Spinning Ramie 'Cherry Blossom' Beaded Yarn

Shiela at Handspinner.co.uk is having another 'Spring' spinning competition.  You can win £40 worth of vouchers to spend in her online spinning shop.  Which is too good to be true.  Last year I had a go at Daffodil-yarn this year I am more than a little late off the starting block and have been rushing 'Cherry Blossom' for the last couple of nights.  I have chosen to spin a Beaded yarn with 'Ramie' and tiny golden yellow seed beads.  To spin a beaded yarn you spin two 'Z' twist (clockwise) singles.  Then you get sewing cotton to match your fibre or contrast with it.  You thread all of your beads onto the cotton (carefully I have had several seed bead accidents!)  Then you 'Z' twist the cotton and one of your singles to ply together, feeding the beads in at intervals as you go.  You then 'S' twist (anti-clockwise) your beaded singles with your non beaded singles to get a plied beaded yarn.  I learnt from Alison Daykin and Jane Deane's book 'Creative Spinning'.

Ramie is one of the oldest vegetable fibres used by man, it is a  hardy perennial belonging to the nettle family and it can be harvested up to six times a year.  It is a fibre that was used in Ancient Egypt for Mummy cloth in the period 5000 - 3000 BC and is renowned for its strength.  It was used in China long before cotton was introduced,  The fibre is naturally white and does not require bleaching.

I thougth it was ideal for the soft, pure white blossom petals in the photograph.  It has very fine fibres like silk.  The golden yellow seed beads were to represent the pollen laden stamens in the centre of each flower.  I was hoping to create a snarl Yarn, however I have to admit defeat this time.  I love spinning but I don't think I have ever created anything that has not had a mind of its own, without the end product being a surprise.  Ramie was a fascinating fibre to work with.  This was my first time spinning with it.

My living room now has soft white fluff floating around the floor and furniture, it even floats in the air for ages too, it is so light.  It has completely coated all of my clothing, I look like some sort of Yeti in moult.  I lost a few seed beads too and they are also rattling around on the floor.  I am a messy worker but I love the end result.

A Ramble About Bluebells And Blossom (and maybe some other stuff thrown in for good measure).

Last weekend we enjoyed a scorcher of a Bank Holiday.  Very unusual for the UK.  We are usually washed out ( a bit like this weekend).  I got up nice and early to walk the dog.  I was rewarded by seeing my first Bluebells of the year.  I do love Bluebells. I used to pick great big bunches of them when I was a little girl and give them to my Nana.  She would patiently tell me that she preferred to see wild flowers growing and not in a jar but I was a one for picking flowers.

I have no idea what this flower is but I like it, what a deep colour.  I have some Merino fibre dyed this colour somewhere.  It is left over from one of my first handspun projects.  I blended Natural Grey Gotland fleece with dyed Merino and crocheted a very warm shawl.

   I have used 'Wild Flowers' as inspiration for creating handspun yarns, Daffodil, Beaded Flower Meadow and a Beaded Cherry Blossom yarns. I will write a separate blog post about them.  I would like to spin a 'Bluebell yarn' one day but I have too many projects to get on with for now.

The dog loves the meadows and so do I.  We know about the wildlife down here, especially the fox!  I have seriously gone off foxes.  Lacey likes to chase the rabbits, squirrels and birds.  She never comes close to catching anything but it does not stop her from trying.

This May blossom stretched right around the meadows.  Today one week  later this blossom has all gone.

Lacey simply will not pose for a photograph, but I worked out the best way to photograph her is not to want her in the shot,  then she will pop up all over the place in front of the camera.  I wanted to photograph the Horse Chestnut trees, or Conker Twees as they are commonly referred to in our house.  I have seriously lost count of the amount of times Euan has got stuck in these very trees.  It never seems to stop him from climbing them again and I always know what is coming next.  'Never work with children or animals' they say.

My Mom used to walk to this church for Sunday School,  from about the age of four, with her older brothers and her friends.  My family have been walking around here for decades.  Times have changed, Euan will soon be nine and I would not let him go so far from home.

I really was pleased to see my first lone clump of Bluebells for the year but nothing beats a woodland carpet of Bluebells in my opinion.  They have a really lovely fragrance too.

 Wild Garlic in contrast to the Bluebells don't arf pong.  It seems to be having a great year this year and is growing in abundance.  I harvested some, finely chopped it and sprinkled it over tomatoes, aubergine and courgettes, drizzled with olive oil it was delicious roasted.  Henry made the mistake of picking it and putting it in his coat pocket once when he was little and the smell seemed to intensify, it was rather aromatic!

I usually pause on the bridge over the river and see if I can spot a Kingfisher.  I have seen one a couple of times here, but not for a long time.  I would love to see the flash of bright, electric blue again one day.  For the whole walk the birds were busy singing.

  Back home I am greeted by this llittle apple tree.  My Mom gave it to me about five years ago for my birthday.  The variety is 'Greensleeves'.

My Mom is a 'musician' although I have not heard her play for years.  When she was younger she played the piano and clarinet in an orchestra and performed in concerts.  She worked as a music teacher in a school and we would also have students come to the house.  I can remember her playing 'Greensleeves' on an old piano that used to be in our living room.  She would  hum 'Greensleeves' as a lullaby to me when I was small.  This may be too much information but she actually hummed it to me when I was in the throws of labour having Henry.  I am not sure it did much to calm me down but I can remember her trying.  It is one of my favourite pieces of music.
             I have never seen so much blossom on one little tree.  My Neighbour has two apples trees and they have hardly any blossom.  Apple trees are a bit like that, you have to make the most of the good years.
Most of the buds are now open and the petals will soon fall like confetti.  I am glad I remembered to photograph the blossom before it is gone.  I will be sorry to see it go but after a patient wait for a few months the apples will be delicious.  I am rather getting my hopes up there will be loads of them.  I have plans for those apples.  To the left of the apple tree is a plum tree.  I was really disappointed as it has only had two flowers this year.  You can't win em all.  I am going to have a very long wait for some plum jam.
           I really should give you a quick update on my other 'Bluebell and Blossom'.  I am pleased to report they have settled into the coop happily.  They are no longer terrified and they are more than happy to oblige me in some 'chicken chat'.  They seem to be growing well and I am not surprised as they are packing away enough food.  I can pick both of them up and they do not mind at all.  I have not let them 'free range' yet because I think they are still too young and flighty (yes contrary to popular belief chickens can be flighty).  I don't want to lose anymore chickens.  I think we are still a long way off any eggs as they are so young.  They were sold as at 'point of lay' but I think I was a bit naive.  These girls can't even cluck in a grown up fashion let alone lay an egg.  They do make the garden feel like a happier place though.
XXX