(Nick Cave)

Last weekend we had been invited up to Trefalen Farm so I could meet the alpacas whos fleece I have been spinning. But alas, there were no buses running on a Friday to Bosherton....Saturday was impossible as there are only 2 buses running, we would not have got back in time to see the fantastic John Tams play in Pennar. 

We left it to this weekend....it was wet to say the least.  The wind was blowing a gale and the sand on Broad Haven beach was painful! But we went anyway....well if you stayed inside every time it rained around here, you'd never see daylight!

Church Rock off Broad Haven Beach.

 Because the wind spooks the horses, I wasn't able to get up close to the alpaca field....I could see them from a distance though.

From left to right "William", "Petroc" and "Lord Cawdor".

There's always something special about knowing where your products come from, like buying meat and veg from a Farmer's market and getting to know them,  growing your own, raising your own animals (oh I wish!). When you buy from a supermarket or a shop on the internet, you kinda become detattched from the fact that someone somewhere has put all this hard work in to producing the item.

I love these stores like Etsy, Folksy, Artfire and many others, not only are you made aware that theser items are made by one single person, but you can get to know them, understand why they produce these things, and knowing the love and sweat that goes into it makes them all the more special and precious. 

As we're talkin' handmade, InkberryBlue asked if she could see what I got up to over the Easter holidays. As I mentioned in the last post, I was doing two Easter craft workshops at the Youth Centre in Pembroke Dock.

They went very well and thank you all that came along.

Easter Baskets made from card and tissue and filled them with these wonderful felt pens shaped like eggs.

 We decorated paper flower pots,stuffed them with tissue, made flowers from straws and card, and filled the top with mini Easter eggs.

As these went well, I did another two craft days the following week. Where we did all types of crafts, from mixed media mark making, weaving, spinning and cardmaking.

These structures were originally the lanterns that were made for the Midwinter festival. I love recycling!

As much as I am so, so glad to be back at work, I would love to have the time to get things made for my online store, get some of my knitting finished, spin more yarn....oh the list is endless!!

Still we can't have it all can we? It's not going to stop me from trying though!

It's "Freedom" 100% wool, from "Twilley's of Stamford". Look at those colours, how could I resist?

I usually only buy a couple of balls but I bought the whole pack...it's only 10 balls....another 10 balls to sit in the corner of my room while I think of something to do with it!

What was I celebrating? I hear you ask. Being back in the land of the living!

I feel like I have been ill forever! Normally I catch something (as you can imagine, working with young autistic boys), if I have to, then I'll take a day off, dose myself up and go back the following day....(most of the time I recover through sheer stubborness) I had an ear and throat infection to start with and once I'd had the first course of antibiotics, my immune system just caved in. I caught everything going and with my body being weak, my back was giving me some jip too..... I was offered the depression meds (that I've managed to keep off for 5 years) and thought "that's it, this can't be THAT bad...so I settled into the illness, instead of fighting it, rested and slowly got better. Though there were many contributing factors, (a little retail therapy, lots of Nick Cave, and the kindness of strangers) being back on meds was not the way I was going!

How does that saying go? "God moves in mysterious ways"? (I just googled that and got this link.... ).

He certainly does.

A friend of mine (G) who owns the LYS contacted me to say that a lady had been in the shop trying to find someone to have her alpaca fleece. She mentioned me, and G was asking if that was ok..."of course" I said, not expecting to hear anything more, (google "the Pembrokeshire Promise"). Now, on a Monday night Big J goes to Bible study, he came home and let me now that a very kind lady had been to the LYS to see G, who mentioned me....getting it now? (Also to add to that story...the lady with the fleece lives in the same village as Posh Dee of Posh Yarns so I mentioned that she might like some too....)

The following Monday, Big J came home with these.....

 and they are wonderful!  There are 3 bags (about 400g+ in each) of 1st cuts, and 3 of 2nds. I'm gonna spin the 1sts and felt the seconds).

(Thank you so, so much xx)

I was going to do it all properly, buy carders and all that, but as Artis-Anne mentioned, (I've adopted her as my guru...she doesn't know yet) if the staples are long enough, it should spin straight from the bag....so I thought I'd have a go.

