A Camping We Shall Go!

I have been getting ready to go camping, the thought and the excitement of it is exhausting.  I never travel light!  A friend asked if I wanted to go to Glastonbury for the day, I love Glastonbury, so the trip has grown into a two or three night excursion on the above farm in Somerset for my friend Sarah and her dog Jake, myself, Henry, Euan and our dog Lacey.

It is a working goat farm.  The facilities are basic to non existent.  My view is this is character building for the kids and myself.  We are practicing for our trip to Cornwall in five weeks.  I love the Somerset countryside Goats or no goats!  Henry is worried about the lack of basic amenities.  I think it is very funny!

The farm is down the same Lane as England's longest Ford!  The river Axe runs through the campsite and I have just read the owners have been creating Rope and Tyre swings this afternoon.  My boys should like those!  I chose the site because I am hoping it will be peaceful, also you can have campfires, which on many 'camp' sites you cannot these days.  I am hoping will will be able to try advanced bush craft skills such as toasting Marshmallows on a stick and boiling water for a pot noodle.  I really hope the Insect repellent I ordered online arrives tomorrow or Tuesday as we leave on Wednesday morning.  We have blow up beds, blow up pillows and sleeping bags at the ready.  All that 'blowing up' will also be character building for the kids, as will fetching water and sorting the technicalities of morning ablutions!   I must remember to pack a couple of crochet projects and the spindle may sneak in somewhere.  Oh and I can't forget to pack some eggs!  Euan ate the first one soft boiled for tea tonight, he dipped in the obligatory toasted soldiers.  We have had four eggs now and Euan collected his first this morning, he was so proud of it he came down the garden singing an 'I have got an egg' song.

Eggsiting News Alert!

How marvelous!  I feel like a proud parent.  I know it is late but we have only just discovered our first egg!

Isn't it a posh one!  I was not eggspecting that for a week or two!  My girls are so clever.

I could not be prouder if I had laid it myself!  It is eggsactly what we have been waiting for.  I can now officially undertake egg collecting patrol each morning.  Bless those chickens, I love them.  Even if they didn't lay eggs I would still love them, they are part of our crazy household.  They will be 18 weeks old on Tuesday.

My my, how time flies.  My little girls have grown up!

Day 21 Tour De Fleece 2011 - Challenge Day

Today I was in the saddle early, I have had great fun spinning 200g  lumpy bumpy 'Art Style' Batts from YummyYarnsUK.  I purchased these batts to take part in a 'Spin Along' with the 'Yummy Yarns Group'.  I have really enjoyed spinning them today and they are really bringing me much joy seeing them dangling on the washing line to set the twist in these low twist singles.  These really are my kind of yarn!  I have four skeins out of 200g with about 30m, 20y of yarn in each skein.  I love very chunky crochet and I can see chunky 'Freeform' crochet hats on the horizon.  It has been a liberating experience after trying to spin fine, even yarns to embrace each lump and bump.  I practiced slubs and shoved more through my Orifice than I thought my little wheel could cope with.  (Yes Orifice is an official spinning term!  I will let you have a little snigger though.)  I also emptied four bobbins by Navajo plying all my left over yarns, that has been good practice.  I may chill out tonight with a bit more crochet on the 'Saggy Bottomed Bag'.

Day 20 Tour De Fleece 2011 - Navajo plied Yak Yarn

I did it, I did it!  I managed to Navajo ply.  I have managed this new to me method, by no means have I mastered it but I have managed to Navajo ply.  I understand the principal, it would be great when I have practiced more and can manage a nice even ply.  Navajo is a method of ply from a single bobbin.  You make a large, long slip knot and work a kind of extended finger knit chain with spin to ply, if you google it or search Youtube you can easily find tutorials explaining far more succinctly than I can manage.  The resulting yarn is a three ply.  I love Yak yarn and would really like to make a big project in this fibre or just buy a Yak hair cardigan.    

Schools Out!

I have broken up today for my Summer Holidays, no school for six weeks.  I have mixed feelings, I am glad to be work free but I will miss the children that have moved on.  I am one of those people that hate goodbyes!  We had a great morning going to an Outdoor Education Centre and learning 'Bush Craft' skills.  We made shelters, including carving our own tent pegs.  The kids also built and started their own fires with 'Fire Sticks'.  Then they made bread dough and twizzled it around a stick to cook in the camp fire.  I got delegated the job of making three mugs of tea and three hot chocolates with a pint of water, no milk and no spoon!  I am good but I aint that good!  Black tea was revolting.  We ended the morning toasting marshmallows and burning our tongues!  Delicious.  It really was great fun but the downside is I have a few unpleasant insect bites from the bugs in the woods.  Two of which are on my right hand and are nicely swollen, they are very itchy and aching.  I am also no martyr to pain or discomfort.  I have managed to spin some more Yak hair today, I really love it.  Tomorrow I should find time to learn how to Navajo Ply, I chickened out at the weekend and taught myself Andean ply instead.  That was not easy and caused me to use a few unmentionable words, when my camel ended up in a spaghetti heap on the floor!  Navajo plying looks even trickier to me.  I have enjoyed reading your comments about my spinning escapades, thank you very much for stopping by, making me laugh and offering your support and compliments.  Blogland is such a lovely place.  Wishing everyone a happy Summer if you can find it where you are!  

Tour De Fleece Day 18 - Yak

Today I have spun my first ever Yak hair, courtesy of handspinner.co.uk.  Tomorrow I will probably go out to work covered in dark brown fluff.  I think I may be slightly allergic to yak!  I mean how would you ever know?  My nose is tickling, itchy and hot and my eyes are itchy but I love Yak fibre.  It is a treat to spin and makes a lovely soft, smooth yarn.  It feels like very soft, silky wool.

  I think knitted Yak knickers may catch on!  Mind you could be problematic with an allergy!  Bed socks would be luxurious.