So, where is it then?

I hope that's the question on your mind - where is that colour and weave sampler?

Not here, is the answer. I've not got it.

It was off the loom last week, washed, I ironed it Thursday night, but before I'd taken any photos it became an exhibit for the Alsager Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers 2008 exhibition. As did my Janet Phillip's sample blanket and the chenille sampler.

The exhibition runs from 6th to 14th September at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, Cheshire, England. It's a super place for us to have the exhibition as this is a large working Georgian cotton mill, powered by a huge waterwheel that is turned by water from the River Bollin, and the mill is also a museum dedicated to a history of the cotton industry. This is the National Trust web site about the property, but there's a better write up on Wikipedia.

Here's the tale of how I got separated from my new sampler. I had prepared an exhibit of a box of wool rolags that are all dyed with natural dyes from garden plants and weeds. I picked out a good range of different colours (couldn't get all my samples in one box!). I spent a couple of evenings last week getting it together. So my exhibit was all beautifully organised and labelled, and I put it in the car to take to Alsager after work, and I just took the weave samplers along because I'd promised to show them to one of my weaving friends.

Maybe it's the 5 hours unpaid overtime I'd worked (must fix that, I'm only paid for 11 hours total in that job), or the long drive in heavy Friday p.m. traffic, but my brain was a bit dim by the time I got to Alsager, and when asked "why not put those in the exhibition too" I thought there was some reason to hang on to the colour and weave, but couldn't remember what it was! So, I said yes, why not?

Of course, as soon as I got home I realised I'd not taken photos for my blog! Never mind, I'll have it back in two weeks.

It's worth mentioning that another weaver also had a Janet Phillip's sampler with her which she'd woven in a finer cotton (10/2?), and mercerised instead of plain. I think the colours were pink and slate (blue/grey). It was very pretty, looked rather different but it had worked well. So, anyone who's been worrying about not having the specified yarn, please don't worry anymore, just use what you have.

Meanwhile, if you're in the area, I (and spinning wheel) will be at the exhibition in Styal on Sunday 14th.

And also just now... I'm knitting socks, spinning yarn from wool dyed with nettles, and winding a warp for a colour sampler. (Or should it be called a colour "gamp"? Must look that word up.)