from left to right

This little piggy from the West of Ireland travelled across the skies to meet this little piggy in the Middle East. Little piggy #2 had warned little piggy #1 of the roaring hot temperatures yet for some reason against common sense, the journey happened anyway. And you know what? But she was right, it was too damn hot.

We visited the Grand Mosque at sunset, just before the evening prayer. Sexy parts covered up, we looked like a right pair - just call us Biddy and Bridie... will ya have a cuppa tea? Ah go on... go on...

On holiday and what did we do? We went on holiday! Driving two hours down the road to Dubai, where we saw a lot of skyscrapers. No surprise there.

Back in Abu Dhabi we were little piggy princesses who got a manicure pedicure at the spa and took a couple of photos of green things to remind us of the land of home. Not a potato in sight.

a night in a tent

We are the girls of the textile gang and we went on a wild camping trip to the great outdoors. Minus Miss Holly Lil Hands, who had to dash off to London at the last minute to start a short-notice new job that was totally worth missing the trip for. Berwick is somewhere down the east coast from Edinburgh, somewhere just further north of Newcastle. It's Holly's hometown and she's been inviting us to visit for years. Finally we got there and alas! she wasn't there to share it. Her mum picked us up from the station anyway, squeezing us in the back of her car, kindly taking us to Asda to stock up on supplies, then driving us along on a guided tour of the town. That night it didn't rain but it POURED. Typical British weather. And in true British camping spirit, we stubbornly sat outside getting wet and cold, drinking our beers, insisting we were having a good old time. During the night I was afraid I'd have to call Noah to come and get us with his ark, while worst-case-scenario nightmares of flash flooding worried me to the point of sleeplessness. Yet lo and behold, come 4.30am on the dot, it stopped. I slept two heavenly hours and woke up to a simply beautiful sunny day.

afternoon delight

Last night I went to bed and there was nobody home. This morning I woke and left really early. Then around lunchtime I return again to a flat where again there was nobody home, except the giraffe, the three flamingos, and the plants. So I turned on the radio for company, as you do. 

Then what should I find but this wonderful note and some freshly picked strawberries! Invisible flatmate #2 had been up North and spent the day on strawberry farm, eating her way through the afternoon and bringing home a box full. Well, when somebody is so kind as to share, the least I can do is to share in return. Yes, I baked. Google-ing strawberry recipes, I was on the search for something other than a victoria sponge or eton mess. One blog had a recipe for fruity oatmeal cookies, so, with a lot of butter at the ready, that is what I made.

hello hello hello

Life can be a funny thing, taking memories away and replacing them with new ones. It makes continuing durable, I suppose. Otherwise we would feel frightfully sad and empty, only ever looking backwards with nostalgia to days gone by. I'm glad it's the way it is though, because it means I can take my old friends and find myself falling in love with them anew, over and over again.

the magic of myth

The days were longer at home for some reason. Time was my friend and made itself readily available, it felt good. Days were filled with numerous activities, all of which were made better by sharing them with friends. Now, post - holidays and back in the real world, it's like time and I are back on the treadmill that's spinning a little too fast. Ah.

On the last day of December we got together in the house of the McKeevers. Bringing along a bag full of crafty things we sat and made hats and cleaned the house in preparation of ringing in the New Year. The evening arrived, the table was laden with food and with wine. The people arrived one by one, each crowning themselves with their special hats. With much music and merriment I dare say it was a Proper Party.

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To blow away the cobwebs and have a good old immersion in the Irishness of home, a few of us took a drive down to the Burren where we walked the stoney expanse and saw the sea that promised itself as the gateway to Tir na nOg. The white horse that happened to be wandering nearby....? More than a coincidence I think.

moats and boats and waterfalls

hurrah I'm back in Galway again once more. Among the best things about being here are the people (see Ellenfriend looking lovely) the time for crafting, the hours for knitting, the water the sea the swimming the walking by the waves and the fresh salty air.

poh-tay-to , poh-tah-to

Vegetables. You wonderful herbaceous plants full of beautiful nutritional goodness, how I adore thee. You're best for eating but I know you're no one - trick ponies. No no you don't fool me, you useful little superstars I know you have many tricks up your sleeves.

I shall tell you what a magic show the vegetables and I performed together today. Turning the print room into a laboratory of culinary textile experimentation I extracted juices from various food stuffs, added combinations of mordants, and attempted to successfully dye sheets of flock. Flock is a term used for a textile process wherein sheets of densely packed short length fibres are transferred from their backing sheet onto the glue with which you have printed your fabric. Or, in this case, wall paper. Because the purpose of trying to achieve this particular colour palette in this particular way, using this particular technique, is that it is part of a commercial interiors competition I am working on.

Some of the colours, I would say, came out rather well.

who invited the wheel?

Early morning, rise and shine! Still dark outside? Ah yes, well let's pretend. Head out the door, hello gym. What a lovely way to start the day - spinning class, sweat it out. Later morning, lets get going! Still rather dim outside? Ah yes, well that's how it is. Head to the studio, hello stuff. What a lovely way to spend the day - spinning, churn it out.

Firstly what you do is take the big, massive sheep's fleece from the black bag you've been keeping it it. Lay it out and take a look. Wonder with awe at it's expansive size. 

Next what must be done is pulling out the good bits. It's all terribly stinky but some parts are particularly poo-y or have lots of twigs and clusters of dirt. That can be discarded.

Then to clean it. Proceed to gather some large vessels and hot water. Baby shampoo is the surprising yet actual secret ingredient to the cleansing process. Each batch of fleece needs to be soaked in a tub of soapy warm water for twenty minutes at a time, changing the water shampoo until it runs clear. Then a water-only rinsing process must be carried out. The fresh fleece should then be laid out to air dry.

When all that is done, the carding is next. To brush all the fibres in the same direction, which makes it smoother for spinning with. This machine is an invention like the toaster - does the job better and faster. What I would do without it I simply don't know.

Finally the fun can begin! Sit down at the wheel, take about two hours to figure out how to get it going and retain patience. It will work out in the end. Extra amounts of concentration are needed at this stage.

Don't forget to admire what is happening as you go along; it's quite a satisfying experience to watch something you're making grow right before your eyes.

And last but not least, stand back, feel proud. Love your new wool. Take a photo and show off by sharing it on instagram. Tag it and begin to make plans for what you will use it to knit.