Honiton Sample!!!!

I Just finished the Honiton sample. Here we have a sprig with 2 leaves worked with central divisions and swing pins in size 170 thread. I'm tickled pink, i was afraid i would be completely lost, as it's been over a month since i worked on my lace:-)
On to the next Unit!!!!

Finally- LACE!

Tonight i Finally began the Honiton Motif with swing pins(this shall be my first attempt at them!) A little sprig with two leaves with divisions and many sewings. No pics yet, but as more is done on the first leaf i'll take an in progress picture.
Oh, joy. oh joy!
I love lace!

The 'New' Spinning Wheel

Here it is, i believe it is an Ashford, possibly from the '70s.(previous owner had it 20 years, and she thought it was old when she bought it. I have placed an order to replace several missing pieces, and with this style of wheel- Traditional style(the other wheel i have is called a castle style) you need a lazy kate to hold the bobbins of single ply yarn so you can ply two or three strands together depending on the size/type of yarn you are after. (oops, got carried away there, i also had to order a lazy kate!)I'm considering buying a lace flyer for this wheel, if it performs well with the adjustments i'm making for it(the flyer set up is near 200$) So i would eventually be able to spin super fine lace weight :-)

The boys helping to model the new wheel.

here is another skein and the start of a bobbin of single wool,mohair and firestar, in a pretty lavender for the shawl i'm knitting. It will take Many skeins to complete i'm sure!
I very happily placed orders for the Denise knits knitting needle set(on recommendation of a dear, and quite talented friend) along with Elizabeth Zimmermans knitters workshop book, and two Cat Bordhi books on knitting. Hey- i'll have to do Something with all of this yarn!
Since i will be missing the Lace Guilds meeting tomorrow, i am dedicating my day to the next Honiton piece. I keep saying this and shying away from doing it. Before bed tonight, i look for a butterfly pattern for the exchange:-)
Goodnight all,
love jen

Saturdays Post...

Well, i returned to work on Monday wheich meant a cessation of crafting...and healing. By thursday my hand was so swollen i was put back on leave for another two weeks. It took until friday for the swelling to receed enough to continue spinning. And here is what i did.

It's a sweet merino, wool and firestar blend.

And the finished skein, i hae plenty more to spin, as i'm thinking a triangle(simple) shawl would be sweet with this spring coloured yarn.

Here's my hand, pre- work induced swelling(the ring has been off since monday afternoon!)
In other crafty news, the search to adapt my british Featherweight sewing machine is still on. No local sewing repair places want to mess with it. So i ordered a new plug assembly from brittain, which will hopefully fit the current converter i ordered. I found a fellow who refurbishes featherweights online, but to completely overhaul the motor from british to american electrical systems will cost about 200$.
So, i'll wait and see if the adapter will work first.(it's such a pretty machine!)
As the swelling receeds in my hand, the Dr. told me to carry on with my handcrafts as therapy. So i'll be back to my lace pillow within a few days, and plans for maille jewelry as well...and a few ideas for orifice hooks for spinning(thy're made of wire)
So, lots of plans...and not much time before i return to work- Again so,
Goodnight all
~jenn

Yet again....not lace related!

Well, if you know me all handwork stopped january 18th, for a minor hand surgery, i've finally healed enough to begin craft work again.....but not so that i wanted to jump into my Honiton course before working more of the scar tissue loose in my hand. So, here we have what i have accomplished in the last few days. Tuesday i took a 45 minute lesson on spinning, which i loved, so following are pictures of what i did when i got home(and more yarn i spun today as well.....remember, there Is a learning curve, so it's 'novelty yarn' as there are slubs in it:-)

The borrowed Ashford traveller, st, that my mom loaned to me.

The newly plied yarn, still on the bobbin.

The yarn on the niddy noddy(that i need to finish...think i'll leave that to jerry!)

and...finally, the two skeins of yarn, ready to knit into a silly scarf. I've decided to call it my doctor scarf, partly as the only reason i became interested in spinning was due to my surgery, and the fact it will be a long skinny scarf a la Dr. Who, and the colors and silliness of the yarn remind me of Dr. Suess. (i'll need to make more yarn to finish the scarf, which is good as i've plenty of different colors of green roving :-)
Oh, and my return to jewelry making- Finally!


So, tomorrow i shall be back to my lace pillow, at long last!
G'night all, love jen

A New Toy!

Nermal and Normal decide the strange new box is okay.

Normal decides to investigate deeper.

Front view of the new, very dusty featherweight.

A back view of the machine.

The singularly most beautiful aspect of this machine, the faceplate.
It's in gorgeous condition, i figure it hasn't been used since 1956, as that is the date of the journey from the UK to the US on the baggage tag(shame on me, i meant to scan a picture of that in!) The motor is original, British, so cannot be run here with out converting the amps. So it will be taking a trip to the sewing machine doctor for cleaning and maintenance, and we'll see if we can bring it back to life with a converter.(I hope it could be that simple!)
Oh, almost forgot to mention the important stuff. This is a singer Featherweight sewing machine, made from the 1920 thru the 1950s. Due to the high decoration on the faceplate, this machine dates to the twenties (give or take....i haven't had it long enough to thoroughly research it) These machines are adored by quilters, as they are workhorses. Weighing only 11 pounds makes them perfect to take to quilting bees, or today's sewing classes. Interestingly, the machines only do straight stitch, so the highly decorative stitcher will need a second machine for the free form machine embroidery, if you want width on your stitching.

This machine doesn't have a lot to do with lace......but it's beautiful and i still can't work on my lace until my hand heals a little more, so why not!
Happy Lacing,
Jencie