Wed, 05/16/2012 - 10:26
weaving loom restoration :: before
weaving
loom restoration table top weaving loom

About a week ago, I was offered a loom. I accepted it, and this is my story...

When I went to pick up the loom I had no idea what to expect. You see, I have never woven (except on the cardboard rectangles with pinked edges that I was given when I was in primary school!), nor have I ever seen a 'real' loom up close. It was the weekend after Wonderwool Wales, and although I showed no interest in learning to weave the week before, seeing the beautiful pieces on show in Builth peaked my interest and I wanted to know more. 

On the way to Ms. L's house (I will be referring to the lovely generous donor as Ms. L from now on), I was filled with both excitement and apprehension. The cause for excitement was obvious, I was embarking on a new journey, a new craft... more 'stuff'... But I was also worried; I have no clue where to start, how will I learn? Who do I ask if I get stuck? What if I just don't 'get' it? 

Those thoughts didn't last long after I set eyes on the loom. They all disappeared and were replaced my my obsessive Need to Clean. The loom was quite caked with layers of rust, dirt, cobwebs and greasy tufts of leftover fibres. Ms. L explained that she hadn't used it for some time, and that it was in need of a really good scrubbing before I could play with it. 

Not a problem, I said. Cleaning is what I do best, so bring it on!

To be honest, realising that the loom needed restoration was the best thing that could have happened that day. You see, it was the day before my birthday; if the loom was ready to 'go' I would have spent the entire weekend experimenting and refusing to socialise with anyone. This way, I could work on it a bit at a time and still find time for family and friends on my birthday. 

After giving it a quick wipe, I took plenty of photos of the loom, so I could have a reference of what it looked like before I got to work on it (and also to make sure I knew how it was put together so I can put it back after I've dismantled it). Here they are:

Keep reading
Fri, 05/04/2012 - 13:33
wonderwool wales 2012
community
wonderwool wales 2012

It's been almost a week since Wonderwool, and the exciting buzz still hasn't worn off. For a change, I went to the show as a member of the public and not as an exhibitor; it was absolutely wonderful. The lovely Eirwen from Knitwitches Yarns had recipes.knit for sale at her stall and that allowed me to browse to my heart's content that weekend.

I didn't take anywhere near as many photos as I would have liked... The weather was a bit chilly (and I wasn't wearing gloves that day) and I was too lazy to take my camera out most of the time because I was distracted by all the fibre goodness around me! Instead of a wordy post, I'm just going to share some photos with you: 

 amanda hannaford (mandacrafts) being her amazing 'spinny' self!
Keep reading
Fri, 04/20/2012 - 21:15
recipes.knit launch :: let's talk about knitting journals
knittingshop updates
recipes.knit - Knitting Design Journal by Chopped Tomatoes

"I've been checking in on your blog lately, what happened to 'I'm going to write weekly posts and monthly giveaways from now on' then?"

My close friend had really hit it on the nose with that question. My last post was back in January, and now, almost 4 months later, I'm wiping off the virtual dust that had gathered on my blog. I had intended to keep up with my posting, I prepped how-to articles, experimented with recipes, filled up my hard drive with photos of inspiring pretty things... then reality hit and my fantastic blogging intentions went out the door. 

Over the past few months, I worked on a new project. An amazing new product (if I may say so myself!). I called it recipes.knit. It's a knitting journal, designed for designing. It's somewhere between a notebook, and a textbook; with plain pages for sketching, knitting graph paper for charting, and a substantial reference section with conversion/measurement charts. 

Here's a little peek into the book:

 
plain sketch pages with margins for extra notes
 
knitting graph paper
 
16 page reference section
 
Keep reading
Fri, 01/06/2012 - 17:37
january super sale!
shop updates
january super sale!

Confused? Let me explain. 

I decided to stop dyeing yarn. Why? Lots of reasons, but the main one is time. I just haven't got the time. Prepping skeins, soaking, dyeing, cooling, rinsing, drying… It really takes a lot of time and effort and I think I need a break.

Don't get me wrong, I love dyeing, and I love yarn.. but from now on I won't be stocking full collections or taking custom orders. I'd rather dye when I can... and have small limited edition collections that won't take up as much space and won't stress me out as much. I doubt I'm going to do any dyeing until the summer, so it's going to be quite a while.

So what I'm trying to say is… 

All the yarn in the shop needs a new home. 

All of it. 

Every Single Skein. 

So here's the low-down on this clearout. Everything has been drastically reduced. Nomadology is now £8.40 was £14, East is £9.60 was £16, Classic Cashmere is now £10.80 was £18, and Lustrous Silk is a bargain £5.40 was £9! One of the yarns sold out before I finished updating the rest, that's a good sign no?

Keep reading