Dye Verse UK

Dye Verse: Colour sells the goods….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Dye Verse: Colour sells the goods….

An inspiring thought from the archives

Where do I get my inspiration from?

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

All over the place – is my answer to that. As a writer, designer and general creator it can be a piece of music, a random thought – a scene we pass when travelling. Anywhere can spark something off.

Recently I have been confined to my my chair with illness and back issues – so even daytime TV has it’s moments..

Particularly the old Murder/Mystery ones it seems…

Thank you Wycliffe and Midsummer Murders.

My designs won’t be identical to these – but the general construction appeals and there is where my neurons start their journey of consideration and problem solving. My brain loves to analyse combinations of visual and tactile – I “hear” colour as musical notes and I “taste” words.

Probably why I struggle with appreciating a beautiful plate of food – I love to eat it, but don’t really get anything out of the way it is presented – and I have often been accused when I did cook of just piling it on like school dinners…

Very simple silhouettes offers the opportunity to use quite complicated patterns and colours in ways which appear uncontrived and spontaneous. That is my theory anyway and how I tackle design construction. Why do something so complicated in shape, which then overpowers the time and effort and subtlety of using hand spun, hand dyed wool to construct?

According to an article in Selvedge this month – written by Caroline Barry – our brain has an ability to discern the relationship between repetition and variation and this is why we use the brain’s perceptual and discriminative abilities to evaluate in aesthetic terms the craftsmanship behind a project. (apologies to the author – my paraphrase of what she said – altered in a way that applies to me…).

In other words – I see something – my brain sparks off the question – “how was that made?” – I then dissect and remake the piece using the skills and knowledge I have – tweaking it to fit me or fit for some other purpose, decorating it with patterns which are pleasing to me and hopefully others. The article describes the “order” of hand-knitted stitches.. I am definitely in that category. I love order in anything. That is why I enjoy accounts so much.

I can’t do much about the chaos in our life, but getting it down on spread sheets and paper gives me a sense of “order” or at least understanding. I can also quantifiably see how I am spending my time which is also satisfying. Much the same way as a cumulative number of stitches made over many hours of crafting becomes a product at the end…

Off to put some order into my knitting bags…lots of things on the go at the moment, mostly sock making.

Oh and I have managed to get a place in October for the Plug n Play - P3 2012 being run in Wales by Brenda Dayne and Amy Singer. Hopefully my world will be more ordered and I will be recovered enough to communicate with other humans… well knitters !!!

Blogging Weather….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I don’t know where the last week has gone, but I do know I haven’t stopped. We have taken delivery of Toby’s new vehicle – photos to be posted here in the near future.

The good news is that is fantastic and it is perfect – exactly what he wanted and specifications spot on. With one glaring oversight… Thank you Mr Griffiths, friend of the family, for pointing this one out…

Big sign on back of vehicle saying leave 8ft or 3 metres space when parking. Except 8ft isn’t three metres…!! It could be worse – the number plate could have been wrong !!

The rest of my moaning about the practical pitfalls in my life can be read over at www.dyeverse.org in the meantime I will reflect about my crafty world.

I have found a lovely set up in Cullompton of knitters, crafters and beaders and spent an hour on Monday evening in their company, after my lovely afternoon with the Uffculme Knitters.

Went home on Tuesday afternoon to find an amazing parcel from Picperfic and some lovely beads which I am going to blog about when I start working on some fancy spinning which will incorporate them.

I hope Carolyn doesn’t mind me using her photo here – as mine don’t do them justice..

I went on a Art Yarn spinning course last year, and I am going to practice some of the techniques with these very special beads which are just delicate enough to do the trick and not be too heavy to throw the bobbins off balance. They are also very much stronger than they look.

In the meantime, I don’t think there is much spinning going to go on in my world, as I have damaged my back – hopefully with a bit of rest it will recover – all my own fault.

So I am sitting on my Tuffet thinking about “The Boat that Guy Built” and ‘nittin whilst watching the rain…incredibly cathartic…

When I have finished blogging that is… !!!

hugs everyone…

Colourful Days

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:29:00 +0000

Even though it is pouring down with rain outside, and I have been up since quite early this morning I haven’t actually managed to get much achieved.

I have some lovely wool – I think either a merino 64 or some BFL – all labels lost in the mist of time – but a very soft handle - which I dyed last week using Kemtex Sea Green Plus (707), a smattering of Mid Blue Easidye (707) and Lemon Easidye (501) acid dyes. This was kettle-dyed, sprinkling the dye generously half/half with a smaller teaspoon amount of the Mid Blue confined to a small edge. In the dye-bath I also placed some pre-felt and sock-wool – so I have some colours to play with when doing some felting in the future and may be to experiment on if I weave a length to play with. I will have to weigh all of this when I have finished preparing it.

After a week of trying to get it dry – which was eventually achieved I started spinning it yesterday afternoon.

The problem I had though was with light being as poor as it is, I haven’t been able to catch the accurate colours which make up the roving as the lemon and the sea green blended, creating some lovely limes and forest greens.

This though gives you a general idea – but the greens are a lot darker in the first batch.

So I decided to try to match them to the Pantone Textile colours – after the first five though I gave up. It never occurred to me that there would be so many variations of shades in just one dye-bath. I then went on to compare some of the other commercially dyed rovings I have at hand – and found they were quite saturated and mono-tone in comparison, with very little differences in the whole roving. As it should be – if want a consistent colour, but this could explain why I enjoy spinning my hand-dyed wool so much more. A bit of a voyage of discovery and the finished product so much more interesting as your eye wanders over the different shades trying to settle on identifying one colour to describe it with.

I am going to call this colourway Water Horse – as we were watching the film yesterday whilst I was spinning it, and I was transfixed by the cinematographic colours of the “loch”.

I do love these deep colours – so will probably dye a larger batch soon – if I am not side-tracked by other lovely ideas…

Mixed Bag…..

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:39:00 +0000

Well since last blogging, my world can only be described as a mixed-bag of fibre, creative thoughts, craven longings and “things which have to be done” just being “done”.

As the weather was fine in Bristol last week – there was dyeing… followed by

more dyeing – great happiness was created in my world of fluff…. but then urgent “needs and demands took over” blowing my mind, along with the weather turning to storm force – which negated all playing with concerns over how I was going to get things dry in my transient world.

This is the line today – Thursday – the first day I have been in one spot with a moment to call my own for a week now. Not ideal drying day – but the best that can be achieved. (Dyes used are Kemtex, but will list them when I get back to my notes)

I now understand a little more about myself though – the first two dyepots were exciting, but I wanted to then create more to experiment with the “accidents” – such as the cerise and blue in the first pot colliding in such brilliant fashion. The cerise and lemon yellow generated thoughts of sorbets.. or echoes of the flowers in the gardens around – all very spring like and refreshing.

Then yesterday, we drove past the Wool Marketing Board storage depot in South Molton.

Much to the total confusion of the guy in charge, I went in and asked if it was possible to photograph his “stash” – some people just don’t get addiction !!!

I need storage like this….

Colourful world….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:52:00 +0000

My world is as complicated as ever, and over the last few days a number of demands have impacted again into my creative world. I am starting to wonder if there ever will be a hiatus and my gentleness and creativity can colour my landscape again.

Then I randomly check morgue files and come across these two fantastic photographs – VERY red.. the colour of Toby’s vehicle.

