A Finished Weaving..

...I had lots of leftovers on the bobins and plyed them all together. Great lot of colours. This was going to be my weft yarn. for the warp I blended a bright blue with a darker green to get an almost teal so spun this for my warp. Very happy result and will go on sale in the New Year.

It has been a while...

...but I am still here. One wonders how much a person can do in this world of technology.
This year has been hugely busy. Building up stock levels of garments and accessories to sell at the markets, creating an online presence, spinning and dyeing yarns. And attend markets, events and keep and eye on family issues. At present parents are becoming older with the inherent medical issues that come with that.
In the meantime I have been planning a visit to the US particularly to visit my daughter in Dallas, Texas and include visits with woolly friends, plus a tour. And this is happening soon. I leave September 26 and return October 24.
To ensure you see what I am up to follow me on Facebook
www.facebook.com/collarn

Adding products to the website..

Have been working on a few products and some added to the website and etsy store.

Ok the car is packed....

.. and wool carded for spinning.
Off to Mooroopna Farmers market tomorrow after a break of 2 months. Previously I have been at the Bendigo Wool Show and a workshop with Jacey Boggs, the Insubordiknit spinner. Hope the weather holds up, as it looks grey and the Barometer has dropped.
Have to get up extra early as we always feed the sheep first, but we now have a calf to feed as her mum didn't make it. She was an older jersey cow( as are the others) and we weren't sure she was in calf, but calve she did, but from the outset you could see her slowing. Gorgeous heifer calf for future generations.

Catching up....

Time flies, and you suddenly realise that you are writing in Facebook pages quickly so as not to use up computer time or "waste time on computer" when you should be working at your craft.

Nagambie market was a washout last Saturday, but weather permitting Girgarre Market will be on this sunday, and new items have been added to the stall.

Farm news... we now have a total of 18 calves. Lowline calves unfortunately have a knack of getting into other paddocks, just walk straight through the fences!!! So Leigh has been putting up ringlock fencing to keep them in; this will be an ongoing project. As the farm was originally set up as a dairy farm, there was no need for high tensile fencing. I must get an updated photo of the Lowline family.

Website is updated, and more yarn is drying. And here are photos of some new items for he stall.

Working at Crafting...

...is the focus of these days before Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show.
I have spun and dyed some more thick and thin wool skeins. Will I have enough???
I also have been dyeing some wool tops to create extra interest.
In progress... knitted jacket on the bulky machine, hand dyed natural 8ply wool yarn; fine machine knitted boucle scarf/shawl which I felting with the machine embellisher; 50 gm packs of natural wool batts for onselling; and have started spinning an alpaca fleece for a customer.
I won't have a lot of time to do photos for adding to the website as most of the stock I hope will sell at Bendigo.
Please introduce yourself while I am there. I would love to meet anyone who reads my blog.
Tomorrow is also the regular market at Girgarre.

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers this weekend...

...and it looks like the rain is going to hold off until Sunday afternoon.
Since I have two Markets on this weekend I am eternally grateful.
Saturday is Nagambie's Market, with Girgarre Market being on Mother's Day.
The car is packed bar the spinning wheel, wool to spin and other essentials.

Easter Markets...

Easter is coming TOO quickly and I have to do lots of work. More beanies, more fingerless mitts, scarves, handspun yarns.

I am currently working on as much as I can because there is a big Market at the Rushworth Festival this Saturday with a big crowd usually visiting this historic town. On Sunday the Tongala market is also happening.

I always look forward to all the visitors.

The lambs are still coming, now at 12 beautiful black lambs.

On the work front, I am Retiring from Nursing after 36 years. I will be looking forward to spending more time in the garden to get up to scratch, and keeping a better eye on the animals, and best of all start all the crafty wool things that I have been planning.

Bendigo Wool Show.... I am especially looking forward to this, as I will be sharing a stall (in my own right) with the North East Yarns. It is especially satisfactory because I am a member of this group of very talented people from the Nort East, where we bale our wool together to be processed into our yarn and jumpers. Amongst this group there are very talented, weavers, felters and knitters.

The North East Yarns products can be found through their website and at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery in Beechworth. Follow the link from the website.

Wangaratta Wool Day....

