Wednesday 18 December 2019
December's Fibre is here - Renoir
Oh my gosh, this is gorgeous, one of my favourite colours. I love blue-greens, turquoise, teal etc. This is really, really nice and its ohhh so soft too. Its 80% Merino, 20% Ramie which means it will be soft but strong. Can't wait to find time to spin this one up. I love it.
Tuesday 17 December 2019
December's Fibre Club Letter
December's fibre club letter has arrived. I'm pleased to say that it has nothing to do with politics or activism this month. Phew!
The letter reads:
Colour theory and art go hand in hand, all the great painters have a very clear understanding of how to use colour to bring their painting to life. How we think about colour has changed over time (I wrote an article for Ply magazine, which was published on their blog, there’s a link in the Further Reading section.) But one of the key changes in recent history was the development of complementary colour theory. By arranging colours on a colour wheel, the colour that is on the opposite side of the colour wheel provides the greatest contrast.
The Impressionists were amongst the first to notice that shadows are not neutral, but instead are the complementary shade of the object casting the shadow, eg a yellow object casts a purple shadow. By using this theory they created painting with great vivacity. The Impressionists were a group of painters, primarily based in Paris, who produced work from the 1860's. The painters tended to work in the open air rather than a studio, working quickly, with loose brushwork, and a focus on capturing the fleeting quality of light.
One of the leading impressionists was Pierre Auguste Renoir, he died one hundred years ago on December 3rd 1919. Born in Limogies, south-west France in 1841, poverty forced him to finish his education early, and he became a painter in the nearby porcelain factory. As a young man he moved to Paris to begin studying painting, despite frequently not having enough money to buy paint. In 1869 he started sketching with Claude Monet, and the two men together developed the techniques that will come to characterise the Impressionist style.
Over his lifetime he evolved to paint in many different styles, at one point almost completely abandoning Impressionism and going back to the style of the old masters and focusing on technical accuracy of draughtsmanship. The reception at the time was not enthusiastic, and he gradually went back to the looser style seen in his earlier paintings.
One of the things I love most about Renoir’s paintings is their punchy use of colour. Our inspiration this month comes from the beautiful shades of blue he uses as shadows when painting trees, combined with the vibrant lime green he used for the leaves. At this darkest time in the year in the Northern Hemisphere think of this as a promise of spring to come.
Blues and greens, I'm liking the sound of this one.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is incredibly soft but as it contains Ramie it will be incredibly strong and will make great lace or cables as the Ramie will give good stitch definition.
The letter reads:
Colour theory and art go hand in hand, all the great painters have a very clear understanding of how to use colour to bring their painting to life. How we think about colour has changed over time (I wrote an article for Ply magazine, which was published on their blog, there’s a link in the Further Reading section.) But one of the key changes in recent history was the development of complementary colour theory. By arranging colours on a colour wheel, the colour that is on the opposite side of the colour wheel provides the greatest contrast.
The Impressionists were amongst the first to notice that shadows are not neutral, but instead are the complementary shade of the object casting the shadow, eg a yellow object casts a purple shadow. By using this theory they created painting with great vivacity. The Impressionists were a group of painters, primarily based in Paris, who produced work from the 1860's. The painters tended to work in the open air rather than a studio, working quickly, with loose brushwork, and a focus on capturing the fleeting quality of light.
One of the leading impressionists was Pierre Auguste Renoir, he died one hundred years ago on December 3rd 1919. Born in Limogies, south-west France in 1841, poverty forced him to finish his education early, and he became a painter in the nearby porcelain factory. As a young man he moved to Paris to begin studying painting, despite frequently not having enough money to buy paint. In 1869 he started sketching with Claude Monet, and the two men together developed the techniques that will come to characterise the Impressionist style.
Over his lifetime he evolved to paint in many different styles, at one point almost completely abandoning Impressionism and going back to the style of the old masters and focusing on technical accuracy of draughtsmanship. The reception at the time was not enthusiastic, and he gradually went back to the looser style seen in his earlier paintings.
One of the things I love most about Renoir’s paintings is their punchy use of colour. Our inspiration this month comes from the beautiful shades of blue he uses as shadows when painting trees, combined with the vibrant lime green he used for the leaves. At this darkest time in the year in the Northern Hemisphere think of this as a promise of spring to come.
Blues and greens, I'm liking the sound of this one.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is incredibly soft but as it contains Ramie it will be incredibly strong and will make great lace or cables as the Ramie will give good stitch definition.
Monday 9 December 2019
Making a thicker yarn from a thin one
Many years ago I bought a big box of yarns on cones. All sorts of colours and thicknesses, most of which have been used but I still have the fine yarns still on cones waiting to be used. They're just sitting there, taking up space, it would take forever to use just one cone so what do you do? You take one of them that you have two cones of and take an end from each cone and ply them together and fill two bobbins. Then you ply those two together the other way to effectively create a yarn that is now four times thicker than it was originally. I done this for the entire two cones, each of this size.
I made 7 skeins, each of about 145g-150g each, all of them are now sport weight. 5 of the skeins are Z-twist and 2 of them are S-twist. They should have all been the same but I messed up and plied two of the bobbins the wrong way, meaning that the finished skein is plied in the opposite direction to the other 5 skeins. It does mean that I will have to use the two different plies in different projects.
Thursday 28 November 2019
November's Fibre has arrived - Red Canary
When the letter for this arrived in my e-mail I did think it was going to be more of a pinky red rather than this orangey-red but its different. The little bits of Sari Silk won't pose a problem for me as I've spun Sari Silk in blends a couple of times now. A little bit of texture and colour really adds something to the finished yarn. This one is 62.5% Merino wool, 25% Sari Silk, 12.5% Mulberry Silk.
Sunday 24 November 2019
November's Fibre Club Letter
November's fibre club letter has landed in my inbox. I've still not got round to catching up with spinning so its really building up.
The letter reads:
Before I was a dyer I was a science teacher. None of my formal education was arts based, I have Science A-Levels and my subject at university was Biology. It’s always surprising how many people in the fibre arts come from a science or engineering background. There are times when I do sometimes wish I had done a more arts based education, but there were real benefits to studying science, and I was lucky to have some very inspirational teachers.
My tutor in my final year of university was Professor Tim Birkhead. If you like listening to science programmes on BBC Radio 4 you may have heard him on various programmes including The Infinite Monkey Cage. He’s a very funny man, and excellent at communicating scientific ideas. On the back of the door of his office was a publishers advertising poster for a book he’d just written. I wasn’t the worlds best student, and by that point it was becoming very clear that I was not going to be a career scientist, but I did still love the subject. So I went home and ordered a copy. I still have it, I still read it now and again, and it’s the inspiration for our fibre this month.
Ask anyone to name the first genetically modified animal and they will probably say Dolly the Sheep. It may come as no surprise that I am about to tell you that she was not the first. The first genetically modified species (ie. containing the DNA of a completely different animal) is the canary. The title of the book is The Red Canary and it’s the story of an amateur bird breeder, a scientist and a rich philanthropist and the quest to take an ordinary yellow canary and breed a bird that was bright red.
The canary had been kept as a domesticated bird since the 17th century, the original birds were green and yellow and found on the islands just off the coast of Africa and Spain. In Germany the breeders focused on producing birds with a beautiful song, including an incredible variation known as the Mountain Roller. The amateur bird breeder of our book was a master.
Karl Reich had managed to breed a bird capable of replicating the song of a nightingale. He did this using careful breeding, and crucially, the right environment as the bird grew up, as canaries learn their song by listening to other birds. Karl Reich met the scientist Hans Ducker, and together they set about trying to breed a red canary. Throughout the 1920’s and into the 30’s they tried to breed a red canary by introducing the genes from a Red Siskin. This was long before the technology of genetic manipulation that allowed precision splicing of the genetic code. Instead they bred thousands of birds, selecting for the best colour, and hoping that the hybrid birds would be fertile. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that they succeeded, but the story of how they got there is fascinating. The book tells this much better than I ever can, so I will leave the tale there, and as ever the further reading links will take you in the direction of pictures, videos, and much more.
So its going to be along the red theme then. I have heard about people trying to breed red canaries from my time spent as a member of a local bird keepers and breeders club years ago.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a textured blend and won't spin smoothly and its sturdier than last months merino.
The letter reads:
Before I was a dyer I was a science teacher. None of my formal education was arts based, I have Science A-Levels and my subject at university was Biology. It’s always surprising how many people in the fibre arts come from a science or engineering background. There are times when I do sometimes wish I had done a more arts based education, but there were real benefits to studying science, and I was lucky to have some very inspirational teachers.
My tutor in my final year of university was Professor Tim Birkhead. If you like listening to science programmes on BBC Radio 4 you may have heard him on various programmes including The Infinite Monkey Cage. He’s a very funny man, and excellent at communicating scientific ideas. On the back of the door of his office was a publishers advertising poster for a book he’d just written. I wasn’t the worlds best student, and by that point it was becoming very clear that I was not going to be a career scientist, but I did still love the subject. So I went home and ordered a copy. I still have it, I still read it now and again, and it’s the inspiration for our fibre this month.
Ask anyone to name the first genetically modified animal and they will probably say Dolly the Sheep. It may come as no surprise that I am about to tell you that she was not the first. The first genetically modified species (ie. containing the DNA of a completely different animal) is the canary. The title of the book is The Red Canary and it’s the story of an amateur bird breeder, a scientist and a rich philanthropist and the quest to take an ordinary yellow canary and breed a bird that was bright red.
The canary had been kept as a domesticated bird since the 17th century, the original birds were green and yellow and found on the islands just off the coast of Africa and Spain. In Germany the breeders focused on producing birds with a beautiful song, including an incredible variation known as the Mountain Roller. The amateur bird breeder of our book was a master.