Contrasting against the greens all around me of the hedgerows and fields, then as the sun sets the amazing shades of blue against which the stark winter sculptured trees stand in profile…

Well colour is all around me, just have to look and not allow my focus to wander off….

Now toddling off to spin….

Knitting with one Needle

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:19:00 +0000

In the words of the great Bard… Freddie Mercury…

“Ooh ooh ah ah
Ooh ooh ah ah
I'm knitting with only one needle
Unravelling fast it's true
I'm driving only three wheels these days
But my dear how about you”

I have blogged about my current preoccupations with staying on top of the grief over at www.dyeverse.org so as is becoming customary won’t reprise them here..

But another week without knitting or spinning, but having needles and wool on my desk (even though the desk be in a hotel) and spinning wheel in the car – is all becoming too much for me.

Had a dispute earlier in the week about bottled water – hadn’t realised the water shortage had extended to Devon and hotels. Woken up this morning at 5 am by a lady of elder years determined to enter the room with her key card – even though this wasn’t her room !!!!

Then there was the car park full of AA vehicles, with a breakdown being dealt with by one of their rivals… now that was funny !!

Still…..

Finger’s crossed though, I will have enough time over the next few days, just to inspire myself, even if nobody else is involved…

Colour is everywhere – the greens of the hedges, contrasting with the Hawthorn and cherry blossoms. The white of the sleet against the grey of the pavements.

The “sat nav” even did its own thing last night and took us to a recycling centre, instead of back to Cullompton! Thank you Edwin – you are a source of laughter that just keeps on giving. You can say the most controversial things and get away without it – whereas if I had said turn left – well….

So these are a few of things which have made me laugh this week, and which I will remember to weave into my projects (did have a chance to visit Fiddlesticks in Honiton!) and think about as I am knitting my marathon sock quest.

The things which made me cry are consigned to the waste bin, along with the hankies used to dry my tears and wipe my nose (and mop up the spilt tea…).

I think – you know I am going slightly mad… and will definitely be knitting with one needle unless I can find the other ones, or some spares…

Spring Spinning

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:02:00 +0000

I have had a stinking cold over the past few days, so thought best not spread that around the Felters of the parish, so stayed at home feeling sorry for myself yesterday. Actually I wasn’t sorry for myself really, I just got stuck in and finished all the outstanding bits and pieces around the room.

Finally finished the Salmon and Sage weaving, which I will post a photo of when finished. I love it now, which is really frustrating as I hated it when weaving it – hence the length of time it took. So now I don’t know whether to add embellishments or not – I just love the texture.

I also got stuck in and finished off a few 100g of the Fibreholics oddments, pictured above. I am undecided as to whether to weave or knit with it. Either will make a stunningly eclectic piece.. might do both !! I certainly need a new jumper after the winter I have had, and these vibrant colours, randomly spun make me smile every time I look at them – very Kaffe Fassett I think.

Been getting on with the sock knitting, now I have addressed the issues of my missing knitting kits. Goodness knows what I have done with my markers and stuff. I think they have been “borrowed” by the same person who has made off with my fried Keith’s e-spinner and various other really vital things which are now missing under the mountains of wool and unfinished projects.

This is a picture of the wool I have spun this week and last – just to give you an idea of how random my collections now are.. and you can see some Fibreholics skeins just peaking out…

So off to make the most of this beautiful spring day – wish I had more of these….

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Just as an aside I have blogged over at DyeVerse some frequently asked questions regarding the articles in the press this week. I have put my responses out of the way, so it is your choice as to whether you read them or not, and like me you may well just want to think about other things and move on.

Thank you all though for your support and comments, incredibly kind.

Just sort of pondering

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Woke up this morning with my To Do list having reached an all time record, but still not being in the right location to do anything about it.

I have blogged over at www.dyeverse.org about some of the underlying reasons.

So here I am…

Still working through some of the ideas which emerged from the Heritage Crafts Conference on Saturday. I don’t have time today to blog about them, but will do over the next few weeks. I am using Live Scribe nowadays – which is a way of taking notes and recording what is being said.

My memory has got to the point now that I need this extra bit of prompting – and it helps me to review conversations in a different context – or later when I need some more in depth prompting, where notes and pictures are not enough.

Shani's Pen
brought to you by Livescribe

This was a little taster of the Upload, apologies to Patricia Lovett here for using her voice, and you can see by pressing it that the notes written in my own fair hand change colour as the recording plays. Because I can rewind to specific places in my notes, by just using the notated paper which comes with the system, this is starting to be my preferred method of note taking.

Just going back to yesterday though – which I could somehow record smells.

I have some spinning unceremoniously awaiting me on the wheel. It was some natural dyed Weld (I think) which I seemed to remember dyeing last year. Yet – when I thought about it properly – it was actually the year before we went to Court - October/November I think – so I have lost a whole year. A bit of a shock - Oh well. Not quite sure about the recipes used now, and the wool is a lot harsher than I remember – so think I probably used both alum and iron mordant.

During the evenings, I am spindle spinning some lovely spring coloured roving – BFL, Merino and Bamboo from Hill Top Cloud, which I acquired through the Fibreholics (a random pack of assorted 20g). Got quite carried away whilst watching Witness last night.

I had forgotten what a lovely crafted film that was. Once you get over the romantic images of Amish life contrasted with the stereotypes of American police “whacking” – the film score is quiet and haunting and very relaxing to listen to. Perhaps I should save some time and just buy the soundtrack?

Perhaps – I am more about the soundtrack nowadays than the actual imagery? Now there is a thought to carry me through the day…

Moving on…..

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:53:00 +0000

Well in the immortal words of someone we are in contact with regularly – things are moving apace now.

Fuller comment and links to Toby’s page, along with details of the Articles in the Evening Post can be found over on www.dyeverse.org.

Nothing can put our world back to how it was before the accident, but hopefully we can put all of this behind us now and move on.

Part of that will be getting back into our interests and using our gifts and talents to make ourselves useful citizens in the world…

So I have been looking around for a workshop that can be used by Toby and ourselves to undertake some of our messier crafts. I think the Unit would be appalled at carpentry and fleece dyeing being undertaken on posh new carpets !!

It seems we might have found something – so will keep you all posted.

This afternoon though, whilst sun is shining and whilst I am still inspired by the Heritage Crafts Conference, am getting on with some of my “Stash Busting”

This is the view from the doorstep, whilst I spin, smell and listen to the beautiful noises around me. I can capture the picture, and can record the sound, but have no way of letting you know the “smell” – which is evocative, inspirational and I shall miss so much when we have to leave in a month’s time.

It has woody notes and wet fleece is definitely in amongst the fertiliser and country smells of cows…

Oooh what a lovely perfume.. I shall call it “Phoenix”…. and the smell will always transport me back to this moment in time – when the line in the sand was drawn and our future being written - I am sure.

Hold the front page…

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Woke up this morning and knitted quietly listening to the birds…Barn Raising Quilt is back on the needles – you can read more about it and the other things going on my hectic world over at www.dyeverse.org as I have no wish to reprise the tale here – but can confirm a) I am not having an affair and b) really don’t have a press spokesperson in case nobody spots the irony (that got you looking !!)

I also had a moment of madness and perusing the forums on Ravelry came across a thread on one where everyone seemed to be ranting about the disagree button and that someone had pressed it. I was equally as indignant and horrified – these poor people appear to have been through muchos trauma (didn’t read through to find out what, but it was just apparent from where I landed hackles and pointy sticks at dawn were the order of the day)

Then with horror I realised that the black raised lettering on the screen meant that actually it was me who had pressed the disagree they were all upset about…

Ooohps – didn’t mean to – technical error. I really shouldn’t read my iPad late at night – I tend to random read through the radar.

