Warped

As mentioned last time, I accidentally bought myself a new toy which arrived last Tuesday. It arrived at 9.30am, which is rather good considering I only ordered it on the previous Saturday evening. Anyway, it had to sit there in its box for several hours as I was having a meeting at home with my two lovely colleagues but as soon as they'd gone I tore open that box and got building.

Here it is, my beautiful Kromski Harp Rigid Heddle Loom...

 I seem to remember some years ago saying to myself that I'd never spin my own yarn. Three spindles and two spinning wheels later I then told myself I'd never take up weaving. Oops.

It didn't take me long to get my first warp on the loom, using some Regia sock yarn that had been marinating in the stash for several years.

 This first bit of weaving was so much fun and I learned loads, especially about trying to get the selvedges nice and even, which they really weren't on this first attempt. However, I was thrilled with the fabric that came off the loom and the way the self-striping sock yarn used as the warp created pretty long stripes.

 This was off the loom within a day and I was ready and set to go with my second attempt. This time I used a pretty turquoise sock yarn as the warp and some leftover turquoisy handspun for the weft.

 The middle photo of the weaving is the closest in colour, it reminds me so much of bluebell woods and I love it!

Now, when I was in denial for so long about weaving one of the main reasons was that everything I'd heard or seen about weaving at the Guild or on Ravelry, made it seem like an extremely technical skill, involving lots of maths, complicated charts and vast amounts of new weaving language. Although I was impressed by the weaving I'd seen from Guild members I was also intimidated by it and not always very inspired. I didn't want to weave superfine silk cloth that looked (to me) like it was not hand woven as it was so flawless.

It didn't sing to me.

It seems I'm all about the texture and the colour rather than the technical aspects of weaving. I have no desire to weave a houndstooth check (yet), although I completely admire those who do.

Whilst mooching about on Ravelry I came across the Saori Weavers groups and was immediately captivated, just as I had been by the talk at Guild. This was the kind of thing I wanted to do. Here's a link to some information on Saori Weaving and a quote from that website:

What is Saori?

Saori is hand weaving that emphasises creativity and free expression. No rules, no fear – just pure absorption and immersion into weaving and working with yarn and threads. This ‘non-technique’ is meditative in nature and aims to build self worth from the process and the resulting textile'

 By now I was itching to give it a go and as soon as we got a busy weekend out of the way, the loom was warped and a bundle of handspun and ribbon yarns had been chosen.

This grew really quickly as I just couldn't stop playing and it was the perfect soothing project for a week which started with me being a bit stupid and stressed about crappity work stuff.

This proved impossible to photograph well but I'm hoping to get some better pictures soon.

So, what are my plans for all this weaving? When I started I imagined hundreds of scarves, tablemats and table runners. I've since changed my mind and am now dying to get the scissors out and start cutting into it!

My head is full of ideas for handspun, handwoven bags, cushions, purses, brooches, lavender bags - I don't intend to waste even the tiniest scrap if I can help it.

In the meantime, weaving number 4 is on the loom and nearly done and Mr Moog is very happy at the rate at which my yarn stash is diminishing :)

I'm convinced getting the loom has been a good idea, especially as all of a sudden Mr Moog has started talking craft studio plans with me again!!

love Moogs xxx

Something from nothing - with love from me to you, part 2 xxx

I'm so glad you liked the wreath ring 'tutorial'. Next step is the really fun bit - decorating it.

Once again, I was determined to spend nothing and use only what I could unearth from my stash. I spent a while on Pinterest gathering inspiration and after a couple of failed attempts with pompoms and funny little layered fabric flowers I finally settled on fabric roses.

I rummaged in my fabric cupboard and came up with long thin scraps of quilting cottons that I bought years ago in bundles from The Cotton Patch for £1, knowing that someday they'd be useful for something.

After years of having a very traditional wreath on the front door, with lots of gold and holly leaves and berries, this is a real change but one I'm happy to make. So, without further ado.....here it is....

A close up of those roses - made with long strips of fabric and a glue gun (involving swearing and burned fingers but so worth it!)...

The leaves were made by cutting leaf shapes out of scraps of the hessian and an old cub scouts sweatshirt.

And a close up of the fabric wrapping on the ring - took three attempts with the ricrac as it kept ending up about two inches too short!

I also had a quick play with making a different shape...

Strangely for me, I went for very neutral colours...

Of course, the heart still needs some decoration, which will probably involve buttons and possibly tiny strings of beads but not just yet because now I'm ( naturally) totally obsessed with making hundreds of fabric roses and have four million ideas for how I'm going to use them - but first I need to go and buy up Hobbycraft's entire stock of glue gun sticks!

