If you go down to the woods today...

There are some confused animals about....

The Foresters in the Forest of Dean have grazing rights. Which means that animals do run wild over roads, in gardens, anywhere they can go they seem to end up.


This made me stop the car this morning and get out and try and take some photos of sheeps and their sign...











They kept on moving away from me, I was in very painty clothes so that might have been the reason...











I think these have been 'naughty' recently due to the markings on their behinds...













And this is the other side of the sign, and the side they were all crowding around when I drove past, they moved to the other side when I parked up and walked back...


Thanks to everyone for their good wishes, a date has been set, a bit of an outfit has been bought, a stole is half knitted, the cake stand is ready.

And maybe if I get my act together I might even get round to posting some photos of what I've been up to in the last few months (I'll miss out the ones of me artexing ceilings and painting walls, you can only imagine how much mess I can make with a brush in my hand !!!)

Woolfest planning

We have a van to sleep in, but it is not very big so an awning has been purchased - it is huge (and so is my front garden luckily!!)

The dog seemed to like it as well which is good !!

The neighbours were a bit confused, but we were good entertainment for them on a boring Sunday afternoon :-)

I'm going to be on the Kindred Knitters stand at Woolfest.

One of the demos that I will be doing is shadow knitting.

It is not the easiest thing to photograph but hopefully you can see what is hiding in the scarf that is going to be in the sheep auction (a bit of a hint there!)

And this is a shot of them hiding..



My job for today is to finish the scarf - another three sheep required and then do a sample for the demo.





I'm starting my Woolly adventure tomorrow afternoon (once I've made lots of cake)

I've checked the space in the van and there is lots, and I get to sit in the back with my feet up and knit all the way north - not been able to do that for many a year !!



And if anyone wants to make a sheep while I'm gone here are the instructions:



Shadow Knitted Sheep.

Shadow knitting is an illusion effect where patterns appear when viewed from different angles. For each charted row four rows are worked, two in each colour.

Cast on 24 stitches in background colour, then follow chart below.
Each row on chart represents four rows as follows:

Knit all stitches in background colour.
Knit blank squares, purl X squares in background colour.
Knit all stitches in sheep colour.
Purl blank squares, knit X squares in sheep colour.

Cast off.

Notes:

All the counting is done from the wrong side

Each row on the chart represents four rows to be worked.

Row ‘sets’ and stitches are numbered on the chart.

(Hopefully you can click on the chart to make it readable - if not if you Rav or email me your email address I can email the full instructions on my return)

If anyone is at the show, please come and say hello - we have been promised lots of chairs so you can rest your feet at the same time !!

Skipnorth

As the photos are in reverse order (and I cant be bothered to move them all around..)
This is what I came home with:

From Winghams - I really wasn't going to get another batt... but this one called to me - it is red & brown, then there are mini carders, and a bag of silk loveliness.






My best bargains - from KCG, these were £1 each..
The large dk natural weighs 2.6kg,
the green light aran 1.1 kg,
the natural skinny lace (front right) 1.4kg,
the bright green lace also 1.1kg, and
the grey like fiddlesticks at the front 450g.

The large cones are pure wool and I think there is some silk in the natural lace...

And I'm going to try my best to use them and not give them away next year !!


And from Coldspring - two lots of pure undyed dk at less than 1p per gram, and some freedom spirit.

The camping shop had a small handbag for walking and a water bottle with a holder that goes round the waist.

From the Skep two hanks of very skinny silk - 100g for £5.




And these were the results of swaps and things that I was given...

The bag has three different coloured batts, there is lama there and some balls from the Spinning Fishwife.
And a Fat Feet in my colours :-)







And now where we stayed before Haworth - Mankinholes.

This is the view when we came back from our walk...









And some sheep - and the Stoodley Pike monument, which is where we walked to (and back down...)

We used a path up the steep front bit !!









A close up of the sheep - they were put there in 2000 and looked rather splendid :-)












Another shot of the way we went showing just how high up it was...












