Sort of Spinning!

Eeeh by 'eck it's been hot hot HOT in Portugal!

Too hot to think ("Hmm, where did I put that new pattern I wrote down??")

Too hot to knit ("A SCARF!  What was I thinking?*) [*see above, I wasn't]

Just about hot enough to feel like doing nothing very much at all.

But I think you and I both know - the heat can't stop a true yarn addict (just look at how my addiction even invades a quiet game of scrabble!)  To play with yarn is so soothing, so play with yarn I did.  I've done none of the things I'd planned to do.  I'm happy to have followed a merry little path of discovery instead!

Do you remember many moons ago, I Decided-with-a-capital-D that I was going to Learn to Spin?  And then I said nothing more about it?  Well, that's because it all unravelled.  Literally and figuratively.  No matter how hard I tried, how tightly I tied my knots, the spin in my wool just wanted out.

But ooooh, don't you just LOVE it when you stumble across a solution?!  I can't remember where I read it, or who wrote it (I suspect Ravelry played a big part) but suddenly there was a solution.  A big shiny one!

Apparently, soaking your handspun in water for a bit and leaving to drip dry will set the spin into the yarn...  fandabidozee!  A perfect answer to my spinning problems.  So last night, I set about with the spindle and the merino and a big bowl of water.  And look what happened!

Ta-daaaaaah!!  :D

Of course it's far from perfect, but there's definitely still  S P I N  in there.  :D   And as far as I can tell, from here on in it's just a process of refining my techniques. 

And funny I should say that, because the lovely Sara at Tangled Happy is writing a step-by-step guide to spinning with a top-whorl spindle.  Talk about perfect timing!

Much love,

Kim

Yarns and the Farm

I must say a big thank you to everyone who replied to my last post with such kind words of encouragement.  Reading through all the responses really made me determined to get on with the scarf - just look at it now!!

I'm so happy now with how it's growing.  I think perhaps it might end up a cowl rather than a scarf, but you guys have saved it from almost certain doom!

THANK YOU!

Once I got the feeling back for knitting, it also gave me a little nudge crochet-wise too.  As you can see from the top photos, I've been grannying away with a ball of Zauberball just as a "mindless" distraction really.  I don't know yet where it's going, but I'm enjoying the process immensely :)

It seems I have a thing at the moment for self-striping and variagated yarns, doesn't it?  Perhaps it's an antedote to the sameness of the scarf?  I got this lover-ly ball of handspun from friends of my parents who have stalls at the summer festivals here in Portugal.  There were so many colours to choose from, but eventually I settled on the pinks.  You can't really see from the photos, but it's both earthy and neon - very cool (and cost only 2,50€)!  You can visit Scott and Lynne's website here.

Since I hadn't done much designing recently, I played around with the yarn and edged my way towards a new pattern...

Not quite perfect yet, and I'm not sure what it is (a coaster, a potholder, a block for a blanket??), but I'm going to edit and write up the pattern so I can share it with all of you lovely folks soon :)

*

Elsewhere in life it's been busy busy on the farm...

There's plenty of jam-making and chutney-ing and apple-peeling to be done.  Plus pigs and cats and hens and rabbits to keep an eye on!  It's fun and tiring and hot, but we do get some time free...

Last week we headed up into the mountains (well, higher into the mountains than we already are!).  Just look at those views!!  Stunning

Until next time!

Much love,

Kim

Frosty Feelings for Frost Flowers...

Guys, I'm in a bit of a pickle...  I've been trying to decide whether or not I should carry on knitting the red "Amelia Scarf".  I absolutely adore the finished pattern, and all the scarves I've seen on Rav, but I'm ready to admit it: Frost Flowers is driving me NUTS!  It's just so unbearably  s l o w  and  fIDdLy  and just - argh!

These two pictures were taken about a month apart, so it definitely is growing!  Perhaps I'm being a little unfair - this is the most complicated pattern I've ever attempted.  And true, if ever anything was in dire need of a blocking it's this, so perhaps I'm not appreciating the pattern as much as I should... 

What do you guys think?  Do you find it's ever worth persisting with a project to get to the FO, or is it all about enjoying the WIP?

Kim x

Bom Dia!

Ola from Portugal!  :D

Well I finally got here, after a few long days of travelling.  It's been well worth it though, because I'm now safe and sound and settled down on my parent's smallholding.  After a few days rest I've got stuck in with some good honest farming!  Unfortunately I've not had chance to upload any new photos yet, but I thought I'd share some from previous years...

So far there's been plenty of weeding...

...which isn't so bad when the views are so great!  This is our view from the house into the village.

When the hens stopped laying, I made them a lovely motivational poster for their shed.  I'd like to say it worked, but I'm pretty sure they just pecked holes in it...

One of my favourite things in the world is to be out on the field among the olive trees.  It's so peaceful with just the sound of the birds and the animals that it's impossible not to feel relaxed.

Last year the temperatures were almost too much to deal with.  Thankfully they've not reached quite the same high numbers yet this year!

I think this week we're going to be logging some of the eucalyptus trees so that they can dry ready for winter's firewood.  I've already been out this week picking up pinecones to store, as they make excellent fire lighters!

