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Tuesday 6 January 2009

frosty start


we have had pretty hard night frosts for some time now - but I think last night was the coldest for this winter (so far...)! ok, in russia, romania etc. people would probably laugh at our min. 5 deg. C - apparently the last few days they were suffering minus 25 and less! but for us over here this cold spell is unusual - and I am fearing for some of my plants that I didn't bring in, because the last few winters had been so mild! well, it's my own fault, I know - but it's too late now or they'd die from the fast change of frost to inside temperatures:(( the hedges around the house do
look nice though with the white covering!

and the dogs don't really mind the cold either - well, as long as they can come in again when their feet go too cold:)) this is Dobby - enjoying a bit of sunshine this afternoon!
spinning seems to be a good idea in this cold spell - I've been working on my larger sample of corriedale (the white one) and also on one of the "humbug" backs of BFL. both are really nice to spin, not quite as soft as merino, but with more grip to the yarn. it feels more substantial, crisper somehow - and I do like the natural tones of the yarn. both are 2plies, which of course mingles up the humbug colours a bit - the yarn looks tweedy and lively, but without large blotches of colour. spun as a singles would leave it less mixed, I suppose... at the moment I am working on the first bobbin of merino/possum blend I bought at the K&S in november - but I have to say that I prefer the BFL feeling! the merino admittedly is softer - but it also feels slightly like cotton wool to me! well, after browsing online I found several sources for pure possum fibre, which I could blend with something else if I fancied to. I did like the look of the very autumnal possum yarn in the book "Creative Spinning" - but maybe mixing the fibres into something else would not only be more economical, but also easier to spin, as the possum fibres are quite short! well, I still have a lot to do before I can start on my tabbard/waistcoat/vest.... and I didn't even try the brown BFL yet!
I am also busy knitting a heather shawl with Lily-of-the-valley pattern, which has to be finished at the end of this month. I am about halfway through, looking forward to the more interesting lace border as the garter stitch main part is a bit boring to do - the rows are pretty long now, with well over 400 stitches in one......
tomorrow is back to school day - and DS has been complaining about it for days on end now! I am just glad that I can finally put away the christmas decos - the tree is always in the way and I have to go into my wool room for spinning, which of course means that I am "gone" for hours and have to dash out for phone calls etc.!
a happy new year to everyone - and this is the last time I'll say this! it feels like being in 09 for a long time already - next up is first DS's birthday (we should have christened him Valentine:) and then - Easter! and yes, I already saw an ad for Cadbury's Cream Eggs - so out come the egg cozies, bunnies and carrots:))

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hallo Bettina,
oh, bei uns ist/war es auch ziemlich kalt (gleiche Temperatur wie bei dir und kälter), wobei ich immer noch kurzärmelig (und ärmellos) herumlaufe. Wenn meine Füße kalt werden, ziehe ich meine Strohschuhe an. Ich hatte natürlich wegen sämtlicher warmer Winter die letzten Jahre wieder mal einen Rosmarin in den Garten gepflanzt. Mist - da muss es ja wieder kalt werden. :)
Deine Corriedale gefällt mir sehr gut. Die glänzt irgendwie.
Bei der Wolle mit Possum muss man beim Stricken aufpassen. Mein erster Pulli hatte ich in kraus rechts gestrickt und nicht so fest und dann wurde er mit der Zeit immer länger .... Dann hatte mir jemand auf dem großen Spinntreff geraten, ein Strickmuster zu nehmen, welches fester ist und dazu noch fester zu stricken. Den neuen Pulli hab ich noch nicht getragen, da man schnell darin schwitzt. Die Possumfasern arbeiten sich gerne wieder heraus, also ähnlich wie die kurzen Pferdehaare.
Viele Grüße
Juliana

Woolly Bits said...

na, ich bin mal gespannt - ich habs vergleichsweise fest versponnen, aber es sind eh 80 % merino, also recht wenig possum, in der fertigen jamie possum mischung! allerdings habe ich sowieso im kopf, diese weste laengs zu stricken, mal sehen, ob und wieviel sie dann laengt! das corriedale ist uebrigens wirklich sehr schoen, ebenso wie das BFL!

Leigh said...

Oh yes, spinning and knitting are perfect cold weather activities.

Sounds like your spring time is as busy family-wise as my autumn time. Good things do seem to all come together, don't they!

Happy New Year to you Bettina!

Woolly Bits said...

thanks Leigh - the same to you! and yes, my family has a tendency to crowd together (birthdaywise!) in only two or three months... and my own fault is that I never learn to make things well in advance (at that time there are usually other things to do:))

Julie said...

Your spinning looks great. I tried Merino for the first time last night and found it a little harder to spin but alot softer.

Woolly Bits said...

Jewel - when I first tried merino it just slipped out of my hands! I was used to longer fibres with more "grip" and it took me some time to adjust. I do like its softness against the skin, but for outer garments I sometimes prefer the very slightly rougher fibres, such as bluefaced leicester etc.

Anonymous said...

schönes spinnen und guten start ins neue Jahr liebe Grüße wiebke