a little cranog visit...

and some looms thrown in.  But first a wee catch up.  I'm still in making mode, which delights me, and here's a little sample.

The Bookmarks are an order which has reminded me how good it is to play with colour, and the yarn is for a new piece of weaving.  I've used Wensleydale and merino fibre which has been hand dyed first, spun as separate singles and then plied together.

I'm always interested to find evidence of textile methodology so loved the recent visit to the Cranog reconstruction in Aberfeldy.

  Besides the two types of looms, which I know little about, I saw a lovely old spindle whorl... I can just picture these being used.

I was rather intrigued to find some "Strang".  Now, I've never heard of this before, but it seems to be a method of twisting a warp set up to make a net like effect with an anchor string running through the centre to stop the whole thing unravelling.  It hangs, when not pulled apart, as a strong strap.  I would love to know more about where it "came from".

We had a little fire starting with a bow, a hazel stick and a board of pine to drill down into.  Evidently the important bit is to let the charred ash pile meld together in it's little heap before transferring it to burnable kindling.  It  has to make an ember otherwise it doesn't work.

It's amazing what you can actually use to make a bit of old rope!