Friday, 22 January 2010

The first meeting of the New Year


We have finally had our first meeting in 2010, and welcomed a new member:  hello, Helen!  The weather has improved - at least for the time being - and we had a good turnout.   The photo shows wool coloured with natural dyes, bright and autumnal at the same time.  (Thanks to BT & HM)
AC

Monday, 11 January 2010

Evening meeting, January 13th., cancelled

I'm sorry to say this but, as you might expect, this week's evening meeting has been cancelled due to the weather.  We've had more snow overnight and there is a possibility of even more on Wednesday.  Even if we have a proper thaw (and it does seem to be slightly less cold) the carparks around the Community Centre will still be dangerous with the packed snow & ice  which has accumulated since  Christmas.  So stay safe, and keep warm, and we'll meet soon.
AC

Thursday, 7 January 2010

How indigo really works

Helen Melvin's blog today gives a link to a really interesting article on the way indigo "works".  The article is translated from the Japanese, but, despite some quaint phrasing, is very clear and contains some beautiful hand drawn diagrams which illustrate the underlying chemical processes.  The diagrams show exactly how the indigo gets into the fibres and sticks there, and also explain why natural indigo is brighter than the synthetic form.  Click here to go to the online article.  Even if you have no knowledge of chemistry you will find this easy to understand.  The author is to be congratulated on communicating so well in a "foreign" language.
AC

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Snow across the UK

I have managed to get out this morning and walked - very slowly - down the 1in3 hill into the village.  It isn't quite as cold at the moment, but there is a LOT of snow.  The road through Llanfair itself is covered in crumbly snow and the main road into Abergele is clear.  The main road into Llansannan is not good.  I have cancelled our booking for the Community Centre (just in case you were wondering).

Here are a few photographs to add to the stacks of images on the internet featuring Britain in the Snow, 2010.  If any Guild members have photos to show, please add them to the Picasa Web Album page, or email them to me to add. Click on the link to see some more images.

 

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

More tales from the riverbank

It stopped raining before Christmas, just in time to freeze and snow.  This afternoon we had a blizzard which blocked all the main roads in a matter of minutes and even the normally mild coastal areas were wiped out for a time.  (The single track side roads inland have been impassable for weeks).  In LlanfairTH we had up to 9 inches of snowfall in about 3 hours, so, unsurprisingly, our meeting tomorrow is CANCELLED.  If I can get out of the house in the morning I will post some photos.  In the meantime, here is a nice cheery and unsnowy picture of a touch of hoarfrost on ivy.

AC