Karl Reich had managed to breed a bird capable of replicating the song of a nightingale. He did this using careful breeding, and crucially, the right environment as the bird grew up, as canaries learn their song by listening to other birds. Karl Reich met the scientist Hans Ducker, and together they set about trying to breed a red canary. Throughout the 1920’s and into the 30’s they tried to breed a red canary by introducing the genes from a Red Siskin. This was long before the technology of genetic manipulation that allowed precision splicing of the genetic code. Instead they bred thousands of birds, selecting for the best colour, and hoping that the hybrid birds would be fertile. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that they succeeded, but the story of how they got there is fascinating. The book tells this much better than I ever can, so I will leave the tale there, and as ever the further reading links will take you in the direction of pictures, videos, and much more.
So its going to be along the red theme then. I have heard about people trying to breed red canaries from my time spent as a member of a local bird keepers and breeders club years ago.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a textured blend and won't spin smoothly and its sturdier than last months merino.
Friday 15 November 2019
New Wedding Shawl Photos
Ha, I did it. I lost enough weight to be able to fit back into the wedding dress that I bought to use as a photography prop. In fact, its a little loose on me now.
I tried the dress on first this time, to make sure, before I spent ages preparing the photo set up.
I've taken over 300 photos but unfortunately I did run out of time and light and so haven't been able to take new photos of everything I need to photograph, maybe about half of them but I am very happy with them so far and all I have to do now is edit them and get them exchanged with the old ones that are in the shop.
I will have to do at least another one photo shoot to photograph the rest of the shop items and improve the photos but we will have to see on the weather and the light as at this time of year its really hit and miss.
I tried the dress on first this time, to make sure, before I spent ages preparing the photo set up.
I've taken over 300 photos but unfortunately I did run out of time and light and so haven't been able to take new photos of everything I need to photograph, maybe about half of them but I am very happy with them so far and all I have to do now is edit them and get them exchanged with the old ones that are in the shop.
I will have to do at least another one photo shoot to photograph the rest of the shop items and improve the photos but we will have to see on the weather and the light as at this time of year its really hit and miss.
Monday 21 October 2019
12 Days of Christmas 2019
After the success of last years idea to create a 12 Days of Christmas spinners pack, the woman who runs the online shop where I buy most of my spinning fibre and who also runs the monthly fibre club that I have, announced this years options much earlier this year, clearly she is now aware of their popularity and needs to be organised much earlier to avoid disappointment coupled with the worry of any issues regarding Customs & Duty should the UK crash out of the EU on 31st October. No one knows what is going to happen as this countries politics is in total chaotic mess.
Once again, we have three options. All of them will include a 100g hand dyed braid of a luxury blend fibre that works with the colours she has chosen for each option, so the main braid for each option will a different colour. The main braid will be 60% 18.5 micron Merino, 20% Yak, 20% Tussah Silk, which is the same blend that most of us had last year, although I was one of the spinners who had a different blend. The eleven small packets to be opened one each day thereafter will be different fibres. They will all be packed into a hand printed cotton bag like they were last year, although the design for the bag will be different than last years.
Sleigh Ride has little parcels containing 10g of Mulberry Silk in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day. This is the inspiration photo.
Frost Fair has little parcels containing 20g of 14.5 micron Merino in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day. This is the inspiration photo. This is the one that I chose to get. My reason for getting this one was because I haven't had the courage to spin last year's yet as I am not comfortable spinning pure silk, it scares me because its so fine and can clump into a nasty mess very easily and I don't want to ruin it. I will spin a small amount of silk from a sample pack first before risking this beautiful pack.
Nutracker has little parcels of 20g of Tussah Silk and everyone will get a slightly different selection but all colours will work together. With this one you have to be OK with getting surprises as they will be all sorts of colours in lots of combinations and could be jewels, brights, pastels, neutrals etc. This is the inspiration photo.
My parcel arrived this morning, 21st October, but I will add the photos of it once I have my Christmas Tree and decorations up as I want a Christmassy photo of it like last year. Another cardboard drinks coaster inside the package and that matches the bag and is a different design to last year.
Once again, we have three options. All of them will include a 100g hand dyed braid of a luxury blend fibre that works with the colours she has chosen for each option, so the main braid for each option will a different colour. The main braid will be 60% 18.5 micron Merino, 20% Yak, 20% Tussah Silk, which is the same blend that most of us had last year, although I was one of the spinners who had a different blend. The eleven small packets to be opened one each day thereafter will be different fibres. They will all be packed into a hand printed cotton bag like they were last year, although the design for the bag will be different than last years.
Sleigh Ride has little parcels containing 10g of Mulberry Silk in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day. This is the inspiration photo.
Frost Fair has little parcels containing 20g of 14.5 micron Merino in a set colour palette and everyone gets the same colours each day. This is the inspiration photo. This is the one that I chose to get. My reason for getting this one was because I haven't had the courage to spin last year's yet as I am not comfortable spinning pure silk, it scares me because its so fine and can clump into a nasty mess very easily and I don't want to ruin it. I will spin a small amount of silk from a sample pack first before risking this beautiful pack.
Nutracker has little parcels of 20g of Tussah Silk and everyone will get a slightly different selection but all colours will work together. With this one you have to be OK with getting surprises as they will be all sorts of colours in lots of combinations and could be jewels, brights, pastels, neutrals etc. This is the inspiration photo.
My parcel arrived this morning, 21st October, but I will add the photos of it once I have my Christmas Tree and decorations up as I want a Christmassy photo of it like last year. Another cardboard drinks coaster inside the package and that matches the bag and is a different design to last year.
And just like magic, here is the photo.
October's Fibre is here - Khadi
A neutral colour and ohhhhhh so soft, this will make a fabulous shawl once its spun and knit. I've never heard of Khadi that was mentioned in the letter but there are are all sorts of cloth that I've come across before. I like this one, such a delicate colour. 50% 18.5 micron Merino Wool, 25% Polwarth Wool, 25% Tussah Silk.
Thursday 17 October 2019
October's Fibre Club Letter
October's fibre club letter has arrived. I hoped it wouldn't be about politics or activism, we've had quite a few of those this year and whilst its not entirely about politics it is about a politician.
The letter reads:
“The music of the spinning wheel will be as balm to your soul”
“The spinning wheel is as much a necessity of Indian life as air and water”
“I have pinned my faith to the spinning wheel, on it, I believe, the salvation of this country depends.”
With quotes like this I found it hard not to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Ghandi, born on 2nd October 1869. The Indian lawyer and political activist was a passionate believer in the power of the spinning wheel. The Charkha is a hand driven wheel, and cotton (and other fibres) are spun off the tip of the spindle. It was used for spinning yarn that was then woven in to cloth known as khadi. So central was the spinning wheel to Ghandi’s vision of a self governing, independent India that the wheel features on the flag of India, and by law, the flag can only be made from khadi.
Control over textiles was one of the ways in which the British Empire exerted authority over India. The American civil war had pushed up the price of raw cotton, causing issues in the British cotton mills in Lancashire. As a result the British turned to India for the raw cotton, shipping it back to England, spinning it, and weaving it into cloth. Some cloth was then shipped back to India, and sold at huge profits. Local production of cloth was strongly discouraged, and subject to taxation, where as British made, imported cloth was not subject to any tariffs. In addition Indian cloth could not be exported into the British market.
Under the rule of the British Raj the yarn output of the handloom industry declined from 419 million pounds in 1850 to 240 million pounds in 1900. Similar policies stripped India of her wealth and prosperity. India's share of world income collapsed from 22.6% in 1700, (Europe’s share at that time was 23.3%), to 3.8% in 1952.
Ghandi used the symbolism of going back to handspun, hand woven khadi as part of his rejection of the British empire. He generally wore a loin cloth with a woollen shawl in colder weather, and encouraged others to reject their Western clothing, and go back to a manner of dress from their pre-colonial culture. He spun nearly every day, and made it obligatory for members of the Indian National Congress to spin cotton, and pay their party dues in cotton thread. He also saw it as a way of raising the status of women in Indian society, this being work they could do at home. “I swear by this form of swadeshi (khadi) because through it I can provide work to the semi-starved, semi-employed women of India. My idea is to get these women to spin yarn, and to clothe the people of India with khadi which will take the impoverished women out of it.”
Today khadi is still being woven from handspun cotton, and is something the Indian government is focusing on as a way of helping the poorest in Indian society as the cloth attracts a premium price.
As ever, I hope this letter is just a starting point, the work of Ghandi and his belief in non-violent protest is a vast topic. I’ve chosen to focus on khadi, and the importance that cloth played in the route towards Indian independence. I can’t put cotton in a blend, as it just forms clumps, so instead I’ve chosen to use a form of silk that originates in India, and combine it with some wool from other countries that used to be in the British Empire. Khadi can be dyed any colour, but I’ve done for a blended neutral. I’ve also popped in a small bag of cotton for you to have a go at spinning. Even if you don’t have a quill you can still spin this fibre on a standard wheel, I’ve included a link to some tutorials in the further reading section.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a soft blend so making socks would be folly so best make something soft and squishy to go around your neck and she already says in the letter that she has gone for a neutral colour.
The letter reads:
“The music of the spinning wheel will be as balm to your soul”
“The spinning wheel is as much a necessity of Indian life as air and water”
“I have pinned my faith to the spinning wheel, on it, I believe, the salvation of this country depends.”
With quotes like this I found it hard not to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Ghandi, born on 2nd October 1869. The Indian lawyer and political activist was a passionate believer in the power of the spinning wheel. The Charkha is a hand driven wheel, and cotton (and other fibres) are spun off the tip of the spindle. It was used for spinning yarn that was then woven in to cloth known as khadi. So central was the spinning wheel to Ghandi’s vision of a self governing, independent India that the wheel features on the flag of India, and by law, the flag can only be made from khadi.
Control over textiles was one of the ways in which the British Empire exerted authority over India. The American civil war had pushed up the price of raw cotton, causing issues in the British cotton mills in Lancashire. As a result the British turned to India for the raw cotton, shipping it back to England, spinning it, and weaving it into cloth. Some cloth was then shipped back to India, and sold at huge profits. Local production of cloth was strongly discouraged, and subject to taxation, where as British made, imported cloth was not subject to any tariffs. In addition Indian cloth could not be exported into the British market.
