I've been in a funk!

Yes I have, I've been in a funk.  Can't settle to do anything and when I do try it doesn't work out.

And we've all had enough of disasters in this wee country.  Just way too many multiple deaths from disasters - mine collapse, earthquakes, floods, hot air balloon fire and the last on my beach, the Rena broke in half and littered the beach with bags of milk powder, timber, containers, a little oil and (don't ask) rubber gloves.  None of it involves me directly but I know folks affected and it all gets into your psychy after a while and affects you.

Bull dozer tracks

Timber from Rena

Pallets from Rena

And where has our summer gone?  Half way through January, and that's half way through summer, and it hasn't started yet.  We've only had one or two sunny days and they've had strong "fresh" winds making it unpleasant to be outside.

Enough already!  We're over it.

OK so what have I been working on?  I wove another black and white Kete blanket which you can follow the link to see pics.  I love this structure but you have to be pretty fit to lift 13 shafts when weaving double layer.

I've had a large, maybe 1.5 kilo, cone of thread I've been storing for years and years thinking it was linen.  As the weather has been cooler than most summers I decided to knit a summer jumper on the knitting machine.  Lint flew around, was building up around the cone and was falling on my knees but I wouldn't admit this seemed strange.  It was linen, I'd finish the back.  Took it off the machine and it felt yuck, kind of sleezy/slimey.  I held it against the cotton t-shirt I was wearing for size.  As I pulled it away it sounded like fabric ripping.  So I "frogged" the knitting and the cone can go to the op shop labelled acrylic.

Tried my hand at some sewing using a Burda magazine pattern and a length of silk fabric I've had in the "stash" for about ... maybe 20 years.  Not easy to sew as it slipped everywhere and not a good project to get your sewing mojo back as the instructions weren't very clear.

Sorry, blogger is determined to lay this on its side - an omen perhaps!

I tried some hand knitting but that hasn't been working out.  Used a selection of black through grey to silver threads to knit a shoulder wrap for my daughter for when she sits in an air conditioned office.  It kind of looked OK but when friend is silent on the issue and when someone else says thats neat and friend is still silent you get the message to have another look.  The back looked alright as daughter is tall but it just wouldn't sit right in front so its gone in the never, never basket.  Have tried various cowl patterns since and they just aren't singing to me.

Before I started the kete blankets I wove some scarves and have just tasseled and fulled them.

This was a space dyed warp of single cashmere - anyone else brave enough to try that.  I wound the warp on very slowly and only had one broken thread and none in the weaving.  The second chain was black merino and its woven echo weave but the tie up had areas of tabby so its a bit different.

Again this is echo weave with a rust/red and bottle green warp with a purple weft.  The green has one ply of a shiny rayon and the light is just catching it.