Lets talk about Tour de Fleece

 The countdown is on for the start of the tour but I still have a few fleece washing days ( weather permitting)

 Just for fun I had a look back over my blog to see when I first took part which was 2010 and noticed that some years I didn't blog about it ( lack of blogging enthusiasm rather than lack of spinning) and was still spinning from commercially prepped tops. I certainly didn't think that I would still be blogging and spinning 13 years later.

So I have been washing and prepping ready for the off, around 1kilo ready to spin and more ready to prep but the black hole of fleecyness is still as deep.

yep, bit of an ongoing problem I have sorted some ready to be washed next time its dry, some lleyn x texel, creamy colour when washed with slightly stains from what must be a sandy soil. I'm combing and will then run through the carder to mix it up a bit, resulting yarn will be overdyed.

Ryeland both black and light grey, I had a half fleee of each and just have some oddments to wash now.

The light fleece is pretty clean but the dark one was definitely dirty but a test spin was successful. I removed the bleached tips before spinning.

I have a bag of alpaca, not my usual spin but I may just wash some and play.

My plan of attack is pretty much the same as usual, get out and about with either wheel or spindles ( I have some nice Shetland for the spindle) and my first spin on the louet will probably be some of the last 200 gm of Jacob so I can complete my previous Jacob spin.

I had intended starting the spin at the Framework knitter Museum on Saturday but unfortunately we have a family occasion to attend.  I may pop down there on Sunday or during the week.

Speak soon x

Sunsets and lochs

 Back briefly to Scotland, I think this will the the last Scottish post as we have been back for a month now and really its old news, so here we have the West Coast in Photos starting at Ullapool.

Ullapool is a busy little town with a bustling harbour when the Outer Hebrides ferry pulls in, its also included on the NC500 so the campsite is always a hive of activity as people pull in either to stop for a night or just to use the facilities.

The small museum had some interesting display including this community quilt.

But the best things were the sunsets......

Then it was on to Skye for a catch up with friends, shopping and just enjoying being somewhere that has always meant a lot to us ( we have already rented a cottage for early next year just to spend more time around the less visited parts of the Island)

Our next to last stop in Scotland was back on the mainland at Morvich, not really a new place but just one that we have past many times on the main road not realising that there was a campsite amongst the hills. This is now one of our favourite sites, from the list of wildlife sightings to the walk to the cafe.

After our stay we made our way back down towards Callander, picking up a puncture on the way and onwards back across the border.

There will be many more travels to come but for now we are back at home, I'm recovering from sunstroke following a recent quick trip to the coast and the next few weeks are going to be house and fibre based although I may include a couple of quick outings as time goes on.

Speak soon xx

Interrupting the Scottish posts with a quick charity haul update and a TDF 2023 mention.

 Which do I do first? I think the TDF 2023

If you follow this link you will see that most years I take part in the Tour de Fleece when spinners around the world watch the Tour de France cycle race and spin along on race days, rest on rest days and challenge themselves on challenge days. Originally hosted on Ravelry the concept has spread onto Facebook.

For myself its always been a chance  (excuse) to spin everyday and become more consistent in my spinning , especially when I was still working and didn't get chance to spin everyday as I do now.

This year I will be once again spinning everyday ( when possible) but I also hope to take my wheel and spindles out and about more, I will document my progress as usual.

Starts 1st July and ends on the 23rd, so I'm about to wash and prep fleece like mad once I'm feeling better ( that's another story).

Here is most of the charity shop haul from Scotland. I seem to have lost one item but will add it in at a later date.

First books, although I am trying to get rid of books I bought a few fictional ones for holiday reading and one or two knitting related ones.

I'm really looking forward to the one about the rag trade, its about the lives of the people, dressmakers, milliners ,tailors, shoemakers, framework knitting, corset makers and a lacemaker. 

I was also lucky to find a DMC colour chart, even if its an old one it will help me match colours on an upcoming project.

As for cross stitch, I found a few kits and charts that may stay with me or be passed on to other stitchers.

At one of my favourite shops in Portree on Skye, a couple of mugs jumped in my basket. These date from 1993/4 and were produced by Paragon Products, Young enterprise Scotland company from Portree High School. Young Enterprise Scheme is an initiative for school children to learn the basics of running a business from opening the bank account to producing and selling the product. I've supported similar businesses locally in the past.

I suspect that these may have originally been a set of four so the hunt is on.

Our last next to last stop at Kendal produced a surprising  and somewhat sad find, priced at £1.00 this picture is hand made bobbin lace ( I think I have the pattern for it in my files) and would have taken hours to complete. It will now become part of my lace display when demonstrating and live on the book shelve when I'm not.

I will be back soon with tales of Scottish sunsets x

moving on up the east coast of Scotland

 I left us down in Montrose in the last holiday post, we then drove further north to Lossiemouth. The weather was still cold and wet and unfortunately the touring part of the campsite had seen better days. It was a holiday weekend and maybe they were short staffed but the state of the amenities block left a lot to be desired and the large rubbish bins were overflowing. The touring pitches were just tired and looked more like the end of a summer season rather than the start. We spoke to regular visitors who said that the park seems to be cutting down on the number of pitches and replacing them with camping pods. We did get the impression that the holiday homes areas had more attention.

The advertised shop was still being built but there was a bar and swimming pool along with the usual bingo and entertainment although we didn't partake.

However the site had easy access to the beach.

Due to the weather still being cold we grabbed a taxi down into town and had a look round the harbour.

followed by sausage rolls from the local bakery and cheesecake in the local restaurant :-) that brightened up a dull day.

There is a small museum near the harbour and I grabbed a couple of photos of some old fair isle knitting. We then crossed the new bridge connecting a small sandy island to the mainland, the remains of the old bridge could be seen along with a few hardy surfers,.

Another lighthouse, this time overlooking the campsite and now used as holiday accommodation.

Back on the road again, this time heading to our favourite campsite, crossing the bridge outside Inverness and heading onto the Black Isle

The campsite at Rosemarkie is a favourite of ours, virtually on the beach and an easy walk to the cafe for coffee and the golf bar for a pint in the evening.

Woodland walks

Fairy garden hidden amongst them

An old ice house

and chance to relax watching the sea

Ian managed to spot some dolphins, I wasn't quite so lucky :-) We like this site as it gives Ian a chance to explore on his bike leaving me to potter around.

Speak soon xx