Under the rule of the British Raj the yarn output of the handloom industry declined from 419 million pounds in 1850 to 240 million pounds in 1900. Similar policies stripped India of her wealth and prosperity. India's share of world income collapsed from 22.6% in 1700, (Europe’s share at that time was 23.3%), to 3.8% in 1952.
Ghandi used the symbolism of going back to handspun, hand woven khadi as part of his rejection of the British empire. He generally wore a loin cloth with a woollen shawl in colder weather, and encouraged others to reject their Western clothing, and go back to a manner of dress from their pre-colonial culture. He spun nearly every day, and made it obligatory for members of the Indian National Congress to spin cotton, and pay their party dues in cotton thread. He also saw it as a way of raising the status of women in Indian society, this being work they could do at home. “I swear by this form of swadeshi (khadi) because through it I can provide work to the semi-starved, semi-employed women of India. My idea is to get these women to spin yarn, and to clothe the people of India with khadi which will take the impoverished women out of it.”
Today khadi is still being woven from handspun cotton, and is something the Indian government is focusing on as a way of helping the poorest in Indian society as the cloth attracts a premium price.
As ever, I hope this letter is just a starting point, the work of Ghandi and his belief in non-violent protest is a vast topic. I’ve chosen to focus on khadi, and the importance that cloth played in the route towards Indian independence. I can’t put cotton in a blend, as it just forms clumps, so instead I’ve chosen to use a form of silk that originates in India, and combine it with some wool from other countries that used to be in the British Empire. Khadi can be dyed any colour, but I’ve done for a blended neutral. I’ve also popped in a small bag of cotton for you to have a go at spinning. Even if you don’t have a quill you can still spin this fibre on a standard wheel, I’ve included a link to some tutorials in the further reading section.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a soft blend so making socks would be folly so best make something soft and squishy to go around your neck and she already says in the letter that she has gone for a neutral colour.
Sunday 13 October 2019
What to do with Annie
With two of our chickens passing away recently we have been deliberating what to do with Annie. She has shown no signs of illness but she is not doing so good on her own, she is quite upset and distressed at being alone and having no friends around her. We have decided to try and re-home her to somewhere she can live out the rest of her days in retirement but will have friends around her. We contacted Heronfield Small Breeds Farm and Animal Rescue Centre, which is not far away from us, and they agreed to take her in. We will miss her but we have had to do what is best for her. Bye bye Annie.
Annie is the dark grey chicken in each of these photos.
Annie is the dark grey chicken in each of these photos.
Thursday 26 September 2019
Spinning up Himmel Blå
This is the third and final fibre that I brought from The Fluffy Viking seven years ago. This one is a slightly different blend to the other two as it is 80% Merino, 20% Bamboo but it feels the same to me, so soft and beautiful.
As always, split down the length, spun from the end, made a 2ply yarn but this time it is fingering weight and 105g/402m. That's all three of them spun and all three spun to different weights.
As always, split down the length, spun from the end, made a 2ply yarn but this time it is fingering weight and 105g/402m. That's all three of them spun and all three spun to different weights.
R.I.P. Star
After we lost Ginger, one of our chickens, we noticed that one of our other chickens, Star, was not herself. A few weeks after Ginger passed away we noticed that her droppings weren't normal and she was not herself. We sought Veterinary help and he thought it might be Cancer and he gave her some medication to ease her suffering and she did perk up a bit but she had lost a lot of weight and I think it been too much for her and I found her this morning in one of the nests in the hen house.
This now means that Annie, our last chicken and the dark grey one in the first photo, is all alone and we need to consider what we are going to do as its unfair to keep a solitary chicken.
This now means that Annie, our last chicken and the dark grey one in the first photo, is all alone and we need to consider what we are going to do as its unfair to keep a solitary chicken.
Wednesday 25 September 2019
September's Fibre has arrived - Humboldt plus more Peak District
I've been looking forward to receiving this one since the letter arrived telling me that its based on the colouration of the Humboldt Penguin. Just gotta love the funny penguins and a little bit of Happy Feet. Its nice, I like it, and its soft too. 45% South American Wool, 25% Merino, 25% Llama, 5% Viscose Tweed Nepps. This will be interesting when its spun up and I think the little bits of colour will be very subtle.
I also had the chance to buy some more fibre from past months so I bought an additional 300g of Peak District from back in April bringing my total of that fibre to a whopping 400g but it is suggested that it might be best spun around aran weight so I would need a good amount to be able to make a decent sized shawl. I'll just pop a reminder of that fibre here.
I also had the chance to buy some more fibre from past months so I bought an additional 300g of Peak District from back in April bringing my total of that fibre to a whopping 400g but it is suggested that it might be best spun around aran weight so I would need a good amount to be able to make a decent sized shawl. I'll just pop a reminder of that fibre here.
Thursday 19 September 2019
September's Fibre Club Letter
September's fibre club letter has arrived and from this the yarn sounds very interesting.
The letter reads:
Alexander von Humboldt was born 250 years ago on September 14th. He was an incredible man, who travelled the world as a naturalist. He made a huge number of discoveries, a quick glance at the disambiguation page on Wikipedia reveals an astounding number of things that are named after him, more species use his name than any other scientist. Probably most notable of all was that he was the first scientist to raise the issue of climate change. As far back as 1800 he warned that humans were destroying our environment. Charles Darwin wrote that without Humboldt he would never have set foot on the Beagle.
He was the son of Prussian aristocrats, he was able to self-finance trips to the Americas, and became one of the first scientists to decide and explore the continents. Over his lifetime he travelled 24,000 miles, including the entire length of the Orinoco River in Venezuela (1700 miles). It’s really hard to describe just how many things he discovered, how much data he collected, and how many theories he developed and proved. He was the first to recognise that Africa and South America would have once been a single land mass, long before the discovery of tectonic plates and the theory of continental drift.
If you’ve looked at a weather forecast recently, then you will have seen the work of Humboldt. He was the first to collect temperatures at different geographical locations, and then draw lines connecting places of the same temperature, creating what’s known as an isobar. The modern maps we see with pretty coloured blobs showing how temperature fluctuates are the direct descendant of his way of presenting data.
In addition to being a scientist Humboldt was also a humanist. He argued that all the people of the world were a single species, and that no culture had any “god-given” right to dominance over the rest, or any sort of biological advantage. He opposed slavery, imperialism and colonialism. Dyeing his lifetime slavery came to dominate the economy of the Americas, and empire building was at its peak. It’s hard to over state just how much his publicly stated opinions and beliefs set him apart from so many other public figures of the time.
For your colour inspiration this month I’ve taken inspiration from one of the species named after Humboldt, Spheniscus humboldti, otherwise known as the Humboldt penguin. This species lived on islands off the coast of Chile, right in the path of the Humboldt current, the Pacific ocean current that brings cold water to the South American coast, which was also discovered by Humboldt.
So I can expect something penguin coloured, most likely black and white with maybe a few other bits of colour like yellow or blue. I'm trying to remember exactly what a Humboldt penguin looks like, I may be getting the yellow and blue idea from another species of penguin, I'll have to have a look online.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a tweed blend with little bumps and it will be impossible to spin this perfectly smooth. She also says it contains Llama and South American wool, which are smooth with a long staple. I can't wait to see this one!
The letter reads:
Alexander von Humboldt was born 250 years ago on September 14th. He was an incredible man, who travelled the world as a naturalist. He made a huge number of discoveries, a quick glance at the disambiguation page on Wikipedia reveals an astounding number of things that are named after him, more species use his name than any other scientist. Probably most notable of all was that he was the first scientist to raise the issue of climate change. As far back as 1800 he warned that humans were destroying our environment. Charles Darwin wrote that without Humboldt he would never have set foot on the Beagle.
He was the son of Prussian aristocrats, he was able to self-finance trips to the Americas, and became one of the first scientists to decide and explore the continents. Over his lifetime he travelled 24,000 miles, including the entire length of the Orinoco River in Venezuela (1700 miles). It’s really hard to describe just how many things he discovered, how much data he collected, and how many theories he developed and proved. He was the first to recognise that Africa and South America would have once been a single land mass, long before the discovery of tectonic plates and the theory of continental drift.
If you’ve looked at a weather forecast recently, then you will have seen the work of Humboldt. He was the first to collect temperatures at different geographical locations, and then draw lines connecting places of the same temperature, creating what’s known as an isobar. The modern maps we see with pretty coloured blobs showing how temperature fluctuates are the direct descendant of his way of presenting data.
In addition to being a scientist Humboldt was also a humanist. He argued that all the people of the world were a single species, and that no culture had any “god-given” right to dominance over the rest, or any sort of biological advantage. He opposed slavery, imperialism and colonialism. Dyeing his lifetime slavery came to dominate the economy of the Americas, and empire building was at its peak. It’s hard to over state just how much his publicly stated opinions and beliefs set him apart from so many other public figures of the time.
For your colour inspiration this month I’ve taken inspiration from one of the species named after Humboldt, Spheniscus humboldti, otherwise known as the Humboldt penguin. This species lived on islands off the coast of Chile, right in the path of the Humboldt current, the Pacific ocean current that brings cold water to the South American coast, which was also discovered by Humboldt.
So I can expect something penguin coloured, most likely black and white with maybe a few other bits of colour like yellow or blue. I'm trying to remember exactly what a Humboldt penguin looks like, I may be getting the yellow and blue idea from another species of penguin, I'll have to have a look online.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a tweed blend with little bumps and it will be impossible to spin this perfectly smooth. She also says it contains Llama and South American wool, which are smooth with a long staple. I can't wait to see this one!
Tuesday 17 September 2019
The Harvest, 2019
With the back garden renovations that have taken place this year and us going away on holiday I was a little late this year in planting up the raised vegetable bed. Following some problems in previous years with the carrots I decided to try growing them from seed rather than seedlings and so I decided to do this with all of the vegetables.
