Cold, bored, too much to do.......

I am FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sitting at the computer with my little oil radiator, but having to leave the storeroom door open otherwise I have to listen to hysterical puppy, who is now the same size as Ted and only 5 months.

Good news - tra la la la la

BT obviously looked at my complaints file and managed to re-connect me on saturday rather than tomorrow, in a way I like working at home, in the warm on the comfy sofa, hot cups of tea with milk! (forgot the milk this morning am having to drink black tea, as I am too lazy to stagger up the lane to get milk).

Have finished Blackthorpe Barns for another year, can't wait for the lie-in on saturday, but can't stay in bed too long as I have some visitors to the farm.

Have got so much paper work to do, am planning workshops and a knitting club, need to do flyer's and stuff, have got plans for the girls to plaster suffolk coastal with sandlings knitting club leaflets, while I sit here and mastermind the plan and freeze to death.

Bought our first farm christmas tree, have decorated it very badly, more of splatted it with beads, need to go in search of tiny decorations.

Am knitting a big BFL slub extra long cardi, I like long cardi's, they cover a multitude of sins, only knitted about 5 inches so far, might go and sit in the showroom under the sofa throw I am crocheting (you can see it behind the tree in the photo) and knit another 5 inches of cardi before the ebay auctions end. I want you all to buy lots of the slub as its my favorite and I only get the left overs and am running out, cardi might never make it to 10 inches.....

Daisy has a new boyfriend, who I think she might be bringing home to night, but I wasn't listening too closely so it might not be tonight. Think Homer is going to leave work early and go and see Feppy's exhibition at uni, talking to her last night sounded like she hadn't hung it, didn't have a space and wasn't even sure she would be able to find one.
Poor Homer has such faith and high hopes, sometimes refuses to accept we have bred a self contained state of chaos, hopefully she will get it together and he can be proud dad.
I feel mean not going but will be working until about 7pm, which would be to late to go.

Am panicking about my girls and all their Friends due to the serial killer in Ipswich, its only 17 miles away and they are in and out all the time - college, cinema, pubs etc You only need to be in the wrong place at the wrong time......
And those poor mothers who have lost their girls already, I can't begin to imagine how devastating it must be.
And the girls still out on the street, if only we looked out for them in the way they deserve instead of being arrested and abused the whole time, they wouldn't be there if there wasn't a demand. I don't understand why we don't have licensed brothels......

Not again...............

Am totally exhausted, 2 weekends at Blackthorpe barns = early rise on saturday and sunday and no lie-ins.
Had to go to Homers company christmas do on saturday, so we stayed at the hotel where it was held so I could have a glass or 2 of wine.
Didn't go home until sunday night, Val and Daisy holding the business fort between them.
And what do you think happened during the gales that hit the country saturday night????????
Yes - thats right a tree fell on my BT phone line, so I am without internet access and phone at the farm.
The nice BT man arrived at the farm this morning to survey the damage and was met by 4 hysterical excited women who thought he had come to re-connect us, which he hadn't so we carried on being headless chickens..
He said tomorrow - so fingers crossed.

work in progress

The dye room, as yet only one side is useable, the hooks for the wool are all on the unusable side - must remember to bring my wellies down.

My dye baths look pathetically small in such a huge space, however one day I will have 9!

The packing and winding area, Val has gone home for the day and Daisy is at college...

The showroom/design studio, I found the knitting machine when packing to come here, now all I have to do is remember how to use it, its perfect for our sock yarns.

The showroom/Design studio from the other side, still waiting for some pigeon holes to put all the wool, as have run out of baskets.

Last of all the store room with resident puppy, notice the dog bed and stairgate, which will be used when we have visitors. I know some people are scared of dogs, but have no fear they will both be firmly shut in the store room, unless of course you would like to meet them.

Still waiting for the drying frame outside, Phil has all the materials, just rather inconvienient that he has a job and can't get it built till the weekend.

We are in!!!!!!!!

We are in - what more can I say?
This is my second full day, for the first time I am here on my own, of course I have the 2 dogs, but I hadn't realise how huge it is...
Come and see us (me)
Just phone - 01394 411500
or e-mail - dyestudio@hotmail.com
Will post some photos when I have changed the mordant bath.

