Doll jumper in progress

Yes, I am getting on with knitting doll's clothes.  This is going to be a jumper for a doll with madder (colour)  hair.  The yarn is a natural dark grey and the edging is in multi-coloured yarn someone suggested would look fabulous on the dolly.  When I have finished the doll I will post a photo of the lovely doll on my blog.

Dyeing with Dahlias.

Fleece dyed with Dahlia flowers.



I am going to needle felt this fleece to make some small hearts.  The fleece was placed in a bowl of cold water with alum as a mordant.  I then put in some faded dahlia flowers and left the bowl for a couple of days in the greenhouse.  The sunshine and warmth did its job and this is the resulting colour.  By not boiling up a pot on the stove I have saved fuel and still obtained a result.

Beanie

The yarn here is Shetland DK dyed with madder and is a lovely orange colour.  I am knitting a beanie in the round and it knits up really quickly.  The crown of the hat is knitted with 4 needles, this is because the stitches are reduced in number and it becomes difficult to manipulate on a set of circular needles.  The intent is to sell the hats and I have also ordered some silver grey DK yarn, which should be arriving in the post next week.  The beanies fit tightly on the head and are snug and warm.

Another Show

We went to the County Show and yet again it poured with rain.  What is happening to sunny August?  Why is this sheep wearing a blanket?It was lovely to see so many exhibits at the Produce Show.

September has one more show for us to visit and enjoy, then it really is the end of summer.

Other dolls

This is an example of one of my dolls using commercial wool, rather than the naturally dyed yarns.  There is another craft fair early on in September and I hope to take a couple with me to sell.  This week-end is going to be busy as I have plenty of knitting to keep me occupied.  Just as well that the weather is going to be wild and rainy in these parts!

De-stash

As well as making dolls, I have been having a tidy up in my sewing room.  This is just a selection of items I found and probably now need to start seriously thinking of having a de-stash sale. 

The mill

The farm where we enjoyed the dye day also has a mill where spinning lessons are held.  These usually take place during the winter months and it is really cosy in there.  The owner has a loom and a number of spinning wheels. Unfortunately the quality of my spinning is not up to scratch, so I will stick to needle felting and knitting.