I bought carrot seeds, beetroot seeds and runner bean seeds. I didn't plant up until the first week of June and following the instructions on the packets I planted carrots and beetroot outdoors and within 24 hours of planting the seeds we had nothing but rain for a couple of weeks, a lot heavy rain. The runner beans had to be sowed indoors and they were growing quickly. I transported them outdoors and planted them in their growing place.
Some of the carrots started to sprout, but not many and the beetroot were a total no show. I left it a few weeks but still nothing so I planted more seeds, thinking that maybe the first lot had been washed away with the sheer amount of rain we had had. I kept looking in hope and eventually we had a few little leaves appear in a few places and out of about 300 seeds planted I counted about 40 tiny seedlings. They were doing OK for about a week and then all of a sudden they just disappeared and not a single beetroot was grown and harvested this year. I love fresh beetroot and I was devastated, given the glut of beetroot harvest we've had the past two years.
We didn't fair too well with the carrots either this year, I had to plant additional carrot seeds where there were large gaps where they just didn't germinate but we've not exactly had brilliant weather this year, its been quite wet, or at least that's what it seems to have been. One thing we did do with the carrots this year though, and that was to get nice straight carrots! I did make more carrot top dye again this year and I used it to dye some Jacobs fleece.
As for the beans, they went totally mad and I was harvesting huge amounts of beans every couple of days. I'm not kidding, take a look at the photos, that is the same pile of beans from two different angles and that was the biggest single harvest but every couple of days I was harvesting half to thirds of that amount each time. The freezer was full of bags of sliced, blanched runner beans.
I bought carrot seeds, beetroot seeds and runner bean seeds. I didn't plant up until the first week of June and following the instructions on the packets I planted carrots and beetroot outdoors and within 24 hours of planting the seeds we had nothing but rain for a couple of weeks, a lot heavy rain. The runner beans had to be sowed indoors and they were growing quickly. I transported them outdoors and planted them in their growing place.
Some of the carrots started to sprout, but not many and the beetroot were a total no show. I left it a few weeks but still nothing so I planted more seeds, thinking that maybe the first lot had been washed away with the sheer amount of rain we had had. I kept looking in hope and eventually we had a few little leaves appear in a few places and out of about 300 seeds planted I counted about 40 tiny seedlings. They were doing OK for about a week and then all of a sudden they just disappeared and not a single beetroot was grown and harvested this year. I love fresh beetroot and I was devastated, given the glut of beetroot harvest we've had the past two years.
We didn't fair too well with the carrots either this year, I had to plant additional carrot seeds where there were large gaps where they just didn't germinate but we've not exactly had brilliant weather this year, its been quite wet, or at least that's what it seems to have been. One thing we did do with the carrots this year though, and that was to get nice straight carrots! I did make more carrot top dye again this year and I used it to dye some Jacobs fleece.
As for the beans, they went totally mad and I was harvesting huge amounts of beans every couple of days. I'm not kidding, take a look at the photos, that is the same pile of beans from two different angles and that was the biggest single harvest but every couple of days I was harvesting half to thirds of that amount each time. The freezer was full of bags of sliced, blanched runner beans.
Saturday 14 September 2019
Spinning up Tante Violett
This is another spinning fibre that I brought from The Fluffy Viking seven years ago and this also spun like a dream with no issues. This one is also 60% Merino, 20% Polwarth, 20% Bleached Tussah Silk.
Its gorgeous, spun from the end and made a 2ply yarn that is sport weight and 103g/353m
Its gorgeous, spun from the end and made a 2ply yarn that is sport weight and 103g/353m
Thursday 5 September 2019
Trying more plant based dyes
After harvesting the homegrown carrots, I have once again made some dye using the carrot tops but this time I am not waiting to use it at a later date, I am using it straight away. I am also going to try a couple of dried goods for dyeing that I bought from a supplier, marigolds and logwood.
I mordanted the entirety of the white parts of a Jacob fleece in Bichromate of Potash first. Its not a safe chemical and certainly not eco-friendly, which is a shame as by using plant material for dyes you would think that the whole process would be more eco-friendly than other dyes, but sadly not. For plant dyes to take effectively you need to mordant the fibre and it is the various mordants that are not eco-friendly.
The fleece came from a friend of an ex-work colleague, you can read about that here. This one was fleece No.5.
The first thing I dyed with was the carrot top dye that I had just made. The tops had been chopped and soaked for 3 days, boiled up and simmered for about an hour. I strained the greenery from the dye, which went into our compost bin, and put the dye liquid back into the dye pot and added 160g of mordanted fleece into it. I don't think this is as vibrant as last time I used carrot top dyes but I am using a different fibre as well as maybe different strength of plant material relative to the amount of water. I don't know, its often guesswork with me.
The next thing to go in the dye pot was some dried logwood which had been soaked in a little container of water for 12 hours. This then had to be simmered for about an hour to obtain the dye. Logwood produces dark grey dye but interestingly the water turned red when it was simmering. I had read that if you add about a tablespoon of powdered chalk to the prepared logwood dye before you add the fibre then this produces blue fibres, rather than dark grey. I gave this a go and put 247g of mordanted fleece into the dye pot.
I'm happy with the results of this one, I have a wonderful mix of dark blue and blue-grey fibres, this will be interesting once its combed.
I mordanted the entirety of the white parts of a Jacob fleece in Bichromate of Potash first. Its not a safe chemical and certainly not eco-friendly, which is a shame as by using plant material for dyes you would think that the whole process would be more eco-friendly than other dyes, but sadly not. For plant dyes to take effectively you need to mordant the fibre and it is the various mordants that are not eco-friendly.
The fleece came from a friend of an ex-work colleague, you can read about that here. This one was fleece No.5.
The next thing to go in the dye pot was some dried logwood which had been soaked in a little container of water for 12 hours. This then had to be simmered for about an hour to obtain the dye. Logwood produces dark grey dye but interestingly the water turned red when it was simmering. I had read that if you add about a tablespoon of powdered chalk to the prepared logwood dye before you add the fibre then this produces blue fibres, rather than dark grey. I gave this a go and put 247g of mordanted fleece into the dye pot.
I'm happy with the results of this one, I have a wonderful mix of dark blue and blue-grey fibres, this will be interesting once its combed.
Logwood can also be used on non-mordanted fibres and it is supposed to take. The dye bath was clearly not exhausted so I ran and fetched some mohair fleece that I had had sitting around for some time. I didn't dye all of the mohair but I did grab and good amount, 184g actually, and dumped it into the dye pot. It didn't seem to be taking any of the dye at all until I added a good glug of citric acid to the dye pot, where it suddenly turned a mushroom kind of colour. Not the best but not really nasty, I can use this, but I was hoping for some kind of blue-grey like the Jacob wool produced.
The final batch of dye was made using dried marigold flowers, which I followed the instructions for and soaked them for about an hour before simmering them for an hour. I put 64g of mordanted fleece into the dye pot and hoped that it turned out the colour I had read about and that I hoped for. No such luck. Its quite boring to be honest and certainly does not have any orange colouration to it that my natural dye book said it produces with this mordant, as different mordants can affect the final colour produced and this is why I chose to mordant with Bichromate of Potash.
Saturday 31 August 2019
Family Day out to Charlcote Park, Warwickshire
Yesterday we went out as a family to National Trust property Charlcote Park. Its not that far from where we live, about a 40 minute drive, depending on traffic. I am the only one in the family that has ever been here before but that was about 34 years ago so to come back and visit this place as an adult was very interesting.
It has been home to the Lucy family since the time of King Richard I in the 1100's and the current Baronet, Sir Edmund Fairfax-Lucy who is a painter and artist, still lives in the private upper rooms to this day. You can read more about the family history here.
When you arrive, you park across the road in the car park, pay or show your membership and then go across the road, through the gate and walk along a really long path to the outer building/gatehouse. Once you are through the gatehouse it opens up into a lawned area with a few statues and a small area with small fruit trees growing and the main house in front of you.
That beautifully ornate "cottage" sits right next to a set of massive gates, obviously the rear entrance to the property and maybe would have been some kind of Gatehouse in the past, maybe home to the head groundsman many years ago, maybe it still is, but someone would have had to have been close by to open and close those huge gate. The gates lead directly onto a long tree-lined path which you can see the end of in the bottom middle photo as it goes over a bridge and although it looks like it takes you right up to the rear of the building it doesn't, it actually takes you off to the right and you end up at the outbuildings which house all of the old coaches and carriages and years ago would have housed horses too. As you walk from those gates along that path you can imagine coach and horses travelling along. If you look at the first aerial view further down you can see the path coming in from the bottom and into the stable and outbuilding area.
The park is home to a herd of Fallow Deer and you can see these as you walk from the entrance gate to the Gate House. There are a lot of them, more than you can see in my photos. I stopped and changed lens's for my "big lens" though as they were still quite a distance away and I didn't want to get too near to them. My "big lens" is really good for zooming in on objects far away, as you can tell, but not for anything close up so I had to change back to my normal lens after I took these shots. I was amazed by the different colours in the herd.
Once through the Gatehouse, you enter a large court yard area with nice lawns on either side of the path and a couple of statues either side of a set of steps that lead up to another area that is open to the public but you can't go up the steps as there is a locked gate at the top of the steps with a fancy stone wall on either side, and I couldn't resist getting an "arty" photo of one of the statues through that wall later when we were the other side of that locked gate. Maybe the steps are too dangerous to have people constantly going up and down them.
If ever you are in the Warwickshire area and fancy an historical and educational day out, you certainly can't go wrong with paying a visit to Charlecote Park. For exact location for a SatNav its CV35 9ER and if you need details of opening times, prices, what's on and special days then just go back to the top of this post and click on the Charlcote Park link, which will take you to the National Trust website for this place.
