Schwook - the Shetland Wool Week hat

Hazel Tindall, patron for this year's Shetland Wool Week, has designed a Fair Isle hat for Wool Week. She has called it Schwook - one day perhaps she'll tell us why!

I chose five of my own solar- dyed and handspun yarns for the hat:
Deep purple  - Bose wool from Italy, dyed with a mixture of logwood and madder
Red - also Bose, dyed with beetroot
Green - Shetland fleece dyed first with silver birch leaves and then overdyed with Japanese Indigo
Pink - Wensleydale wool dyed with berries and black grapes
Yellow - Wensleydale dyed with Alchemilla mollis flowers

I was going to London for the weekend, by train. I cast on the tension sample as the train left Gleneagles station, I knitted pretty much all the way to London, for a couple of relaxing hours in Red Lion Square, and then most of the way back from London - I finished knitting the hat just as I got back to Gleneagles.
Luckily on the way to London my knitting was not in my suitcase (silly thought, of course my knitting was not in my suitcase - I was knitting on the train!) - although I went to London my suitcase only got as far as Newcastle because someone took it off the train by mistake, instead of her own case. I had to buy enough clothes, toiletries etc  for my stay in London, and am still waiting for my case to find its way back to me. But at least I still had my knitting!!

ancora Miagliano - Miagliano again

Ero molto contenta stare ancora nelle Biellese per dare un corso base di filatura a Miagliano, ospite da miei amici The Wool Box.

Due giorni di sole, persone simpatici, molto interessanti nel mondo della lana e dei filati

un vello moretta, scelto nel magazzino profumato di lana e delle pecore

preparazione con cura, cardatura e pettinatura della lana sucida

pranzo al fresco, oppure al sole

primi prove di filatura col fuso - tutti ziti, concentrati sul lavoro, ma sorridenti

la binatura e finalmente - ognuno con la prima matassa in mano

secondo giorno - primo approcio alla filatura col filatoio - tre modelli diverse da provare

La seta - apenna toccata, tutte innamorate! fasioletti di seta sembrano ragnatelle, ma si filano in filato resistente e lucente

So sono molto fortunata, avendo l'opportunita di visitare un posto cosi speciale, e di incontrare persone favolosi, divertendoci con la lana.

Avevo anche tempo per passare una giornata belissima insieme con Bodil, imperare il ricamo Bandera (tradizione di Pettinego) da Laura, ricamatrice esperta dalla Piccola Fata a Pettinengo. Siamo andate al'antichi telieri Graziano, a Mongrando, per comprare stoffa di lino da ricamare

Poi abbiamo passato un pomeriggio molto piacevole alla Piccola Fata, sedute nel giardino con nostro lavoro.

 Grazie a tutti, alla prossima!!!

 

(Stiamo organnizando un corso avanzato della filatura per Settembre, per dettagli scrivi a formazione@thewoolbox.it )

hand-crafted spindles, nostepinne and niddy noddies

Murray, who supplies me with beautifully made spindles, has hand-turned these lovely spinning tools. They will be a joy to use, and should last a lifetime.

Russian-style spindles, with cups  £12.50 each plus postage

mahogany nostepinne (for winding centre-pull balls of yarn) £8.00 each plus postage

niddy noddies ( ends dismantle for postage and storage)
large (2 metre skein approx.)  unpolished £28.00  polished £34.00 plus postage
large, dark cherrywood, (fixed ends so UK post only) £28.00
medium unpolished (one only) £20
small (fixed ends so UK post only) £16

E-mail me for details and postage cost if you would like to order one
Murray will also consider commissions if there is something different you would like him to make for you.