merrileemakes | Recent Entries

Today is Saint Distaff's Day, the day spinners would traditionally get back to work after the 12 days of Christmas and the feast of Epiphany.

Traditionally, wheel spinners would bind their wheels with ivy on Christmas Eve, keeping their wheels still over the festive period until today, when distaffs were once again put to use in the production of yarn.

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Time to work on this spinning wheel! It's in really good nick so I'm going with a ~*light touch*~ approach, as we say in the public service trenches.

This wheel was previously owned by a sheep farmer, who apparently spun his own fleeces in the grease (unwashed). How do I know? The first part I was told when I picked up the wheel, the second part is pretty self evident.

( Wheel this way... )

I've been working my way through the bits and pieces that came with the loom and spinning wheel I picked up just before Christmas.

Here's some bobbins and the two niddy noddies post-bath and before conditioning.

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I really resonated with an Instragram post the other day by the Fiber Business Collective about the difference between a hobby business and a "business" business. Both are totally valid, important and necessary, but a "business" business values selling things and a hobby business values making joy.

Brindabella Yarn Craft is definitely a hobby business. I sell things that I love, and do things that aren't the best "business" decision but bring both me and my customers joy.
( It's bedazzling time )

I have a few weeks off work, which is lovely, but I also really rely on my routine to maintain my mental health and holidays can upset the balance. One of the ways I manage time away from my usual routine is to have something to focus on. I often do some free motion quilting during the summer but this year another option popped up that I couldn't resist.

Just before Christmas someone contacted Canberra Spinners and Weavers and asked to advertise their loom free to a good home on our website notice board. I saw this as the website manager for CSW and saw a brilliant opportunity to restore and recondition the loom while I'm off work.
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A few weeks ago I did a wonderful silk painting workshop with Kiran of Kiran Design Studio at Craft + Design Canberra.

Kiran taught a range of different silk painting techniques, include pipettes, painting directly and using resists such as ties, objects, salts and alcohol.
( Do you even hankie? )

If 2023 was a cake of yarn then right about now would be the yarn barf in the middle.

I ended up doing some more office decorating, which is the most festive I've ever been in my life.

( Fa la la la la la la la la )

I think twisting fringe is my least favourite weaving activity. I'd rather sit and unknot a troublesome warp than sit and twist fringes. But it is a necessary evil.

What is not a necessary evil is letting my 'to twist' pile build up so that if feels insurmountable. So lets do something about that.
( Like we did last summer )

This was intended to be a post about how quick and easy dropping stitches is to fix mistakes in knitting... but it was actually kinda irritating and time consuming.

I've been working on the Stripes and Diamonds Scarf and was working through the fourth diamond when I realised I'd made a mistake in a row in the second diamond (about 60 rows down). No problem, I thought, I'll just drop the stitches and then pick them up again correctly.

( Drop that stitch )

I aquired quite a few alpaca fleeces during lockdown. Far more than one spinner needs, and certainly far more fleeces than needed for someone who doesn't enjoy spinning large amounts of the same thing!

I've rehomed most of them by now but there are a few treasures I wanted to keep, and I'm working my way through processing them now.

This is a lovely fawn suri cria fleece from Shalom Alpacas.
( <Insert pun I don't know enough Spanish to make> )

I was crafting on the bus yesterday morning and realised the two projects I had with me were very well coordinated.

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I am currently working on a cross stitch inspired by the events of this year, particularly some of the revelations I've had with my Family of Origin.

How very apt that Mr Origin of Species himself, Charles Darwin, is the source of this quote.

Pattern: Darwin Sampler 2 by Hannah Stitching Designs
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Merrilee makes

Knitting, spinning and weaving through end-stage capitalism

Recent Entries

St Distaff's Day spin

Working the wheel

More bits

Work fun

Fixer upper

Silk painting with Kiran

Merry shutdown

Twisting time

The fix

Fleece Navidad

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Bitchin' stitchin'

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