Imbolc full moon

A stunning full moon rising above the house, truly spectacular . It really defines this turn of the wheel. I am glad to see it as a sign of hope and a light.

Mr Mog has decided not to take part in the drug trials the oncologist gave us details of. There was just a 50% chance of getting the new drug and the side effects were not nice. It would have been given alongside a steroid and after adding the 2 Sets of side effects together he decided not to take part. The drug wasn't a cure just a "possibility" of a longer life. As mr M said he didn't want a longer life if it was at such a cost and I agree with him. He has to have more scans next week to see how far the disease has spread through his bones. Then back mid March for next appointment.
We are focusing on each day and that is enough at the moment.

Today is all about colour

Today is a colourful day and I thought you would like to see some of the pictures. Above is my latest shawl, based on the Vixen pattern but modified somewhat. The yarn is Posh Elinor fingering. 1 skein of Waving Not Drowning and 1 skein of Nice Weather For Ducks. I think they go well together
Then keeping with the blue theme for a moment some pictures from the full moon the other night.

It was a very clear evening as you can see

Mr Mog has strung up quite a few solar lights around the railway and they always add a magical touch to the garden when the day fades.

A close up of the shawl modelled by Minerva my new mannequin

 This was the pink fluff I made a donation for at Wonderwool, I've plyed it with a fine glittery thread, you can't see the glitter in the photo but it is there as a sheen more than overly brassy.

I had a few curls lying around and decided they would look better with a little colour so into the pan they went, they will become another free form shawl or wrap I think.

This outfit was a very pale greyish green and a bargain at the charity shop. Viscose always dyes OK so I thought I'd give it a go

As you can see it didn't come out too bad

While at Wonderwool I obtained a skein of Silver Sparkle lace yarn from Andy at Bluefaced.com. It is  75% extra fine merino, 20% silk and 5% Stellina which gives the subtle sparkle. 100gms has 800 metres. I wanted something citrusy so this also went into the dye pot with 3 different yellows, a touch of orange and a smidgen of lime green. I deliberately left some white showing.

 

 The sun has shone here all over Easter so the roads and beach have been very busy. We have stayed at home, I usually don't like to go out on bank holidays if I can help it as it gets way too hectic for me.

The pain levels haven't been good this past few days, it is hard to focus on 1 sore point if there are lots. Distractions have included citrus and raisin muffins, spinning merino silk, finishing the shawl and starting another Elsewhere jacket. The jacket is being made with some destash yarn I purchased and there won't be enough for a full jacket. I'm going to do short sleeves or none and I'm going to adding occasional stripes or splashes of other colours to the dark purple/twilight  I have.

I'm also rereading the Moonheart/Spiritwalk books by Charles de Lint as I felt the need for some urban fantasy:) I love Charles's books they always take me out of my pain zone with the poetry of his writing. 

Beltane approaches fast, how will you be celebrating this turn of the wheel? We had hoped to go to Glastonbury but sadly both the places I like to stay are full up. I think it may be a Beltane at home:) I can feel the energies starting to rise and the warmth of the festival approaching.

Yule part 1

It is the eve of Winter Solstice and the moon is full. The cold took my breath as I stood by the back door to welcome the Lady Moon

Winter Solstice- the longest night and shortest day. A time when the world seems to hold its breath waiting for the wheel to turn and the light to appear.

Made especially special  by the Lunar eclipse tomorrow morning , starting at 5.28am

I think we will have clear, cold skies for this very special rare event, the first time it has coincided with the Winter solstice full moon for over 400years.http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/dec/20/lunar-eclipse-winter-solstice

I will be watching and waiting for the eclipse.  I think these past few days have been a waiting period, anticipating the full moon, Yule, Winter Solstice and the return of the light.

It is very cold here and we do have snow and lots of ice but nothing like many of our friends across the country so we are very lucky.

At this time I reflect on the past year, the successes and the failures in things I've done. I think of what I've learned from both. I look forward to the return of energy with each lengthening day.

I give thanks for all the things I have in my life and the people who mean so much to me.

I thank the Goddess and the Holly King for who I am and where I am. For the creativity they inspire within me and for the joy it brings.

I wish you all a merry Midwinter, Yule, Winter solstice or what ever celebration has meaning for you. May the return of the light bring you joy.