Nearly finished

We are so close, just waiting for the electrician to do some work and we will be in!!!!

Maybe as soon as next week, in the mean time, here are some of the almost finished photos

Showroom/Design studio - Phil putting up the design boards and what was our garden table, but is now mine.....

Showroom/Design studio - looking out through the front door.

Kitchen - looks a lot better, the big red blob on the floor was me using up the floor paint left on the brush, its so expensive I hate to waste it.

Office - looking through to the storeroom

Dye room - where all the rubbish seems to end up, we aquired a fridge freezer -why I don't know and now it needs a new home.

Phil & Francis have a tea break and look at our new grass!! Its even growing under the tree, but then so are the sting nettles.

Animals

Have been decorating for weeks and have got to the stage where the tiredness is no longer noticeable.
I took loads of photos of the nearly finished farm over the weekend, so what am I going to update my blog with??????
Yup - animals or to be precise my animals.

Bad Billy - the Maine Coon, asleep in the area of my house formally known as the dining room, but now as stock room or alternatively packing room.

A really bad photo of Ted and Loki at the bottom of the stairs - as you can tell by Ted's body language he has had enough of puppies and having his ears bitten.

Loki - this morning in the office which was once my lounge, note the umbrella swift behind his back, one of the few things he hasn't eaten!!

Moors Farm

Just a quick note to any one who is reading this......
We are now officially tenents, whooooooooooooooooo
Oh my god I have to start paying rent and then theres the electricity and water and rates and......................

The dye studio's new address is
Old Stables
Moors Farm
School Lane
Hollesley
Woodbridge
Suffolk
IP12 3RF
and we will be open for visiting customers as soon as we are in and settled!

It feels so good (and scary) to be saying this!

Loki update

Loki at 9 weeks

He is such a sweetheart....

And as much as I would love to cuddle and play with him all day, I have to be his alpaha and teach him to be a well balanced member of the pack. So far so good, at just over 10 weeks he knows "no", his name, "sit" and "down". "Heel" is proving a little more difficult, as he thinks chewing my fingers for the tiny piece of ham is more fun than "heel". I am determined to get him walking to heel before his first walk in just over a week, as he is going to be a giant dog I can't let him pull on the lead. He loves training and has already learnt its training time after the ebay auctions have finished for the day. When I finish printing sales slips and turn the computer off he's at my feet smiling, try to herd me into the kitchen for his piece of training ham.

I feel a bit mean ignoring him when he meets me at the door, but he doesn't jump which is the main thing and is learning that when I am ready I will call him for a cuddle.

Loki and his toys,

He doesn't have real dog toys as Ted would get jealous and they don't last very long. The blue spade is an especially favorite.

Note the blue plant pot, there was a asparagus fern in it, but Loki turned it over and ate the plant. He is also obsessed about the pond, he has been in it 3 times, the last time he couldn't get out and had to be rescued, since then he has been very careful not to fall in.

If you look carefully at his tail half way up you can see he is growing a proper German Shepard tail. And his legs have grown about an inch since we have had him, Brian my vet thinks he is going to be enormous - more reason to train him to be well behaved.

Decorating - day 1

This morning we started decorating the show room, I expected a huge difference in the light, but I guess its the first coat.....

The first stroke!!

Val hovering spiders

The difference an hour makes!

The graffiti is all gone, Val and Daisy painted the store room while I stripped paint off the walls in the office.

It feels lovely to be there, so tranquil, no computer, no phone, no dye vats......

Loki & Wool

Loki eyeing up some nice un-dyed alpaca/merino sock wool.

So far he has tried eating 1 ball , which I didn't notice until he squeaked and then I realised I had puppy/alpaca/silk sock wool spaggetti and 1 small wound skein which he dropped as soon as I told him to.
He is learning so quickly and I am proud to announce he now knows "sit", "no" and his name.
I am hopeing this is a good sign and I know we have a long way to go, but at 9 weeks its not bad.

Phones & Plumbing

I thought I would share these photos of the inside of the farm, until now I have held back as it is a total mess, but as we are getting close to moving I thought it would be nice to record them for posterity.


The show room, where we will entertain all our customer/visitors

We have phone number for the farm, but no phone or connection.
We will be connected on the 2nd of october, had better buy a phone by then.

