(Oh) Globbits (as in G is for....)

Despite my wonderfully planned timetable, neatly allocated time slots and carefully itemised to do list I managed to miss blogging off the list last week due to pre-Woolfest pa(ni)cking!

Those of you of a certain generation will know exactly what I mean by globbits but in case you don't (or if you would like a little trip down memory lane) here is the inimitable Berk - "Don't you open that Trap Door...

And of course no trip down the Trap Door would be complete without a visit to my favourite character, The Splund....



Globbits were brought to you by the letter G from the ABC meme. For more fun posts, check out my fellow bloggers here

Woolfest newsletter subscriber vouchers on the way!

Newsletter subscribers check your inboxes! Woolfest vouchers are on the way - 10% off all purchases at the show (and if you can't make it, 10% off orders until 30th June if you follow the information in the newsletter).

If you're not a subscriber there's just about time to still sign up. You can sign up on the home page of the website or email me at subscribe@dtcrafts.co.uk

Last but not least we have some great offers on at the show so look forward to seeing you there! You'll find us in  our usual spot, C61-62.

Natural dyeing workshops!

I've had lots of requests for natural dyeing workshops and I keep promising to squeeze one into the diary, so here it is.....

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July at the Scout Hut in Sale, Manchester - two days of natural dyeing!

Saturday will be dyeing with a wide range of natural dye extracts (expect to come away with about 80 plus colour samples by the end of the day!). Sunday will be a day of indigo and woad dyeing and everyone will set up their own indigo or woad bath. There will also be some overdyeing thrown in for good measure.

We'll be sampling with yarns but you are welcome to bring your own fabrics/yarns/fibres etc. to dye and we can have some fun with fabric manipulation, random-dyeing, handpainting yarns/fabrics and more.

The price for the two full days will be £100 which includes all dyes, materials for samples, yarn, tea/coffee and biccies (but please bring along something for lunch). If you would like to book for one of the two days it will be £55. Class size will be small to make sure everyone gets the most out of the course.

As the date is quite close I haven't updated the website with booking info. yet, so please email me at the usual address debbie@dtcrafts.co.uk if you'd like to book or if you would like more details.

F is for.....Feng Shui

I'll start by holding my hands up and saying I'm not sure that I subscribe to this concept to its fullest extent. However, I do find that the more cluttered and untidy my house is, so the more cluttered and chaotic my brain feels. And when it feels like that I just have to tidy up. It doesn't matter how illogical it seems or how bad the timing is, but it has.to.be.done.right.there.and.then.

Now there will be those of you who know me well who will be rolling on the floor laughing at this point. And so would I be if there was any clear floor to roll on. Nonetheless, we all have our own limits when it comes to clutter and mine was well and truly exceeded this weekend.

So it was on with the marigolds and out with the hoover. Four hours and three hooversworth of dust/fluff later (I can't believe I just admitted that) I felt I'd made some headway and my brain was finally focusing. True my Woolfest preparations were half a day behind but I know I'll be more efficient with a less cluttered brain (and some visible floor!). (And now is the time to visit if you please, whilst the tidiness lasts!).

I'm too embarrassed for a before and after piccie, so you'll have to imagine how tidy it all looks....

This link was brought to you by the ABC Meme. Find more Fs here

E is for....Exams

The DS is sitting GCSE's. An upside of working from home is being able to help with revision, provide moral support and generally keep him fed and watered during the day. He has been surprisingly diligent and organised (infinitely more so than I was!) so I am confident he will do well.

An unexpected plus side to science revision in particular has been the improvement in my knowledge of dye chemistry. Amazingly, all those covalent bonds, heterocyclic compounds and reduction reactions make much more sense now than they ever did when I was 16. Maybe having a reason to understand them makes it easier? I actually have a genuine interest in learning more. I don't think I'll be re-sitting chemistry any time soon but I am now going back to my dye chemistry text books with much more enthusiasm. Isn't it funny the way life works out sometimes?

(ps. This isn't working for maths - that is strictly Dad's territory! Surds anyone?).

pps. This post was brought to you by the ABC meme. For more exciting ABC's, check out the list here

Fancy felting?

Merino rovings for felting

 Next week I'll be teaching "Felt Fantastic" at the Ministry of Craft in Manchester. We'll be making felt balls (ideal for felted jewellery), felted bags/purses/phone cozies, corsages and all sorts of funky items. The workshop is great for beginners but if you've done felting before, you'll find plenty to do too! And all materials are included : )

Felt-in-progress - Embellished fabric for a book cover

What makes it even more exciting is that Ministry of Craft holds its workshops at Fred Aldous which is an absolute crafting mecca - I don't think I have ever left there without buying something exciting! And, students on workshops get 10% off anything in the shop too! (I wonder if that applies to teachers....thinks of all the lovely things she'll need for her textiles course...)

Booking info. can be found on the MoC website here

D is for.....Designing

Week four of the ABC meme.....

A number of things in designing news today. First is a newly listed pattern on Ravelry. Not a new design as such as it was included in my book, Hand-Dyed Yarn Craft Projects but it hasn't been available as a pattern in its own right. So here it is, now available to purchase via Ravelry. If you don't have access to Ravelry, fear not! The pattern isn't on the website yet, but drop me a quick email and I can send you a download or paper copy and you may pay by paypal as normal. Patterns are £2.50 each and are full-colour (post-free if you'd like a printed copy).

Also on the design front, I'm excited to report that I've just had two new crochet designs accepted by Inside Crochet! I can't show you any pics just now but the patterns will be out in the Autumn and I'll be sharing more info as soon as possible.

For knitters there are two new patterns and a new Kool Aid kit in progress. I'll be launching these at Woolfest but watch this space for a sneak preview!

And if you'd like to see what everyone else did for their "D" week, you can find lots more lovely blogs here