It has been home to the Lucy family since the time of King Richard I in the 1100's and the current Baronet, Sir Edmund Fairfax-Lucy who is a painter and artist, still lives in the private upper rooms to this day. You can read more about the family history here.
When you arrive, you park across the road in the car park, pay or show your membership and then go across the road, through the gate and walk along a really long path to the outer building/gatehouse. Once you are through the gatehouse it opens up into a lawned area with a few statues and a small area with small fruit trees growing and the main house in front of you.
 |
| Left: The Gatehouse. Top: The Main House. Bottom Centre: Rear view of the Main House. Bottom Right: Cottage next to rear entrance gates of the property. |
The park is home to a herd of Fallow Deer and you can see these as you walk from the entrance gate to the Gate House. There are a lot of them, more than you can see in my photos. I stopped and changed lens's for my "big lens" though as they were still quite a distance away and I didn't want to get too near to them. My "big lens" is really good for zooming in on objects far away, as you can tell, but not for anything close up so I had to change back to my normal lens after I took these shots. I was amazed by the different colours in the herd.
Once through the Gatehouse, you enter a large court yard area with nice lawns on either side of the path and a couple of statues either side of a set of steps that lead up to another area that is open to the public but you can't go up the steps as there is a locked gate at the top of the steps with a fancy stone wall on either side, and I couldn't resist getting an "arty" photo of one of the statues through that wall later when we were the other side of that locked gate. Maybe the steps are too dangerous to have people constantly going up and down them.
Inside the house, in the main hall, there are these beautiful stained glass windows and the guide told us that they represent the history of the house and the Lucy family.
There is also a lot of beautiful furniture and I was especially drawn to the detailing of the inlay on these chairs and cabinet. Absolutely stunning and, for me, totally mesmerising.
Round the back of the house is a beautiful formal Capability Brown garden with steps down to the River Avon, where in times gone by visitors to the house could arrive by boat, if they lived on neighbouring properties or just along the river, or the family could just go for a boat ride along the river on a nice summers day.
There really isn't a good focal point in which to get a great shot of the garden but thanks to the power of Google, I can show you an aerial shot.
And finally, a photo from a history display in the main gatehouse, which I found really interesting and then a couple of photos from our walk around the vast expanse of the outer areas of the estate. The Jacob Sheep, how could I not go and see them and how could I not include them after the amount of yarn that I spun from the fleece of Jacobs sheep. I can't add all the links to all of the posts I've written about the yarn I've made from Jacobs fleece, if I did this post would be twice as long as it is and I think its already as long as War and Peace as it is!
If ever you are in the Warwickshire area and fancy an historical and educational day out, you certainly can't go wrong with paying a visit to Charlecote Park. For exact location for a SatNav its CV35 9ER and if you need details of opening times, prices, what's on and special days then just go back to the top of this post and click on the Charlcote Park link, which will take you to the National Trust website for this place.
Tuesday 20 August 2019
August's Fibre has arrived - Peterloo
When the letter came a few days ago I didn't know what to expect other than blue and white. Its quite nice, almost like a denim look to it and if you look really close it almost like there is a pink tinge to some of it. Its 50% Shetland Wool, 25% New Zealand Wool, 25% Linen so its not the softest wool but she did say that it would be quite stiff until its worked.
Wednesday 14 August 2019
August's Fibre Club Letter
August's fibre club letter has arrived. Its quite a long letter again this time. Interesting though!
The letter reads:
Two hundred years ago, on Monday 16th August a massacre occurred at St Peter’s Field Manchester. It was a notable event because it was the start of the process of the British working classes gaining the vote, and also due to the horrifying number of deaths and injuries.
A crowd of 60,000-80,000 had gathered from many areas surrounding Manchester. They gathered to protest about the lack of representation for the new city of Manchester, which had a booming population due to the Industrial Revolution and the rising number of cotton mills. The whole of Lancashire was represented by just 2 members of Parliament, and only men who owned land with a rental income of 40 Shillings a year could cast their vote, in person, in Lancaster. One million people were represented by just 4 people in the area of Manchester.
At the time there were 515 MPs for England and Wales, of these, 351 were returned by the patronage of 177 individual voters and a further 16 by the direct patronage of the government: all 45 Scottish MPs owed their seats to patronage. Added to this discontent about political representation, was an economic recession which came about at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Textile workers were earning 3 times less in 1818 as they were in 1803. The Corn Laws led to a shortage of food in the country, causing rising prices, leading to famine.
Members of the Manchester Patriotic Union, a group of radicals from the Manchester Observer newspaper organised a “great assembly” in the month of August. The founder of the newspaper, Joseph Johnson wrote to the famous political orator Henry Hunt inviting him to address a political rally. The letter included this line- “Nothing but ruin and starvation stare one in the face [in the streets of Manchester and the surrounding towns], the state of this district is truly dreadful, and I believe nothing but the greatest exertions can prevent an insurrection. Oh, that you in London were prepared for “ However, their communications were being read by government spies, and the 15th Hussars army cavalry regiment were sent to Manchester in preparation for the rally.
Johnson and Hunt were determined that the rally would not fall victim to the popular opinions against giving the working poor a political vote. Namely that they were ragged, dirty and rowdy. The groups that marched in to St Peter’s field had been told to dress in their Sunday best, and many had drilled and rehearsed before the gathering. Peterloo was unusual due to the number of female protestors, many of who wore white to show their purity.
When all the protestors had assembled they were in an area roughly as large as 45 tennis courts, with narrow access points, many of which were blocked by the cavalry soldiers. The local magistrates issued a warrant for the arrest of Henry Hunt, Joseph Johnson, and other organisers. Due to the crowds it was decided that the military would need to be present to allow the arrest to be carried out. The cavalry officers were sent charging though the packed crowds, on horseback, with drawn swords and caused a general panic. The main exit route was also blocked by the 88th Regiment of Foot, who had formed up with drawn bayonets.
It became a massacre. With inexperienced soldiers (who were possibly drunk) panicking, and frightened crowds unable to escape. The number of deaths and injuries, has never been established with certainty, but it’s suggested that 11–15 were killed and 400–700 injured. The women in the crowd were significantly more likely to be injured. Only 12% of the crowd were female, but 168 of the 654 officially recorded casualties were women.
The general public were horrified by the massacre, and many commemorative items went on sale, with the proceeds going to the victims. Press coverage of the event was unusually thorough, many journalists from further afield than Manchester had been present, and reports were in many national newspapers. Many of the organisers were jailed, and the commanding officers were acquitted of all charges as the gathering was judged to have been illegal. The immediate response of the government was to introduce legislation reducing civil liberties, the Manchester Observer was shut down, and by the end of 1820 every significant working-class radical reformer was in jail.
In 1832 the Great Reform Act created the Manchester parliamentary borough, and the area elected its first two MPs. One of the candidates was the great reform campaigner William Cobbett. The name Peterloo stemmed from the battle of Waterloo, which had happened just 4 years earlier.
Until now the only commemoration of the massacre was a small blue plaque on a building in the city near to the site of St Peter’s field. Earlier this month a new memorial was unveiled. The design is beautiful, but inaccessible by anyone who has mobility issues. It is ironic that a memorial to a campaign for democracy and inclusion should suffer from limited democratic participation and leave some people feeling excluded.
For my colour inspiration today I’ve used a popular image from the time, that would have been seen by many as they read about Peterloo. It features the blue jacketed cavalry officers charging through the crowds, cutting down the women dressed in white.
Ok, so I can expect something blue and white then, hmmmmm.
From the spoilers chat it sounds like this one might be a little bit more coarse, it is a linen blend best spun from the end worsted spun and maybe on the finer side of things as opposed to thicker spun and that the washed yarn may feel a little stiff but should soften when working with it.
The letter reads:
Two hundred years ago, on Monday 16th August a massacre occurred at St Peter’s Field Manchester. It was a notable event because it was the start of the process of the British working classes gaining the vote, and also due to the horrifying number of deaths and injuries.
A crowd of 60,000-80,000 had gathered from many areas surrounding Manchester. They gathered to protest about the lack of representation for the new city of Manchester, which had a booming population due to the Industrial Revolution and the rising number of cotton mills. The whole of Lancashire was represented by just 2 members of Parliament, and only men who owned land with a rental income of 40 Shillings a year could cast their vote, in person, in Lancaster. One million people were represented by just 4 people in the area of Manchester.
At the time there were 515 MPs for England and Wales, of these, 351 were returned by the patronage of 177 individual voters and a further 16 by the direct patronage of the government: all 45 Scottish MPs owed their seats to patronage. Added to this discontent about political representation, was an economic recession which came about at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Textile workers were earning 3 times less in 1818 as they were in 1803. The Corn Laws led to a shortage of food in the country, causing rising prices, leading to famine.
Members of the Manchester Patriotic Union, a group of radicals from the Manchester Observer newspaper organised a “great assembly” in the month of August. The founder of the newspaper, Joseph Johnson wrote to the famous political orator Henry Hunt inviting him to address a political rally. The letter included this line- “Nothing but ruin and starvation stare one in the face [in the streets of Manchester and the surrounding towns], the state of this district is truly dreadful, and I believe nothing but the greatest exertions can prevent an insurrection. Oh, that you in London were prepared for “ However, their communications were being read by government spies, and the 15th Hussars army cavalry regiment were sent to Manchester in preparation for the rally.
Johnson and Hunt were determined that the rally would not fall victim to the popular opinions against giving the working poor a political vote. Namely that they were ragged, dirty and rowdy. The groups that marched in to St Peter’s field had been told to dress in their Sunday best, and many had drilled and rehearsed before the gathering. Peterloo was unusual due to the number of female protestors, many of who wore white to show their purity.
When all the protestors had assembled they were in an area roughly as large as 45 tennis courts, with narrow access points, many of which were blocked by the cavalry soldiers. The local magistrates issued a warrant for the arrest of Henry Hunt, Joseph Johnson, and other organisers. Due to the crowds it was decided that the military would need to be present to allow the arrest to be carried out. The cavalry officers were sent charging though the packed crowds, on horseback, with drawn swords and caused a general panic. The main exit route was also blocked by the 88th Regiment of Foot, who had formed up with drawn bayonets.