We are still haveing plumbing traumas, no one knows where the drains go to and as it was a prison property there don't seem to be plans. The prison seems to have made it up as they went along,
I counted 8 drain covers in our small piece of garden, you would think we would be able to work out which went where......

Fred modeling the dye room door, it has since been finished. This is also pre-windows.

We still have drain pipe problems and when it rains the doorway leaks.

Our delightful kitchen area. The hand sink has now been replaced with a kitchen sink and draining board, but apart from that it still looks much the same.

Gum Infection

Have had toothache for about 3 weeks now!!
Am really fed up.
Still last week it turned into a gum infection, which was agony!
Antibiotics have just about worked..............

Loki

Here is my new baby

He look like a cross between a corgi and an ewok from star wars. Just look at the size of his feet, he is going to be a very big boy. I unlike a lot of people prefer grown dogs to puppies, however he is the fluffiest, cuddliest I have meet and I dare you not to fall in love with him.

Its like having a blank canvas and I know everything I teach him now will set him up for life.

I promise not to talk about puppies the whole time and get back to moaning about windows and spin driers.

The new moan is useless builders and the fact they seem to be unable to connect a drain pipe.

Any way off to the dye vats now - I have the bank manager visiting later and have to show him what I do.

Dougal & Loki

Dougal was my precious and I loved him.
He died very unexpectedly at the beginning of april, he was fine on the thursday, friday morning he wasn't quite right and was dead by lunch time, the vet thinks he had a heart attack. It was like losing a child, although I have never lost a child so I don't really know. I still can't think off him without crying, in fact I am crying now as I type.
He was a German Shepard rescue dog, we think he had been beaten quite badly and he was frightened of every thing, made lots of noise, but didn't have an aggressive bone in his body.

I gave him a home and loving life he gave me undying love and support, he was with me when I was first diagnosed with epilepsy and comforted me while I came to terms with it, he was there for my second bout of fits, he was there for me when Phil had cancer and I didn't know who to turn to as Phil didn't want any of our freinds knowing. He spent a lot of time being used as a hanky.

People were scared of him as he was a big dog and made lots of noise, I am sure a lot didn't believe me when I told them he was the gentlest dog I knew. When we brought Ted (bad poodle) home Dougie loved him like a mother, slept with the puppy and took him from the room if anyone new came to see him.

Being without him has left a huge hole in my life and by my side, he drove me mad at times, barked the whole time he was in the car, but when you have a dog at your side for 10 years, its difficult to come to terms with him not being there.

Anyway the reason I am writing this is beacuse I have a new puppy, he is a long haired german shepard, looks nothing like Dougie as I couldn't bear that. He will never replace Dougie, but will help fill the hole.

His name is Loki and he is 8 weeks old, I have never met such a well behaved puppy, half the time you wouldn't know he is there, asks to go out for a wee, only minor amounts of crying and chewing, doesn't bark and fell asleep in the car. I know its very early days, but he seems to be everything I want. He will come to the farm with me and I don't want him scaring my customers, so will be kept in the office, I think long haired GSD's are less threatening. He will be trained with love to an inch of his life. He has made me very happy.

I tried not to have a GSD, I know so many people who are scared of them and I certainly would be wary of one I didn't know as there are some out there who give the rest a bad name. But I couldn't live without one.

I am trying to upload a photo, but blooger won't let me, so I will publish this and try again.

The Big Chill

At last I have got round to updating....
Life is so busy, am dyeing like mad, trying to replace the sock wool which seems to gush out of the shop.
Knitting the dragon, writing the poncho pattern, knitting cushions etc etc
The dragon has been started 4 times, I just can't get the colours right, I want to use varigated yarn, but the colours are too close and there is either too much definition or not enough.

We had a great time at the Big Chill, I managed to relax, Phil was stressed because we weren't selling enough, but we earnt more than last year, covered all our costs and had a bit left over.
Apparently it was a really bad year for traders the nice jewelery lady next door said she had never known a year like it.
We slept behind the stall and struggled with ear plugs, I gave up in the end, trying to sleep between 2 stages was interesting, but the music stopped at 1.50 so it wasn't too bad. My internet connection only worked first thing in the morning so checking e-mails was a pain, but I managed to communicate with Val and the business at home ran smoothly.
My high light was listening to Bent, who I have loved for a few years to see and hear the music in person made me cry, as you can probably tell I don't get out much - lol
The kids enjoyed themselves and the business paid for our only holiday of the year.
And I meet the Wooly Wormhead who makes the best hats - it was great to meet you Ruth.

