Random Update

The weather here has been very un-usual, well some would say lots of rain and no sun is a usual British summer but really it isn't not on this scale.

The allotment feels on the verge of being flooded the whole time and indeed in places the ground has been saturated for months now, in my potato bed we gave up planning before we finished as putting potatoes into holes full of water seemed a little pointless and indeed the hedge side of the bed which is lower has pretty much drowned.

In brighter news I have a great crop of onions and the garlic is looking good as are the Jerusalem artichokes which are obviously appreciating a lot more water than they got last year.

I don't think I've mentioned here yet one of the reasons I've been to busy too blog which is that I've been helping to set up Five Acre Community Farm. The weather has slowed growth there as well but we had our first of what will hopefully be weekly harvests from now on last Tuesday, this is what my box looked like.

First weeks share from the farm

The idea behind the farm is everyone who is a member is involved in running it to some extent and is able to be more involved in how their food is grown and indeed have some say in what is grown. We have however employed a professional grower to oversee things as running several acres of veg production and sticking the soil association rules to keep the lands organic status intact would be a little too much for a group of enthusiastic but mostly unskilled, in growing at least, volunteers.

All being well between the allotment and the farm we will have more veg than we know what to do with this year !

On the making front I have been busy with commission stuff for Mandala which I can't say to much about currently as well as making things personally. I also made a wedding cloak for a friend and finished some socks for mum.

socks for Mum, pattern is called Dicey

I have also got my spinning wheel out for the first time in years and plan to do the Tour De Fleece in July, which is basically the idea of spinning everyday of the Tour De France. Plus Jon made me a peg loom which so far I have made a rug on which is made of strips of jeans and an old stripy blue man's shirt. Hopefully I will shortly own a half share in a Rigid Heddle loom soon as well !

Rug being woven on peg loom

So all in all quite busy really !

Socks

Gosh it's a long time since I posted hasn't it.

I have been busy and trying to do things rather than blog about them. One day I may be one of those mega organised people who manages both. Mostly I've been busy with other stuff not craft related and with moving everything into the workshop and getting it sorted. It is lovely to have so much space and I'm gradually finding everything that had been spread to the four winds and getting it all together.

I have also started knitting !  I did learn to knit as a kid but as my mum said I only made a couple of things and then decided it was boring. A few years ago I learn crochet and generally i prefer that and its quicker however as with all things there are some things that just work better in a specific medium. For knitting one of those things is socks, crochet ones just come out to thick to wear in shoes unless you have really, really thin yarn... so sock knitting is my new thing !

I have so far finished a whole one pair and another single sock.
The first pair are far too loose to fit really well and knitted on to big a needle but they are still lovely.

 First socks

The second sock looks much better though I made mistakes following the pattern so it's different to what was written, but it works I just have to remember what i did differently to make the second which i need to get on with.  I also have three others on the needles currently.

1) A simple rib pair for Treestump who was sure he needed some.

 The start of Treestumps socks.. have done more than this now.

2) One of the tour du sock patterns Phellogen (ravelry link) which has cables which is going slowly but well
and

3) A second tour du sock pattern, Chain Reaction (ravelry link ) which is my first ever try at colour work, I'm making them more like ankle socks and many people said the leg is very long and tight and I have big calfs.