Tea cosies

Its my birthday and I feel about 922 instead of 44, still 100 kilos of wool to dye and 2 weeks to go.

I am determined to get it all done, but maynot make the Woolfest personally due to exhaustion.

Still on a lighter note i thought I would share what I am doing, I used to be an artist with an artists brain, while working on one piece the next was developing on from it and was always going to be better than the last. Now I am doing it with Tea cosies, not that I ever use one, but they are a perfect canvas to work with, I would like to make hats but no one will ever want to wear what I make, so tea cosies are perfect.

So far I have a basic chunky knitted cosy body, which I started off decorating with crochet silk flowers.

I then moved on to a single flower, which you really need to see from the top.

Then of course the ubiquitous pom pom cosy, not very exciting, but had to be done.

This in turn lead me to the loopy stitch, the effect of which I love, so many possibilities.

And then due to the fact I have bought a trillion wooden beads wholesale, don't know what I will do with them, but love beads.

Have now moved to crochet, think I like crochet better than knitting, only one stitch to drop, stupid me didn't work out the basic cosy first and after starting too small to get it over the pot, I had to pull it down and add some more stitches. Decided to add an extra 10, why I don't know as I only needed an extra inch and with 3 stitches to the inch.....

Well you get the picture! It might look alright, but under the bottom layer of floppy bits its very baggy.

Back to the drawing board, have the next idea in mind, but will work out the basics first - Watch this space.

My lovely holiday pt 2

I have almost forgotten what we did so here is day 2 of my lovely holiday (and a few photos).

Day 2
Germany, Austria, Liestenstein ( obviously spelt wrong) and Switzerland.



Left hotel

Drove through Strasbourg in the rush over, over the Rhine into Germany, I got to drive the autobahn with my little fat foot firmly on the floor, 100 mph in the slow lane, could have spent the rest of my life driving around Germany on the autobahn eating up petrol.

A German service station (told you the photos were exciting!)

Over the top of the Bodensee, through the cherry orchards, if only we were a few weeks later....

Into Austria

A quick supermarket stop for Austria cough syrup, DH decided he had man flu! Through Leicenstein, into Switzerland.

Ended up in Chur for the night, couldn't find a hotel, even though we looked for about an hour, eventually ended up at an Ibis in the McDonalds pyramid, the ground floor was McDonalds, the top of the building a hotel, its on the industial estate on the way out of town, wish I had taken a photo...... Certainly an experience not to be missed

Woolfest

I know I haven't posted for ages, but if you could see how much wool I have to dye you would understand!
184 kilos for the woolfest, I am in a huge panic that I won't get it all done in time.
Seems to be taking ages with no end in sight and only 2 weeks to go.....

If you are going come and see me.

Wendys Breast Cancer Raffle

Please support Wendys raffle, its such a important cause and could touch us all at sometime.
I personally lost my Grandmother to it, but happily my aunt survived.

"Win some wonderful yarn and help support Breakthrough Breast Cancer"

Wendy of Wendy's Woolies is running a prize draw on her blog at http://www.wendyswoolies.com/raffle.
There are some wonderful yarn prizes on offer, entry is from just £1 and all proceeds go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.Breakthrough is the leading UK breast cancer charity and are involved in research, campaigning and education. It is a fantastic cause and the prizes are just brillliant so please drop by and take a look.The draw will take place on 9th June so you have until then to enter."

Thanks again!
Wendy

My lovely holiday - part 1

Last week Homer and I took a week off work (unheard of for both of us) and we went on holiday, we wanted to do something exciting, so decided to take my little car for a drive around Europe. We both live such regimented lives we decided NOT to plan anything, even though Homer wanted to book the first hotel, I wouldn't let him, so here is what we did and the photos, not the photos you would expect, but you have to remember it was a driving holiday.

Day 1 - Hollesley, UK to Sarrebourg, France.

After a 5.00am start we were both exhausted before we even started, through Eurotunnel at 8.30 out into the french sunshine.

Roof down for the first time - French autoroute layby about 50 kilometres out of Calais on the road to Reims, as you can see Homer decided to park in the lorry section - why I don't know!

Spent the afternoon sauntering eastwards towards Strasbourg, nothing too exciting just enjoying the landscape, stopped for a cafe break in Verdun.