I would love a holiday, I want to drive my zoom over the Alps like Micheal caine in the Italian Job. I know its not an Aston martin, but its mine and the only sports car I am ever likely to have. After the Alps I think we will drive down to Rome and then back along the French Riviera where I spent lots of my late teenage. My parents had a house about 15 miles from St Tropez and the area will always be very special to me.
BUT this holiday is a long way off, maybe for our 25th wedding anniversary, only 5 years to go - :-)

Snakes

Apart from the glaring mistake, I am quite happy with this.
Should I knit it again?
Or should I move on to the next design which is one of my Norse dragons.
At the moment I am knitting the back, which is taking ages I have only done one inch (8 rows), but is sooooo boring, never mind only another 17 to go - yipeeeeeeeee!!!!!

And Carina - I haven't forgotten you, just up to my neck trying to sort out stuff.

The big chill update is still to come.

Merino loop poncho

Ok - so I lied.
Just wanted to share the poncho, now all I need to do is write the pattern which will take longer than knitting the poncho.
Wish I wasn't so dyslexic and that I made more sense.

WINDOWS AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even though they are the wrong size and shape, they are windows, the difference they make to the dye room is unbelievable. It almost feels like a room and not a torture chamber, I am beginning to imagine working there, my dye vats will seem tiny, but I will have so much room.

Lots and lots to update - The Big Chill, Intarsia knitting, merino loop poncho etc etc
But have just started dyeing my first batch of wool in 3 weeks, feel like I have put on about 20 stone from lack of bucket lifting.
So will update later, when I am thin again (LOL- ok not thin, but a little less fat).

Unbelieveably hot

As I am sure everyone else is......
Couldn't work out why I was so tired until I realised I have dyed 25 kilos in 2 days, and not just half colours, but the whole finished skeins.

Have been working on my next practise cushion top piece, it is the snakes from the sutton hoo buckle and so far I think I have the maths right.
I have gone a few stitches astray in the middle some where, but I am quite pleased with it so far.
Finished it should measure 14 inches square so will fit a cushion, but guess who forgot to allow for seam allowances!

I have finished dyeing until we come back from the big chill, so no more dyeing for 2 whole weeks, I feel rather lost, there is no new wool in the house, everything has been dyed. The last few skeins are drying waiting for the winders.
Both of which are really suffering in the heat,, their fingers are clammy so making a neat skein is impossible, that and the fact that all 4 of our electric umbrella skeins are playing up and they are taking it in turn to use the working ones.
I should be printing patterns and stuff, but am too tired so going to sit in the garden and knit or maybe go down to the beach later for a swim - its handy having the sea at the bottom of your garden.

And forgot we now have a window at the farm - yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Just the one for now, but who know we might have 2 soon.

Finished tree & maths

Toooooooo hot, but I guess everyone else in the country is suffering too.
The studio is unbearable, I have weld simmering and if I leave it too long it will go off.

This is my finished tree, completely the wrong size and shape, it needs lots of maths to be able to turn it into a cushion, am working on my sutton hoo snakes, have pulled it undone 3 times and still can't get the maths right, but at least I have researched cusion sizes - stupid me why didn't I do that first.
Each time I measure the tension it comes out differently, the first time 8 stitches per inch and the next time 11, its such a big difference.
I might just give up on the small needles and use dk instead, at least its easier to work out the tension.
I think I have collected enough colours, I did start with a few rows of moss stitch, but several stocking stitches up it began to look like a frill - don't want frilly cushions!
Am now going back to playing with alpaca/silk dk and working on tensions.

Tree base

Practise, practise and yet more practise....

