Things.

After several weeks of removing things that I no longer use the house is slowly emerging from it's filled to the gunwales  condition.
 It has been (and still is) a big help that I have a sister who knits (far better than I could aspire to) and would like to try patchwork and quilting.

Several packs of yarn have gone her way and as I said yesterday I have a parcel of the necessary things ready to send to get her started. I am glad of the space and she will be able to try a new craft without any cost. That is more or less how I started quilting, a friend showed me some of her handiwork and when I expressed an interest she stocked me up with all the basics. I am so glad to be able to pass it forward.

I have built up a far too large a selection of quilting notions and it irks me that I am no longer using them. I have used them all at different times but inevitably I have doubles, people have given me various items as presents. 
Along with the rest of the house my goal is to reduce the amount of things here to possibly half. 

I do have an ulterior motive.

There is a list of jobs that I want to get done within the house and once they have been done there is a crafty itch to be dealt with. 

I would love to spin, I have someone who will give me a few lessons. If I find that it is for me then I will need space to house the equipment. The only way that I can generate that space is by letting go of all the things that I no longer use. My mother was a bit of a hoarder but my Granny was of the "if you don't use it get rid of it" type, I need to let that side of me dominate. I do it with the rest of the house and need to apply it to the crafting supplies.

The SO has laid claim to one of my, now emptied, storage units, a very nice hand painted double door cupboard that was designed to hold home office supplies. This now holds some of his more precious drills and tools, these are the ones that are used in the house. All the really heavy duty gear has a home at the top of the garden.

His hand is healing very well, which is a good thing as there is a fairly large job that needs starting ASAP. I will be taking him to see it later. Yes, he could go by himself but I like a nose round the odd house or three, and if there is any cleaning to do I will be doing it. There generally is, some tenants leave the properties in a dreadful state. They don't seem to care that they lose their bond and deposit.

And now for something that is making me very happy.

We spent an hour getting this lot reskeined, well the SO did, I was the tea girl.

These are 2 x 50 gram skeins of what I hope will be self striping, my first attempt at dying stripes, time will tell if I was successful.

These quads are as near as possible identical, there will be some variations but if the skeins are alternated would make a gorgeous sweater.There is more yellow in them than shows and I have called them Dorothy's Dream. The next batch might be linked to the Munchkins or perhaps the Ruby Slippers. On the other hand I may be inspired by something altogether different.

I have skeined up some sock sets and just need to decide what colours to paint them. I love contrasting heels and toes, sometimes I like them to clash. If they are to be a gift then I want a solid that picks up on one of the main colours.

I did not touch my knitting at all and my shoulders and neck are feeling the benefit, my hands are also not at all stiff and achy.

I did manage to sew most of the little quilt binding down and will get that finished today. Then there is just the bag to make and perhaps a soft toy, I haven't made a candy square dog for ages.

Then there are just 3 knitting projects to get finished, the SO has promised to dye me some yarn as a reward for clearing the WIPs. That sounds like a good deal to me. I will have to decide on a pattern and a colour scheme.

Surprisingly we have rain again this morning, I do hope that we have not seen the last of summer. I am hoping to gather as many blackberries as possible and then the elderberries. Hedgerow jelly has been in my mind for a while now and I am hoping to get some in my tum.

I am still on the lookout for a supply of Damsons, they make glorious jam and jelly and add a rich base note to chutney. I should have a few weeks yet but the seasons seem to be rushing along and there is a strong sense of Autumn in the air.

I may have to find room for a tree of my own, I am sure that I can squeeze one in somewhere.

Now I suppose that I ought to get a move on, there is lots to do today.

The cauliflower steaks were absolutely fantastic last night, I served them with mushrooms stuffed with garlic and baby plum tomatoes and cooked on a bed of red onions and more tomatoes. 

Now I really am off to get busy.

                       TTFN                                     Pam