And someone managed to climb up it - I had height issues so stayed on the ground....

















There were real sheep at the top :-)














And a close up ish view... just to prove that we got there !!!


















And these were very young - probably not even a day old - they were very wobbly on their legs...

Reasons not to knit

At Woolfest I bought a bag of "City Lights", here is the first bit spun up and plied with some Jacob that was waiting to be used.

There is 100g here, and as I've managed to spin a near DK weight there 'should' be enough to make a jumper ....



And there is a sheep that is touring the countryside wanting to show off British fleeces..

At the top - Leicester Longwool,

At the bottom Dark Masham, this was in a kit I got when I was a teenage to learn how to spin with a drop spindle - it was unwashed and no instructions to wash or card - no wonder I didn't get it then...




This is a view of the river from a couple of weeks ago - a lovely summer's day as you can see.... it was raining, it had been raining a lot in Wales...

Yesterday when I ventured out the level was down, and no where as high as it was this time last year, thank goodness...




And look at the boy - half a thyroid and four teeth lighter... he was not a good patient for the first few days, bandages didn't want to stay on (I had to tie something round his neck to keep the remains of the original in place). Then he decided in the middle of the night that he didn't want to go downstairs to the litter tray, so the bath hole was were he poo'd...

Since he has been allowed out again he is behaving better, hopefully he will not lick the scars too much and the stitches will be ok when they come out in just over a week...

And now I'm going to see if I can actually knit something, I seem to be froging more than knitting these days...

Questions

Does anyone know of an interesting place two knitters can charity shop between Brum and Rutland ?

We are off for a weekend of intense discussions so will need some light relief on the way. So far my thoughts are Leamington Spa, and maybe Melton Mowbray (is it just full of pie shops ?) or there is Market Harborough, Oakham and Stamford... any help will be gratefully received.

And now that Wonderwool is over for another year, is there any members of KCG who would be willing to offer a couple of hours of their time to help on the stand at Woolfest. I can offer flapjacks and looking after shopping bags in return ;-)

And whoever said that the countryside is a quiet place to be hasn't been here today !
I have found out that when sheep are moved into new fields they make big noise. When sheep go through the sheep dip (to stop nasties getting their feet) they make big noise - put the two together and the noise is amazing - you can hardly hear yourself think in the garden ...

And a note - the sheep are not in my garden but the slope behind the house. I have offered to go and sing to them to see if that would calm them down but I think it would make them worse ;-)

Woolfest

I'm back home after a big adventure, and a long time in the car !!

I met lots of people, including Ambermoggie, Badger, Alicat, Joy, Wormhead, with her Mum and Auntie, Susoolu, Carrie-Anne, knit-tigger Sarah Sarah Helen Alice Jane and Laura, Jo, the Cleveland Fibre artists, Pat & Linda from Down South, Doreen and her husband, and lots more people...



I didn't take as many photos as some, but here are some sheep waiting in a pen










And these were their friends in the next pen just after having a hair cut...

I wasn't paying enough attention on the breeds, all too exciting ....







Some black sheep with bracken attached










And some cute Alpacas...









This is the balled addition to stash - I got two packs of the wine from Jamiesons - it was rude to leave it behind at a bargain price.

The other ball is one of nettle, I blame Ruth Lee for that one....





And some fibre - the packs are going to go with the green that I have already spun (foolishly I didn't take a sample to match against so went for a contrasting colour)
The Merino & Silk came from Winghams, Ruth got them all out for me and then suggested which one should come home with me - sometimes it is not good when the stall holders know you !!!

And then there is a pattern for Sue the Ewe to please Susan.
Two packs of glove needles from Scottish Fibres.
And some Ashford Dyes from Winghams.

I also got some back copies of Interweave Knits and Spin Off magazines.

And then there were a few fleeces, an Organic Cotswold and a Hebridean, and one from Linda (which is already in a water bath...)

I'm booked in again next year, so see you then :-)