Colour me painful:(

 It has been a very painful week both for Mr Mog and for me. Poor Mr Mog has been for xrays as he is having lots of pain in his hip and leg. We will have the results Tuesday. The painkillers doctor prescribed aren't doing much at all for him.
I'm really sore all the time and my pills aren't doing much either.
anyway enough of the moaning I thought you would like to see some pictures.
The 2 Muppet tshirts above are for Mr Mog. He loves the Muppets and Animal:) We bought white ones as that was all they had and we got out the trusty dye pots to make them more into a Mr Mog colour. What do you think?

 The two tops above are mine. One was off white the other white and I too wanted colour so they went into dye tubs as well.
The full moon was on Tuesday and I managed to get some pictures both the days before and on the night itself.

 Love the misty effect around her

 We purchased several sets of solar lights a few months ago and I thought you would like to see the effect in the garden.

 This snap almost looks like flying birds with their own power source:)

 There is something very powerful about the moon this time of the year especially. I can feel the energies swirling around.

 I also have a couple of finished shawls to show you, both made with my own handspun.
This first one is shaelyn, a lovely easy knit. Please note it has sections of lace and I didn't have to frog it once:)

 This was a stashbuster shawl, pattern is Harry I think. Used up 2 colours of my handspun. Is very soft and is very large.

Of moons and harvests

Well after moaning that I hadn't seen the moon this month look what I found when I looked out the door last night:) Pictures aren't very clear as I was so excited to see her that I just clicked away.
I have really missed the Lady this month. I always know what moon phase it is without looking but it does make me feel so much better when I can see her:)

The light had a misty quality to it and all the plants in the garden had an otherworldly look to them .
Everything is growing at a fast pace, the combination of constant rain and warm muggy days has brought out the best in the garden.
The lilies are lush and there appear to be a few more buds waiting to burst.
We did a little harvesting from the greenhouses today, the peppers aren't very large but they are tasty. The tomatoes don't last long when they get picked. Like peas they are so much better straight from the plant. The chillies will be dried for winter use.
I do have knitting to show you but I'm just finishing the binding off first. Pictures later this week. It is a Vortex shawl done with my own handspun, round and lace:)

Woolfest 2010

We have just come back from a fabulous weekend at Woolfest. Lots of great company, lots to see and with the added bonus of a full moon.
We took lots of pictures, well over 170, but don't worry you aren't getting them all:)

There were lots of animals, all shapes and sizes from rabbits, via Ouessant sheep to full grown sheep. These are but a few










This character was my favourite, just look at those eyes:)
There was also a large variety of textile sheep, these were auctioned off to raise money for Farm Africa
So many to choose from.

Apart from fleece, yarn and animals there was a great variety of spinning wheels, looms and other such tools.

The colours as always were very inspiring.
I think Mr Natural Dye Studio may have been scouting for Mrs NDS:)
Silk dyes the most fabulous colours.
Knitwitches Eirwen herself:)
This piece commemorates the floods in Cumbria and was very poignant.
This was the Ravelry/bloggers meeting point. A place for us all to congregate and chill out. Sadly we were moved at the last minute from the main area to a marquee. The hot weather made this a little uncomfortable. there was a real coffee stand in here and the very large almost continual queue made it hard for Ravellers to find space to sit. Added to this the route to here passed through an extremely busy cafe, another marquee and narrow doorways full of people. Wheel chairs didn't have an easy journey. I think a lot of people couldn't find us, especially as we had put lots of messages on Rav giving the stall position where we were told we would be. Despite all this quite a few people found us and it was good to meet up with friends old and new. The Wool Clip were kind to give us space to meet, I wonder if they realised the number of ravellers who would attend?

We raised £150 for the Northern Air ambulance from the sale of commemorative limited edition bags and t shirts. Plus magazines donated by a kind Raveller and of course Mr Mog wool winding. Anyone who purchased yarn could have it wound by Mr Mog for a donation to the air ambulance.
Here you see him presenting the money at the end of the show.

We didn't purchase very much at all.
Babylonglegs gave us this lovely fibre, I promise not to fight over who gets to spin it up:)
The 2 packs of fibre from Freyalyn were in exchange for a shawl I knitted. That leaves some gorgeous silk to be made into batts, a ball of Polwarth fibre from Spindlers and a roll of Ashford merino silk from the Yarnyard. Mr Mog chose all the colours except the silk, that man is getting way too keen on spinning.
We stayed with our friends on the Solway coast and were lucky enough to see the full moon rise over the Solway.

I felt very privileged to see it.