But had a moment of madness this morning, when I saw that the person when identified was going to be banned/hung drawn or quartered – so pressed another random disagree for the sheer heck of it. If I am going to meet such a fate without the chance of innocent explanation – sheep and lamb sprung to mind..

It felt sooooo goooooddd….. such power…. totally mischief and irrelevant – but fun…

As an aside though – there was a good outcome… I have wanted to find out the Ravelry name of someone I have heard about elsewhere and would like to know more about. In this case I have tracked down the Ravelry name Pompoms – of Sally, the lovely person who has been a guest on David Reidy’s Sticks and String podcast. She commentates on the Easter Show in Sydney in the last few years, and not only has a lovely voice, makes very insightful and pertinent comments – really bringing the whole thing alive for me. She though, has in turn led me into wicked ways and I followed one of her links to a shoppe and bought more – stuff…

In my defence – mini-skeins to cure the issues of the Barn Raising Quilt – so justified then – and this is the stash purchased yesterday for you to admire… nom nom….

The skein is from Louisa Harding – Grace Hand-dyed. The other two balls are destined for a pair of socks in the knitting queue – not sure who is next.

Enough of such trivia – off to polish my tarnished reputation.

Colourful Tranquillity

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Yep, I know it is not autumn, but I came across this gorgeous photo on the Morgue File website and thought I would share.

Today has been a beautiful day, so thought best have a haircut and generally start sorting out my world. This included sorting out my glasses, playing a few games of Uno with young squire – oh and reading a really interesting blog post written by the press office of Admiral Insurance. I must be psychic is all I can say, as low and behold they write about the problems that they are encountering with over confident young drivers.

What they don’t of course tell you within the carefully couched tale is that they accept the premium and then treat the ensuing disaster zone which they have had a part in facilitating, and all those caught up in the terrible mess, as if it is dirt under their shoes.

I though also have another problem with all of this. If I am insured with a company, and the worst happens, I expect my insurance company to treat and manage the situation – which may well have been of my making - with good manners, politeness and professionalism – reflecting the values that I hold as they are representing me. All of which were missing during the six years up until now – perhaps a consideration that needs to be taken by the consumer when choosing an insurer.

No I am not going into another rant today – press have now been in touch – so expect them to undertake the ranting for me – as that will sell papers. Just thought I would share this touch of irony with you….I wonder if the press office and the acting Manager actually know what is being said and done in their name.

So moving on…. I have found a lovely wool shop in Tiverton call the The Wool Merchant. I called in there a couple of weeks ago, and was blown away by the choices and unusual wool ranges. Today I went back again and there were more – so this is a place worth visiting repeatedly . Shame though that they do not have any local independently dyed wool – most of the colourful skeins are imported – the one I purchased today was from Chile. I felt I could justify it as the colourway was very inspiring, but would struggle with justifying buying more.

The Heritage Crafts Association have their annual conference on Saturday, so the “Hubbles” are going on a little trip to London. Looking forward to meeting with others interested as we are in crafts that for some mysterious reason are valued so lowly in society. Not sure where I am going to find the energy, but will do somehow…

I fink I might take me ‘nittin……

Oh just one last thought – aimed at nobody or any current thread in particular – Ravelry is a free website which is accessible to knitters, weavers and craftspeople predominantly dealing with wool and publications/businesses who can supply these craftspeople. Anybody can sign up, it is a fantastic and free resource – so any discussions that are made on the forums are not private and confidential – in fact they are subject to British laws just as much as Facebook and any other social network.

Best not put anything on there you couldn’t repeat in a Court of Law….no matter how justified you feel or how involved you are in any particular or personal dispute…. solicitors, barristers and judges also knit you know.

just saying…

Judgment has been delivered…

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:51:00 +0000

This is the landmark day for us. A FINAL decision – well that is what is says on the tin - or so we hope.

The Defendant’s Appeal has been dismissed by the Three highly qualified Judges of the Appellant Court. There is still some dispute going on in the background..

I won’t reprise my rant here – but if you wish to read my comments please feel free to drift over to www.dyeverse.org.

In the meantime, today – the first day of the rest of my life – I am concentrating on and considering what on earth I am going to do about resurrecting my dyeing, spinning, weaving, writing, and the rest of the things that I could do for a living – apart from arguing that is !!!

They have now all gone onto the back burner for as many months as I can remember and I am almost at the point of forgetting how to write fiction when all I can think about is fact. Actually thinking about it, most of the facts I am dealing with could be distorted to become fiction quite easily – oohps, forgot they had – by the Defendants – ooh bitchy…

So here is some drop-spindling to wet your craft appetite… and

With some creative writing underway – oh and some course work…

and a sign spotted a couple of weeks ago – which I thought a little sexist – but the point will not be lost on any one who sees it on my door in the near future..!!

So what do I do whilst I wait….?

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:12:00 +0000

I am counting my blessings not moaning, but life is a bit of a struggle even for me here whilst we still wait for the ….”Judgment”.

Unfortunately most people that we have to deal with in daily life consider this a very elongated timeframe. Yep, we think so as well… and their world carries on and therefore ours must… well that was the angle most we have to deal with have taken with us until I have recently taken a position and stuck to it.

“Nope actually ours doesn’t have to. There is no decision that you need this minute in time to organise your lives that cannot wait for another week or two whilst we evaluate ours.”

It is interesting how much conflict arises when you take this point of view! Especially when you point out that is how you have been treated by said person/organisation all along this difficult route.

Also interesting how points of views change when you ask people to wait for your response and invite them to revisit their decisions before you take the time to think through your response. This is something I have been truly amazed at – the number of decisions which have been totally reversed without any input at all from me!

A friend of ours often uses the phrase “come back with the right answer” – what a wise man he has proven to be !!

I am also now buying myself the time to listen to my own thoughts which is proving very life-affirming. I have resumed study.

I loved studying – possibly because there was never time for study or school when I was a child, and was over 3/4 through my qualification in 2003 when I had to give it up, when work and study life combo became impossible – except with work-related subjects which were always quite easy to get my head around as I was around the conundrums on a daily basis.

Since then the points gained during such bizarre choices as ancient greek language, phylosophy and psychology have increased in value and now with the help of a few green stamps or tesco coupons I could finish the qualification – so I have glibly stated…

I must have been telepathetic - I couldn’t have more right.

Tescos wrote to me the other week to say I was losing £2.50 as I hadn’t spent my vouchers. I didn’t even realise that was what they had been sending me in the mailshots I chucked out. I signed on to the site, cashed in £65 worth, which became £195 in OU vouchers and I am now happily engrossed in a course in basic Law – covering elements of Toby’s future I was going to have to get to grips with, and no-one seemed to know where I could inform myself…didn’t in a million years consider this route…well this is a pleasant surprise…

Every little helps ……

“Weebles Wobble

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:48:00 +0000

but they don’t fall down” or so the old advert used to have us believe.

Blogging unfortunately has gone off the radar again during last week. Here am I, now on a Monday morning, desperately trying to find 10 minutes peace in my head, so I can work out what on earth happened to me last week, which challenges all my received knowledge and wisdom, file the important bits, park the emotional and totally unbelievable bits and just generally move on remembering the lovely bits…

So on the craft front…

Some beautiful spindle spinning – with wool from Mandacraft from the Fibreholics selections. Just completed this and now working on a beautiful pink and silk creation also from Fibreholics.