I thought this one "Cawdor" (that's the name of the alpaca) spun like a dream,

 until I tried "William"....pure heaven!

I'm going to spin some of each and then ply them together and get something like this...

I am still reeling from her kindness.

"Amen" has been put on the back bench for a moment while I get this spinning spree out of my system...but she's coming along. I've finished the first arm and about 1/4 of the second.

I've done a bit of freeform crochet though, and finished it! I came across some Wendy "Fusion" in a bargain bin and it screamed "ponds" at me....which is how I knew I was getting quite poorly....hee hee. 

What do you think? It's lined an'all!

It's 50% wool and 50% acrylic, so it will wear well, but still has the softness of the wool.

As for other news...I have 2 Easter workshops lined up for next Wednesday and Thursday, if you're here and like your crafts, come along....we'll just be making easter bunny stuff...card making and things. It's all free too.

see you soon x

I like this photo, I think it's fitting for Easter time.

  This is only the second time I've come across slow worms in my life, this one was quite happy to sit there whilst I took photos!

"Amen" is coming along nicely, slowly, but nicely, now.

 and I've had a bit of a stash enhancement!

the pinks

the greens

As you know I love to support my local yarnies....Fyberspates, although on the border, is Made in Wales and she does have some lovely yarns and drop spindles too!

And if that's not enough....I've subscribed to this.

I start in April! I can't wait!

Handknit Heroes  a handknitting superhero comic...how could I resist?

I've not been particularly busy, I've not been particularly well, again but this time I have succumbed to it and had some time off, much to my dismay, I hate being off work and I HATE being slowed down!

I've got a few things lined up. I have a meeting this morning with the guy who runs the Youth Centre (providing he's there) to see if I can run an Easter craft session....and hopefully regular sessions through the Summer hols. 

And the local charity knitting group have asked me to find some more modern baby knits for them....Here's a few...

Woolly Wormhead's Jester Hat :     Baby Kimono:       Cabled Bib (Ravelry Link)

Well I think I've got enough to be going on with don't you....

Hope you're all well.

It's "Margaret" from the book  "Mason Dixon Knitting - Outside the Lines" well you can't have one book without the other can you? I'd seen the cardigan in a magazine, can't remember which one, and searched high and low to find the pattern on the net, but it was nowhere and so I went to Big J, pleaded, begged, got down on my knees...and well you don't really need to know the rest, as it happens I got the book! 

The pattern is by Mary Neal Meador, The quotes (which is what I really love about the pattern) are from Martin Luther King, Ghandi and one of her own. I love the idea of writing on clothing, always have done since my dissertation  at Carmarthenshire college, where I wrote a poem in a cardigan....(ravelry link) a pair of trousers, hats and wallpaper...sadly I don't have photos without faffing around (maybe at a later date).

I have chosen my own quotes to put on it, which I found in a nice little book Big J bought for me a while back "Moments of Peace for a Woman's Heart"   

I'm hoping they will fit - on the back "Women who have lived wisley and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star srewn night skies" Daniel 12.3

and on the front "My heart took delight in all my work and this was the reward for all my labor" Ecclesiastes 2.10 ( I might spell that "labour" )

I'm knitting it in Wendy "Ascot" Chunky on a larger size needle than asked for, so I only need to knit the smallest size (phew), the skirt is gonna be the challenging bit, but I so desperately want it, that it should  carry me through - then, I promise, I will finish the Braided Pullover. 

I promise.

As I am gonna be off work today due to a poorly boy and my ear ache which isn't going anywhere despite a high dose of antibiotics, I should get a head start! The back is done and I'm just on the shoulder shaping, which is the first time I've ever done short row shaped shoulders, so I'm learning too.

Oh and I thoroughly recommend these Mason Dixon books!

What other news? The merino fibre I bought from Jo (limegreenjelly) has now been used (it's beautiful Jo)....it went from this...

to this....Wall Clock (ravelry link)  

and a llittle bit left over for this...

 a tiny little neck scarf.