Happy sticking!

Moogs xxx

Brightening up

I was beginning to feel that this house of ours was looking decidedly unloved and shabby. Things needed sprucing up a bit, so last night I got cracking with the sewing machine.

It's amazing how a simple thing like new cushions can breath new life into the living room.

Cushion number one - made with gorgeous fabrics gifted to me quite some time ago by my lovely friend Mrs Locket.


Look...look...I piped!! Feeling very grown up and important about that one :o)



Cushion number two - using gorgeous fabrics and handmade crochet trim that I received from Dragonfly, in Domesticali's Seven Day's of Happiness swap way back in February last year.



Doesn't my tatty sofa look pretty? :o)

Of course, by now I was on a roll and cushion the third was not long in the making. Again made with fabrics gifted by my lovely blog friends.

Sigh...

My timing was perfect, as Minx has rested her poorly earachey head on them for the past hour. Apparently they help the pain - love her :o)

Someone else had to get in on the cushiony goodness too....

Don't imagine they'll stay looking pristine for long!

xxx

Famous twins

You may not have realised this....but all the very best people are born on 31st March.

It's true!!

Don't believe me?

Well there's Ewan MacGregor, Angus Young, Al Gore, Rhea Perlman, Christopher Walken, Herb Alpert, Richard Chamberlain, William Daniels, Joseph Haydn and Rene Descartes for starters. How's that for a Who's Who of impressive creative intellectual people?

Not convinced?

This should clinch it then- there's also my twin blogger and me! Yup, look no further for proof that today is THE day on which to be born :o)

Happy Birthday Clara!!!! Hope you've had as lovely a day as I have :o)

My day started very early. I awoke with a head full of sneeze at 4am and finally gave in and crawled out of bed at 4.30am as sleep just wasn't happening. After three mugs of tea and a slice of toast I woke everyone else up to help me open my pressies.

And what fabulous pressies!! I'm totally overwhelmed with the beautiful gifts I've received.

Just feast your eyes on the gorgeous patchwork cushion Trashy made for me - beautifully pieced, stunning fabrics, my colours and a zip!!!

Isn't it fab?! Trashy also made me a brilliant chickeny pouch - that I can keep my sock knitting in - with a zip!!

My special bloggy twin sent me a lovely American quilting magazine and a bar of yummy birthday nourishment!

My fab and funny London roommate, Lucy Locket, gave me these totally yummy treats - a very pretty handmade by Locket bracelet and a pack of the most fabulous fabrics by one of my favourite ever designers 'Basic Grey' - I love their scrapbook papers and remember getting very squeaky on the phone to Locket when I discovered they were making fabrics too!!

Thank you all so much!!! I've had a very smiley day, thanks in no small part to your beautiful, thoughtful gifts :o)

The Minx and Monster each spent some of their pocket money on a gift for me - a necklace from Minx and a set of bangles from Monster. As I'm wearing them - and the very beautiful necklace and earrings from my best friend - I haven't managed to take a photo.

My lovely hubby gave me money to spoil myself, and as I just so happened to be near a Cath Kidston shop whilst out at work today, I had a bit of a splurge on a pretty new bag.

Even work was great! I'm normally either at home, working alone, or out at a school visit on my birthday. Today we had our end of term meeting and, as one of my colleagues is leaving, we all went out for a very nice lunch.

So all in all, a VERY good day and well worth being another year older for.

Mr Moog has now gone out to get us all some dinner and then we're going to tuck into this deliciously gooey cake, that my children so carefully decorated :o)

Don't feel bad if you weren't born on this most auspicious of days. We can't all be perfect ;o)

xxx

p.s. I make no apology for the overuse of 'yummy' 'lovely' and ':o)' in this post. When overtired I'm adjectively challenged.....and besides, it's my birthday!

A public service announcement: Winter is here

For those of you in the north of Britain, indeed throughout the northern hemisphere, who were under the impression that winter arrived weeks ago with the fall of the first snow, I am sorry to disappoint you.





Winter did not arrive until Tuesday of this week, when snow fell on southern England.


There were murmurings on the national TV news for several weeks, that mentioned bits of snow in Scotland and northern England. It's only now, that we've had a full three inches down here, that the powers that be have deemed it worthy of prolonged news coverage.