Just finished a couple of bags of rovings, dyed last year (or even the year before) as I try to clear my stash before dyeing any more when the weather improves. I was spinning whilst watching the Narnia films, and coincidentally the colours reflected the themes within the films.

Even though the photo of my spinning is not clear (poor light) I think you can see from the publicity still that they are quite close matches with the Dawn Treader and backlit sky.

This one, very much the blues of Prince Caspian and the Caspian seas. Unfortunately my camera filters colours, so what you see here is somewhat subtly altered, which is a bit of a shame, as I love the original colours very much.

I have been working on what to do about colour descriptions and with the aid of the Pantone colour chips, I am now going to start on communicating more clearly the colours within my projects. I have now linked up again with my HGA mentor and have some ideas about some exercises I could do whilst going about my everyday business.

I shall leave you with this thought…On Friday – desperately seeking some peace and quiet for at least an hour, with no interruptions – whilst on the fourth floor of a building… the above happened…

What on earth does a girl have to do to get any privacy? !!!

This weeble may wobble, but she won’t fall down…

Wish I had more days like these….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Well no – I really don’t want anyone else at my doorstep telling me I am selfish and self-centred because I won’t donate £20 a month to help someone who is disabled and struggling to leave their home …. duh?

I did point out in lots of kind words how this was inappropriate…and that he was not undertaking the job as a service to society… and then found myself trying to explain the big words…so gave up, with his threat to tell the neighbours ringing in my ears…

Don’t you just luv sponsored begging? I don’t…. and unfortunately big society seems to have luring a number of very self-serving individuals into a whole new lifestyle…

So what else have I done?

Well I have cleared my desk – as opposed to clean it. In other words the contents are now all over my bed – oh dear. Some have been filed, but I have sort of got distracted by the things that needed doing when I discovered that they needed doing.

So I have now yelled a lot at PC World about an offer they had on at Christmas and also the company the offer was made through – result £40.00 now back in my account instead of theirs.

Big kudos here to Evernote which I discovered through the Complex Weaving group, and on which I now store all my receipts and anything else which is virtual and vital to my existence, so I can actually find them when I need them, on whichever computer I am based at.

I have found all my course notes from last September, so have filed them. In those course note wallets I have found lots of pens and pencils which explains a lot… they are now back in the pots.

I have found a couple of tubes of paint… filed under their respective colourways – what was that about? !!!

and finally and most importantly I have discovered the mystery of the colours required for the HGA Certificate of Excellence. You would never believe how much grief and expense I have had to go to, to identify 7 colours from Pantone numbering….

But I got there in the end, with the aid of a second hand set from ebay and two iPod applications…So note to self, don’t bother with colleagues who have done the course, libraries or art schools in future – to use a phrase of Toby’s “they know nuffing….”

In fairness the colleagues who have done the course were in America, and there lies the rub – these references are easily available there, along with three-holed notefolders, unlike here…

Who says we speak the same language… I think Rex Harrison got the bones of the situation….!

and no this is not what my desk now looks like… I can though but dream….

Painting your own World…

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:33:00 +0000

On returning to my desk (perforce as the dust in the living room has now given me an asthma attack, so it is being “deep vacuumed” by an expert in domestic appliances” (or so he claims ….the stove is next on his list – well a girl has to have some perks when writing the To Do list? !!) ) I have found an Artists’ Water Colour tube of New Camboge very neatly filed in my To Do file of urgent Documents – guess that shows you where my mind has been for a while…!!!

The funny thing is I can remember very clearly why I needed it and why it has come from my art bag to the desk – shame I forgot to put it back….and the piece I was writing at the time – where is that? and …..

Well the list is endless….

A blessay alert…

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What Makes a Masterpiece was a programme which prompted my renaissance in my personal art this week… Very interesting and though-provoking series, unfortunately aired on More4 on a Sunday evening with no repeats on mainstream as yet planned, but have shared the link on Channel 4 which is there for a while.

I had a bit of a moment when watching it, as I now have more insight (I think) into some of Toby’s thoughts on art.

I have always been a bit mystified as to why he is so adamant that he enjoys watercolour painting, but is so resistant to acrylics. I had thought that it was something to do with getting messy (yep, even plain water can make someone messy it appears, but we overcame that!!). But recently it has been a lot more behind his protestations.

There has been an artist working at the Unit in Acrylics, and even though he enjoyed the formal class-like structure of the presentations and working within a group, he was and is still very resistant to using acrylics for enjoyment, creativity or expression. Why?

Toby is not usually this illogical… so prompted by the programme I have dissected what we do and how we approach the two subjects.

Watercolour – is us looking at the whole of the picture – a lot of planning – chatting, talking and generally sharing our points of view about the subject. Then starting from the lightest shades/tones in our respective painting trays (again prompting lots of discussion, testing, and general planning) we apply transparent and often luminous colours onto a usually white or pale surface. Our end pictures very often looks very different from each other and the original – but we love them and delight in our individuality. Some of them developed into very abstract pieces of colourwork that would not be out of place in a weaving…
Acrylic – is looking at the whole of the picture – again with lots of planning - and starting from the lightest shades/tones (background) applying opaque bright shades (sometimes mixed with water, or straight from the tube) onto a suitable surface and building up the colour in blocks until it resembles the picture you want to replicate. This is where the process differs, we inevitably struggle to deviate or control our own creative input. Our end pictures very often are similar and there is a sense of …. well not quite getting it right…

So?

The first needs planning and thinking through and delicate touch, the other still needs the same, but the process is not as permanent and mistakes/changes can be made by just overlaying with further acrylic.

Acrylic is a lot “flatter” and takes a practiced hand it apply it. We struggle to mix the range of very “loud” colours into more subtle shades.

A daub of watercolour in the wrong place, can send us off into all kinds of creative decisions as it suggests to our eye something unexpected. Acrylic – it becomes a bit of a problem until it is dry enough to deal with. Toby also likes the thinner/smaller brushes and watercolour washes for their own sake, whereas he finds the acrylic ones a lot more cumbersome.

The bonus with this daub approach to watercolour and suspension of our ideals of perfection is that our minds have to be open to creativity and adaption, making the best of whatever mark or colour appears – or otherwise we have to scrap a picture that otherwise is perfect – as we have enjoyed the process of making it (not the actual draughtsmanship… well in our eyes yes, but in that of a critical world… nope…) we would not wish to do that.

So we adapt, adjust our expectations, look for inspiration within the picture itself and make decisions about our little world in which we have come to love in the last few minutes.

All these decisions are made in a split second – as we are absorbed in our journey as we create our world on an A4 sheet of paper.

Above is Toby’s flower garden. What I see in this picture now two years on? – well I don’t actually see the contents but what I see – in my mind’s eye - is a fabulous afternoon, dissecting the garden and discussing problems and resolving them (of the paint and colour variety) – intimate time shared with my son, as clearly replying as if it is a video on UTube..

Just gone off to find mine, and whilst I thought I was a master in my own life time that particular day, it doesn’t even warrant showing here. With the benefit of distance and time I can see it is very poorly drafted and quite naive compared with Toby’s. Nobody would have ever believed that I spent time training to be an artist – or perhaps they would !!! – training very nearly destroyed all the purity of enjoyment in the action/reaction to subjects.