It became a massacre. With inexperienced soldiers (who were possibly drunk) panicking, and frightened crowds unable to escape. The number of deaths and injuries, has never been established with certainty, but it’s suggested that 11–15 were killed and 400–700 injured. The women in the crowd were significantly more likely to be injured. Only 12% of the crowd were female, but 168 of the 654 officially recorded casualties were women.
The general public were horrified by the massacre, and many commemorative items went on sale, with the proceeds going to the victims. Press coverage of the event was unusually thorough, many journalists from further afield than Manchester had been present, and reports were in many national newspapers. Many of the organisers were jailed, and the commanding officers were acquitted of all charges as the gathering was judged to have been illegal. The immediate response of the government was to introduce legislation reducing civil liberties, the Manchester Observer was shut down, and by the end of 1820 every significant working-class radical reformer was in jail.
In 1832 the Great Reform Act created the Manchester parliamentary borough, and the area elected its first two MPs. One of the candidates was the great reform campaigner William Cobbett. The name Peterloo stemmed from the battle of Waterloo, which had happened just 4 years earlier.
Until now the only commemoration of the massacre was a small blue plaque on a building in the city near to the site of St Peter’s field. Earlier this month a new memorial was unveiled. The design is beautiful, but inaccessible by anyone who has mobility issues. It is ironic that a memorial to a campaign for democracy and inclusion should suffer from limited democratic participation and leave some people feeling excluded.
For my colour inspiration today I’ve used a popular image from the time, that would have been seen by many as they read about Peterloo. It features the blue jacketed cavalry officers charging through the crowds, cutting down the women dressed in white.
Ok, so I can expect something blue and white then, hmmmmm.
From the spoilers chat it sounds like this one might be a little bit more coarse, it is a linen blend best spun from the end worsted spun and maybe on the finer side of things as opposed to thicker spun and that the washed yarn may feel a little stiff but should soften when working with it.
Wednesday 24 July 2019
July's Fibre has arrived - Singer
I had no idea what to expect this month other than that as far as my knowledge of Singer sewing machines goes, I think they are black and gold and I didn't Google the model mentioned in the letter.
Its nice and soft, 50% Merino Wool, 25% Corriedale Wool, 25% Eri Silk.
Its nice and soft, 50% Merino Wool, 25% Corriedale Wool, 25% Eri Silk.
Sunday 21 July 2019
July's Fibre Club Letter
July's fibre club letter has come. I learned some interesting facts last month so I wonder what this months letter will teach me. Its a long one this time.
The letter reads:
On July 9th 1819 marks the birth of the man who is credited with inventing the sewing machine. Elias Howe was from Massachusetts, and he created his machine in 1845. However, as with so many inventions, it’s not a straightforward story.
Mechanisation of sewing dates back to 1755, Charles Fredrick Weisenthal, a German-born engineer working in England was awarded the first British patent for a needle intended to be used in a sewing machine, but the trail of development then stops, it doesn’t appear that he went on to develop the actual machine. In 1790 a man called Thomas Saint did patent a machine that was designed for sewing together leather. It used an awl to punch a hole, which was followed up by a needle carrying the thread. Saint was a cabinet maker, and although no working examples of his machine survive, replicas have been made from his plans, though they did need substantial modification. Critics have suggested that he never actually made a working machine. Further men developed ideas, patented them, and produced working examples, but the first practical machine that was widely used was designed by Frenchman Barthélemy Thimonnier. His machine was patented in 1830, and used in a factory that created uniforms for the French Army.
All of these machines used what’s known as the chain stitch, which looked to replicate the way a hand sewing needle functions. American Walter Hunt developed the first lockstitch machine in 1832. This is the first machine that uses a bobbin thread under the fabric to lock the top thread into place. Issues with the feed mechanism meant the machine was never commercially viable, and it wasn’t patented until 1854.
In 1844 all the disparate elements of the various machines were combined by British inventor John Fisher. It was designed to produce lace, but had all the elements of a working sewing machine. Due to this it was misfiled at the patent office, and John Fisher wasn’t credited with his invention.
Instead we move forward to our credited inventor Elias Howe, and a name synonymous with sewing machines, Isaac Merritt Singer. Howe was the first to create his machine, and to patent it, but despite repeated demonstrations showing the efficiency of his machine he couldn’t find a commercial backer. He came to England, to try to find a manufacturing partner, and while he was away the American sewing machine market exploded, lead by Singer. Howe filed for patent infringement, and won, Singer had to pay him $1.15 for every machine already sold, and then entered into a partnership to license his idea.
Over the next century millions of Singer sewing machines were produced. A factory was established in Clydebank, Scotland. From its opening in 1884 until 1943 36,000,000 sewing machines were made, and there were many other factories all around the world. If you have an old Singer machine it’s possible to find the location of manufacture, and the year it was made just from the serial number.
The Clydebank factory finally closed in 1980. In its short history it was one of the marvels of the manufacturing world, the factory boasting the largest clock tower in the world. On 21st March 1911 12 female cabinet polishers went on strike objecting to a change in working conditions that required them to do more work for less pay. Within a week all 10,000 of the 11,500 other workers had also come out on strike, backing up their fellow workers. Singer responded by closing the factory, and threatening to move all work to other European factories. The strike lasted for 3 weeks, but in the end workers returned to work. All of the Strike leaders and members of the Industrial Workers of Great Britain were sacked.
Your fibre this month is inspired by the beautiful old black machines, in particular a Singer Model 66 with a decal the collectors call Lotus.
I can't use a sewing machine to save my life, I just get it all in a tangled mess, its the bobbin thing underneath and setting the tension that I can't get on with, well at least I do on my late mother's electric sewing machine which has recently gone to sewing machine heaven as it was so rusted up now and so many things wrong with it that it was uneconomical to have it repaired. She did used to have a little turquoise blue hand operated sewing machine, which I believe was a Singer, that I could get on with under my late father's supervision. He would bring it over to me, set it up, I'd do what I had to do, supply him with cups of tea and biscuits etc and then he'd take it back home with him. One of my sisters had that one after my parents passed away.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a sturdier blend that will stand up to a lot of wear. Sounds interesting.
The letter reads:
On July 9th 1819 marks the birth of the man who is credited with inventing the sewing machine. Elias Howe was from Massachusetts, and he created his machine in 1845. However, as with so many inventions, it’s not a straightforward story.
Mechanisation of sewing dates back to 1755, Charles Fredrick Weisenthal, a German-born engineer working in England was awarded the first British patent for a needle intended to be used in a sewing machine, but the trail of development then stops, it doesn’t appear that he went on to develop the actual machine. In 1790 a man called Thomas Saint did patent a machine that was designed for sewing together leather. It used an awl to punch a hole, which was followed up by a needle carrying the thread. Saint was a cabinet maker, and although no working examples of his machine survive, replicas have been made from his plans, though they did need substantial modification. Critics have suggested that he never actually made a working machine. Further men developed ideas, patented them, and produced working examples, but the first practical machine that was widely used was designed by Frenchman Barthélemy Thimonnier. His machine was patented in 1830, and used in a factory that created uniforms for the French Army.
All of these machines used what’s known as the chain stitch, which looked to replicate the way a hand sewing needle functions. American Walter Hunt developed the first lockstitch machine in 1832. This is the first machine that uses a bobbin thread under the fabric to lock the top thread into place. Issues with the feed mechanism meant the machine was never commercially viable, and it wasn’t patented until 1854.
In 1844 all the disparate elements of the various machines were combined by British inventor John Fisher. It was designed to produce lace, but had all the elements of a working sewing machine. Due to this it was misfiled at the patent office, and John Fisher wasn’t credited with his invention.
Instead we move forward to our credited inventor Elias Howe, and a name synonymous with sewing machines, Isaac Merritt Singer. Howe was the first to create his machine, and to patent it, but despite repeated demonstrations showing the efficiency of his machine he couldn’t find a commercial backer. He came to England, to try to find a manufacturing partner, and while he was away the American sewing machine market exploded, lead by Singer. Howe filed for patent infringement, and won, Singer had to pay him $1.15 for every machine already sold, and then entered into a partnership to license his idea.
Over the next century millions of Singer sewing machines were produced. A factory was established in Clydebank, Scotland. From its opening in 1884 until 1943 36,000,000 sewing machines were made, and there were many other factories all around the world. If you have an old Singer machine it’s possible to find the location of manufacture, and the year it was made just from the serial number.
The Clydebank factory finally closed in 1980. In its short history it was one of the marvels of the manufacturing world, the factory boasting the largest clock tower in the world. On 21st March 1911 12 female cabinet polishers went on strike objecting to a change in working conditions that required them to do more work for less pay. Within a week all 10,000 of the 11,500 other workers had also come out on strike, backing up their fellow workers. Singer responded by closing the factory, and threatening to move all work to other European factories. The strike lasted for 3 weeks, but in the end workers returned to work. All of the Strike leaders and members of the Industrial Workers of Great Britain were sacked.
Your fibre this month is inspired by the beautiful old black machines, in particular a Singer Model 66 with a decal the collectors call Lotus.
I can't use a sewing machine to save my life, I just get it all in a tangled mess, its the bobbin thing underneath and setting the tension that I can't get on with, well at least I do on my late mother's electric sewing machine which has recently gone to sewing machine heaven as it was so rusted up now and so many things wrong with it that it was uneconomical to have it repaired. She did used to have a little turquoise blue hand operated sewing machine, which I believe was a Singer, that I could get on with under my late father's supervision. He would bring it over to me, set it up, I'd do what I had to do, supply him with cups of tea and biscuits etc and then he'd take it back home with him. One of my sisters had that one after my parents passed away.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a sturdier blend that will stand up to a lot of wear. Sounds interesting.