....as I am a member of North East yarns I thought it was time to post our Annual Event which is in 2 weeks time. A great day is usually had by all. So all those who want a "woolly" fix come along.

Wangaratta Wool Day features “Maharajah’s Garden” textile exhibition


The 5th annual Wool Day in Wangaratta will be held on Saturday 16th April 2011 from 10am – 3pm.

This day is co-hosted by textile fanatics who are members of Wangaratta Handweavers and Spinners and North East Yarns.

The Wool Day is intended to promote spinning and weaving and textile crafts. We would love to see Guild members from near and far join us for this relaxed day meeting friends and sharing ideas and skills.

The focus of the day this year will be an exhibition of the embellished textiles in the Jasmine collection of “The Maharajah’s Garden”. These 25 brilliant and richly coloured artworks include dyeing, embroidery, machine work, felting and weaving. The works are accompanied by “techniques boards” which explain how to achieve a similar richness in your own textiles creations.

Again this year there will be people demonstrating a variety of woolcraft techniques.

You are invited to bring your spinning wheel, knitting, crochet or other project and spend time sharing your knowledge and skills with others and perhaps picking up some new ideas yourself.

The day is also planned as a chance for spinners, weavers and felters to purchase raw materials and equipment for their crafts as they prepare for winter projects.

First Edition Fibres of Euroa, Mandie Chandler of “Ewe Give Me the Knits” and other traders will be present.

The Wool Day will be held at the CWA Hall in Templeton St Wangaratta (between Ovens and Baker Streets and one block from the shopping centre). Morning and afternoon tea and light lunch will be available for purchase at the hall. Entry $2.

For further information contact Marion Stewart 57253259

Surely it can't be February already....

The weeks are going so quickly, I am sure Easter can't be that far away.

But I have been busy, so I thought I would bore you with some of my current projects, some for me and some to sell.

A year or so ago I joined the Wangaratta Spinners and headed off to the Guild in Melbourne, where we participated in a "sandwich" ie each participant went round in a circle dropping small amounts of fibre on to the floor, which were then divided into equal amounts for each person. Lots of fun!! I finally carded and attempted (my version) of a thick and thin which I plied with a multi coloured rayon thread. I don't think I did too badly with this. Now I have to decide what to do with, maybe a beret or a neckwarmer comes to mind.









Last year I took on the job of spinning this Suri for a client. It was a very long fleece ( 2years growth), so sometimes hit the too hard basket but, here it is the finished product. Hopefully Cheryl from Chersam Alpacas will be happy with the result. I haven't weighed them yet, but a total 11 skeins have been produced.









Before I started weighing batts or tops prior to spinning I would have leftovers sitting on the bobins for awhile. I have come to the conclusion that these should not be wasted and I thought I might sell them as Mystery ends, because they will be a mix of Alpaca and wool.

Wool laps from Bendigo Woollen Mills can produce some surprise packages. This next skein is a blend of white, green and mauve. I have carded small amounts separately, then split and recarded to give this baby blue effect. This would look lovely as a baby's shawl or any other project for someone who likes pastel colours.

And, finally a wine tote depicting wine bottles and grapes as the base material design.

Sponge bars have been replaced on the knitting machines, so it is time to get them working and me to use them. The basic machine is easy but the electro card machines I have to learn.

With all this humidity we have been having, I have had to watch the sheep like a hawk, and try and treat fly strike as it occurs. A few sheep have been affected including the older ram who is really having a bad time. These fleeces will not be very useful this year.

I hope all those out there who have had a bad time with floods and exceptional weather systems are faring well. Bring on cool weather!!!

Rain, rain and more rain...

I cannot remember when we have had so much rain. For grass growing it is great, but for crop farmers, not so good. It is hard to get a happy medium.

Last Sunday was meant to be the Tongala market, and it didn't stop raining till about 5 am. As it was just down the road and the car was packed, we decided to go, and were informed they decided to cancel. Not many people about, except for a few local stall holders popping in to see if it was happening. It was getting colder and the wind was starting to blow up again, so a good excuse to go home again for the rest of us.

Nagambie market is on this Saturday, so am uncertain what the weather has in store for us. Fingers crossed!

I continue to card more wool for spinning. I also am spinning some white Suri fleece which was exceptionally long, so not quite so easy.