I mean, so what if that poor chap in Scotland hasn't seen his wife for 19 days, since she popped out to buy a Christmas turkey and couldn't get back to their remote home? That's not hardship! No, hardship is when the Co-op has no milk for a day. Hardship is when you can't wear your Jimmy Choo's for the school run. Hardship is when you have to clear two inches of snow off your driveway!


See, we know ALL about winter down here!




Me, I'm hibernating.


I have some delicious new yarn to snuggle up to, thanks to Michaela's inspired Big Diet Raffle.



Mmm.




Not only that but a fab bundle of fabric too!

I feel it's only right to thank the postman too, as he had to slip and slide his way here on ice-rink pavements, to bring me my goodies.

With school closed for two days, all the schools I work with closed, and children happily occupied bickering and arguing with each other, I had one or two opportunities to snuggle up with my knitting.

Big and bulky wristwarmers to match my big and bulky beanie.

Progress made on a new pair of socks for Monster.

A new start made, after frogging one frustrating project, I moved onto a simpler pattern to use some very pretty, soft and squooshy alpaca yarn.

In the midst of the 'BIG FREEZE' the lovely City Link man also managed to make it through , with the result of a shopping spree on Amazon with my money from Father Christmas.

Take a look at that delicious pile of books. No prizes for guessing what knitting projects I may have in mind this year.

We're in for a weekend of snuggling up - well I am, as they're all off to the cinema later (with hot flasks and sleeping bags) - a bit of baking, plenty of reading, a spattering of knitting and readying ourselves for the next deluge of snow that's due to hit tomorrow.

In the meantime, please spare a thought for all those poor folk who've had to suspend their plans to hit the January sales for a new pair of heels. My heart bleeds.

Keep warm.

Keep safe.

Keep smiling :)

xxx

Hendini

Hello, Bumblebee here.....the famous escaping chicken.......


......I like nothing more than a good old rootle around in that Moogwoman's flower beds......





....scattering her pansies hither and thither.....



......I've got my eye on the veg patch next.......



....those stupid humans think that regular wing clipping......


.........and making this fence progressively higher or potentially more scary.....


...will stop me escaping to wreak havoc in the shrubberies.....


......mwah ha ha ha ha.....


.....nothing will defeat me.....I am a genius escaping hen with attitude......wanna mess with me?..........you wouldn't dare......cacklecluckcackle....


Note from Moogsmum: this pesky bird, Jazz's replacement if you remember, has never quite fitted in with the other three and takes to escaping every time they're let out into the run.


So far she has:


- uprooted most of my spring bedding plants

- covered the lawn in uprooted stones

- made her way into the kitchen - and pecked the poor Moog hard on the nose

- come into the living room once

- come into the living room again - and c**ped on the carpet



She's trouble, that bird. Whatever measures we take to keep her in the pen, she overcomes them. We are at a loss. Just how do you keep a determined chicken in her rightful place?


Answers on a postcard please!


At least I have these to play with while I ponder the chicken situation :-)



xxxxx

Marching out with a smile

Well, it would seem this month is going to end on as nice a note as it started .....'cos today is my birthday :-)

I've been completely and utterly spoiled with lovely gifts from family and friends.

Moogsdad went technical and bought me a shiny new phone, that I can use as a mirror to put my lippy on!

He also bought me a book to read to the children :-) While Minx made me a lovely flower corsage....with a little/lot of help from her mother (ie me!). The children also bought me a couple of new cardigans that they chose themselves.

Postie was kept busy too, with a bundle of fabricky, booky goodness from my lovely friend Mrs Locket .

Some essential nutrients and more gorgeous fabric from another lovely bloggy friend, Rachel :-)


....and a package of very scrummy fabric from the delightful Miss Kitty :-)

As if that wasn't enough, the very lovely Julie sent me a bundle of rather pretty fabrics to cheer me up - and they really really do! All wrapped up in some of Julie's gorgeous snow dyed fabric.

Thank you all so very much. All of your gifts were such a wonderful surprise and made my birthday very special.

I can't wait to get started on using those fabrics!

I bought myself a birthday present too and it arrived today. With the bedroom revamp project temporarily stalled at the 'waiting to be painted' stage I felt it needed prettifying. I had been looking everywhere for some bedding that I liked, and that Moogsdad agreed with.

I spotted this the other night - at Tesco Direct of all places....Moogsdad said it was 'ok'.... and it was quite unbelievably cheap....so I bought two sets!

Tomorrow promises to be almost as exciting, as this new toy is on its way.

I'm now looking forward to fragrant nights and days filled with the smell of freshly baked bread :-)

Love xxxx