Sunday 14 July 2019
Spinning Isbre
Seven years ago, yes, seven, I bought some spinning fibre from The Fluffy Viking, who has either changed name or gone out of business and it is still absolutely amazing after all this time. It spun like a dream, it hasn't compacted, felted or anything. My usual spinning method, split down the middle length-ways, spun from the end, make a traditional 2 ply.
Its 60% Merino Wool, 20% Polwarth Wool, 20% Bleached Tussah Silk
Lovely and soft, 102g/350m of double knit weight yarn.
Its 60% Merino Wool, 20% Polwarth Wool, 20% Bleached Tussah Silk
Lovely and soft, 102g/350m of double knit weight yarn.
Tuesday 2 July 2019
Oh Dear! It doesn't fit!
I tried to do a photo shoot today using the new wedding backdrop. I spent ages setting it all up, ironing the creases out of the backdrop, making sure the light was OK and that I had enough room etc only to go and get changed into the wedding dress and discover that first of all I couldn't even do the strapless bra up and then I couldn't zip the back of the dress up, the two pieces are a good few inches apart. Nothing wrong with the zip, I've just put so much weight on since the last photo shoot I done with the wedding dress. This is embarrassing!!
I am so angry and annoyed with myself. How could I let myself get into this situation. It was bad enough having to buy a second hand wedding dress in such a large size in the first place and now I can't fit into that. I have a perfectly good wedding dress that I wore to my own wedding 17 years ago that I would love to be able to get into again but that is a small size. One day, maybe, one day.
I am so angry and annoyed with myself. How could I let myself get into this situation. It was bad enough having to buy a second hand wedding dress in such a large size in the first place and now I can't fit into that. I have a perfectly good wedding dress that I wore to my own wedding 17 years ago that I would love to be able to get into again but that is a small size. One day, maybe, one day.
Thursday 27 June 2019
I've bought a Clun Forest Mule Fleece
I couldn't resist. I saw the photos of this fleece and the high praise of fellow spinners for this ladies fleece and I thought, yeah, why not? Its beautiful and weighed 2.2kg and I got straight on to cleaning it the day after it arrived. Very clean fleece in terms of no vegetable matter or other rubbish, no dust, no dirt, no soil or sand fell out as I pulled it apart and I've never had that happen, I am usually sweeping up little mounds of soil and fine sandy grit type of material when I pull a fleece apart but not with this one. Its got good crimp and so some locks needed a bit of extra cleaning on the tips but overall most of it is decent length staple and reasonably soft.
A Clun Forest Mule is basically a cross breed produced from a Clun Forest and Bluefaced Leicester mating. I have never spun Clun Forest before and the Bluefaced Leicester I have only ever spun as part of a blend or another Mule Fleece, way back in 2013.
The Clun Forest sheep is a conservation breed, there aren't great numbers of these around. According to my fleece bible, that I go to for good information about a breed, the fleece is uniform quality all over, which I can say is true, there were no obvious rough bits. This fibre can take quite a lot of wear, its quite hardy in that respect and it has plenty of loft and bounce so will be good for things like everyday shawls, mittens, hats, jumpers. It takes dye really well.
The Bluefaced Leiceter sheep is part of the English Longwool breeds of sheep that produces a fine, silky, lustrous long fibre. Not usually scratchy but is durable enough to withstand a lot of wear and takes dyes really well. This is one of the hand spinners favourite breeds as it is so versatile.
So, combine the traits of those two sheep breeds together and we have something that could be pretty wonderful. This came from Dunja Roberts of All In A Spin, who is based in Cwmdu, Crickhowell, Wales, which according to Google Maps, is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
The photo on the right shows it rolled out but not opened out, it was certainly long.
Before and after washing. Although it was a "clean" fleece, it was still dirty in terms of colouration. Its washed up beautifully.
A Clun Forest Mule is basically a cross breed produced from a Clun Forest and Bluefaced Leicester mating. I have never spun Clun Forest before and the Bluefaced Leicester I have only ever spun as part of a blend or another Mule Fleece, way back in 2013.
The Clun Forest sheep is a conservation breed, there aren't great numbers of these around. According to my fleece bible, that I go to for good information about a breed, the fleece is uniform quality all over, which I can say is true, there were no obvious rough bits. This fibre can take quite a lot of wear, its quite hardy in that respect and it has plenty of loft and bounce so will be good for things like everyday shawls, mittens, hats, jumpers. It takes dye really well.
The Bluefaced Leiceter sheep is part of the English Longwool breeds of sheep that produces a fine, silky, lustrous long fibre. Not usually scratchy but is durable enough to withstand a lot of wear and takes dyes really well. This is one of the hand spinners favourite breeds as it is so versatile.
So, combine the traits of those two sheep breeds together and we have something that could be pretty wonderful. This came from Dunja Roberts of All In A Spin, who is based in Cwmdu, Crickhowell, Wales, which according to Google Maps, is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
The photo on the right shows it rolled out but not opened out, it was certainly long.
Before and after washing. Although it was a "clean" fleece, it was still dirty in terms of colouration. Its washed up beautifully.
Sunday 23 June 2019
Mrs Browns Boys D'musical
We like watching Mrs Browns Boys so we got tickets and the four of us and a family friend went to see them live at Resorts World Arena, Birmingham. My kids were asking which way we need to go from the car park to get to where the show was and was amazed to discover that despite this venue being built 39 years ago, it's had many names over those 39 years, and the fact that I am a Brummie born and bred and have never left the area, that I have never been here before. Maybe I need to get out more?
We were supposed to be in the middle of the section right in front of the stage, about half-way back but when we got there we discovered that the stage was moved forward compared to the original seating plan which meant we were on the second row from the front.
We all had a great time, I thought my 15 year old was going to wet herself laughing, my 12 year old didn't get all of the jokes but she got most of them and was pulling shocked funny faces, as most young teenage kids do, but we all had a great time and would highly recommend going to see the show if you have a sense of humour.
We were supposed to be in the middle of the section right in front of the stage, about half-way back but when we got there we discovered that the stage was moved forward compared to the original seating plan which meant we were on the second row from the front.
We all had a great time, I thought my 15 year old was going to wet herself laughing, my 12 year old didn't get all of the jokes but she got most of them and was pulling shocked funny faces, as most young teenage kids do, but we all had a great time and would highly recommend going to see the show if you have a sense of humour.
Tuesday 18 June 2019
June's Fibre has arrived - Stonewall
I have to say that I am not a fan of this one. It's too bright and busy for me and needs toning down using a plain dark colour, perhaps black, and spin small chunks of colour broken up with black. Lovely and soft though as its 100% Superfine Merino Wool.
Monday 17 June 2019
Another go at a photo shoot
What's the phrase, Don't let the bastards get you down? Yeah, that! After the disastrous attempted photo shoot last week and the viscous comments I received from a certain person, naming no names, but if you're reading this you know who you are, bitch! The same day I went and done some online shopping, looking around at different types and styles of jackets and I found one that I liked and that would work well with the scarf type shawls. This one is from Marks & Spencers. It is a leather jacket, sorry to all you vegans out there, but I am not a vegan and I don't need preaching to thanks. You live your life the way you want to live it and I will live mine the way I want to live it. If you want to dictate to others go live in a dictatorship country.
I'm happy with the results of this photo shoot. I do need to do something with my hair though, will think about that, and I know I need to loose weight and will think about that too.
Here are a few photos from that photo shoot, the rest you can find in the shop.
I'm happy with the results of this photo shoot. I do need to do something with my hair though, will think about that, and I know I need to loose weight and will think about that too.
Here are a few photos from that photo shoot, the rest you can find in the shop.
Wednesday 12 June 2019
June's Fibre Club Letter
June's fibre club letter has arrived. I'm building up quite a collection of fibre at the moment whilst also learning some little bits of history that I've never heard of before.
The letter reads:
Fifty years ago, on the 28th June 1969 the Stonewall riots began. In America at that time being gay was illegal, and there were very few places where gay people were welcomed. Greenwich Village in New York City was home to people leading a Bohemian lifestyle, many who felt they didn’t “fit in” elsewhere ended up living in the neighbourhood. Bars opened up in the area where people could openly be gay, but police raids were common, and many people were arrested simply for wearing clothing that belonged to members of the opposite sex. Women would be arrested if they were not wearing 3 pieces of feminine clothing.
The Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia, every week they would pay off the police, as the Inn had no liquor license. On the night of the 28th June police raided the Inn, but unusually the owners hadn’t received a tip off that a raid was going to happen. Over 200 people were in the bar that night, along with 2 undercover policemen, and 2 undercover policewomen. They had entered the bar prior to the raid to gather visual evidence, and rung for back up using the bars pay phone. Usually during a raid people would be lined up and have their identification checked , but this time people in line refused to produce identification. The police therefore decided to transport many individuals to the local police station. Those that weren’t arrested gathered outside the entrance, and quickly a crowd grew as passers by stopped in the street. As people were loaded in to a police wagon violence broke out, with some police officers taking refuge inside the bar. Riot police ended up being involved and a night of violence followed. On 6 following nights people again took to the streets and there were further clashes with the police. The New York Times, New York Post and Daily News all covered the riots, and this coverage probably led to one of the key legacies of the Stonewall Riots. Within 2 years there were gay rights groups in every major American city, and many in Canada, Australia and Western Europe. One year after the riots the first Gay Pride marches happened in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
One of the things that made the Stonewall Inn different to many other gay bars in Greenwich Village was the willingness to admit all members of what we would now called the LGBT+ community (at the time the word gay would have been used to describe all members of this community). Some of the leading activists of the riots were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both trans women of colour. Johnson was one of the first to stand up to police intimidation on that night. Marsha was a pioneer in campaigning for equal rights amongst the most marginalised of the LGBT+ community. The New York Times published her obituary in March 2018, 25 years after her death as part of a series entitled “Overlooked”, the link is at the bottom, I really recommend you read it. Earlier this month New York police apologised for the actions of officers during the riots. In 2000 the Stonewall Inn was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 2016 President Obama announced the establishment of the Stonewall National Monument Site, to be cared for by the National Park Service.
