While I wait to cast on…something, this is what I am doing of an evening.

Spinning – on the lovely spindle I bought whilst in England from Ian at ITS Crafts/The Wood Emporium. It is made of bog oak from the fenland of East Anglia. The timber is over 5000 years old! A fine timber for the ancient craft of spinning.  Ian uses just a sliver of the precious timber over elm to make the whorl.  The shaft is made of ash.  Such British trees, such a special, precious souvenir from our trip.

I am spinning some hand dyed tops from Jilly Bean that I bought from Get Knitted in Bristol. I got started in the Ancient Barn in Somerset, which seemed appropriate and did a bit in Germany too, but it got quite deeply packed and was difficult to get to.  Now, it is free and handy again. I split the fibre down the middle into four and am trying to spin for two ply yarn with long, subtle colour changes. Not sure to what end yet!