book of inspiration

A dreary Saturday moring following a fairly sleepless night ( still can't get rid of the cough) was brightened up by hubby collecting this from the post office parcel depot. Hopefully it will help to get the creative side of me fully back into gear. This was followed by nearly 4 hours of bobbin lace, mainly teaching as I wound bobbins for my next project. You may remember that I couldn't make my mind up  what to make? well it was made up for me as someone has asked me to make some lace for them to take overseas as a gift. Nothing complicated especially as I have a tight deadline for this so it is going to be a torchon bookmark that can be easily framed.

  Petes second lesson with lace is coming on nicely, theres a couple of mistakes but as long as he can see why it's wrong then all is well. Footside, half stitch and initial set up of bobbins have now been introduced and practised.

not resolutions, just a few pointers for 2011

No resolutions as such this year, not really any point as I never stick to them but I have a few challenges lined up. I like challenges mainly because of the deadlines, that is not to say that I always complete them but it does then to focus my thoughts.

So for the first part of 2011 I have to spin and knit a shawl  for a group on Ravelry, the shawl is a Haruni and the pattern is available on Ravelry.

The spinnotts group on Ravelry also have a spin and knit challenge, this time to knit 198 yds of heaven shawl which I have knitted before and hopefully won't take too long.

For my own development I want to try out different knitting stitches and increase my knitting knowledge, fortunately I have many friends who are willing to help me in that direction.

Finally I would like to keep my lace making and embroidery skills from going rusty.

As for today, I am taking a few bobbins to work to empty and rewind at dinnertime ready for lace lesson number two. I'm also still looking for a pattern for myself but can't make my mind up as it has to be an easy one that can be picked up and put down without having to think too much about where I am with it. I am thinking Torchon despite the fact that I love Bucks Point Lace.




By the way, I've not killed the plants yet!!!

almost missed a day

So busy at work and home that I forgot to write the post that I had planned for today, nevermind, will write it at the weekend and this will instead become my shortest ever post!!

Goodnight x

undo or not?

I started this piece of lace around a year ago but it ended up in the cupboard when other interests started to take over my life. Looking at it again I find that I like the pattern but not the thread so tonight I will be cutting the threads and setting up something else. As I will be taking the pillow out with my, whatever I start need to be relatively easy as we always attract an audience no matter what we do. I'm still looking at my books....

Looking at it, I'm sure it's the variegated threads that I don't like, they distract from the pattern too much.
Just checked, I started this in October 2009 Yes, I think it must go. That must have been about the last time I made any lace!!Help! woolly fibres have taken over my life :-)

Tues 4 Jan

OK, back to reality!! work calls and its going to be really busy still I can console myself with the fact that its knit night so regardless of how stressed I am, I get to chill with friends later.

This is the last box of Xmas chocolates, when its gone, its gone!!
and on leaving the house this morning I didn't expect this..

Knit group was a small but perfectly formed group of knitters, I had intended to spin but ended up chatting and drinking coffee instead. They all seem to be trying to convince me to knit something big, jumper or cardigan but I think I would struggle to work on that sort of scale. Maybe one day but not for the time being. As for now, I am flicking through some bobbin lace books, looking for a pattern to work simply for the joy of making lace, nothing too difficult but something pretty. I'm also looking for a pattern for my mate ready for his next lesson.

Monday 3 Jan Part Two

OK, here's where I went to earlier today, Nottingham Lace Market which is basically an area that used to house many of the lace manufactures and finishers.Now the buildings are used as offices, colleges, bars and in some cases derelict.

My friend and myself were heading to a new cafe called Up Cafe that has opened in the building previously used as a lace museum and seemed a fitting place for fellow spinner Pete to have his first bobbin lace lesson. After a quick lesson on the basic stitch and a pot of tea, Pete took on the challenge of a bookmark after I had completed the initial set up for him.

Didn't he do well :-)

Monday 3 Jan Part one

Hooray, Its a Bank Holiday so another day off work!! Boo, hubby still has this horrible flu/cough lurgy thats driven him back to bed so I'm left to entertain myself again. No big problem there then:-) I've packed my bags and am about to head off down into town to have coffee with a good friend. Can you guess what we will be doing today??

Sunday 2 Jan

I don't intend this to be a daily blog but I'm trying to get back into the habit of being on here. I do seem to live on Facebook and Ravelry a lot :-) I'm on Ravelry as Guzzisue and tend to hang around in the spinners forums..no surprise there then!

First up today, I managed to block the shawl last night so its now finished and I've no idea what to do with it. Knitting it really was a stash busting exercise as I spun the yarn last year and the whole thing was part of a dyeing session last summer.

I had forgotten all about the Archers special on Radio 7 today so I have now re tuned the radio so I can catch a few hours whilst trying to do a bit more sorting out.

I've been thinking about what to do this year, I'm afraid that embroidery etc sort of got abandoned in favour of spinning and learning to knit. I still have a lot to learn and being a co owner of a knitting shop means that I need to know a lot more! However I have a friend who is desperate to learn bobbin lace and I fancy doing a bit of felting again so Its looking like a busy year, again.

I hope to knit some small stitch samples as although I enjoy knitting other peoples patterns, the City and Guilds part of me keeps nagging and saying inspiration, design etc so I would like to try and either design my own shawl or maybe just combine knit, felt, embroidery in some way.