I am sooooooo proud of my tree base and pinning all 3 pieces up together, has sent my mind racing with ideas, too many to fit in, where do I start and I should be designing sweaters and shawls, but all I want to do is this.....
I don't have the time to be an artist anymore.
I guess you need a photo explanation
The top piece is knitted on 3mm needles,
the second on 2.5mm needles
and the bottom on 2mm needles, this is or rather will be the finished piece. Its all knitted with our alpaca/merino sock and alpaca/silk sock yarns.
Please buy lots of these 2 yarns, so I can dye lots more and have a bigger range of colours - :-)

The dining room is full of bins of wool, 45 kilos arrived this morning, another 10 to come on thursday and I might have found a cotton yarn supplier - fingers crossed

Back to dreaming about being an artist again and being proud of knitting on 2mm needles.

Quiet

Its very peaceful, Feppy has gone back to London, I have dyed almost everything we have and everyone seems to have stopped knitting for the summer.

I am now knitting my tree for the 3rd time, the first attempt was on size 3mm needles, the second size 2.5mm and now I am knitting with 2mm needles. I have never used such thin needles and would be going mad if it wasn't for the fact I was knitting intarsia.

The spin drier is mended, apparently I had over filled it. When Val went to pick it up the man the shop kept telling her that old people get confused and she ought to show me how to use it, she said she did consider getting me a zimmer frame on the way home.
So now I am old and unable to read instructions - lol

I put in an order for 50 kilos of wool, am hopeing to get it all dyed before we go to the Big Chill in 3 weeks, poor Dais and Val will be winding in their sleep.
Which reminds me I had better go and get the wool out of the cochineal.

Wall

My design/swatch wall on which is the "Natalie Flowers", assorted practise pieces including my first attempt at a socks, slippers and wool samples. All my visitors love it and I just wanted to share. Of course there will be a much bigger one when we move to the farm.

Not moaning at all & intasia

I stupidly decided to play with some intasia designs, this is what I used to do at art college. I should be knitting hats for the big chill, but am now obsessed with designing and knitting practise pieces. I need a lot of practise before I can knit without it looking lumpy, but am now on my second piece.
The lovely Kaffe has advice in one of his knitting books, I was catching every stitch as I knitted, Kaffe says every 3rd stitch and he should know. Have decided to design a range of cushion kits, which gives me the chance to do lots of designing. This is the "Natalie Flowers" of which I did a series of collages and embroideries when I used to be an artist.

Not moaning about the spin drier & Red Poll's

I am not going to whinge about it again........
But "it" and the lack of windows at the farm are beginning to become an obsession.

The white wool should be hanging in the studio, waiting to be dyed, but as it needs to dry as it can't be spun, its taking up all the washing lines.

Have been taking wool photos, as I eventually I found my camera on Fred's floor under his desk, but he wasn't the thief as when I plugged it into the computer there we about 90 photos of Feppy which she was putting on "My space" - she is beginning to go mad and behaving like a 4 year old, in fact when she was 4 she was a lot more sensible. She needs a job!!!

And one of the Red Polls in the field has a calf, I missed the birth, but the baby could only have been a few hours old when I saw him, he was still tottering on his legs. Its a bit difficult to tell whether the other cows are pregnant, as they are big girls to start off with. I mean big waistlines, I think Red Poll's are quite small in the cow world, but very pretty.

Cochineal today, its in one of the new dye vats so I have had to use lots more dye. Yesterday for some reason the weld produced a lot better range of colours, I wonder if its the width of the vat???

New spin drier & shop

I finally got the new spin drier on friday and blew it up yesterday, so I am back to dripping wool all over the garden. Its a creda and very old fashioned no where near as useful as the old one I blew up, but a lot better made.
I guess it didn't like a kilo of wet wool, but at least the flood on the kitchen floor gave it a much needed wash.
We still have no windows at the farm, but we do have flowers. Fred and I did lots of planting on saturday, or rather I planted and he stood with a watering can waiting to be told where to pour and then cleverly broke the watering can.
I am fed up of june, has been a bad breakage month.
But I did start a new website shop yesterday, its only got about 2 things in it, I should be working on it now, but need my lunch.