So hopefully I'll be able to keep you all updated on what we're up to on the farm this summer - including how mum progresses with learning to crochet (she showed me the pattern she'd like to do, and we ordered our yarn last night, so that's got me very excited indeed!!).  She would also like me to thank you all for your advice on teaching lefties - I'll let you know how it works out!!

Much love
Kim x

Left and Right

Hello all!  Such a lovely sunny day outside, I hope it's as pleasant where you are :)

I thought today I'd ask if there's anybody reading who crochets left handed?  I'm visiting home soon and my mum has asked if when I do I could teach her to crochet...

Now, we've tried this before and kind of failed because she's left handed and I use my right.  I attempted to switch hands to demonstrate, but I'm far from ambidextrous and just couldn't work it out.  When my mum tried to follow me, it felt just as odd for her to use her right hand as it did for me to use my left.  We sort of bumbled through how to chain and then gave up...

I've since watched a few videos on youtube (which we don't have access to at home) and I think I understand the idea behind it.  I used the videos to make the following step by step guides to give to mum.  I thought I'd share here in case they're of use to anyone else too :)  (The first is a guide to chaining, and the second is for an American single crochet.  Click on either picture to make larger).

I'm still working on the hdc, the dc and the trc but I'll share those too once they're done :)

I'm hoping these will help my mum to learn.  But if you have any tips to share - whether you're left or right handed - about how best to set about teaching someone something new, I'm all ears!

Until next time

Kim x

Kreativ Bloggers

As you may have seen from my previous post, I've been neglecting my blog slightly in favour of being all adventurous around North West Wales.  So it came as something of a surprise to discover that while I've been off galavanting, I was left two lovely comments by Lucy In The Sky and Cherry Heart informing me that they'd included eggbirddesigns in their Kreativ Blogger Award lists!

I had to do a bit of research, because I still feel pretty new to this blogging thing, and I wasn't entirely sure what a blogger award even was (and I'll be honest, this was the kind of kick up the bum I needed to go and find out! :P)

What I discovered was that at their heart, blog awards are a very kindly gesture; a firm handshake and a "jolly well done, old chap!".  I've decided that blog awards are the cyber equivalent of winning first place in the vegetable show at the village fête.  (For those of you wondering, it is one of my life's ambitions for a kindly old vicar to announce "excellent parsnips, dear!"  I'm about 83 in my head).

From what I've gathered from my sleuthing, I must now furnish you with 10 facts you weren't previously aware of.  Brace yourselves:

1. At the age of 15, I got trapped inside a Dalek.  My cries of "help me!" came out in the Dalek voice, which made my brother laugh more than he's ever laughed before or since.
2. I went to the same school and university as Danny Boyle (the director of Slumdog Millionaire and 28 days later).
3. I must, under ALL circumstances put my right shoe on before my left.
4. I have a degree in Linguistics, but sometimes wish I'd done Physics instead.
5. I was going to tell you here about all the bands I would see if I could time travel.  The list included most of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
6. My Portuguese is terrible.  I once asked for "a bedroom sausage" instead of "four sausage rolls".
7. At just under 5 foot, I'm the shortest person in my family.
8. My favourite artist is Alphonse Mucha.
9. Soup and toast or rice pudding are my favourite comfort foods.
10. Danse Serpentine is one of my favourite pieces of film.  It was hand coloured frame by frame and made in c.1896.

 

Phew!  That was harder than I thought it would be!  Hopefully I've given you a bit of insight into my mad little world! :P

Here is my list of nominations for the blogger award: 

• Crafty Valley
• creJJtion
• Embroidery With an Edge
• Lucy in the Sky
• Bunny Mummy
• Bustle and Sew
• The Quiet Home
• Useless Beauty
• Tickety Boo

Many apologies if I've left you off the list!  There are so many brilliant blogs out there, it was almost impossible to choose.

Until next time!
Kim x

Gardd Bodnant and Aberffraw

Hello out there, lovely folk of blogland!  How're you all keeping?

There's so much to tell you I hardly know where to start!  I've been so busy recently with one thing or another that blogging sort of slipped my mind, and now there's a big stack of stories, and an even bigger stack of photos!

Then this morning, there was a lovely message in my inbox from Lucy in the Sky which said "oi, where've you been?!".  To be fair, Lucy did put it much MUCH more sweetly than that, but I suspect that's what she meant :P

And the answer, really, is where haven't I been?!

A friend of mine came down from Leeds and together we visited Bodnant Garden (Gardd Bodnant in Welsh), which is a beautiful National Trust property full to bursting with amazing plants and views and wildlife.  I'll not bore you with all the photos I took (well into triple figures!), but here are a few of my favourites...

I was really glad we got to see the Laburnum Arch in bloom (it was just starting to turn) - the last time I visited Bodnant, it was all just twigs!

A couple of days later, I found myself at Aberffraw beach on the Isle of Anglesey.

I think I've always been a "beach baby".  There's something about water that I'm really drawn to, and I'm so happy that I live just a bus ride away from some really wonderful beaches...

The only problem is that I'm STILL finding sand in bags and shoes and clothes!

So there you go.  What with gardens and beaches and BBQs and other days out, there's been next to no time for crafting recently.  In fact, I've only managed to add a measly 7 rows to my scarf since I last showed it to you!!

But not to worry, I've been having a rather lovely time anyway ;)

Kim x