But I remember both the paintings as being perfect, and they serve now as a record of that afternoon and a memory prompt that will last forever – not something to be hung in a gallery for outsiders to guess at the circumstances of creativity - Now what is wrong in that? !!

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Reading back on this, I think I have explained our approach and thoughts very clumsily, so will work on a more fluent eloquent submission. The problem is the process itself, with the caveat of when we get it right is very pure and vibrant – the firing of the neurons telling you just when you have it right…

It is the neuron firing that you remember, not the dodgy lines, or slightly wrong perspective. It is the laughter and the dropping of the brush – not how clever you think you are in the perfect replication of the subject.

I also get that feeling when I write, when someone else does something which I have facilitated – I don’t need to “own” or be in charge… it is enough to just be present – when a painting works, or when some piece of craft blossoms into something which fits. The unveiling of the contents of a dyepot…

I even get that feeling when a column of figures adds up – how sad is that…

My neurons obviously work at problem solving.. not too much though.

Don’t even know why I feel I have to justify the beauty and pureness of what we do – well I do, but I am not going to share that here with you, as it says more about the environment and how the need to defend/protect arose, than it does about the way I and many others think.

The reason I am writing about it today, is I am quite sad that others cannot share in our joy in the process for the mere sake of it and want to change ours (and other’s) approaches, rather than look at their own… God forbid that there may be two or even more ways of doing something? !!

I am so glad I don’t live in their world… even if I can’t find my gamboge in mine !!

Spring has sprung?

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:33:00 +0000

What bizarre weather we are having – so much so yesterday I was out in shirt sleeves at 5pm watching the sunset – then I got cold and wondered why?!!

Had a funny sort of day yesterday, still can’t get anything done – and have to stop myself from trying to do too much when the waves of fog from my brain raise temporarily before it all descends and joined up thinking becomes something of the past.

Connectivity issues seem to be a problem here again at the moment. Hopefully the government plans will sort out Cullompton at some point and then I can stop wondering around looking for a signal at farm gates (!). There is some sort of metaphor here for a writer. I spent half my youth looking for a signal at farm gates with “DH” – the first time around… (dirty laugh follows….)

Mine cuts in and out (the WiFi signal, not sex life !!) on a regular basis and I am sat right on top of the router here, and have the latest technology. Down at the Merry Harriers, the local pub which still has character, panache and brill food… none of their card machines work consistently and John can be seen doing the “wiggle dance” in the doorway on many a night, which whilst highly entertaining and the stuff of folklore for future generations, shows how bad general connections and signals are! not a good vibe for a professional business, but it is fun and he does do the hip action with practiced aplomb of an entertainer…

So back to the knitting… thank you all so much for making such an effort to communicate with me. It has been brought to my attention that yet again commenting is an issue. I am so sorry. I have altered the settings again, and if all else fails

shani@dyeverse.org

will find me. You can also find this link on the contacts page. If you want your comment reposted to the blog, please say so, otherwise I will just answer you as best I can. But I do appreciate your interaction.

Back to knitting and the sock pattern…. no I did not make up the original pattern. It has been around in many guises for as many years as I and my mother and auntie before me. No I don’t know where it was originally published. Handknitted socks were the stuff of War I and War II knitting and you couldn’t pop down to a local store to buy some cheap nylon versions, so as kids we all had handknitted socks until the white ones became available (ugh).

On this return to sock knitting in about 2006/7 I used a basic pattern given free from Get Knitted when you buy their sock yarn. I have since found the same pattern given free elsewhere, in fact all over the place, with some difference in typo settings etc.

The one I found from Ravelry which looked fairly basic was Simple Sock Recipe, which I hope you can pick up if you are not a Ravelry member. (Ravelry is free remember, so please don’t feel reluctant about joining and you will find loads of people to help you if you are a newbie).

Otherwise try the local library or just google sock patterns, or try Sarah at the Spinning Weal… my short stop for everything..

When I next knit up a sock from the start, I will photograph it from the start and at various stages, and put it all together in a more readable pamphlet. From the photos I go this morning though, it seems that the two stars I was originally helping have now completed their first ones. So even though my description was longer than the original pattern !!! and very long winded, combined with everything we seem to have got there in the end.

Just reinforces to me though how much I do from memory and how difficult it is to write notes in or describe in another medium something you do instinctively or by rote. A bit like writing/drawing debate I suppose.

or photography one… here is Toby taking a picture of me taking a picture of him, on an afternoon which defied description. The weather, scenery and company were magical…

Amazing what can be achieved when you want it as badly as we have… thank you Adapted Vehicle Hire who so supportively stepped into to help when the motability vehicle became an impossible dream/nightmare (still being built and due to now be in the country at the end of January !).

To be told you can have something, but then the practicalities making it impossible, along with timescales which beggar belief…

Transport has changed our world and made so many things possible that just could not be done before… Just shame we had to sort it ourselves… no wonder I am stressed !!! – but so worth it…

for an hour we were normal again yesterday – as a family should be…

Ribbed Heel Flap….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:02:00 +0000

“Phew….” (stage direction) strikes hand across forehead in dramatic flourish to wipe sweat off brow…

What did I start yesterday with my blog? I haven’t got a clue, but I have struck a chord obviously with a number of people, and thank you all for your kind comments and corrections..

I have knitted hundreds of socks over the last few years, whilst travelling back and forth – all of the started from a very basic pattern which I had given me with some sock yarn when I very first started making them again after a 20 year gap.

The original pattern was OK, but it was flawed in that it was quite difficult to knit and did not fit my feet, also the heels went very quickly, despite using specified sock yarn, so I developed a different type of flap – which I erroneously called Eye of Partridge yesterday.

Some of you very kindly pointed out to me that the ribbed heel on the socks in the picture, was in fact NOT Eye of Partridge as per the JPEG on the blog, but something totally different. Fine – happy with that – so what is it then? a Cushioned Rib of some sort which I am sure I have not invented.

But a number of people have asked me to give them details, I did in my ham-fisted short-hand way, and there has been a flurry of queries and questions to that.

So….. thought best write it down and thought it would be quite simple to convey in a couple of lines of instruction – but obviously blinkin well not !!

It seems there are many people in the world who are not sock knitters, because they don’t understand the patterns. I must admit I struggled…but not terribly sure that my long-hand written method is any the easier.

So…. thought might as well give the software a bit of whirl and here for your consideration is the charted version of my heel. I will have another go at my sock pattern with pictures when I am next knitting one, so hope this helps in the meantime.

My Methodology

Using you usual sock knitting method (mine is Cast On 60 using 2.5mm four dpn and knit patterns in the round to required length)

Knit 30 stitches onto one of your needles, and put the other on a spare short flexible needle to hold at the back of the work.

Follow the chart (below) knitting backwards and forwards now, not in the round, until Row 30 and you will find that it sets you up to shape the top of the heal which goes something like this:

Row 31: s1 p16 p2tog p1 turn
Row 32: s1 k5 ssk2tog k1 turn
Row 33: s1 p6 p2tog p1 turn
Row 34: s1 k7 ssk2tog k1 turn
Row 35: s1 p8 p2tog p1 turn
Row 36: s1 k9 ssk2tog k1 turn

This then sets you up using short rows continue decreasing one stitch in each row, increasing the distance between as above until you have 18 stitches on your needle.

This is then when you have to pick up the 15 stitches down the side of the flap to “turn” the heel.

You will find that there are now purl “bumps” down both sides of the flap, which act as a very neat ladder leaving guesswork to a minimum. Pick up the 15 stitches, place a marker, then pick up five from the flexible needle at the back of your work. Knit across the picked up stitches and then resume any pattern on the five stitches at the end of the row.

Place 20 stitches from the flexible needle back on to your dpn, pattern across these, and then place your last five stitches on another dpn, place a marker and then pick up the 15 stitches which are on the opposite side of the flap to match the first one.

You then need to continue knitting now again in the round.

You will now though need to decrease some of these stitches to get you back to your starting number and so you can knit the foot.

Knit to three stitches before the marker, K2 tog K1 and proceed in pattern until the next marker, K1, K2tog through back of stitches, continue.

The next round you knit without decreasing,

The next round decrease again.

At this point I place one of the stitches from each of the heel flaps onto the dpn needle carrying the heel stitches, and continue until I have:

1 Needle: 20 st
2 Needle: 10 st
3 Needle: 20 st
4 Needle:10 st

Then I distribute the stitches so that they are on three needles each of 20 st and continue with the foot (remembering to only pattern on the top, as underneath stockinette is more comfortable)

Oh and before anybody says anything, the white column in the middle is there because there is no stitch until you cast one on again in Row 30….

Much kudos to all you knitting pattern writers out there… I am off now to lie down in a darkened room for the rest of the day….

Some of what interests me….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:36:00 +0000

This is the view from my window today, after about 2 pm that is… before you could not see anything and all the usual sounds of nature were muffled - as it was shrouded in mist. I will take a photo of that phenomena next time it occurs now I have the camera set up in the bedroom.

What you cannot see is the beautiful rabbits bopping around the field, along with occasionally being chased by the most beautiful two dogs you might ever wish to meet. They are terriers of some sort and they are adorable, particularly the smaller one, Amy – who seems to have taken a shine to me for whatever reasons !!

When the comes down, it is the strangest of feelings, you feel totally isolated and with no anchor points on the horizon, it feels very odd. The hills are literally shrouded in mist – hence the most accurate description I can think of.

It feels as I am writing as if I am sat in front of an enormous Hockney painting. There is always something different to focus my eyes on when I look up. How lucky am I… and that is what I keep reminding myself of, no matter what is going on around me. This is the reality of the respite of a couple of hours between meetings and the responsibilities of care.

I have to work really hard on keeping my mind on the task in hand and “in the moment” – If I start thinking about the indecisions and “reality” of my existence, I physically feel sick and the carefully constructed facade collapses.

The contrast of my life couldn’t be greater… on one side there is the joy and progress, and the other – just waiting…I certainly am learning patience if nothing else….

“regrets over yesterday and fear of tomorrow are twin thieves that rob us of the moment.” Amish Knitting Circle – Old World Xmas – V6 – Karen Anna Vogel

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So what am I up to – for me….

Sorting out the family knitting patterns. I am going to put together all the patterns I knit from memory, having had some of the passed down from my mother, aunties and others. I have started by sorting out some suitable software to make my world more about the knitting, rather than adding stress to it by generating more paperwork.

I am using Envisioknit for the charting elements, as recommended by Brenda Dayne of Cast On podcast. Having looked around for others, including the Knit Foundry which is used by some of my favourite designers, I decided that their costs far outweighed their ongoing use for me.

Knitting Software are the other programmers I use. I have used their sock pattern software very successfully for a number of years, as my wool is all over the place when it comes to gauge, this saves me a lot of grief.

I have discovered that the heel I use is Eye of Partridge…

But mine is with a little tweak, in that I decrease to 29 stitches on the needle and on the wrong side of the heel flap Sl1, K1, then purl to last 2 stitches, P1, K1.

On the right side, Sl1, K1, then commence the pattern with the Purl stitch… until you get to the last two stitches which should be K2.

This leaves me with a neat little ladder in which to pick up the flap stitches when I turn the heel. The bit I am stuck on though is what kind of heel I actually use.. there are so many names for them !!

After reaching the end of the 30 rows, Sl1 P17 P2tog Sl1, then turn and K5 K2tog tbl Sl1, then turn and Purl 6 stitches. etc.etc. increasing the amount I use on each short row, until I have finally reached 18 stitches (approx). Does anybody know what kind of heel this is called as there are a few to choose from – peasant, v, traditional etc.etc. ?

This is my current sock project, being knitted for Holly – christened California Sunset by Josh. I felt so badly about not finishing them for Christmas for her, with the help of some arthritis gel on my thumbs, I have got stuck in and am trying to finish them asap.

Apparently I have got the pattern just right at the moment – so feel I should actually write it down at this stage, so it doesn’t get lost when my descendants decide to knit at some point in the future.

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Some really interesting links at the moment….

Recycled Movie Costumes – all the recent interest in recycling, make do and mend, is not – contrary to popular perception newly discovered by eco enthusiasts. It has always been practised by the thrifty and those who are trying to create on a budget….

I loved this Site and would commend it to you. I have always been a continuity geek, and I can distinguish between the horses on Merlin where the filming is going on – the French horses have longer muzzles and more ornate saddlery. Back in the day when I was involved with TV set production and location work, continuity was all…. so it has sort of stuck with – especially if the storylines are a little dull !!!!

Pod Projects – WOW – Trevor Pitt who curated and commissioned the flock of benches project which came to (and was created in) Bristol, is involved as curator in this exhibition in Penrith. Some really innovative exhibits – particularly like the knitted engine and Celia Pym's fairisle jumper (harks back to the make do and mend philosophy).

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So these are the thoughts from my desk today, the view outside now is non-existent as darkness has fallen, and I have to go, as I am sure there are at least 6 games of UNO, along with the end of National Treasure II, waiting for me at the Unit…If only I could win one game, one day… ah but that is the stuff of dreams…

Happy Old Christmas….

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:33:00 +0000

Just when you thought you were totally “feast dayed” out… there is one more you may have missed…

6th January, known to us as commonly as Twelfth Night, is in fact the Old Christmas Day…

So if you are still one of those who actually believes that Christmas Day is about the Celebration of Jesus Christ rather than a day of rest before venturing out to return all the unwanted stuff and take advantage of the Boxing Day Sales, this is welcome news.

It also explains something very deep within my psyche. I have always believed quite irrationally and against all arguments to the contrary that twelfth night is something to celebrate, and attach quite undue superstitious fervour to taking down the trimmings before.

I have never understood why I hold this belief as it is very contrary to my normal way of thinking – especially as I don’t actually celebrate Christmas as a Feast Day itself. So perhaps somewhere back in my dark distant family history I inherited this from those around me when I was small and every now and again catch a glimpse of magic in the dark and drab days which follow the removal of the tinsel.

So the fact behind the “feelings”

The Roman year was organized round the phases of the moon until old Julius Caesar realised (or rather all his advisers – astronomers, rather than MPs - did) that it wasn’t accurate . So it was changed to use the Sun as its starting point. Unfortunately this calendar (the Julian) overestimated the length of the year, and despite all kinds of negative easements, the calendar was 10 days out by the time Pope Gregory XIII got to grips with the problem in 1582. This new Gregorian calendar was adopted throughout Catholic Europe. (So this is where I probably unconsciously picked up the vibe – my folks were always resistant to change for changes sake…!).

Now as we all know the Protestants and the Catholics hardly historically agreed on anything, and being quite resistant to change stuck with their way of doing things, which effectively meant that Paris was a full 10 days behind London…

Now that would never do, especially with travel etc., opening up, so the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in the middle of the 18C across Europe.

