Happy New Year......

Sheesh......2008 is nearly over.....how did that happen?

Well, of course, I know how it happened, but it went so fast!!! Alot has happened this year.......we finally sold our other house, my yarn and spinning biz has gone from strength to strength, and I've finally made the decision to put my woollies on the back burner for the moment.

I hope that 2009 doesn't go quite as fast as this year has.....!!!

Happy New Year......all my love and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009 goes out to everyone :)

Customer show offs!!!!

Gothika

Blue Banana

Rivendell

Olivia

.....and the stunning cowl it was made into!!!

Treehugger

Mirasol

....and the wonderful shawl that it was made into!!!
Big Banana

....and the totally fabtastic Monkey socks it was made into!!!

All these beautiful yarns and FO's have been created by some of my loverly customers.....arn't they just amazing!!!!

Knitted pressies!

I made two of these in the end, one for my Grandpa and one for my Dad (pictured)....

Its my own design, and I did make notes the second time I knitted it, so I shall write it up in the New Year and post it on here as a free pattern.....

My Dad was a pleased as punch...bless him ;)

Knitterly content :)

Finally got around to knitting up my "Ode to Vincent" 3 ply handspun. Woollywormhead has used her half of the yarn, and said it looked lovely in reverse stocking stitch/garter stitch, so I followed her lead and knit one of her hats, Dulcie, from her book "Going Straight" :)

Its a really good fit, and has a wonderful drape!!! I started another straight away, for a neighbours daugher, and I'm just grafting it together now.....well not right now but its nearly finished anyway :)

Have been missing my wheel a lot since we've been so busy, so I am dedicating tonight to a new spinning project :)

Merry Christmas Blogland!!!

Yeah, I know I'm a bit late.....lol, but I really didn't have 5 minutes on Xmas day, and we've been away since Boxing day, visiting family......better late than never!!!
Phew........I'm a bit more upbeat about Christmas this year, thankfully!!! Nothing has been broken........YET......
The boys got Guitar Hero on Tour, the Band....so we've had lots and lots of fun playing with that....everyone has been very spoiled, and we've had some brilliant family time as well.

Last Minute Spin!!!

I am speeding up a bit!!!….lol

Its a 3 ply, as usual, an olive green solid merino ply, a rusty orange solid merino ply and a variegated merino silk ply, 100g of it :) Destined to be a cowl for my Grandpa…..just need to knit like the wind now!!!

All finished :)

All finished :)

There's 213g, and just over 650 yds......so more than enough for a pair of socks!!!

Hat for the Husbeast

I've hat to knit this hat twice......as the first incarnation didn't keep his ears warm, and it kept riding up his curls.....LOL

Its a "Dylan's Beanie", by Woollywormhead, made from my own handspun....designed to self stripe in the colours of our local village football club.

The Husbeast teaches the soccer school

Last shop update of 2008!!!

They are all on Folksy, and etsy too :)

Just for fun......

This picture was taken in Leicester Town Hall Square on Tuesday night......my boys are standing in front of the Thomas the Tank Engine display.....
What is Joel saying to Daniel???

All plied!!!

I finished plying my Mum's sock yarn last night :)

There's easilt 700+ yards of it, over 200g in total.....so deffo enough for a decent pair of socks!

I am going to dye it up tomorrow, and then will post more pictures and actual totals when its all reskeined.

I am soSoSO proud of myself.....she is going to love it!!!

Getting there.......

Finished spinning the superwash BFL for my Mum's Xmas pressie yarn last night.....so now to the plying!!!

Its a lot different plying on Lola...for a start she has a tensioned mobile Lazy Kate.....so I've had to change plying position, and get used to resistance when pulling the singles up to be plied.

Have got used to it quite quickly though......blimey them singles are uber twisty!!!!

Its about 17/18 wraps per inch at the moment....but all that will change once the twist has been set......

