Still here

I think.
I don't know where the time goes to these days. Wednesdays was often a good night for blogging as I had the house to myself and could hog the computer as long as I liked but Wednesday evenings are now devoted to S 'n' B (too much B and not enough S, usually) and by the time I get home, I'm too tired. 's OK, I think, I'll blog tomorrow instead, but we all know tomorrow never comes.
So what exactly have I been doing instead of blogging?
Well, there's the usual perfunctory round of household tasks that even I can't put off indefinitely. I have made attempts to delegate in the past but they never come to much, and I do have standards, however low they may seem to others ...
I have been spinning a little, dyeing a little - about 110 yards of blue/brown navajo-plied DK/Aran yarn and 60ish grams of merino-blend roving that is now blue/brown/pinky-red - and I have been thinking about spinning as well. Last year I acquired a Norfolk Horn fleece in a swap. I washed it (dirty job, made the whole house stink) and then put it away whilst I deliberated on its future. I now have some ideas but have to find the time to put them into practice ... if the truth be told, I am a bit nervous about the whole carding/preparing scenario.
I have also been knitting - the fluffy, lacy experiment has been put on hold temporarily as there is some secret deadline-type knitting going on in time for a significant birthday. I don't think the intended recipient reads these online witterings but I'm not taking any chances. I'm finding it quite hard going, actually, even though it's a simple pattern and one that is very effective when finished (I've already done two versions in the past); I think this may be because I'm not 100% sure that the birthday girl will like it. I know she will like the colour and I'm pretty sure she will like the pattern, it's just that I think she feels that knitted items are a bit ... homespun ... a bit second-rate .... and I'm worried that she might feel a bit let-down by a home-made present. She is a very stylish, well-dressed woman and this little gift is meant to embrace that image; I just hope she takes it the right way ... I'll let you know!
Another reason (why am I making excuses? it's just laziness that's stopped me from blogging) for the lack of posts is that last Saturday I went to the local Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild, where we were treated to a demonstration of 3D wet-felting by Harriet Appleby who makes beautiful, beautiful felted wraps and bags. I am seriously considering attending one of her workshops (as if I really need another hobby...) When I have seen Harriet's work in the past, I assumed that she hand-dyed the merino tops herself as the richness and variety of colours was so good, but they are all commercially-dyed. Just shows what you can do by careful blending.

Right, the hungry hordes will be home soon - whose turn to be chef tonight?

Slight hiatus

because I had to go back to work. Three weeks off after my operation and all of a sudden I have to get back into the habit of getting up early, driving to work and actually making myself useful. I had a very quiet first week back but was very surprised at how tired I was - on Friday I got home from work about 4.30pm and promptly fell asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours, which is not something I normally do. Anyway, that's my excuse for not blogging much recently, take it or leave it!
The lack of posts may also have something to do with this:



a little experiment to use up some very fine, floaty stuff that's been in the stash since forever

or this:



detail of the above experiment

or this:


a bit more spinny stuff

Left to right: my entry for the first Sunday Spin-a-long, which was to make crinkle-cut yarn;
next we have a skein of 100% wool which I bought from a craft shop where it was being sold as "suitable for needle-felting" but I thought it would spin quite nicely :)
second from right is more of the dreaded ultra-fine cashmere yarn, this time held double and navajo plied into something a bit more user-friendly;
far right is the second lot of hand-dyed rovings from my dyeing experiment the other week but this time it was just plied from two singles and I'm amazed at how different the colours look.
I'm beginning to think that I just don't have time to go to work, but if I didn't, none of this mucking about with fibres would be possible (nor would eating or paying bills or running a car, for that matter!).
There is also a new bag kind of half done, but my head's not really in a "stocking-stitch-in-the-round-on-thick-needles" kind of place right now so when it'll actually get to be a bag is anyone's guess.

Right, I'm off now to entertain myself by reliving vicariously Lucy's hot date from last night!