Spinning gives me the chance of creating my own threads/yarns and remains as much of an obsession as ever.

Saturday 1 January

It seems really strange being at home all day on a Saturday as would usually be out and about either spinning in public or knitting at Knit Nottingham. Instead I have been clearing out cupboards and trying to find lids to fit all my plastic containers.

Trying to finish the Little Shells Shawl



Watching my flowers grow....usually I kill all house plants so I suspect these are on borrowed time!

Watching the film Julie and Julia.

Eating exploding candy.

quick update to the end of 2010

Hi, Christmas was good, quiet with the day itself being spent with family and Boxing day with our niece and nephew.

Tanya has decided that she would like to learn to knit and also had my Traveling woman shawl as an additional Christmas present.

Hand spun and dyed merino

I finished the Summer Flies shawl

Handspun Shetland

and Petes shawl (designed by Pete, not knitted for Pete)

handspun shetland and merino

Unfortunately our plans to visit friends were cut short when Ian came down with the same virus that I have been fighting for the last few weeks so I joined a friend for a spinning session instead.



Work was hectic for the last few days so New Years Eve was seen in quietly with a bottle of wine.

I am going to try and blog more frequently in 2011, hopefully I will be able to organise myself better between my day job, the shop and my other interests.....fingers crossed. I have a long list of things that I want to do so will try and keep you updated:-)

I hope you have all enjoyed the Holidays and wish you a very Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas! PS. I'm still here, just a little busy

So sorry about not posting since October, Will try and make up for it over the the next few weeks. Things have been very hectic leading up to Christmas and catching the yukky virus hasn't helped! This is the view from our window this morning, very cold but bright.


I've been thinking about how much has happened this year and it's been a really good one with many new friends although not as much motorcycling as usual but Ian and Biker Ted has been having a great time with the Round Britain Rally as usual.

More later :-) have a great Holiday, relax and enjoy it!!

fibre update

Ok, Bikers, you may want to skip this post as its about the wrong type of spinning wheels!

So here we have a quick update on the fluffy bits that I've been playing with for the last month or so.

Firstly, I managed to pack a little knitting amongst the holiday luggage although its had to go on the back burner for a while as other project have overtaken it but is a nice mix of silk and merino and was knitted in various place including hotel balconies and mountain cable car stations. More of that later.



The September guild meeting centered around dyeing using natural and acid dyes which proved to be very interesting and as a result fellow spinnotts member Pete and myself ended up going straight to Nottingham Contemporary afterwards to grab a coffee and do some spinning as very little got done between the chat at the meeting. It also appears that the staff there like to have us set up camp with the wheels and knittng etc and we are affectionally known as the yogurt weavers!!



We also attend Ashfield guild hospitality day and enjoyed the opportunity to meet other spinners and partake of a wonderful buffet including the squishy chocolate cake that somehow survived the bus journey back to Nottingham.





The shop has had some new stock in and we also had a stall at Nottingham newest WI fair where two fellow ravellers learnt to use drop spindles.



I'm busy knitting a shawlette and writing out the pattern, the original was knitted in Riot wool in a masculine grey, red combination No photo yet, sorry! So my version is hand spun Shetland/merino for a different look.



Friends are also busy writing and knitting for Knit Nottingham forthcoming pattern release at the beginning of November.





that about it folks, next post will be back out and about on the bike in Germany/Austria.

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend:-)

Sorry it's been so long

I bet you all think that I've abandoned you! Well, you don't get rid of me that easy!

Life has been a little hectic since we got back from Germany but here are a few photos from the beginning of our holiday.

We travelled down to Dover and stayed overnight with the intention of catching the early ferry which me missed due to a combination of chatting to a fellow biker for too long at the hotel and the person on front of us in the ferry queue messing about with his bike. Result was that he caught the ferry and we had to wait for the next one.




We took things steady on the first day, not our usual must get there mode and stopped overnight in France.



The Sunday saw us heading for Fussen on the German/Austrian border where we have stayed in the past.







More holiday photos to come once I've sorted them out and Bikerted will be posting about the holiday in detail on his travel blog soon, The next post will be back to my usual mix of spinning, knitting etc, honest!!

Have a great weekend :-)

I'm Back!!

Firstly, thanks for all your wonderful comments about the shop. It's going to be hard work especially for the girls running it but it's a really comfy friendly place and four of us sat knitting after a spinning session there yesterday. We had the wheels set up near the bus stop so spent a lot of time waving at bemused passengers :-)



The reason that I've been a little quiet for the last two weeks is that we had a little run out on the bike, around 2500 miles around Germany and Austria....more about this later.



Will have to dash, dyeing to do, computer ink to buy and bobbin lace equipment to pick up.
Hope you having a great weekend!

SCARY!! but nice

We all have to do scary things from time to time, get married, divorce, buying a house, having children(missed that one out). Today I signed a partnership agreement with friends Eleanor and Liese for a knitting shop, scary but exciting!

The shop knit nottingham opens at 12 tomorrow at 91 Mansfield Road, Nottingham selling wool, knitting and crochet accessories and some spinning fibres and accessories with more to come.

I will continue to work full time at my usual job and help out at the occassional workshop, Eleanor and Liese are the backbone of the company and will be running the shop etc.

The shop sign went up today and the stock is being sorted and displayed

AS I said, it's all a little scary but nice.