Nature

Crack… Crack…

By Stephanie

And without warning, we went from three quiet blue eggs to three blind, naked, wonderful hatchlings…

The nest is in such a place that I can’t get my head up there to have a look — I have to hold the camera up over it and take pictures, and then have a look at them on the camera to see what’s in the nest.  And, as I looked at the first few images, the babies looked so lifeless…  I was suddenly heartbroken at the thought that they might all be dead.

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And then one of them raised his head up and begged the camera for some food, and I realised with relief that they were fine!

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Fine… and growing fast!   This was them only 48 hours later.  Look at all the feathers coming on their wings.

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And this is them today, only 5 days after the first photos.  Incredible how much they’ve grown!  My first thought is how much work that must be for the parent robins, to get enough food to them to support such rapid growth…!

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Aren’t they amazing?  It’s been well worth not being able to use the back porch through all this lovely weather, just to give these beautiful babies a chance to hatch and grow.

Eggs is Eggs!

By Stephanie

Every day I sneak a quick peak out the window, hiding behind the curtain so as not to frighten our Mama Robin and, every day, I see either just her tail feathers where she’s happily settled down, or catch her warily eyeing me back.

Today when I peeped out, she’d just flown away for a moment, so I quickly dashed out to check the progress…

Still eggs!

(And she’s back on the nest as I type.)

An Announcement (Yes, THAT Kind of Announcement!)

By Stephanie

One of the best things in life must surely be spending a breezy summer afternoon sitting on the back porch, with a nice glass of wine, listening to the birds and spinning wool into yarn.  Absolutely magical!

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Except today I am on the front porch instead of the back, and this is why…

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Last week, while I was away for a couple of days, a couple of plucky robins decided to build a nest on top of our back porch light, right next to the back door.  And every time we go in and out, or even just sit out there, they get so nervous that they leave the nest and fly to the apple tree, screaching for us to leave.  And I really want them to feel secure and comfortable, because this is what’s inside that nest…

That’s right, folks!  We’re having babies!!!

…And hanging out on the front porch for the time being.

On the Wheel: Heathered Silk

By Stephanie

Beautiful sunshine and a lovely warm day, I sat in the dappled shade of the trees and spun silk into heathered shades of blue, green, and purple.

Just before I finished and came in, the wind picked up and the skies transformed from blazing and blue to an angry dark grey.  A summer thunderstorm rolled in, and then ended as quickly as it started, leaving everything drenched but fresh again.  Perfect!

Iceberg — Fresh and Cold and Blue

By Stephanie

A friend of mine suggested I try a snow-and-ice colourway — and the easiest way, I suspect, might be to just leave the snowy-white wool undyed…!  But that would never do, so this is what I came up with instead.  Doesn’t it say icy-cold to you?.

Hand-dyed Combed Top, Superwash Merino, in Iceberg

Bright sunshine, falling from a dazzling and cloudless blue sky, carries with the promise of a warm midsummer’s day …but for the breeze, which belies the truth with its bracing chill, and the way light bounces back off the brilliant white snow that sits atop luminous blue mass of ice, melting at the edges, releasing gentle droplets which drip quietly down… down to the white-capped waves… down to the sea that hides the frozen mass of the Iceberg in its murky blue-black depths.

This is over 4oz of wonderfully soft Superwash Merino combed top. It spins up beautifully, and the final item can be machine washed.

Fiber Content: 100% Superwash Merino wool
Weight: Approximately 4.25oz / 120g
Colourway: Iceberg 100410-001
Care Instructions for the final item: Hand or Machine wash, Lay flat to dry..

Each item is individually hand-dyed by the SpaceCadet, using professional grade acid dyes which are mixed by hand from primaries. Please be sure to buy enough for your project as dyelots can vary noticeably and the colours may not be able to be reproduced exactly.
SpaceCadet Creations is a smoke-free, pet-free environment.
Please remember that the colours in pictures may vary depending on your computer monitor. The colours in the photos are as accurate as possible.

Spinning My Wheels, Mostly

By Stephanie

The weather has been a little too glorious to be inside blogging.  And the birds have been singing a little too sweetly to be on the computer updating the shop.  And so I have been spending a lot of time on the back porch, drinking tea and watching the children play in the garden, while I spend some quality time bonding with my new best friend:

It was my birthday last week and so my family and friends cobbled together and got me my heart’s desire — a beautiful Lendrum spinning wheel.  It is an absolute joy to to spin on, such a smooth and gentle motion that it fairly seduces the yarn from my fingers.  Spinning on it is all I’ve wanted to do.  A-a-and… I’ve hardly gotten anything else done all week!

But the garden is now in full bloom, and full of inspiration.  So when I have not been spinning, I have managed to bring a little Spring to the dyepots..

Sock Yarn, Fingering Weight Superwash Merino, in Sweetpeas

As you stand at the kitchen sink, doing the dishes and gazing absent-mindedly at the garden through the open window, a little breeze gently blows the curtain and carries a scent so beautiful and sweet that you instinctively breathe in deeply and, called out of your daydream, realise that it is the smell of the sweetpeas, climbing up the wall beside the window in a riot of wild pinks, their delicate heads bobbing gently in the breeze.

Each skein is approximately 100g of Superwash Merino in a wonderfully soft 3-ply, fingering weight yarn. Two skeins available, sold separately.

Fiber Content: 100% Superwash Merino
Weight: Approximately 3.50oz / 100g
Colourway: Sweetpeas, 100330-001
Care Instructions for the final item: Hand or Machine wash, Lay flat to dry.

Each item is individually hand-dyed by the SpaceCadet, using professional grade acid dyes which are mixed by hand from primaries.  Please be sure to buy enough for your project as dyelots can vary noticeably and the colours may not be able to be reproduced exactly.
SpaceCadet Creations is a smoke-free, pet-free environment.
Please remember that the colours in pictures may vary depending on your computer monitor. The colours in the photos are as accurate as possible.