Penny Rugs

Today we had the Penny Rug workshop and we really enjoyed ourselves.  They are made from woollen and felt textiles, and I had a great stock of Tweed fabric - some from the Donegal Woollen Mill, and some from the Cotswold Woollen Mill, in Filkins, Lechlade.

Sandra and I visited there on a very wet day in January - and had a great time.  You wander from room to room, upstairs and downstairs, and there is so much to see.  Lots of woollen clothes to buy, and loads of quirky things - but I particularly liked the old mill.   From what we could gather, they don't weave there anymore but the old looms can be seen

 

and there were huge baskets of old spindles everywhere

 

 

and there was a whole history of the Woollen industry in the Cotswolds.  I loved the old Shepherd's smock

and a selection of sheep bells (we have a few of these that have been dug up over the years).

We poked around the place for ages, and kept coming across really lovely stuff like this old platted rug

Anyway, I also came back with a big bag of tweedy off-cuts and decided to make a penny rug with them.

We made a good start today

I have also been working on my Janie Crow crochet - using the random method she recommends, I dig blind into the bag of yarn and work with whatever ball comes out.  I love doing the crochet but my heart would sink every time I pulled out the yellow or peach ball.  I really, really don't like those colours.

 

 I was talking about this in the workshop and Ros said, "well, don't use them then."  I was shocked - but they were supplied, I'm supposed to use them.  Again, Ros said, "but if you don't like them, don't use them."  So last night I took the yellow and peach balls out - and I feel totally liberated!  The yellow and peach have been banished!!!

 

What a Beastly Time....

Well, not really, but it has been a long 5 days.

The Beast from the East blew in on Wednesday afternoon - quite suddenly.  After a very dark day with a bitter wind, the sun suddenly shone brilliantly and we thought the forecasts had got it wrong again.  But then it came.  It went very dark and a bitter wind blew the snow all around the house.

So that was it.  For the next few days there was no going anywhere - the schools closed, the roads were covered in snow drifts.

Nothing for it but to do a bit of sledding

 

and long walks looking at the impressive snow drifts

 

 

Meanwhile, down on the farm, calving has started in earnest.  Walking over to the farm to see the newcomers was slightly harder than usual - the footpath had gone and been replaced by a glacier!

 

Impossible to walk down - the lane is in a gully which completely filled with snow - if you tried to walk down it you'd just sink in!

Anyway, taking the long route round I managed to see what's been going on:

Lots of very affectionate mothers

and lots of very sleepy calves

until they think something interesting is happening

Back to normal tomorrow - and I'm quite glad.  I should have made more use of the time being stuck at home - but I spent most of it just staring out of the windows!