Weld

Weld today, I managed to soak and boil it to perfection, when the weld came out of the dye bath it was a sludgy yukky pulp, even Fred who had just got out of bed was impressed or should I say unimpressed - lol
Still no sign of my spin drier, Homer promised to collect it today, but phoned me up at lunch time to moan about how busy he was, so I guess it won't be today.
Got my second new dye vat, its even bigger than the first, I will use it for mordanting - can't wait, think it will probably hold 3 - 4 kilos, which is certainly better than the 1 kilo I have been used to.
Have been watching football, because I am forced to and crocheting bucket bags, I have been using merino loop (must give it a better name) and plain wool, they have come out a bit odd, but look great together, will post the photo tomorrow when they are dry.

Madder

Madder today - I do love madder, it has such an earthy smell and a huge history.
Managed to dye a set of colours I don't normally do, as orange isn't a popular colour, but I like them so I am sure there is some one out there who will like them too.
I had forgotton how hard it was to wash and rinse without a spin drier, the kitchen is wet, I'm wet, the patio is wet and the yarn is soaking! Its very windy today - its always windy here living so close to the sea, but I don't think the wind is having much affect. I imagine the skeins will still be wet at the end of the week.

Spin Dryer

Homer mended the spin dryer which was giving me shocks every time I used it, now it doesn't work at all!!!!!!
So I am back to drip drying all the yarn on the garden table.
I did manage to order a new one from a very old fashioned electrical shop, but who knows when I will get it.
Why is it all the electrical equipment breaks down at the same time?

Am dyeing annatto today and have orange hands.

Silk Top

I gave up trying to get Dais to model and managed to persuade Feppy, who is much happier in front of the camera.

The pattern still needs adjustment, but I am quite pleased with the way the silk knits and the colours.

Windows

As you can see from the photo the builders didn't fit the windows in the dye room yesterday.
But watch this spot as this is where they will be hopefully very soon. The brick dust that Ted has his nose in is from the office door frame that the builders did fit yesterday.

Dais didn't do modeling, drove off to Woodbridge for a night with her mates instead.

The Indigo was a bit odd yesterday, but then it is a very odd dye, just when I think I know what its doing it changes and does something different. Wish I had more of a scientific mind and I could understand plant and dye molecules and stuff, but to me its just all magic.

Dye Vat

Got my new dye vat yesterday and am very excited, so excited I have just bought a second one which is even bigger. It makes my old vats look like egg cups. i want to buy more, but homer says there is no where to put it and wait till we move down to the farm. Think I might ignore him, after all its not like I don't need them!

Sounds like there's lots of activity going on at the farm today, seems like the builders have arrived at last Thank God!! I was beginning to think we would be moving into a black hole, the office and reception room aren't too bad, but the dye room is horrible to be in and as thats where i will spend most of my time....
I am really hopeing the builders are putting in the windows, will go down later when all the noise has stopped and try to imagine what it will be like when we finally move in.
I guess the new dye vats I haven't bought yet could be stored at the farm, its where they will be living, at least they won't be taking up valuable garage space.

Have finished the silk vest top and will photograph it later if I can persuade Dais to model it for me, the cotton one is now about 8 inches long and the colour seems to have sorted its self out.

Indigo today, better go and get it started, i always manage to do it when Homers home and all he does is moan about the smell, just think how bad its going to be when its in a 35 litre vat

Weld

Have just opened up the weld bucket, its been stewing for a week and in the hot weather has really decomposed it smells so badly I am suprised it hasn't got flies on it, good job I opened it outside! Still its going to dye an amazing colour - thank goodness the smell doesn't attach itself to the yarn.

Negative comments moan

Came across a forum the other day, that bad mouthed the site because of its apostrophe abuse. I admit to being the one who does all the writing and admit to be the one whose spelling and use of grammar is appalling, however I am always open constructive criticism. I just hate it when people don't have the decency to talk to you first, but I guess this is the internet..
If any of the forum ladies manage to make it here I just want to say I don't have any sheep - wish I did, and you can be sure if and when I do get some I will be handing over the website editing to them!!!

Colour??

Am trying to design a vest top using our cotton ribbon,

Have already made one in the silk, need one of the girls to model it as the sleeves/straps are too long and it is very deep plunge, but they are drinking tea on the patio being useless as only elderly teenagers can be. I keep knitting the cotton one (should be dyeing, but stuck on the computer) I was making it for me, but I'm really not sure about the colours.

Guess if I don't like it I can knit another, trouble is I only have pale blue/green left which are not good colours for me to wear, I suppose I could break into the stock........