I have listed all my products on the website, and will have a couple more to add before the weekend.

Website open..

.......so I am going to give myself a plug here. My online store is open so feel free to check it out at http://www.colleenscraftsstore.com/

I have worked on this for the last 3 weeks so I hope it looks as good to you as to me. I will be updating often, also hope to make improvements as needed.

At least I can now get back to normal and finish off making the studio workable. Woollen goods will not be as saleable over our Australian summer so will have to add a few more products from other materials. Only a few more markets before Christmas.

On Sunday was a trip to Wangaratta where we baled 157.5kg of coloured wool into one bale,

which was a bit of an achievement. And this done using the older hand press.

I also now have a lovely supply of commercially machine knitted jumpers from our coloured wool, which I have added to the website.

Wet Times...

....setting up the Studio/workshop. It includes the second-hand knitting machines that I have just bought, and set up is my original Empisal knitting machine(always set up) and brought out of retirement.

I thought I would put up a couple of photos to show how wet it has been...

...this is the drain that runs through the farm. It is higher than the concrete drain ....

..that Leigh is pulling up the door here to drain water from this paddock where it is running down from higher paddocks.

.....Handspun Corriedale wool, and a handspun and commercial wool woven scarf.

.....Strauch double-wide motorized carder.

More time....

I have recently gone back to working two days, as family (incl. extended) issues had arisen, so hopefully I will be able to devote more time to craft and still enjoy just a couple of days at work.
As I had already visited my daughters' on Monday I was able to have time for myself on Wednesday, happily completing the picking of a grey fleece and carding half of it. I am hope to blend with white and dark brown for a tweed effect.
This is a completed gullwing shawl from my handspun coloured blend.




Busy night tonight, will have to make up a loaf of sandwiches to take to Wangaratta.
The North East Yarns with Wangaratta Handspinners and Weavers are hosting their Annual Wool Day. It will be a busy wonderful day.

Windy day...

A bit of a slack day catching up with the vacuuming (did I say slack)....
I have washed 7 skeins of alpaca and wool taday, hoping it will dry on the clothesline in the wind. I have been contract spinning some alpaca for an acquaintance from the North East. So far I have spun 8 skeins of this lovely brown of unknown weight. It seems to be a strong fleece so I hope she will be happy with it.

Saturday was another day for spinning and knitting. Sunday grocery shopping then off to Spotlight to buy material for quilts.

I have begun a cotquilt for my nephew's baby boy in Sydney (born earlier this year), then one for my sister's 50th birthday in October, followed by one for my 30 year old daughter who is expecting a baby in October.

Who said life was easy..

Quiet weekend with some rain...

Lovely weekend with some relaxing moments (including sharing a bottle of wine or two with my partner, Leigh). Unfortunately the outdoor spa has sprung a leak and cannot be used at present ( we only have tank water to fill it with).

Lunch with 2 of my daughters and my grandchild in Echuca on Sunday.

Lots of wool play. I have been using my Picker on wool that I have dyed and now looks like colour clouds awaiting carding and blending.

It will be my first try with blending different colours so hope it works out.

We also had some rain on Sunday ...5.1mm. Better than nothing.

Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show....

This is one show I cannot miss..

Had to have my shopping fix, as well as help man the North East Yarns stall.

I travelled up and back the Saturday and Sunday, as I was working the Friday.

Caught up with my shearer nephew and my Merino breeder brother. He can't understand why I have coloured sheep!!!

Work....less craft

Had to work today, but managed to finish plying some Alpaca that is part of my contract spinning that I am doing for an acquaintance.
I now should be putting up the hems of my partner's jeans that have been sitting around for too long (well, he left them in a plastic bag on the floor of the bedroom so I forgot they were there), but I am very tempted to sit at a spinning wheel. Although I could still continue to knit a scarf for the North East Yarns stall at the Bendigo Wool Show at the weekend.
Hmmmm....

Rainy start...

Up a little bit later today following an earlier start for the Girgarre Market yesterday. Today started with a shower then raining more just as we go to feed my coloured sheep and the cows and calves. Stayed sitting on the tractor so the seat would stay dry.
Have spent some of this day carding some more wool, cutting more material for our mystery quilt, and some spinning.
Plus setting up this blog (finally).