More pics once its all done :D

Rivendell, superwash BFL

Dyed up some superwash BFL for myself on Friday, 200g in my "Rivendell" colourway, destined to become sock yarn I think!!!!
It took the dye really, Really well...so will dye some up to sell tomorrow.
Any requests?
hehehehe

She's here!!!!

Say hello to Lola...the newest spinnerly addition to the Longlegs household!! She's a Louet Julia and she's wonderful!!! She's the big sister of my travelling wheel, Lily, and their parts are interchangeable...so I have 10 bobbins...hehehe

I immediately, well not quite immediately as I had to finish my workload for today, put her together, and put Lily's flyer and last bobbin of my Mum's sock yarn on her, and started spinning :) Because she's taller (and bigger) than Lily, my spinning position is a bit better, and so I don't have as much shoulder pain :D

On a sadder note, I say goodbye to my lovely Louie tomorrow. He's going to live with someone who I've know online for quite a few years now, so I am happy he'll be loved and looked by a new family of four :D

Bag Love...oh bag love...

Went Xmas shopping yesterday, and popped into a favourite (but usually WAY out of my price range) shop of mine, as there was a big sign in the window saying BAG SALE....oh yeah...my two favourite words all in one place!!!
Picked up this Roxy beach bag.....and its a perfect knitting bag! There are 3 huge pockets on the front, the middle one houses my Harmony options set.....the one on the left holds my needle roll...and the other one has my crochet hooks in it!!!
Well chuffed with my bargain I am!!!

Raffle prize....

Cherryred and her sister Laura are raising money for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, in tribute to their beloved Mum, who they lost to cancer a few weeks ago. Laura is doing a SOLO SKYDIVE on 7th February 2009 to raise funds for the charity and Shirley (Cherryred) is organising a prize draw, to help Laura reach her target of £1000.
I am donating this lovely hypnotic wheel of Wensleydale, and there are lots of other prizes too :) All you have to do is donate £2 to the fundraising amount on Laura's Just Giving page and you'll be given an entry into the raffle.
Please visit Shirley's blog for more information, and please be generous!!!

Frosty Inspirations :)

"Jewels"

"Silverdell"

Waking up and seeing the frosty ground got me thinking this week. I searched through my undyed stash, and came across some lovely shiny Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK I'd forgotten about, perfect for the job! It takes dye so deeply, and really just shines.....

Both 293g colour sets are in the shop....a good amount to make something beautiful :)

*~*Sighs*~* Well, the time has finally come.....

To sell Louie...... SOBS
I have just acquired myself a Julia, from the wonderful JamMam (who's new wheel is spookily called Sarah, wooooo) so my beloved Louie is up for sale. I really don't want to part with him, but I cannot justify having 3 wheels.....really, I can't!! As much as I would love to have a Louet family, its just not practical...


He’s a Louet S10, and comes with 5 x 2 speed bobbins and 3 new 3 speed ones. I also have a bulky flyer and bulky bobbin for plying, and a homemade lazy kate extender and extra rack for it.



I am asking for £175, to be collected, as I really want to meet his new playmate.....:)

Swimming Medals!

My boys both had Swimming Galas this month, Dan had a Gala with the rest of the club, and then the week after, Joel had a "mini" Gala with the rest of his class. The littluns swam with floats etc....and Joel got a gold and a silver medal!!! Unfortunately, Dan isn't happy with his performance, hence no picture...he's very hard on himself :(

He did so well though...he swam against boys a class above him, and there were 2 heats before his final, so he'd already swam two 100m races before he got to the final!!! He came third and got a bronze medal, and we are immensely proud of him...

I just wish he was a bit more proud of himself :(

Ode to Vincent, 3ply

This is my latest 3ply. Inspired by two things, a famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh, and some beautiful Cashmerino roving I bought from Lindalee on etsy. The other two plies are both merino, one rusty orange and one yellow :)

I made enough for two skeins......the other skein took a long journey to a good friend of mine in Italy :)