Mirrie dancers (aka northern lights, aurora borealis) were out in force tonight. Perfect night for it – moonless and virtually cloudless
Categories
Month: February 2017
Categories
More seeds sown
The beds in the polycrub are starting to get filled. Planted the following rows of seeds today along with a couple of rows of red onion sets:
- Carrots – Early Nantes
- Beetroot – Moneta
- Spring onion – White Lisbon
- Swiss chard – Rainbow
Also sowed the following seeds in pots for planting out when they have germinated and grown on
- Lettuce leaf – gourmet
- Celeriac – Prinz
- Leeks – American Blue Flag
- Leeks – Bulgarian Giant
The white stuff in the picture below is crushed egg shells sprinkled over the seeds to keep the slugs at bay
The radishes have germinated, so should be eating them in few weeks and the autumn planted shallots are coming on nicely.
Categories
Carding and cowls
Beginning to work my way through the fleeces I dyed earlier with my new mini louet hand combs and my trusty jumbo drum carder. I blend the separate colours together until they form a pleasing colour (to my eyes) combination, full of neps I know but for this particular yarn they add just the right amount of texture –
Once spun this is what these lovely batts turn into – not sure where to put these yet Etsy or Folksy or sell them locally.
Categories
Working with wool
February weather keeping us indoors for the most part today, strong northerly wind with blustery showers, not great for working outdoors. So we have been working with wool today. I have been have been carding whilst Iwona was spinning.
Categories
New Year resolutions
These days I almost never make any NY resolutions because I invariably forget and lapse into my old wicked ways, but this year in January I felt a surge of ‘destash and get things finished’ energy. So as I needed to make a new topper for our bed and a lap quilt to keep out the drafts in our old croft house, I began sorting through my hoarded stash of fabric remnants (many of which have been collected for decades) and with the help of my rotary cutter, sewing machine and iron produced these two –
I didn’t realise until I photographed the quilts just how much the one on the left reminds me of a tablecloth my mother had on the kitchen table when I was about 4 years, strange what we retain. The quilt on the right fits very comfortably on our king size bed and is just there as an extra protection for when the nights are really cold!
I am now down to one bin liner bag full of treasured bits of fabric and feeling quite pious about the whole thing. Not so my fleece stash – so having dusted off my lovely jumbo carder and armed with mini Louet hand combs which I got from Neil for Christmas, I’m beginning to sort through all the portions of dyed fleece ready for spinning. Pics to follow.
Categories
Strawberry bed and rhubarb
Finished making and planting the new strawberry bed next to the shed. We don’t seem to be able to grow strawberries in the polycrub, they grow well but the fruit tastes a bit mouldy which tends to spoil the enjoyment. So have made a raised bed next to the shed, south West facing and with a bit of shelter from the polycrub and planted the strawberries. We’ll see how they get on.
Rhubarb is starting to come into leaf – always a sign that spring is on the way – so have given it a bit of a boost by covering the whole area with some compost/manure from the midden.
Also tidied up in the polycrub, planted some rosemary, manured the fruit trees.
Categories
Another season starts
Another season gets underway in the polycrub. Not much left from last year, just some rocket, radicchio plus autumn planted shallots, broccoli and spring greens. All looks a bit bare – although all ready for planting a new season of crops!
Have already sown some first early tatties, which should be ready for eating in June.
This weekend we sowed some radish direct into the soil and gourmet lettuce leaf inside which will planted once it has germinated.
With the sunshine this weekend it was nice and warm in the Polycrub – here’s hoping for a good spring and summer!