Not very much going on

It's been nearly three weeks of sniffs and sneezes, a time when energy has to be mustered to just get through the working day and get home to collapse in a sorry heap. Not much of anything has been done, but an effort has to be made this weekend to prepare the house for a celebration next week. The eldest daughter will be 21 and she will come home from university to share a family meal with grandparents, aunt, uncle and little cousins. Unfortunately daughter number two will be absent, on a college trip to London to visit the BBC and the Houses of Parliament, so not something she can miss really. I'm sure her big sister will save some cake for her!

I have started the fleece, it spins nicely but I really need alot of practice so it's fortunate that it was so cheap.



I bought some gorgeously soft wool 'Hug' which knitted up extremely quickly into a nice chunky jumper for me. I tried to take a decent photo but the light was not helpful. The balls were on sale for 69p each so I am very pleased with the result.

Split Ply Braiding - having a play

Last Sunday my friend Cath and I went to a workshop on Split Ply Braiding. I didn't know what to expect but had an enjoyable day sat around a table of like minded ladies, having a play with threads, learning how to make cord (lots of winding a contraption - aptly called a 'Cord Winder'!) and coming home with some samples of braiding, which I will make into key fobs.

Very basically it is a braiding technique using plied cords (often 4-ply) which actually go through each other. It is a traditional method for making camel girths, harnesses and similar items in India, but it has evolved into a craft technique that can also be used to create three- dimensional structures like hats, and belts and jewelery. A small tool, not unlike a latch hook for rugmaking, called a Grip Fid, is used to push through the threads in a way that braids a pattern.

The samples on the left are mine, and the other picture shows Caths. I was quite pleased but it won't be a craft that I will pursue, Cath on the other hand was much taken with it and bought supplies to continue at home. The expert was a very nice lady called Julie Hedges.
http://www.juliehedges.co.uk/pages/workshops.html

We all brought something for lunch so that was nice as well, my contribution was Lemon Cheesecake. Isn't it good to spend some time fiddling, experimenting with colour, learning something new and satisfying that need to 'play'? Even if it means that the ironing didn't get done at the weekend!!