Weekly spinning

BFL-as Blue Faced leister

My own dyeing, long color repeat.

Sorry for the dirty looking fingers, that is not dirt, but dye, the result of the nights spent in the kitchen before the festival of folk arts.

Approximately 150 gramms, 1000 meters, 2 ply.

The Festival of Folk Arts- a soul caressing celebration

I've been trying to write about this for days, but I just could not... I don't really kno why, maybe because I feel, if I write it down it will become finished, gone forever.
If you read my blog you know that the Festival of Folk Arts was always dear to my heart. When two years ago I got invited as a participant it was like a dream vome true, but as much as I loved it and enjoyed it, unfortunately, human jelausy and envy has no limit, and the story did not had a nice ending. So much I swore that I will never ever go as a participant, if at all I only will go as a visitor.It hurt me for long, those who pay closer attention missed my usual annual post about it.
So this yera when a I received an invitation form a dear friend my first reaction was "no". I don't want to loose an other friend, and I don't want to hate this event forever. On the other hand I deeply respect Peter Deak, the leader of the Craft Circle of Szolnok, and he was rather persuasive.

We've met a few years ago, when this serious looking tall, bearded, man with glasses was sitting at a big loom weaving, and my scatterheaded, ADD child climbed in his lap, and they were weaving for hours, and I could not drag the kid away. ever since we exchange letters, or phone calls every few months, meet once or twice a year, still I feel like I've known him for all my life, like he was my teacher or something. Even though he is working with (foster) kids in the city I grew up, but as unbelieveable as it is, we've never really met...

Anyway, in our las phonecall he mentioned that this time he will not the the "kids" only a few grown ups, there would be some space, and a spinning demonstartion would do very well, what do I think... So at the last minute I ordered up someyarn and a bunch of wool, and for a few days the smell of wet sheep, dye and vinegar filled my place.

Since my participation was decided in the last minute I didn't really had time to even think about proper presentation, but the guys solved the problem.

The good thing was that I went with thinking that even if nothing else will happen, but I can spin to all my heart's desire for five days without feeling guilty, I already got a good deal. And of course, there I was, spinning, turning the spindle, and a lot more happened, of which I will not be able, or will not want to write down. All in all, I am grateful for the oppotunity to be there and being part of some really lucky(?) great(?) who know the right word... meetings.

There were a lot of interest... from strangers...

And from friends... Like Adrien, with who we share our love for spinning...

"Auntie" Clara, with who I look forward to meet each year. She spins as well, different way than I do, but we always watch happily how the other is working.

I got some new acquittances, maybe even friends, like Dia, who is happy about her first spindle and wool. (Dia, braces or not, your smile is beautiful!).

Across our space a full barbershop was in operations, and out guys had their face cleaned up :-)

But aside of the barbering there was serious woodworking going on...

And spinning, like a well behaving virus was catching.

So much my host gave it an other try. He do knows how to spin (isn't that awesome??), though do not practice it to often.

So a heartfelt thank you for all who made this few days unforgettable. My "Uncle" Peter with who we could laugh in pouring rain...

Attila, the maker of gorgeous wooden flowers...we redheads should keep friends, don't we? 

Istvan, the solver of every problem...the long haired brigade :-)

And those of whom I didn't manage to catch a picture, Evelyn, Kati, "Zsák" (Bag), Zotya, and the others.
Thank you for letting me being part of your team, for accepting me, and making possible for the celebration be a real one again.

Weekly spinning- Cleanse the palate

Back in an other lifetime, in some restaurants in the US between some certain courses they served lemon or lime icecream, to "cleanse the palate". As I am trying to get back to the groove, I was/am spinning a lot more than I was/am knitting... By the time I finished the red carded batts I knew the next thing I should spin will be red again...

I was also dyeing a lot of red, and mauve-is yarn and wool...However, I wanted to cleanse my palate, and decided before I get back to the reds again, I will tackle this braid of natural colored alpaca top I had for years now.

The silky alpaca lends itself to long draw spinning and that is what I did. With this, it is decidedly more rustic and uneven than my regular short draw, but it is also softer and fluffier... if fluffy is a word that applies to thin yarn, even though this is slightly thicker than my usual.
100 gramms, natural colored.
500 meters, two ply, semi woolen.

Official announcment- The festival of folk arts

A phonecall about something totally different took a sudden turn, and I reorganized my days around our biggest national holiday of August 20th, in which, if you read my blog you know, that the biggest craft fair is held...

Even though two years ago, I wow-ed that I will never ever go otherwise but as a private visitor, the invitation arrived from a person I deeply like, I couldn't say no...So I rushed and ordered some wool, immersed myself, in my dyeing pots...

Beside the spindles I use to teach, Enikő made some really awesome ones.

If you happen to be in Hungary, you might find me in the Újvilág udvar (new world garden).

And Just for fun I will show you the special harstick I used to pin up my hair while dyeing...

Weekly spinning

In the name of "back on the horse" I was spinning 100 gramms of South Amrican wool.

I dyed it back in the spring, I wanted the colors of a sandy beach.

After the long hiatus I am still not satisfied, but it is getting better, right?

770 meters of two ply.

Forget me not

I left my mark in Szeged (the city of my University)... at least in the form of a few knitted/crocheted item

One of the things I loved about goint to the university was that there more than the average rate of people liked me and accepted me for who I am. One of these was a teacher of mine, whose topic was definetly NOT my favorite... I usualy tell he story as a joke how I stood up from my very first linguistic class with noting "well, one thing I know for sure already... do not want to be a linguist". Despite of that with all the teacers who thaught me in that field I managed to build a good relationship. With Krisztina, after it became pretty sure I will not have a class with her again, an almost friendship like of something is building...
I crocheted this shawl for her.

I could not left out the beads, now could I?

I used DROPS Delight... 

Of which I run out just this far before finishing the last row... delaying the blocking, as I KNEW I had some more, but I just could not find it...

 Before and after blocking...

And on its owner, who was kind of moved, when I presented her with the clumsily wrapped package.

She is a smallish figure and it she can nicely wrap herself in it.

Tech details:
Patern:
Forget me not from DROPS
Yarn:
DROPS Delight
3 (or 3.5 mm) crochet hook
Beads of forgotten origin.