May

I started on the Bugs in your Garden pi shawl KAL on the EZ list, using some of the Swaledale bought at the NEC. I would have preferred to dye it first, but the info was quite varied in how much yarn is used, so we’ll see what it looks like when I’ve finished. I’m still only upto Clue Three I think, knitting a dragonfly motif. It’s my first attempt at a Knit-a-Long and obviously I haven’t knitted along with everyone else. It will get done eventually.

The Derbyshire Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers had a general open day so I put the wheel in a bag, caught the train and went to join in. There were 56 people over the day, with at least 30 spinning wheels in a splendidly airy and light church hall south of Littleover. The Derbyshire Guild members were all very friendly. As well as me there were folk from Walsall spinners, Stafford guild and York (and she was Swedish just to add interest). In fact there were two Swedes and a Frenchwoman, and I realised in my guild we have two Germans, all of whom have lived in the UK for decades. I bought some milk protein fibre, Ronaldsay, and A Gathering of Lace book. And of course eyed up this bag made of plastic bags and a jacket.

Our Guild spent a weekend at Sarehole mill for the annual Tolkein weekend. It is basically a community show, with craft marquees, folk selling things, a performing tent, Vikings and WOTRs clankies. My heart always sinks seeing reenactors with skeins of wool hanging up which are obviously beginner’s work and not only unevenly chunky, but usually dull colours. When most women spun, probably until the Industrial revolution, they would have learnt as children and the quality though still variable would not have been so chunky. I only spent the Sunday there spinning and got to mid afternoon before anyone mentioned sleeping beauty. I was pleased to sell three skeins of my hand dyed yarns (see April – I did try more with wetting the yarn first). On Saturday I had dressed up in my Tudor kit for a day in Suffolk and someone said I was glamorous. That bloke knows how to make a girl feel utterly charming!

After years of randomly sorting them all over the place, I bit the bullet and sewed myself a knitting needle case for my DPNs. The sewing itself didn’t take long, it was the measuring up which took the time.