I've had a very happy New Year actually, spending my Christmas money on books and wool, combining three of my favourites in one activity. Ordered a coffee table book on snowflake photography that has been on my wishlist for months, an Anne Geddes calendar and even geekier than all that - Narnia top trumps. Terrible I know.
I prefer to get craft books from the library now as I have been bitten by falsely glowing reviews on amazon before and often ended up with clunky designs and old info.
Then I hit the Winghams site and had a happy hour in La La Land before pruning the order ruthlessly and bringing down to only just over budget rather than laughable. Still, good thing they are closed until next Monday at least and I suppose their phone is going to be red hot when they are open once more. Add to that the back log and it will probably be half way through January before I get the wool that I haven't even ordered yet.
Still, I've got the Shetland to keep me busy and the Jacob humbug after that and if I want to do some felting then I have my darling bro-in-law's crimbo scarf to fix (way too small for his manly neck) and Steph's mitts to make as soon as that family have recovered from the flu and are safe to approach once more.
Shetland single on louet wheel
I love spinning Shetland laceweight, so much easier, ie less slippery than merino and more culturally fitting to me than spinning silk though that is great fun too, but mostly when I am spinning silk I like to go relatively thick as it feels even softer and more luxurious.
With Shetland I imagine shawls so fine that they can be passed through a wedding ring, plus the fact that Shetland sheep are so adorable. It is a shame that it is unlikely that I will ever knit one of those fantastic garments as I just do not possess the patience or the skill necessary to succeed and I do not intend to make the garnering of such a skill into one of my resolutions, but instead would like to direct my energies into learning how to shoot.
V is very alarmed at this and I cannot think why. It's not as if I want to get a Magnum or anything, its just an interesting skill that I have never had the opportunity to investigate as it is utterly out of my spectrum. V would like me to try my hand at car maintenance if I want to get in touch with my masculine side but, while it would certainly be useful, I would feel obliged to see the entire course through, whereas if I went to a rifle range I could just go the once and if it didn't suit, I never need go there again. We might compromise and try out archery. There is a school in the Gower, not far away, but the Melyn is closer still.
Anyway, by this time next year we will know whose opinion won out.
January lies before us grey and cold and wet, with the arctic weather just waiting to pounce in February. I am one of the few people I know who enjoy January. I like the steely light, the blasted trees, the break from Christmas wind up and the calm before the storm of spring activity. I see it as a natural time of rest, dormancy, to lay in stores of fat before the next burst of activity. Its when comfort cooking reaches its peak. Sticky toffee puddings, plum crunch and cream, mash, roated squash and red pepper soup, sausages, lovely, lovely.
And then starts lambing, easter, gardening such as it is when I do it, then the long summer break and America maybe, then before we know it it is September back to school, harvest, halloween, fireworks and so the whole rigmarole starts all over again. Enjoy the peace while it lasts that's what I say.
I prefer to get craft books from the library now as I have been bitten by falsely glowing reviews on amazon before and often ended up with clunky designs and old info.
Then I hit the Winghams site and had a happy hour in La La Land before pruning the order ruthlessly and bringing down to only just over budget rather than laughable. Still, good thing they are closed until next Monday at least and I suppose their phone is going to be red hot when they are open once more. Add to that the back log and it will probably be half way through January before I get the wool that I haven't even ordered yet.
Still, I've got the Shetland to keep me busy and the Jacob humbug after that and if I want to do some felting then I have my darling bro-in-law's crimbo scarf to fix (way too small for his manly neck) and Steph's mitts to make as soon as that family have recovered from the flu and are safe to approach once more.
Shetland single on louet wheelI love spinning Shetland laceweight, so much easier, ie less slippery than merino and more culturally fitting to me than spinning silk though that is great fun too, but mostly when I am spinning silk I like to go relatively thick as it feels even softer and more luxurious.
With Shetland I imagine shawls so fine that they can be passed through a wedding ring, plus the fact that Shetland sheep are so adorable. It is a shame that it is unlikely that I will ever knit one of those fantastic garments as I just do not possess the patience or the skill necessary to succeed and I do not intend to make the garnering of such a skill into one of my resolutions, but instead would like to direct my energies into learning how to shoot.
V is very alarmed at this and I cannot think why. It's not as if I want to get a Magnum or anything, its just an interesting skill that I have never had the opportunity to investigate as it is utterly out of my spectrum. V would like me to try my hand at car maintenance if I want to get in touch with my masculine side but, while it would certainly be useful, I would feel obliged to see the entire course through, whereas if I went to a rifle range I could just go the once and if it didn't suit, I never need go there again. We might compromise and try out archery. There is a school in the Gower, not far away, but the Melyn is closer still.
Anyway, by this time next year we will know whose opinion won out.
January lies before us grey and cold and wet, with the arctic weather just waiting to pounce in February. I am one of the few people I know who enjoy January. I like the steely light, the blasted trees, the break from Christmas wind up and the calm before the storm of spring activity. I see it as a natural time of rest, dormancy, to lay in stores of fat before the next burst of activity. Its when comfort cooking reaches its peak. Sticky toffee puddings, plum crunch and cream, mash, roated squash and red pepper soup, sausages, lovely, lovely.
And then starts lambing, easter, gardening such as it is when I do it, then the long summer break and America maybe, then before we know it it is September back to school, harvest, halloween, fireworks and so the whole rigmarole starts all over again. Enjoy the peace while it lasts that's what I say.
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