What the......!!!!!!
gggggaaaakkkk.... the stuff of nightmares....
You're sniggering, aren't you? You are, I can hear you. No, wait... that's me, cackling. The sanity might be slipping a bit.
On a brighter note...
FO... the Use It Don't Lose It project of working up all the little tiddly bits of Mum's homespun is finished. It will be improved by blocking, when I have the time and a decent drying day, but you can see how it drapes from this photo.
Hard to tell from this, but it's about 1.25 metres in length and 40cm wide. The very, very dark brown (almost black) yarn was raised from a merino sheep she and I helped shear on a working holiday farm in West Australia, nearly 30 years back! The chocolate brown beside it was from a Hebridean fleece. The particularly white of the creamy yarns is all Oz Merino. That darker, pearlised cream on the left panel was from Texel. Above that, you see the natural greys from Herdwick fleeces, followed by a much softer grey, which is a little bit that was separate from the Shetland batch that I am keeping for 'extra special'.
The orange and tawny colours are Mum's natural-dyeing samples; the first is from onion skins, and I think the second is from rhubarb leaves, though I may have misremembered. I would mention here that Mum was a dye chemist for the wool mills in Galashiels before she got married!
Coming down the right side, you will see a patch that is almost mother-of-pearl... that was from a Blue Leicester fleece that she twisted with some silk. I don't think any dye was applied to this, but it certainly sparkles!
The simply linked chain arch pattern was perfect for showing off these swatches, and despite its filigree nature, this stole is very warm to wear. I have it over my shoulders as I type... Thanks, Mum.
That looks like quite a tangle ... and quite a challenge to untangle!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the cotton was at the back because of it being naughty! You stroked my heartstrings remembering the sources of the different bits and pieces. Beautiful. XX
ReplyDeleteInteresting that your mom was a dye chemist before she married. Were those still the days when women had to quit their jobs upon marrying? Hard to believe!
ReplyDeleteHari OM
Deleteyes, the 1950s... of course we know that a few exceptional women made bigger careers (though generally not recognised until recently), but on the whole, most were expected to surrender to home-making once wed... Yxx
It is true! Although my mom went back to work when I was 5 and in kindergarten. She worked from age 15 to 66, otherwise. You do such beautiful work, YAM!
DeleteSO snooker is the distracting factor!
ReplyDeleteOH MY STARS AND STRIPS YAM AUNTY, that yarn looks like pasta sticking together after it was run under cold water...
ReplyDeleteYIKES I hope the super duper yarn winder worked miracles.
I love today beautiful scarf....
Is the afghan under it one of your creations? How about the cover of the stool in the 2nd photo.
Happy Stitching Saturday
Hugs Cecilia
Hari OM
DeleteYes, the blanket was a 2023 finished object... remember this?. The stool cover was done in 2020 to hide the red plastic from the manufacturer. Yxx
Looks good, Glad to read your post. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh my - what a mess. Hopefully, it didn't take too long to untangle. The stole is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSorry to see the yarn mess. Maybe a swift should be your next purchase so it can hold the hank while it winds. Then you don't risk a yarn barf by being distracted. The scarf looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteHello Yam,
ReplyDeleteI would not want to fix the mess of yarn! Looks tangled. The scarf is lovely, I like the colors. Enjoy your day!
that tangle almost has me running for a 2nd anxiety pill. Ha hahaha ha ha. Love the colors and your mother was truly talented, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Love the scarl
ReplyDeleteWe love the scarf - lovely stitches and the colors blend so nicely. No winder here, but that happens with hand winding too - and oh what a challenge!
ReplyDeleteLove the memory piece
ReplyDelete