Yarns from the Plain

A repost of Episode 29 in the hope that it's not eaten by iTunes this time!

Show notes to follow ASAP, currently available on yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com (limitations of mobile browsing!)

Show notes to follow ASAP, currently available on yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com (limitations of mobile browsing!)

Show notes to follow ASAP, currently available on yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com (limitations of mobile browsing!)

Hello AGAIN from the Cheshire Plain! This is the last episode in this marathon catching up session, honest! We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! In this episode I talked about various events linked to the Cheshire Spinning Guild (the Ravelry Group for the Guild is here), including the Exhibition at Dunham Massey and the trip to Woolfest. I also mentioned the Wool Experience and the gorgeous ice cream at Blaze Farm. Here is the Great Wheel in use at Blaze Farm: I also attended a Woolly Wormhead sideways hat workshop at Fibre & Clay, based on her book Going Straight. My hat needs maybe an hour's more work before it's finished. And talking of finishing... which of these should I finish first? 1.Posh Yarn Featherweight cardigan 2. Poshman Mittens 3. Stripy Noro Messenger Bag 4. Modern Quilt Wrap 5. Tank Top in Noro Kuryon Sock Yarn 6. Lizard Ridge Afghan 7. Olympic Medal Socks (I'll probably take these on holiday anyway) 8. Pondemonium child's stranded sweater 9. Best of Both Whirls Cushion 10. Double Vision Cushion 11. Hipknits Silk Aran Fair Isle Cardigan So leave me a message here, drop me an email or post in the Ravelry forum! And finally.... which is THE yarn shop to visit in San Francisco? Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello AGAIN from the Cheshire Plain! This is the last episode in this marathon catching up session, honest! We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! In this episode I talked about various events linked to the Cheshire Spinning Guild (the Ravelry Group for the Guild is here), including the Exhibition at Dunham Massey and the trip to Woolfest. I also mentioned the Wool Experience and the gorgeous ice cream at Blaze Farm. Here is the Great Wheel in use at Blaze Farm: I also attended a Woolly Wormhead sideways hat workshop at Fibre & Clay, based on her book Going Straight. My hat needs maybe an hour's more work before it's finished. And talking of finishing... which of these should I finish first? 1.Posh Yarn Featherweight cardigan 2. Poshman Mittens 3. Stripy Noro Messenger Bag 4. Modern Quilt Wrap 5. Tank Top in Noro Kuryon Sock Yarn 6. Lizard Ridge Afghan 7. Olympic Medal Socks (I'll probably take these on holiday anyway) 8. Pondemonium child's stranded sweater 9. Best of Both Whirls Cushion 10. Double Vision Cushion 11. Hipknits Silk Aran Fair Isle Cardigan So leave me a message here, drop me an email or post in the Ravelry forum! And finally.... which is THE yarn shop to visit in San Francisco? Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello AGAIN from the Cheshire Plain! This is the last episode in this marathon catching up session, honest! We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! In this episode I talked about various events linked to the Cheshire Spinning Guild (the Ravelry Group for the Guild is here), including the Exhibition at Dunham Massey and the trip to Woolfest. I also mentioned the Wool Experience and the gorgeous ice cream at Blaze Farm. Here is the Great Wheel in use at Blaze Farm: I also attended a Woolly Wormhead sideways hat workshop at Fibre & Clay, based on her book Going Straight. My hat needs maybe an hour's more work before it's finished. And talking of finishing... which of these should I finish first? 1.Posh Yarn Featherweight cardigan 2. Poshman Mittens 3. Stripy Noro Messenger Bag 4. Modern Quilt Wrap 5. Tank Top in Noro Kuryon Sock Yarn 6. Lizard Ridge Afghan 7. Olympic Medal Socks (I'll probably take these on holiday anyway) 8. Pondemonium child's stranded sweater 9. Best of Both Whirls Cushion 10. Double Vision Cushion 11. Hipknits Silk Aran Fair Isle Cardigan So leave me a message here, drop me an email or post in the Ravelry forum! And finally.... which is THE yarn shop to visit in San Francisco? Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a wet Cheshire Plain. OK, it's raining, but after the heatwave I've experienced over the last week, I'm enjoying feeling cooler! Sadly I'm still arguing with the new mic, so I've used the hand-held again. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! This episode is sub-titled the ME, ME, ME show (thanks Louise!) and features a detailed run down of the items I entered in the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show at the weekend. Firstly for the Knitting Class, I submitted my Mint Choc Chip scarf, which is the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. In the Baby Knitting, I made this sweater, the February Baby Sweater from the Knitter's Almanac. I found meleliza's Ravelry notes very helpful. For the Crochet Class, I made the Circles Scarf by Linda Permann (details of my project here). For the Embroidered Picture, I finished this that has been lurking in my embroidery UFO bin for a very long time. The motifs are based on those in Jo Verso's World of Cross Stitch, and the composition inspired by one of hers, but the final design is mine. For the Beadwork Class, I entered my first ever piece of beadwork (other than simply threading beads onto a string), which I learnt on a course at The Bead Trail at Blakemere Craft Centre, Sandiway. In the Item made from Recycled Materials, I entered a gift bag made from the Financial Times. For the Three Handmade Cards Class I entered two Lacé designs (the Golden Wedding and Birthday cards) and one iris folding design (New Baby). The entry into the Cushion Class involved some "teach yourself" skills, namely wet felting and needle felting. The main fabric was made from two shades of grey carded Gotland fleece from Eden Gotland Sheep, with the creamy white curls from May Hill Gotlands (gotland_mayhill@yahoo.com) in the Forest of Dean and the dark curls from Diesel from the Pedwardine Gotland flock in South Lincolnshire needlefelted onto the finished cushion. Finally I entered 98g/382 yds of 2ply handspun made from Yummy Yarns UK carded batts (merino, bamboo, silk, firestar and mohair threads) in the Duchess of Cambridge colourway. I also entered these photos, too: "Stick Dressing, Northumberland County Show" for "Country Life" "Elmer in the Garden, Eating Lupins" for "My Pet" And here is the Thame Show Trophy, for the most points in the Handicrafts Section. Don't get over-awed, it's only six inches high! Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogs

Hello from a wet Cheshire Plain. OK, it's raining, but after the heatwave I've experienced over the last week, I'm enjoying feeling cooler! Sadly I'm still arguing with the new mic, so I've used the hand-held again. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! This episode is sub-titled the ME, ME, ME show (thanks Louise!) and features a detailed run down of the items I entered in the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show at the weekend. Firstly for the Knitting Class, I submitted my Mint Choc Chip scarf, which is the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. In the Baby Knitting, I made this sweater, the February Baby Sweater from the Knitter's Almanac. I found meleliza's Ravelry notes very helpful. For the Crochet Class, I made the Circles Scarf by Linda Permann (details of my project here). For the Embroidered Picture, I finished this that has been lurking in my embroidery UFO bin for a very long time. The motifs are based on those in Jo Verso's World of Cross Stitch, and the composition inspired by one of hers, but the final design is mine. For the Beadwork Class, I entered my first ever piece of beadwork (other than simply threading beads onto a string), which I learnt on a course at The Bead Trail at Blakemere Craft Centre, Sandiway. In the Item made from Recycled Materials, I entered a gift bag made from the Financial Times. For the Three Handmade Cards Class I entered two Lacé designs (the Golden Wedding and Birthday cards) and one iris folding design (New Baby). The entry into the Cushion Class involved some "teach yourself" skills, namely wet felting and needle felting. The main fabric was made from two shades of grey carded Gotland fleece from Eden Gotland Sheep, with the creamy white curls from May Hill Gotlands (gotland_mayhill@yahoo.com) in the Forest of Dean and the dark curls from Diesel from the Pedwardine Gotland flock in South Lincolnshire needlefelted onto the finished cushion. Finally I entered 98g/382 yds of 2ply handspun made from Yummy Yarns UK carded batts (merino, bamboo, silk, firestar and mohair threads) in the Duchess of Cambridge colourway. I also entered these photos, too: "Stick Dressing, Northumberland County Show" for "Country Life" "Elmer in the Garden, Eating Lupins" for "My Pet" And here is the Thame Show Trophy, for the most points in the Handicrafts Section. Don't get over-awed, it's only six inches high! Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogs

Hello from a wet Cheshire Plain. OK, it's raining, but after the heatwave I've experienced over the last week, I'm enjoying feeling cooler! Sadly I'm still arguing with the new mic, so I've used the hand-held again. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! This episode is sub-titled the ME, ME, ME show (thanks Louise!) and features a detailed run down of the items I entered in the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show at the weekend. Firstly for the Knitting Class, I submitted my Mint Choc Chip scarf, which is the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. In the Baby Knitting, I made this sweater, the February Baby Sweater from the Knitter's Almanac. I found meleliza's Ravelry notes very helpful. For the Crochet Class, I made the Circles Scarf by Linda Permann (details of my project here). For the Embroidered Picture, I finished this that has been lurking in my embroidery UFO bin for a very long time. The motifs are based on those in Jo Verso's World of Cross Stitch, and the composition inspired by one of hers, but the final design is mine. For the Beadwork Class, I entered my first ever piece of beadwork (other than simply threading beads onto a string), which I learnt on a course at The Bead Trail at Blakemere Craft Centre, Sandiway. In the Item made from Recycled Materials, I entered a gift bag made from the Financial Times. For the Three Handmade Cards Class I entered two Lacé designs (the Golden Wedding and Birthday cards) and one iris folding design (New Baby). The entry into the Cushion Class involved some "teach yourself" skills, namely wet felting and needle felting. The main fabric was made from two shades of grey carded Gotland fleece from Eden Gotland Sheep, with the creamy white curls from May Hill Gotlands (gotland_mayhill@yahoo.com) in the Forest of Dean and the dark curls from Diesel from the Pedwardine Gotland flock in South Lincolnshire needlefelted onto the finished cushion. Finally I entered 98g/382 yds of 2ply handspun made from Yummy Yarns UK carded batts (merino, bamboo, silk, firestar and mohair threads) in the Duchess of Cambridge colourway. I also entered these photos, too: "Stick Dressing, Northumberland County Show" for "Country Life" "Elmer in the Garden, Eating Lupins" for "My Pet" And here is the Thame Show Trophy, for the most points in the Handicrafts Section. Don't get over-awed, it's only six inches high! Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a sunny Cheshire Plain. Apologies for the long delay in re-recording this. Even now, I haven't quite worked out the new mic as I needed to swap to the hand-held recorder for the last part. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! On my needles and spinning wheel: Between Episode 24 and the beginning of May, I finished two bears for the Mother Bear Project. I also plied more of the the Picperfec singles into a 4 ply with a view to making a Liesl. Otto Coco Review: Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant, published by Storey Publishing. Agricultural Shows: I'm gearing up for the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show on the 30th July. I also mention the following shows: Wigtown Show: 3rd August Bakewell Show: 3rd&4th August Fishguard Show: 5th August Cranleigh Show: 7th August Sedgefield Show: 14th August Gillingham & Shaftsbury Show: 17th August Hawkshead Show: 23rd August Poynton Show: 27th August Bucks County Show: 1st September A full events calendar can be found on the website of the Association of Agricultural Organisations. Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a sunny Cheshire Plain. Apologies for the long delay in re-recording this. Even now, I haven't quite worked out the new mic as I needed to swap to the hand-held recorder for the last part. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! On my needles and spinning wheel: Between Episode 24 and the beginning of May, I finished two bears for the Mother Bear Project. I also plied more of the the Picperfec singles into a 4 ply with a view to making a Liesl. Otto Coco Review: Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant, published by Storey Publishing. Agricultural Shows: I'm gearing up for the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show on the 30th July. I also mention the following shows: Wigtown Show: 3rd August Bakewell Show: 3rd&4th August Fishguard Show: 5th August Cranleigh Show: 7th August Sedgefield Show: 14th August Gillingham & Shaftsbury Show: 17th August Hawkshead Show: 23rd August Poynton Show: 27th August Bucks County Show: 1st September A full events calendar can be found on the website of the Association of Agricultural Organisations. Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a sunny Cheshire Plain. Apologies for the long delay in re-recording this. Even now, I haven't quite worked out the new mic as I needed to swap to the hand-held recorder for the last part. We have a listeners' map! Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! On my needles and spinning wheel: Between Episode 24 and the beginning of May, I finished two bears for the Mother Bear Project. I also plied more of the the Picperfec singles into a 4 ply with a view to making a Liesl. Otto Coco Review: Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant, published by Storey Publishing. Agricultural Shows: I'm gearing up for the Oxfordshire County and Thame Show on the 30th July. I also mention the following shows: Wigtown Show: 3rd August Bakewell Show: 3rd&4th August Fishguard Show: 5th August Cranleigh Show: 7th August Sedgefield Show: 14th August Gillingham & Shaftsbury Show: 17th August Hawkshead Show: 23rd August Poynton Show: 27th August Bucks County Show: 1st September A full events calendar can be found on the website of the Association of Agricultural Organisations. Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a blooming Cheshire Plain. In this episode, come with me as I go to Wonderwool Wales! Apologies for the occasional background noise, I've tried to even the levels out as best I could. On my needles and spinning wheel: I've been working on a bear for the Mother Bear Project, some Baker's Dozen Squares and my sock yarn blanket. I've also tried plying the Picperfec singles into a 4 ply and it's just what I want! At Wonderwool I met up with guzzisue from the Spinnotts (click here for more info about them) and ambermoggie at the Ravelry Meet-up area. I also spotted Jess in the finger-crocheted hat (sorry, can't remember your Rav name!) teaching Angie and Penny how to spin: I spotted more historic mill bobbins at The Threshing Barn and bought one. I also bought some fibre from Freyalyn's Fibres and some felted jewellery making cupkits from Bryncurl Workshops. I also saw some sheep! First some Shetlands... ... then a gorgeous Leicester Longwool... ...and finally some Manx Loaghtan (but I only photographed the ram, not the two ewes). Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

Hello from a blooming Cheshire Plain. In this episode, come with me as I go to Wonderwool Wales! Apologies for the occasional background noise, I've tried to even the levels out as best I could. On my needles and spinning wheel: I've been working on a bear for the Mother Bear Project, some Baker's Dozen Squares and my sock yarn blanket. I've also tried plying the Picperfec singles into a 4 ply and it's just what I want! At Wonderwool I met up with guzzisue from the Spinnotts (click here for more info about them) and ambermoggie at the Ravelry Meet-up area. I also spotted Jess in the finger-crocheted hat (sorry, can't remember your Rav name!) teaching Angie and Penny how to spin: I spotted more historic mill bobbins at The Threshing Barn and bought one. I also bought some fibre from Freyalyn's Fibres and some felted jewellery making cupkits from Bryncurl Workshops. I also saw some sheep! First some Shetlands... ... then a gorgeous Leicester Longwool... ...and finally some Manx Loaghtan (but I only photographed the ram, not the two ewes). Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain@googlemail.com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic