Yesterday was the first meeting of the Kent Guild for 2011, several members were sporting wonderful new wheels, so Father Christmas had been very busy. There were lots of goodies on the trade table and I came home with more than I took! I found an Inkle Loom with some tablet weaving cards, coolwool dyes, I've not used these before, a deep wicker basket and a four shaft extension for a 16" loom which I hope can be converted to a little loom.The North Downs Guild have a new website, which gives full details of their activities and meetings.
We have a lot of snow, try to keep the bird table and feeder topped up.
Just finished my winter sweater, I knitted this from the top down, all from oddments of handspun yarn and vintage buttons from my late mother in laws button tin.
Have had great fun overdyeing some spare hanks of grey yarn spun from a Jacob fleece, I plan to make a sweater or perhaps a bodywarmer style top, dyeing over grey gives a subtle difference to the finished yarn, there was still dye in the vat so I added more colours and used up quite a few odds and ends of yarn. I think the colour variations will make a good mix for a very subtle stranded yarn pattern.
Made Crab Apple Jelly, Norwich Apple Chutney and Apple Tomato and Chilli Chutney, which is hot!, plenty of Chutney stored up for the winter, but only made two jars of the crab apple jelly, which set very well and has a very pleasant taste.
Brought back some crab apples from Ross Park in Devon and now making some crab apple jelly. The fruit was cut up and cooked with a small amount of water, then I improvised a jelly bag, when all the juice is strained through it will be boiled with sugar (1 pint juice to 1 lb sugar) to make the jelly.
Some more hearts, for daughter this time, cottage style as she has a rustic cottage kitchen, she has hung them over the door, the buttons and some of the fabric were from Homespun Loft.
