not softened the blow.


And I made some bootees for little toes. There are lots of small projects to finish. Today I am sorting the shop, labelling yarn and being creative with the colours. Tomorrow I hope is a finishing day.

And then there is the house. Piles of clothes to put away, some food to be cooked, and a general tidy. What do I want to wear to the funeral???

And we won't discuss the vegie garden, I have pulled weeds from half so I should have that finished this week.

Water in the Lake

Last year we planted quite a few fruit trees around the studio. It is the beginning of spring and buds are appearing on all the trees. I often walk Darwin around to visit each tree and am delighted that the tress have survived their first year.

In the studio I have been spinning, knitting, felting, dyeing. I have dyed a combo of tops and fleece which will be on Etsy early next week as well as some hand spun Chunky. This is The Blues which has the contrast of the soft Merino and the lustre of English Leicester

Also I packed my samples for the Fibre Sampler at http://www.ewebeaut.blogspot.com/ This time I have sent fleece, no dyes but natural cream, brown and grey/black and some 8 ply yarn as well. I think the Samplers are sent out in October.

This morning I went to the Farmers Market and remembered to take my camera. The market is held near Lake Wendouree. The lake has been empty for some time so I wanted to record the return of some water. From what I have read it will take some years for the lake to refill.

I had one trip to Melbourne this week to go to appt with Michele and then had lunch with Brie. We just managed not to get soaked as we walked to Uni and the bus. The 401 bus to North Melbourne station is a great service as I can then get the Ballarat train without having to go back into the city.

Today I have been waiting for the return of yesterdays horrid wind. Not as bad today - well so far but as I look at the trees blowing now we may be in for a blowy night. The blustery wind is never good for the quince trees. The rain has just started but as I am yet to hang the washing out I'll just put it in the loft.

The property next door has sold. The huge container that caused so much trouble last week will return. New neighbours will move in early next month.

Puppies and Fleece

We live just south of Ballarat and our bulbs bloom just a little later than in town . But every year they return with happy faces.

Have been washing fleece this week. Just as well I have it all dry as the rain is pelting down today. Some of the fleece will be at my stall at the Arts Centre market on Sunday. The remainder is for the next Ewe Beaut Fibre Sampler http://www.ewebeaut.blogspot.com/

And here are Mopsy's puppies one week old today. I have been informed that Mopsy is the perfect mother although she does tend to bury the pups in the straw. Can't wait to go and visit. We are certainly missing Mopsy. The big boy Darwin is enjoying special attention. Last night I wanted to bring him inside for some TLC. Darwin seemed to have other ideas and kept running off with the lead expecting to go for a walk in the dark. This morning he was perfect making up for last nights questionable behaviour.

Our next door neighbour must have sold her house although the "Sold" sign hasn't been put up. New people moving in today - well trying to move in. A truck with the biggest container arrived and took one look at the wet roadside. Lots of turning, churning mud and messed up gravel road and truck was bogged. Didn't think it was appropriate to go out with camera. Eventually the truck, container and furniture left. Guess if you purchased 10 acres you would think it would be easy to move in. The entrance to the block is quite narrow. Will keep a watch out for the next episode.

Going to have to make a mad dash to the studio - rain still heavy. Have felted hats to finish this afternoon.

Tea Cosies and Puppy News

Have been making Tea Cosies. These two I have made this week for the Arts Centre Market and I have several more nearly finished. If you are interested in tea cosies but are unable to get to the market let me know. The cosies have a knitted lining so will keep your tea warm.

Last weekend Mopsy gave birth to 9 healthy puppies, 4 more than expected. We haven't been to visit the puppies as yet. Mopsy has apparently been very protective of her new crew. If you are interested in Portuguese Water Dogs have a look at http://www.bluegrace.com/

Spinning is becoming so popular again. I have been washing fleece today, a very dark black brown, a gorgeous donkey brown and white. Took a photo and have left the camera in the studio so will post a photo tomorrow. Will take a mixture of colours to the market.

Its dark and I haven't fed the animals. They will be rather annoyed with me so had better be off and put together some meals for them. I'm sure they will understand I had an order to label and pack.

Fleece Dyeing

This week was a busy fleece dyeing week. Above is a blue, donkey brown mix with pale silver and blue where the colours meet. SOLD

And then an earthy mix of brown and olive. The English Leicester is just a wonderful wool to put in the dyepot. The lustre enhances the colours. SOLD

Used burnt orange together with green and yellow here. SOLD

And I was delighted with this blend of blue, green. purple and the softer shades inbetween.

These are all for sale on the website listed at side of blog. The wool in these colour blends is English Leicester/Merino blend.

Our wonderful dog, Mopsy is going to spend the next couple of months with her breeder. Mopsy is due to give birth to puppies in two weeks. We will really miss her. Guess we will just have to give Darwin double the attention. I will post photo puppies when they are born.

Mopsy in the collar

Mopsy had a trip to the vet and ended up having to wear an Elizabethan collar for a week. She coped well but David had to make a verandah on her kennel. It took Mopsy the full week to work out she could back into her kennel.

I make many knitted felted hats so decided to have a go at making a beret. This is the funny pumpkin shape so far but hope the pumpkin will turn into a beret after next lot of felting.

Now that David is home from hospital I am back to spinning my yarn called Curly Fleece. Sometimes I find an extra special fleece and its like spinning clouds. Today I have been dyeing Pencil yarn for a customer and Curly Fleece yarn for the market.

Tomorrow will be a busy day finishing felted hats, labelling yarn, packing for the market and also Jane, Mopsy's breeder is calling in.