Lessons from the universe!

Scarf Exchange is something I always look forward to. Its a bit like having a second Christmas. You receive a box with fibre in it - full of potential. This year was no exception. As a group project, there were three plastic bags of fibre. the first was a soft beige brown wool tops, the second a white alpaca and some silk and the final one (mine) merino tops in black, navy and purple. I do not like purple. It seems that the universe was saying that I will just have to put up with it. I was not pleased but a challenge is a challenge so I began spinning a fine two ply with the intention of weaving a scarf this year. The note enclosed indicated a mostly purple item was wanted so I began by spinning up a little of the black as an accent for the scarf. I then divided the purple so that I had about two thirds for the weft with the remaining third split up to use with the navy for the warp. I split the navy in half and began spinning the first half then added some of the purple. The second bobbin was started with the purple and finished with the navy so that when they were plyed I would have a purple and navy warp thread that then became navy and reverted to purple and navy. The remaining purple was also  used for the warp. This worked out very well with the small amount of black I had for the warp.

                                   Woven on an old two shaft loom, set at 10 ends per inch in a 15 dent reed, the weaving was quickly accomplished and without incident. Though my calculations for warp were very close to what I required, the amount set aside for the weft was far in excess of what was needed so a ball of leftover purple yarn was sent back with the scarf.                                                                         

Now for scarf number two. Well strictly speaking its not mine but in order to get more people involved, I promised to spin the fibre of another very new guild member who has not yet learned how to spin so she could also participated in this scarf exchange. I asked that she search out a pattern she would like to knit and I would try to match the yarn required. It turned out a "double knit"yarn equivalent would do the job. Her reversible cabled scarf was finished in record time.

When Knights were bold

Thanks goes to Bill Swindial for reminding us that the Blacktown Medieval Fayre was on this weekend. A beautiful day with sunshine and lots of happy people about enjoying a FREE entry and discovery day. The effort that the medieval recreators go to is incridible cloths, food, armour, life styles. Worth a visit for anyone. There is the re--enactment battles, jousting and sword battle, minstrals.

Love the clothes and fact they were card weaving. There was a basket of fibre and a drop spindle, Sue spent quite a while talking with the pair.



I nipped down to Cumberland Woodworkers stand and got Bill Swindial to make up a new drop spindle for the lady. She was very impressed.

 All suited up for the joust.

Flax and drop spindle with whorle of stone.

 A Knights glove and helmet.

Pole Lathe he was using a fresh cut pine log to make a goblet, blacksmith fashioned tooling.

 A loom weaver creating a floor blanket. The loom is competley portable and breaks down without damage of the weave and just as quick to assemble. The white stone weights are used to tension the weave.

Right - Hot meal for a cold Knight beef stew.

 

 A mighty worrier.

Some Blacksmithing

A beautiful small Harp well played.

The Roman style

 

Bill Swindial carving.

Tasmanian Wood Surprise

I had a lovely surprise today Sue arrived home from her Spinners & Weavers group with a special gift for me from Peggy Dicker a lovely 93 yr old lady I have known for many years . I jokingly said "what a slab of Huon"? Sue not quite Peggy and her son David had rumudged through the bins down at Tamania Special Timbers in Strauhn in south west Tasmania and picked out 3 beautiful blocks of Huon Pine a block of Celery Top Pine and a bowl blank of Blackhearted Sasafras.

Peggy's husband Phill who past away a few years ago was a well known woodturner a member of Bankstown & Sydney Wood Turners he also had been a member of the OTGA.

Mothers Day Outing

Our daughter Belinda & son in law John decided a day out for Sue for mothers day was in order so Saturday was chosen and what a beautiful day it turned out to be. Picnic lunch at Rouse Hill Regional Park and then a visit and tour of the old Homestead after. To see some of the amazing furniture and living standards of the periods spanning the Rouse and Terry families preserved as it is, not restored or made to look as part of a modern view. Windows and shutters are kept closed, lighting is as it was when installed updated last prior the last decendants parting.

"A Brief History

Richard Rouse (1774-1852) appears to have begun building at Rouse Hill in 1813 although the grant of 450 acres was not made until October 1816. Sometime between 1818 and 1825 Rouse, his wife Elizabeth (1772-1849) and their family moved from Parramatta to the new house. The son of an Oxfordshire cabinet maker and shop-keeper, Rouse came to the colony, free, in 1801. Prospering quickly, by 1805 he was Superintendent of Public Works and Convicts at Parramatta. In this role he supervised the building of Governor and Mrs Macquarie's additions to Government House, Parramatta in the mid 1810s. It is possible that these works influenced Rouse to build a bigger house than he first intended, adding larger, longer rooms behind the front range."

The area had been brought to fame earlier in the colony's history with the "Battle Of Vinegar Hill" 

Camera's at the ready though out the day. Bel and Sue with their digital me with my trusty EOS100 and new point n shoot digital.

 

Above the old Rouse Hill School which was moved to be part of the exhibition.

 

 Perfect sunset on the way home.