Finally, when developing my themes for the Fibre Club I try to shed light on periods of history that are maybe less well known, or highlight the work and lives of individuals who have otherwise been marginalised. I am not a member of the LGBT+ community, but have tried to make sure I did my research before writing the letter this month, and hope I have written it in a way that conveys respect and love for all human beings, whilst sharing information in a factual manner. Any errors are my own, I continue to try to do better, learn more, share more, and live my life according to my belief that all human beings are created equal and deserve to be treated equally.
Oooh, I am expecting bright and colourful, a rainbow of colour.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a superfine merino blend of streaks of lots of colours but will not be suitable for items that have a lot wear like sock or mittens and to keep the colours more distinct to spin from the fold a thicker yarn but if you want a blended look spin from the end a finer yarn.
The letter reads:
Fifty years ago, on the 28th June 1969 the Stonewall riots began. In America at that time being gay was illegal, and there were very few places where gay people were welcomed. Greenwich Village in New York City was home to people leading a Bohemian lifestyle, many who felt they didn’t “fit in” elsewhere ended up living in the neighbourhood. Bars opened up in the area where people could openly be gay, but police raids were common, and many people were arrested simply for wearing clothing that belonged to members of the opposite sex. Women would be arrested if they were not wearing 3 pieces of feminine clothing.
The Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia, every week they would pay off the police, as the Inn had no liquor license. On the night of the 28th June police raided the Inn, but unusually the owners hadn’t received a tip off that a raid was going to happen. Over 200 people were in the bar that night, along with 2 undercover policemen, and 2 undercover policewomen. They had entered the bar prior to the raid to gather visual evidence, and rung for back up using the bars pay phone. Usually during a raid people would be lined up and have their identification checked , but this time people in line refused to produce identification. The police therefore decided to transport many individuals to the local police station. Those that weren’t arrested gathered outside the entrance, and quickly a crowd grew as passers by stopped in the street. As people were loaded in to a police wagon violence broke out, with some police officers taking refuge inside the bar. Riot police ended up being involved and a night of violence followed. On 6 following nights people again took to the streets and there were further clashes with the police. The New York Times, New York Post and Daily News all covered the riots, and this coverage probably led to one of the key legacies of the Stonewall Riots. Within 2 years there were gay rights groups in every major American city, and many in Canada, Australia and Western Europe. One year after the riots the first Gay Pride marches happened in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
One of the things that made the Stonewall Inn different to many other gay bars in Greenwich Village was the willingness to admit all members of what we would now called the LGBT+ community (at the time the word gay would have been used to describe all members of this community). Some of the leading activists of the riots were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both trans women of colour. Johnson was one of the first to stand up to police intimidation on that night. Marsha was a pioneer in campaigning for equal rights amongst the most marginalised of the LGBT+ community. The New York Times published her obituary in March 2018, 25 years after her death as part of a series entitled “Overlooked”, the link is at the bottom, I really recommend you read it. Earlier this month New York police apologised for the actions of officers during the riots. In 2000 the Stonewall Inn was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 2016 President Obama announced the establishment of the Stonewall National Monument Site, to be cared for by the National Park Service.
Finally, when developing my themes for the Fibre Club I try to shed light on periods of history that are maybe less well known, or highlight the work and lives of individuals who have otherwise been marginalised. I am not a member of the LGBT+ community, but have tried to make sure I did my research before writing the letter this month, and hope I have written it in a way that conveys respect and love for all human beings, whilst sharing information in a factual manner. Any errors are my own, I continue to try to do better, learn more, share more, and live my life according to my belief that all human beings are created equal and deserve to be treated equally.
Oooh, I am expecting bright and colourful, a rainbow of colour.
From the spoilers chat she has revealed that it is a superfine merino blend of streaks of lots of colours but will not be suitable for items that have a lot wear like sock or mittens and to keep the colours more distinct to spin from the fold a thicker yarn but if you want a blended look spin from the end a finer yarn.
First attempt at a photo shoot with new backdrop
Today I decided that I would try a photo shoot using my new urban style photo backdrop and take photos of some of the new shawls that I've made that can be worn more scarf like. Its a warm day so putting a coat on and a scarf and pretending its autumn is going to be physically exhausting but it has to be done, there's no point waiting until its cold to get the photos done because everyone would have bought new scarves by then in readiness for the cold weather.
Today was more of a trial, than a "yeah, here come the final product photos", I need to see what works and what doesn't. The only suitable coat or jacket that I have is an old orangey-red double breasted wool coat, as my usual coat is a Regatta walking/hiking/all weather 3-in-1 fleece lined waterproof coat that looks pretty silly with a scarf.
So, I took a load of photos, with different scarves, different poses, different expressions but this was difficult because of the sun so a lot of the time I was squinting a bit or screwing my face up against the sun shining in my eyes/general brightness of the day. I'm not photogenic, I hate having my photo taken so this was a big deal for me. I usually crop my face/head off all of my product photos as I am not pretty, I've never considered myself to be pretty. I'm not blind, I can see my reflection in the mirror and I know what I look like. I decided to try it anyway and ask for opinions in a couple of places online where Etsy sellers give each other advice, feedback and generally support each other.
Wow! I was not expecting anyone to say "Oh, beautiful photos, well done you", but neither was I expecting anyone to say, and I will have to para-phrase here because the actual comments have been deleted now, but it was something like "To be honest I wouldn't buy the item because your face would put me off as you look miserable. Perhaps you could find someone young and pretty who could model for you". Now, I know all too well that I am getting on in years, I'm currently 46, and gawd knows I am not pretty but Jesus woman DO you have be such a BITCH! There is absolutely no need for the comment. Kick a girl in the teeth when she's down why don't you.
Thankfully, I had a number of people who gave constructive advice, such as "the coat clashes with the colour of the brick, maybe try a black or dark grey coat" or "do you have any dark, plain coloured tops that you could wear and try a photo shoot without a coat" and thankfully, I also had a few people who made counter-comments to hers and said that I have a nice, normal, friendly face and that youth and beauty is superficial and doesn't always sell a product, that there are plenty of older models and elderly models out there and to ignore the nasty comments. Thanks, but they are pretty hard to ignore when they are so bitchy but I believe in Karma so we will just wait for that bus to come along and get her shall we.
Today was more of a trial, than a "yeah, here come the final product photos", I need to see what works and what doesn't. The only suitable coat or jacket that I have is an old orangey-red double breasted wool coat, as my usual coat is a Regatta walking/hiking/all weather 3-in-1 fleece lined waterproof coat that looks pretty silly with a scarf.
So, I took a load of photos, with different scarves, different poses, different expressions but this was difficult because of the sun so a lot of the time I was squinting a bit or screwing my face up against the sun shining in my eyes/general brightness of the day. I'm not photogenic, I hate having my photo taken so this was a big deal for me. I usually crop my face/head off all of my product photos as I am not pretty, I've never considered myself to be pretty. I'm not blind, I can see my reflection in the mirror and I know what I look like. I decided to try it anyway and ask for opinions in a couple of places online where Etsy sellers give each other advice, feedback and generally support each other.
Wow! I was not expecting anyone to say "Oh, beautiful photos, well done you", but neither was I expecting anyone to say, and I will have to para-phrase here because the actual comments have been deleted now, but it was something like "To be honest I wouldn't buy the item because your face would put me off as you look miserable. Perhaps you could find someone young and pretty who could model for you". Now, I know all too well that I am getting on in years, I'm currently 46, and gawd knows I am not pretty but Jesus woman DO you have be such a BITCH! There is absolutely no need for the comment. Kick a girl in the teeth when she's down why don't you.
Thankfully, I had a number of people who gave constructive advice, such as "the coat clashes with the colour of the brick, maybe try a black or dark grey coat" or "do you have any dark, plain coloured tops that you could wear and try a photo shoot without a coat" and thankfully, I also had a few people who made counter-comments to hers and said that I have a nice, normal, friendly face and that youth and beauty is superficial and doesn't always sell a product, that there are plenty of older models and elderly models out there and to ignore the nasty comments. Thanks, but they are pretty hard to ignore when they are so bitchy but I believe in Karma so we will just wait for that bus to come along and get her shall we.
Tuesday 11 June 2019
The back garden is all done
Now that we are back from holiday and the kids are back to school I took myself off to the local garden centre to get some plants. I didn't go with a definite idea of what I wanted exactly but I did know the kind of thing I was going to look for and go from there.
There were already a few plants that managed to survive, 3 roses, black mondo grass and geranium (cranesbill) and Liatris. I bought a Verbascum - Dark Eyes, Dianthus - Passion, Poppy - Moondance, Petunia - Nightsky and a Garvinea. I also bought some more solar powered garden lights from Aldi.
I also bought a large gothic style planter for the tomatoes that my father-in-law gave us. We weren't planning on having tomatoes this year because we don't have room for them anymore so next year the planter will be used for something nice. Believe it or not that gothic style planter was a lot cheaper than a plain terracotta coloured one, both of them plastic type of material.
There were already a few plants that managed to survive, 3 roses, black mondo grass and geranium (cranesbill) and Liatris. I bought a Verbascum - Dark Eyes, Dianthus - Passion, Poppy - Moondance, Petunia - Nightsky and a Garvinea. I also bought some more solar powered garden lights from Aldi.
I also bought a large gothic style planter for the tomatoes that my father-in-law gave us. We weren't planning on having tomatoes this year because we don't have room for them anymore so next year the planter will be used for something nice. Believe it or not that gothic style planter was a lot cheaper than a plain terracotta coloured one, both of them plastic type of material.
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| Petunia - Nightsky |
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| Verbascum - Dark Eyes |
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| Poppy - Moondance, Dianthus - Passion, Oxalis, Lavender, Garvinea, Geranium Cranesbill |
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