So the date on which we celebrate Christmas now, is actually wrong and it should be 6th January, if you keep to the Roman way of thinking – and after all, Jesus was a Roman so it is only logical they would have know when he was born – eh?

Today the 6th is known as Epiphany (the word itself is worth looking up, meaning Vision of God) and apart from taking down the trimmings has been significantly unmarked for most of us without religious knowledge.

The only reason I even went looking for the info today, was because I am reading a fascinating fiction book about a group of Amish women, and they referred to new and old Christmas within that.

The book is published in Episodes, so if you buy the first one for 0.77p and decide you don’t like it, or it doesn’t work for you, you are not committed to buying the whole book. This appeals to me as I like to try before I buy and have found myself with a lot of nonesense on my iPad, and a lot of obstacles in my hallway and stairs I trip over, whilst I sort out what I really want to read.

I am thinking about undertaking a bit of an adventure down this episode pathway myself when I start back writing in the near future.

Anyway back to the stories. They are really well crafted and the characters and issues they are dealing with are growing on me. The authoress, Karen Ann Vogel, obviously has insight and personal experience of the community and I love all the little links and bits of knowledge that is included, such as traditional recipes and use of knitting looms.

Instead of trying to tackle a big project when I get myself back into the zone, I think I too will try some short stories with an underlying thread..

Back to my knitting and finishing my paintings…

and what are you up to?

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:16:00 +0000

….to one and all

How was your evening? Ours was very quiet… James Bond and Uno, followed by a blast from the past in the form of my meal… Coq au Vin and tomato juice. Not my usual way of seeing in the New Year, but one fitting I think for seeing out the year which goes down in the annals of our family history as the the one from hell.

To be fair it wasn’t all that bad. It just had to be borne, to get to the other side, if that sorts of makes sense. Decisions made, the circumstances of the accident poured over and re-written or rather the facts recycled and re-scripted depending on who read the judgment and wanted to read into it and use it for whatever purpose in their world.

This screenshot was of one of the many stories which found their way onto independent solicitor’s websites – despite the fact that it was totally untrue !!! But hey why let facts get in the way of a bit of marketing. I print it here merely as a warning to others not to use these companies if they are in need of serious help after an accident.

So – moving on 2012 hopefully will give us some resolution and I can start thinking about restarting my life again. I found during 2011 it was totally impossible to keep everything going, and I just ended up having to accept I was only human after all, and do what I could do, and accept defeat in other areas.

This made me sad, as my writing, painting, music and textiles are all part of “me” and make me the robust and rounded character that I am. You take any part of that away and I become destabilised and unable to make sense of the often bizarre world around me.

Watching a programme about the Amish culture though has shown me a bit of way back. I know the culture has become romanticised in modern 21st Century world, the myth of a perfect lifestyle supported by the film with Harrison Ford in a few years ago. Like every culture I suspect they have their ups/downs and problems (recently there was a horrific story of a 15 year old shot dead by accident), but there is something about their values and their way of living which chimes with my values. I love their quilts and their uniform clothing. Everybody no matter who their status is wears the same/similar styles and are cautioned and guided to be plain, modest and community guided as they go about their business.

The idea of living simply and considering others is a really good one for me. Not sure how that fits in though with my stash of fibres/textiles etc., and my gadgets (I so love my iPad) but I do only have a handful of clothes to my name and I have only two pairs of shoes, the hat thing would sort out my dodgy hairstyle, and I do try to consider the impact on others and take into account other’s feelings and systems which could be changed for improvement, when dealing with our issues.

All very much work in progress as I rewrite my personal manifesto in 2012!

So what am I up to this afternoon?

I came across this top when watching one of the late night programmes about where somebody comes from – “Who do you think you are?” - America This was one of the Judd sisters. I loved this shawl, which seems to be more shaped than my favoured patterns, so I am going to have a bit of think about designing one using my oddments and giving it a collar and a bit more shaping.

If anybody knows of a pattern out there in the ether already, please let me know, will save me some head scratching and I can get on with it.

Off now to carry on with my Waterfall Cardigan. I am almost at the end of the second side, but having had a look at the handspun pile, will probably not have enough to finish without more spinning.

I have struggled with my knitting for months now, not wanting to confess that I was getting incredible pain in my thumbs, and feeling very much of a wuzz about this, as well as everything else. Every time I knitted a few rows I was starting to feel very mortal, and just didn’t want to be reminded of loosing the solace and quietness of a hobby I love, as well as everything else.

Strangely though a conversation with someone from ATOS of all places, spurred me on to sort this out. She was admiring my jumper at a recent medical and I felt quite sad that the jumper which gives me so much solace and comfort, having been knitted during the early times after Toby’s accident, was probably not going to be reprised. When I asked the lady if she was a knitter, she said she was but had had to stop due to pain in her hands.

What I shame I thought and ….then the old me came out of the woodwork – the one which won’t be defeated !! - and I went and had a root through DH’s medical box – there is a cure for everything in there I am sure – and I found some gel which soothes arthritis – ok it was well out of date and the cap needed wrenching off with pliers… but I have been using this now for a couple of weeks and the pain is now eased, enough to enable the finishing off of Josh’s socks and get on with the waterfall.

So these are the thoughts from my desk on New Year Day- Well not really my desk, the fold-down one which we use in Toby’s room for Uno, which now is needed to be returned to its owner…

Hope you have all had a good day, and best wishes once again…

Another Day Done…

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Thanks to you all for your lovely comments and observations on this morning’s post.

Between you I have at least another four characters – enough to make a small book of short stories me thinks… Project for the New Year.

In the meantime, I have got stuck in and stopped worrying/moaning about the accounts and how they have got a little out of control with all the upheaval over the last few months!!

So mind cleared, and sat quietly in Tob’s room, supping a cup of tea and enjoying a Bond film, I am reflecting on current knitting projects.

My Waterfall Cardigan is well under way. The pattern is from Simply Knitting, August 2011.

I found myself spinning this gorgeous wool from rovings prepared by World of Wool, Phoenix. I found it by accident through the Spinning Weal, when I managed to forget to bring anything to spin with my spinning wheel over the Easter holidays. Duh?!! Then I gradually built up my stash everytime I bumped into them over the Guild Exhibition Seasons.

As an aside, just going onto the World of Wool website, I see they have produced a calendar of featured artists from the past year, and I am on there !!! Miss February… oooh ahhh…

I feel very humbled because there are some amazing talents featured – I love the felted pictures…

If you are a member of the IFA there is an extra 10% off (but have to confess that tracking down the code totally defeated me this evening despite being a member !), and there is a donation to an excellent charitable cause for every calendar sold.

So back to the work in progress. I am at the point of finishing off the second side which is knitted sideways and then hopefully I have already spun enough to finish the sleeves, if not – well another excuse to visit the shop.

The other project which I was trying to finish was Josh's Crimbo Socks. This was truly a miracle. I started knitting them on the train up to the Court Hearing at the end of November, and despite all the chaos around me managed to finish Xmas Eve.

I was in a lot of pain by then, my thumbs have been playing up, but with some ideas from friends I was able to use some gel to soothe the pain, and was able to get them finished, despite having flu as well !!

I have forgotten what the wool was, but will add that next time I am at the computer.

So the Bond film has finished, it is now 9.10 pm and I am pooped.

All that is left for me to say is….

Bonne année et bonne santé

to one and all, lets hope 2012 brings a little more stability to our world than 2011, but I do realise that 2011 was something that had to be endured to get an answer…

Oh and here is another one of toby’s amazing pottery pieces…reminded me of something out of Stargate.. very Egyptian Anubis vibe…

IMHO

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:11:00 +0000

In my humble opinion, blogging is an interesting and worthwhile past time, when used sensibly…

I love blogging, in that it serves a few functions for me…

a) Keeps me in touch with friends and relatives who with the best will in the world I cannot speak or visit with on a regular basis;

b) allows me to organise my thoughts and creative world in a way that writing on a blank sheet of A4 or a document in word doesn’t;

c) blogging is an interactive past time for me, in that I also follow other blogs and get all kinds of inspiration, confidence in my own thoughts and opinions, ideas and interests/involvement in my various fields of study and personal growth;

d) helps me part of a community that isn’t possible within the physical world as rarely are all my friends in one place at one time.. if ever;

e) and when I am working it showcases and offers a peek into my production process.

Where blogging goes a bit tiddles up is when others interpret my words in contexts they are not intended or within a different framework that the post was written in. It can take me days to write one blog post – which in the real world is not an acceptable work rate. Also blogging can sometimes overtake the actual “doing” part of my creative psyche and it is actually important sometimes to not be sat at the computer, but doing something physical instead.

More and more of this was happening over the past few months, so I have got into the habit of not blogging, and then have – horror of all horrors - drifted into the habit of not writing… and then it all becomes cyclical when the thoughts end up going around and round my head, rather than outpourings into the…. well where ever my random thoughts go when they leave my computer…

But this morning I felt the urge to blog and share with you my random thought experiment.

I feel at this moment in time as if I am in the “eye” of the storm. This holiday season has been strangely surreal. For once I have welcomed the absence of communication as this has meant the absence of worry or concern about receiving news which will affect the rest of my life and those closest to me.

I am quite stoic about the news, just don’t know what I would do with it, quite at the moment with Britain being shut down for the festive season. Apart from the shops and car parks and public houses and……

Curiously though something else has happened to my personae - I haven’t been my habitual ebullient and somewhat snarky self, fending off all well wishers with a “bah humbug” and attempting to place myself in a state of grace that allows me to suspend realities of social convention and accept that it is quite normal for various humans inhabiting the world around me to behave like eejits and therefore disregard their aberrations as linked with seasonal insanity disorder (SID instead of SAD).

Instead I have been sitting outside of myself, mostly knitting (or facilitating the Tobster as he goes about his seasonal travelling), watching others still behaving in this manner. What is different this year is that instead of pointing out the error of their ways and asking them to desist in my presence, or more usually removing myself from their orbit – I have just watched and “harvested” some of the most bizarre and comical moments – well what is one to do without Morecombe and Wise, with only Eastenders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street to keep me anchored in reality….? (mental note to check fire alarms, and that the first aid kit contains necessaries for unexpected deliveries..).

When I woke at stupid o’clock this morning with the reprise of yesterday’s vicious words, needs and demands, floating around my head, and the vile meal that we had eaten last night also repeating on me. I really was at a loss as to how to deal with the situation and so then I went off on a bit of thought experiment…

I concluded:

No wonder the waitress tried to clear the evidence of the crime before we had finished eating! (honestly – DH was mid mouthful as the plate was being whisked away !!!). She obviously wasn’t used to recognising empty plates – others were being returned having not even been touched. In our defence we hadn’t lost our taste buds, we were just desperate for some quiet time and driven by the need to refuel.

Even though I was cross at the time - It really struck me how the tightening economy has an upside – can’t see the near empty pub surviving the current economic hardships, as well as some of those we are unfortunately have to deal with, as we go about our daily business, remaining employed.

Also there is hope for my cooking…

I reluctantly have to accept that there is nothing I can do or say anymore to convince some that I really do have a philosophy of living and have boundaries that are sacrosanct.

Nothing, nada, will ever make me change my mind or approach on a couple of key issues – so bloody well stop trying. It is not your job to “change” me or mine to replicate you and yours. I do not disrespect you, but the tolerance of disrespect of mine is coming to an end.

Finally, most importantly of all – the realisation that no material/experience is ever wasted.

Have you ever noticed how successful characterisations are often reused time and time again? If you haven’t consciously, try watching Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill back to back. You will see similar characteristics reprised and rewritten.

So perhaps this is what defines my idea of a good film – one totally re-watchable as there are familiar characters and plot lines I can identify with whatever my state of humour. Familiar enough to be entertaining when watched, but distant enough as I don’t have to interact with the characterisations.

This is a bit like what has happened this holiday season. I have only interacted with those I really have had to – because I actually wanted to. The rest I have managed to steer well clear of, as they go about their parallel universal way of working and thinking.

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I have taken this thought experiment and played with it for a few more hours this morning after writing the above - and I am wondering if I have hit on what has behind my writing/craft block this year. The realisation that I had recycled my favourite characters and processes to exhaustion – with very little private quiet thinking time available to me anymore and being endemically too tired/overwrought/depressed/worried (delete as appropriate) to actively find the energy to replenish the stock.

Hadn’t occurred to me, that actually I could do nothing and just let it all come to me !

With my pragmatic head on….

I shall never be short of a stereotypical comically absurd character again….simples…

Then I can free my mind to create colour, joy and warmth with my textiles and then… the possibilities are endless.

I have a feeling I am going to enjoy this coming writing year as I plot and orchestrate some fun with my cast of absurd characters – as they interact with some of my more delightful humane ones – based on those whom I am blessed to know in real life as friends and family.

Will you recognise yourself? I wonder….

What I really should be doing……?

noreply@blogger.com (Shani) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Is everything that I am not !! Short and simple answer to that rhetoric question.

I have been on a bit of a downer over the last few weeks after getting back from Court. With a grandiose sweep of my hands and extravagant head gestures – I declare that everybody it seems wants a piece of me, and there is absolutely nothing more to give.

Nada, all done – emotionally bankrupt. Six years of working horrendous hours just to get everything done has taken its toll.

We won’t know what is happening with the Court Case until early in the New Year. I therefore have to keep on functioning – which is what I should be doing – cuz it seems that it is assumed that I am the only one who is not affected by the continuing economic crush which is upon us.

The clock continues turning, the night follows day. Christmas is nearly upon us, with all the attached staff holidays and closures etc.– but there are appointments which still have to be attended and somehow we have to get ourselves and our loved ones to them..

So major inconvenience, but it is OK, we can sort it….

I am a “cup half full sort of gal”

But now it seems that this outward show of stiff upper lip and straight back is, I fear being misconstrued as my coping well. As against who? what benchmarks are we considering here? Anybody else been through what I have in the last month? stick their hands up.

I guess there are many who have been through similar in their lives and they have my empathy – I am certainly not alone. But trust me – what has gone down in the last month beggars belief in the 21st Century Britain that I thought I lived in.

I think what I have been through particularly in the last few months is exceptional circumstances as defined by – well anybody….? Let’s wait and see.

So as there is naff all on TV – I have socks to knit and poor evening light – and still can’t sleep I thought I would get stuck into my family tree again.

And look what I found… 2 x Great Grandfather was a wool dyer – now who would have guessed that?

So I would highly commend Family Tree Week (26th December – Start of January) to all those who can’t cope any more with reality TV and endless adverts..

That really would be the final straw for me….