We have a few people in the club who are good at fair isle and who remind us of how good it can look. Margaret’s beanie was a real eye catcher this week but it is also beautifully made. It’s the colours which make it a stand out.
She has spun very fine wool and plied it so it knits roughly as a three ply . It makes a difference to the finish to have this finely spun wool. One of the things which worries people about fair isle is the carrying of the wool at the back and the fact they get it too tight or get holes . The video shows you how to correct that and the main thing is not to pull the yarn. Just knit the colours in naturally.ย The other problem you can get is your pattern can be disrupted as you make the decreases for the top of the beanie. Either use a pattern which someone else has worked out , use a pattern which won’t matter if you decrease or use your brains as you do the decreases to set the pattern logically. It’s all part of the fun!
Beth comes up with felted creations which are so imaginative and then we start imagining too. She was making mushroom type thingsย which could have been flora or housing for creatures. They had an interesting look. There isn’t a picture of the mushroom house with the little window because the camera didn’t do it justice. We were wondering if it was a moonscape, a seascape or just a wild , imaginary landscape. The garland of seaweedy looking felted colours was so fascinating. Someone tried it on as a neck piece and it really looked good different. You could see it turning into a special accessory. That was the piece which was dividing us on moonscape or seascape. It is good to be working with someone who challenges herself and her ideas but then she stimulates our thinking and ideas too. It is creative play but the skills involved are going to turn all of the thinking into very special ideas for all of us
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This Caron Cupcakes yarn looked quite funny sitting in front of Maria. She has a sense of humour and is always reminding us to lighten up and just enjoy what we are doing . She has high level yarn and thread skills and can produce whatever she would like with great attention to detail and colour. The cupcakes yarn was no different. Margaret had got it for her and Maria was pleased to be using it to make a beanie. There was a bit of discussion as to where the yarn had come from and Cathy had been to the stores mentioned and hadn’t seen any fun yarn with pompoms on top. Alexis worked out they knew Cathy was coming and so had hidden it. Margaret had then suggested it was because she had shopped elsewhere and not at Seaford. Just by being there in front of Maria the yarn was creating much mirth.
It is , in fact , from 
Who, but Alexis, would know the dyed wool batt next to her electronic spinner is going to turn into a yarn which fits the 
She has a journal where she has collated her dyeing with natural colour so she can see exactly what she is going to produce and has a record of it to refer to. Marjorie is another one in the group who keeps careful notes about her dyeing and it’s the reason these two know a lot about dyeing. Jan knows a lot about colour because she has always worked and experimented with it. Alexis has moved away from as many chemicals as she can these days and has a sound knowledge of natural mordants and ways of improving colour without harming yourself or the environment. Her knowledge is helping us all to move onto safer and more sustainable ground because personal health and looking after the environment are important , aren’t they? Alexis will sometimes use rusty nails and bolts to help the uptake of colour but she happily subscribes to natural mordants.
Seaford Spinners and Weavers 