Found the first hotel really easily, evening meal at a local resturant and as you can see another photo of the zoom, our one bag of luggage just fitting in the very small boot which is already half full with the spare tyre.

Shop gripe and invitation

Due to our planning permission for the farm I have been very careful to point out to customers that we don't have a shop.

The reason we weren't allowed a shop was because the council didn't want to encourage cars in rural areas, a bit stupid as tourists and visitors help keep the communities alive by using village shops and pubs.

I have a new neighbour at the farm he has been there since january, lovely man, its a real comfort to know there is someone there if I need them.BUT Steve repairs cars (including mine) and horse boxes, his son-in-law how also works next door valets cars, how is this discouraging cars in rural areas???

SO I would like to invite you all to my shop, I have lots and lots of wool, surina needles, buttons, beads etc

Tea and coffee on tap and a big comfy sofa so if you feel the need you can sit and knit.

You can also have a peek into the dye room.

Bring all your friends and lots and lots of cars.

I will wait to see if the council notice and if they do, vent my stroppiness on them.

Etsy

Have just signed up to Etsy, not much idea of whats going on, but then I still haven't mastered the fine art of blogging.
Can anyone tell me how to add links to the sides of my page?
Its all still a mystery to me.
Anyway here is etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5092428

Bit bored.....

Bit bored, think I am developing a cold, so I went and had a chat with the cow girls and they kindly agreed to pose for a photo.

They are spending a few weeks on holiday from their field in the barn opposite my backdoor, always ready for a chat, although the conversation is quite limited.

And then I took some photos of the wool drying on the racks, even though the green and blue are our new silks, which are so gorgeous I could eat them.

Ho Hum back to being bored..................

Misery & The Natural Dye Studio Knitters

Oh Woe is me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have RSI in my left hand and can't knit.
Last night I felt like my world had ended, pathetic I know, but...................

So I cheered myself up today and have started a Yahoo group for all the dye studio knitters.
Amazing its only been up for a few hours and there is already 24 members!
Now all I have to do is stop myself becoming obsessed with the group.
I used to be a member of a quilt art group and spent all my life posting on it.
It all came to an end when the dyeing took over my life, but now I have started a group of my own it might not be so easy to stop myself spending hours talking......

If you want to join in, here it is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dyestudio/

Kool Aid Gripe

I keep seeing yarn dyed with Kool aid and hearing how great it is!!
I have been told by someone who dyes with it, that it is perfectly harmless and they compared it to natural dyes.....
This makes my blood boil!
Kool Aid is a synthetic drink powder which contains no fruit extract, wikipedia has more facts.
Its a sachet of coloured chemicals and NOT a natural dye!
If it dyes wool such bright permanent colours what does it do to your insides when you drink it???

And you think you are having a bad day!!!!!!!!!

Poor tiny puppy had the "chop" yesterday.

Not only did he have his manhood removed, he also woke up to discover that he was wearing a satellite dish.

He will be wearing it for 10 days until his wound has healed.........

Being a clingy german shepard means I am going to have very bruised legs for the next 10 days!

Have just taken delivery of some gorgeous silk yarns.

If they dye and knit up nicely and the price isn't too exorbitant then you will be seeing them on the site soon.

Fingers crossed as some are just too yummy for words.

Tiny Puppy

Now 6 months old and due to have the chop on wednesday.

And our compost bin.

Moat

I have a moat!!!!!!

That's my front door you can see.

Its not even for my benefit, my lovely new neighbours don't have a loo, so the builder/handyman/jack of all trades (including calf midwifery) and his stepson are building them one, the main drain happens to be on the other side of my building so they need to bury the drainage pipe across my front door.

Which is fine, except due to the gales the builder/handyman/jack of all trades and his stepson have been called to somewhere else on the estate to repair broken roofs.

if you decide to come and see us - don't forget about the moat - I am hoping for a drawbridge, but so far.....

How else would you carry 12 kilos of wool?

When you don't have a drying room and the wool around the ties is still damp and the skeins need to go home to be finished off on the radiators.

Thank goodness we only have to walk a short way up the lane where rush hour consists of 2 cars and a tractor!

Probably the best photo taken of me in years......



But not of poor Dais who says she looks scary - well she can be at times!

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).