A new blog

I decided it was time to change over to wordpress, so I'm just setting up my new blog today. It will have the same content, just look a little different ;) I hope you'll all continue to read my new blog here.

I'll still keep all my old posts up here, as last time I deleted a blogger account, my address linked to some very dodgy site - LOL!! Plus I may decide to come back to blogger if I can't use wordpress!!

Spinning day!!

First of all, I'd like to say a huge thank you to the lovely and very kind Artis-Anne for popping in yesterday and helping me start to use Gromit!! It was great to meet up with her, I love meeting fellow bloggers/ravellers. She gave me a couple of bags with some fleece in to try, aren't I lucky? Anyway, it was a great day, and we're hoping to meet up soon for another day of spinning and perhaps handpainting!!

After a frustrating evening yesterday (why is it when you're left alone to play, things go sadly wrong??!!), I finally managed to get the wheel going this afternoon. I gave up trying to spin directly from the fleece and will card that at a later date!! Here's a photo of my attempt at kid silk - LOL, it should be good for a laugh anyway. I did this little sample this afternoon whilst the kids sat distracted on my bed watching and munching my precious chocolate!!!

Spinning children!!

Look what we won on ebay on Sunday for a complete bargain!! A 12-yr old Ashord Traveller which has only been lightly used. It's a single drive, I think, and single treadle. It looks in very good condition and has been well looked after. And it came with a pair of carders, which saves me having to buy them. DH drove to the middle of nowhere near Wrexham yesterday to pick it up. I've been wanting to learn to spin for a while now, but thought it would be ages to save up for one, but now I can start as soon as I can work out how to use it. I'm hoping to go to the local guild at the beginning of June.

The kids have been manic, and apparantly it is "their" wheel, which they have named Gromit!!!

The Bag Lady!!

It has been suggested I should re-name myself the bag lady - LOL!!! I've been sewing up a storm on my sewing machine lately - all bags for either my kids or friends ;) Here is a selection of them!!



And I have been managing to cram in some knitting before my Open University course officially starts tomorrow!! Below is a scarf knit in gorgeous malabrigo worsted weight - the moss rib scarf pattern which I got from Ravelry.

Also a pattern from Ravelry is the chalk bag I made below in more malabrigo worsted and felted - it came out a perfect size for trad routes!!!
I also finished my second forest canopy shawl in sea wool - DD loves it and has "borrowed" it indefinately!!

And last but not least the chevron scarf in some BFL/nylon which I handpainted myself using Ashford dyes last summer. Another project headed DD's way!!!
OTN at the moment are the kimono shawl from Folk Shawls and Anne Hanson's Feather and Fan scarf in Yarn Yard 4ply.

As my course starts tomorrow, I may be a bit quiet from now till October, but am planning on trying to update once a fortnight or so. In the meantime, I'll still be reading all your blogs and commenting when I have time ;)

A couple of bags and some goodies

I've been really lucky with goodies lately. A very kind friend, the yarn snob, bought me two lovely Japanese crochet books back from her recent trip to Hong Kong - thanks ever so much.
I also took part in a swap on the Ravelry forum. I'm in the Knitters on Belay group, and below are my fabulous goodies from VelvetCrawdad - again, many thanks I love the lot!!
Below is the bag I made for my climbing swap partner, princessliak. I used a pattern I bought as a pdf file from etsy.com and Amy Butler/Kaffe Fassett fabric. My first ever bag, I made this one so she could put a medium sized knitting project in it.
Below is another bag I made, this time for a friend's birthday - it was a little early, but I sent it anyway. I know she likes it ;) DD chose the fabrics, she's got quite an eye for colour!!!
On the knitting front, I recently completed 2 pairs of mini socks - a pair for DD and DS. I've not bothered to put up photos as they're not really that impressive!! I'm on the last pattern repeat of my second Forest Canopy Shawl, this time using Sea Wool. And today I cast on for my third pair of Tidal Waves socks using some lovely Tofutsies yarn I got in a swap for making another bag! (I forgot to take photos of this one before I sent it, but it was using more Amy Butler fabric.)

