*** Rainbow Sprinkles ***

Another scorching day in Sydney - perfect weather to be plying pure wool yarn for winter woollies!!! (???)

I had dyed some pure finn combed top a while ago, and today spun a single on to my *#%&? Majacraft plying bobbin. I then wound the single into a ball before plying from both ends of the ball, holding the ball in my left hand and guiding the plying with my right hand. I'm happy with the results and the technique, which I hadn't tried before.

Lots of lolly colours - artificial colours and flavours? It is "Rainbow Sprinkles" Handspun Yarn.

Knitting for Sanity

I have finally been diagnosed!

I have worked out that I have contracted a serious condition, known now as CPCS "Compulsive Project Commencement Syndrome" - I've begun three knitting projects and two handspun yarn projects just this week alone.
No, I haven't finished my socks from a month ago.
No, I haven't finished spinning all of the merino/silk yarn I've been working on. They are all on the "To Do" list. So many ideas, so little time!

This beanie I started is being knitted with some handspun slubby that a little puppy got stuck into (the yarn was resting on the bobbin overnight), and I have tried to salvage some of it. There were patches of yarn that went to the yarn retirement centre in the sky, never to be used again. I'm not too into maths, but I worked out this equation: Puppy + Handspun Yarn = Time Wasted.

This week we have had tradesmen in renovating our kitchen. The front screen door was constantly left open as they went in and out of the house, and I have developed another obsessive habit of running around with a flyswat squishing many, many blowflies (sorry to my readers, I am not a blowfly liberationist). I did try to get the door to be left closed by stating to the tradies that if a black or brown snake came in the front door, they would be catching it, not me. The door then stayed closed for all of fifteen minutes. So it was back to power tools and blowflies. All while it was 40 degrees celsius outside (and pretty close to that inside!). ("You were knitting a beanie?" I hear you ask!!!)
Hence, knitting for sanity.

Spins & Needles Issue 3 Coming Soon!!

Things are a little busy around here, working hard on issue 3 of our free online magazine, Spins & Needles. It will be available on our website early December, and if you haven't seen issue 1 or 2, scroll down our homepage and click on the cover photo to get to the link. The back issues are always available as well for new readers.










I spent last Saturday stabbing evil felting needles into fibre at a needlefelting workshop; I met some lovely people there and had a great time. There is still quite a bit of work needed to finish off my gnome head, which was the set project for the workshop. Needlefelting a sculptural piece is quite like sculpting with clay in the way you shape areas, but of course is somewhat less messy and there is no kiln needed!

Festive flavour

Yes, although it is again late into the night, I couldn't resist skeining up this yarn I finished tonight.

"Festive", merino plied with a nice gold metallic thread. Brings up memories of Bing Crosby crooning Christmas songs (I think that's a good thing...) It is for sale on our etsy store and webstore. Now for some shut-eye!

Bobbin Dancing

Another cool find from our moving boxes - some merino top I had dyed a while ago in our Dancing Queen colourway. Vibrant and motivating, these colours! It has now been whipped up on Elspeth into a slubby yarn. I prefer spinning the smooth yarns, rather than thick and thin. Anyhoo, the yarn is for sale in our webstore and etsy store (having some troubles with etsy links after the etsy v2 launch).

Struggling to concentrate on the sock I have been knitting in the Country Fair colourway. Happy with the way the yarn is knitting up, but the brain is not getting it together, so it has been popped back on the "to do" list until I get some sleep!!

Feeling festive?

What a great weekend! Mostly spent outside doing heavy duty gardening with the kids playing in the backyard, and picking the ripe boysenberries from the bush. Those are some of my favourite memories of childhood, and I hope it will be for my kids too.

Squeezed some time in for a quick dye and spin (a true fibre addict!). Merino top, dyed with red and greens, which I plan to ply with metallic gold thread. To be known as "Festive" in its future life. Pics of the finished yarn coming soon.

Still not happy with the Majacraft plying bobbin after replacing the yarn guide clip. Mine makes a distracting whooshing noise, which the standard bobbins don't (they are beautifully silent, perfect for spinning while watching those great movies from the 1940's with lightning-fast dialogue). Back again to sort that problem out (hopefully).

Berries & Chocolate

Berries & Chocolate is off the wheel and on the market! I really like this colour combination - rich and calming. It is up on our webstore and etsy store.

Issue 3 of our free online magazine, Spins & Needles, is due for online publication in December on our website at www.thatspinningplace.com. We are always interested in article submissions, so if you have something inspiring to share about your fibre exploits, don't be shy, contact us!

It's finished!!!

It's finished! Happy birthday present, Aphrodite, she of the yellow rose! Looking forward to your visit!

Fast Week ! Woooh !

Where has this week gone? It passed by in a blur as I grabbed the opportunity for some Christmas shopping without little ones in tow (such a feeling of liberation while other mothers were juggling strollers, hungry newborns, screaming toddlers and then the shopping!), also filling in orders for handspun yarn and other items.

Sadly our sheep ended up at the saleyards (sniff!) including the gorgeous coloured ewe lamb I liked so much. At the moment we are on a smaller block and are not needing to be so tied down to animals. Perhaps in the future we can go down that road again.

I've managed to get in just a little sock knitting and have started spinning this Berries & Chocolate merino top - such a nice colour combination. The smokey purple is a very similar shade to the blue moon rose in my garden at the moment. Good therapy!