Great news today…..

My van can come home from the garage!!!

It’s very odd, as I haven’t owned him long, but I’ve really missed Vinnie being outside! I’m hoping to pick him up by the end of the week! Next on the list is to ask a lovely neighbour that I have to check up the inside, connect the gas, show me how the buttons work to. Then I can go out in it finally…well…when I’ve tried to drive it that is lol!

But truly, I’m so very happy. It feels like forever but it will be worth it. All my pretty things are piled on the bed in the van ready to be put away, hooks to be put up, shelves to be added but now useable anyway. The biggest decision, I guess, is where to go first! I’d like to try it out between Christmas and new year. I finish work for Christmas this Thursday 21st December, and I don’t go back until 9th January so I do have an opportunity to give it a good try.

I’m fully armed with lots of blankets, new pillows, a kettle, everything I need to cook and even some food. All I need is milk (for the very essential brew), some fresh food, (at the very least some bread and butter) and, obviously, tea bags!

Clearly I need to consult my list of the people who want me to visit them to allow them to have a nosey inside, and finally I need to pack…wool, needles, patterns, scissors, sewing needles, fleece, wheel, lazy Kate, bobbins, a book, pen and notebook (those who know me well will know this is not an exhaustive list of craft items), and I’ll be ready for the off.

(almost forgot, I’ll need some clean clothes too!)

…and its done!

I’ve finished the beautiful yarn I was spinning. It’s from World of Wool. Its from their northern lights range a x named Blaze..very appropriate j think.

I’d hoped to spin it thin enough for 4ply…not quite got that..more a double knit thickness. Now…what to make with it??

To join or not to join!

I have to admit that I’m a bit of a joiner! However much I love my own company, and I do!..I do love to be with people.

As an avid crafter there are many groups available to join, and join them I do! Currently I attend no less than three knitting groups, one weekly during the day, one daytime Saturday and one every four weeks in an evening during the week. There’s also another that I dip in and out of, work permitting, as it’s during my working week.

I then have a spinners or fibre group every two weeks in the evening. Written down it sounds like a lot but, only a few people overlap the groups so I meet different people each time which is lovely. Being self employed, albeit in schools, can be quite lonely so these groups are my opportunity to meet and chat with others. I think of them as friends because that’s what they’ve become over time. I know that attending groups isn’t for everyone but I say, give it a go, what have you got to lose?

No matter what it is you enjoy, knitting, cooking, reading, singing, walking…the list is endless, there’s a group out there for you and it might surprise you how much joy you can get and what might come of it.

I think a lot of my friends are now getting used to me getting my wheel out each time we meet, not just at the fibre group!

I’m finding myself spinning at every opportunity and I’d like to think it’s showing in what I’m producing. I reminded myself today that I also need to knit with it!,

Nativity all finished!

I’ve finished it and, if I may be so bold, I think it looks great!

What do you think? I’d love your feedback

We three Kings

The main cast, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

In order from the left…calf, Innkeeper, donkey, sheep and shepherd

Angel

And altogether!

Carry on spinning

My practice continues. I had a little of the green left from my first plied yarn so I decided to spin some white to ply it either, and see how it differed!

It’s very different…but I like it!

On Thursday hubby and I went to a shop in Yorkshire that sells fleece..it was amazing!! You can order online for delivery, click and collect or pop in. They’re not open long hours so if you decide to go my advice is to check before you set off.

Once inside you are in a small shop area but it quickly leads to a warehouse area that you can browse…incredible.

The staff were amazing. I was given a trolley, plastic bags, a pen and weighing scales and shown what go do which was, basically, to choose how much you wanted and write the name on the bag. As long as it was the same wool it went into one bag e.g. corriedale, any colour. I was in heaven!!

This is what I bought..I will be back!

If you want to have a look , you’ll find all the details here

https://www.worldofwool.co.uk/

I also started spinning another yarn I’d bought online. It’s come out striped so I’m planning to ply it with a plain yarn

The Nativity

I recently knit myself a chess set! I’ll add that separately. Then I decided to make a Nativity set..with about 6-7 weeks to go until Christmas!

I have been told, often, that I’m crackers, bonkers etc. I kind of agree

Anyway, I’ve knit all the pieces of all 12 characters…and I’ve now sewn together six of them…half way there. I can do this before Christmas..just need to construct a crib!

They’re bigger than I expected, each one, (bar the animals and baby Jesus) is around 7-8 inches tall!

The pattern is a purchased one by Knitting by Post and comes in two parts…well worth it. The instructions are clear and, as long as you keep the pieces separate, you’ll manage just fine.

Learning another new craft!

While I’ve been waiting for my van to be sorted I’ve started a new craft. Technically it’s not new to me. About 10 ish years ago Barrie, (my hubby) bought me a spinning wheel, you know, like in sleeping beauty.

I played with it a little before becoming quite poorly…so it sat in it’s bag tucked away all these years.

A friend (thank you Joey) recently guided me to a group that was starting that was about all about wool..e.g. spinning, weaving, knitting etc. so I dusted off my wheel and off I went.

I couldn’t even recall how to put it together never mind how to work it but Anthony, one of the founding members, was so patient with me and got it all up and running. Two weeks later another member, Rachel, gifted me some fleece to practice with while I waited for some to arrive.

Fast forward a month and I’ve been to two more sessions and spun my first hank of wool!! Plied and everything. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it but I think I might save this one.

My wheel is portable so will be accompanying me on my travels!

I’ve bought several different kinds and colours of fleece to try out and hope to improve the more I try.

What I have discovered is that there is soooo much to learn and lots of funny names too. For example, once a bobbin is full of single spun yarn ready for plying, it sits on a lazy Kate..once plied its made into a hank on a niddy noddy…I kid you not!

This is what my wheel looks like along with the lazy Kate and niddy noddy plus my first spun yarn!

I bought a van!

I’ve been thinking about buying a camper van for a while…a long while!

I’ve been saving my pennies…I needed quite a bit..and started looking around about nine months ago.

I’ll be honest, hubby and I have seen some sheds! We’ve spent night after night sharing ads for this van and that van and visited so many I was ready to give up hope.

However, all the searching did tell me something..it told me what I DIDN’T want from a van. I realised I wanted a fixed bed, I didn’t want to put my bed up and down every day, with my joint issues that wouldn’t be a good idea at all! I’m not bothered about a shower, but a loo would be useful, nor am I bothered about an oven, but I don’t want to use a camping stove.

Most importantly, I decided a motor home was not for me, a converted van would be best. Finally, as I plan to travel alone a lot, safety is very important so I need quick access from the van to the cab.

Is that all too much to ask?

Well, apparently it’s not! I found one! After many months of searching. (My advice to anyone else looking, don’t give up, and watch for the scammers!)

This is my van as it was advertised, not when I bought it as the kettle, bedding etc was not included.

My first job was to get it to the garage for them to have a good look at it. There were a few things I KNEW needed doing, a few advisories I WANTED to have done, and, finally, it doesn’t lock properly! Never a good thing.

I’m hopeful that by next week it will be ship shape and ready to go. Now all I have to do is work out what all the buttons do and how to drive the damn thing!!!!!