I've got several bag patterns queued up to sew next - one for DD and a nemo one for DS. I also want to make the gorgeous JennaLou Fiona bag and I've even managed to get the exact fabric for it. It will be interesting putting a zip into a bag - I may come unstuck. I'm loving my new sewing machine btw in case you hadn't guessed!!

A winter's walk across the Glyders

Warning - photo heavy post!!! Sorry, no knitting photos this week, as I've been a bit busy walking!! DH and I did make it out for a full day's walk on Thursday, so here are a few photos ;)

We parked at Idwal Cottage car park.
From there we walked up the path towards Llyn Bochlwyd. Below is a view from the path towards the Glyders.

Llyn Bochlwyd.

From there we went up to Bwlch Tryfan, where we stopped for a bite to eat. It was freezing cold, but luckily nice dry weather for once!!

Looking back towards Tryfan.

We then walked up the usually hideous scree slope at the side of Bristly Ridge. However, on our walk it had turned into a lovely snow slope - yay!! Not steep or hard enough snow for crampons or ice axes though. Below is DH near the top of the slope.

We were then up onto the Glyders. View from the top down Nant Ffrancon towards Anglesey.

Me on the way towards Glyder Fach.

From Glyder Fach we walked across the Glyders to Glyder Fawr. Below is a photo of the Cantilever Stone. We didn't bother with the photo today, as there was already a group of Irish lads on it!!!

DH on top of the Glyders.

We had some fantastic views of Snowdon on the way. Below is a photo of my lovely piddleloop knitting project bag, which doubles up as my emergency food stash when I'm out walking!!!

Snowdon and Y Lliwedd in the distance.
Looking back across the snow slope we'd just crossed towards Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fach.
Just look at all the snow for a change!!!!
From Glyder Fawr we dropped down another snow slope to Llyn y Cwn.
Just time for a quick drink and bite to eat, then we headed off down Devil's Kitchen - normally a straight forward walk, but on Thursday it was covered with a layer of slushy snow on top of ice - really slippy and we had to make our way down really carefully. The group of Irish lads behind us did most of it on their backsides!!!!

View from Devil's Kitchen across to Pen yr Ole Wen.
From Idwal Slabs we made our way back to the car. We were out for over six and a half hours. We'd not normally take that long on this particular walk, but this time it was a bit more serious, and due to the slippery snow in places we had to go really steadily down the snow slopes. Anyway DH and I really enjoyed our first proper walk out together since we had the kids - here's to many more fantastic days in the mountains ;)

A grand day out (and socks!!)

Guess where I've been today??!! Yep, to the top of Snowdon via the Pyg Track. A rather interesting day out - very windy, cold and wet all the way down, but I had a great day, as usual. It was hailing on the summit. There was some snow on the top part of the Zig Zags and on the ridge up to the summit, but not enough to warrant an ice axe or crampons - shame ;)

I carried my camera all the way, but only managed 3 summit shots as it was too wet and claggy to see much at all. Here's a picture of the rather cold trig point on the summit, I reckon it was about -5 degrees if you take into consideration the wind chill.
And a rather fetching photo of myself. Notice how my hood is standing up vertically on its own - yes it was that windy and I'm trying hard not to blow over!!
I hasten to add, I didn't take this photo myself, but 50 minutes into the walk I "acquired" a walking buddy for the day. This always seems to happen when I go out on my own, but I don't mind, and with weather conditions today, it was better to have a bit of company. This is Paul!!
On the way down we saw loads of very very cold people walking up in trainers, thin jackets and jeans at this time of year - can you believe it?? I don't like seeing people go up in rubbish gear, but never mind!!

And just to prove I've not given up knitting for sewing, my latest pair of socks, the Embossed Leaves pattern in Wollmeise sock yarn. Very yummy stuff :)
Have a great Easter everyone. We have the in-laws up from Tuesday till Friday, so DH and I might actually get in another walk - fingers crossed.