 I'm off....gotta knit xx 

 I feel like my head has been about to burst for about a week now, until today I've been under a fair amout of pressure.

Last Thursday I was to give a talk on "The Dockleaf Project" in front of lots of people with suits....scary. I haven't spoken in public since I read poetry at the Ayreshire Literature Festyival in 1999....It scared me that much that I avoid speaking publicly at all costs....still there I was. I think I was still shaking the following morning, in which I had a small, but important test on restraining children, and a very long day doing the practical stuff too. My brain was pretty much broken by then!

Saturday was the first day of the half term holiday, which I find is the hardest. Explaining to the kids that we don't have to do all we planned in the weekend because we had all week....all week!! Sunday was nice, we went to church, but we have a problem with a lady there as she keeps talking to my son, (and only my son) especially when I want him to settle down and be quite, during prayers and the sermon and whatnot - it's a long story, so I won't bore you with the details, but she's really getting on my nerves....nerves that are still on edge!

Monday and Tuesday meant getting stuff ready for Wednesday....I had organised a Bring and Buy Sale to raise money for the Mission Nutrition and Blue Peter. That was a bit of a dissapointment, as we weren't exactly turning people away at the door, but we did manage to raise £124...£24 went to the rent of the hall and Blue Peter got £100. When I think that this is Pembroke Dock (the most un - motivate - able town I have ever known) and we had 3 hours, in the morning...we did quite well.....and thank you everyone who helped out with that!

Today, my head hurts....I tried to relax but couldn't, so tried some retail therapy.......

 Big J found this in the surf shop in Pembroke. We'd actually gone in to buy a recycled cup tide clock which we'd seen ages ago, but everytime we went to town, it was shut. Anyway, Big J gingerly turned over the tag to see how much it was, low and behold...it was affordable! So we bought it....obviously!

It's a metal, couldn't tell you which, possibly copper painted black. It's going on a white wall so it casts shadows of the little flowers onto it, which I think will look great.

Walking back to the Dock, we watched the swans and ducks performing in only a way ducks and swans do when you don't have a camera around. Diving, showing off, making heart shapes with their necks, skidding to a halt...you know the stuff. It just reminded us about how much we forget to come to Pembroke and appreciate it....and there's the castle....a massive castle in the middle of the town!

I also bought some little drawers in an attempt to organise "my corner" . It's not gone very well as most of the stuff is still ...out....but what's ...in.....looks good. I can see what I have without having to get trapped in a corner of art and craft and yarn.

woohoo!

*whispers* and this too but don't tell anyone.....

 sssshhhhhhh........

so now I am off to bed to read it. Thanks for listening to my moan.....just think, it can only get better from here......and then it's lent and I'm giving up tobacco....oooh I bet you can't wait for that!!  Night night folks. x

I bet you're all sick to death of all this change, but you should know me by now, I can't sit still for one second!  I'm not able to upload all my previous posts on Wordpress, so this is it, a new beginning.

It's been a long time, I know, but with the new job, decorating the house (well the living room at least), writer's block and lack of knitting time and therefore not a great deal to blog about, I've come out the other side feeling ....uh....Spring-y. As well as the new Christmas table, we now have an oak fireplace...a carpet ( that's a luxury in this house), new telly!! new cupboards so the computer can be stashed away....new settee!!

Made by Big J (that's my husband btw) It smartens up the tacky, cheap council fireplace anyway. I love it!

I've been doing a little spinning with some of Limegreenjellie's Merino called "Be the One".

 Which is full of some stunning colours. I can't wait tp knit this up. I've also got some fibre from MamaMi which I am looking forward to spinning too.

I'm doing a little knitting, a fairisle jumper for Little J, from issue #2 of The Knitter.

I've already gone a bit wrong, if you look at it closely, but if you don't, it's ok! I'm also doing a fair amount of baby knitting as there are a few on the way, and some already here!

It's half term here, which means I have a week off to catch up on it all! 

As this really is just a test, I'm going to leave it there for now. Let's pray that it works eh?