#woolmill

[davycoquette]

Yet more exposition from a collaborative writing post. This little action sequence takes place in the old west and features cowboyoutlaw!Shiloh.

It was cat work. Lie in wait. Watch. Be still, blend in. Wait, watch. Your muscles will twitch, your jaw will work in anticipation, but you must wait. And wait, and watch. You can flick your tail, flex your claws in the dirt, take aim – but for time indeterminable you will be still and you. will. wait.

Not everyone has the disposition for it. Many will grow intolerably bored til they’re restless and agitated, and Shiloh thought his companion was getting close. Little went on at the Abners’ house – a few comings and goings, murmurs, amorphous silhouettes drifting across the curtains at night. The companion did not want to talk about Gaskell or Thoreau or Douglass – not even about himself. Not with Shiloh Kitson. Rather than sit in suspicious silence together, they separated.

Cat work favors the imaginative, so Shiloh was content.

On the arranged night, Shiloh checked ‘his’ (stolen) pocketwatch, stretched his back, kneaded his fingers into his shoulder-blades and flattened knotted muscle bordering his spine down the length of his neck. He vanished out of the shadows of the street and stepped into the overgrown yard, where shiny black crickets squirmed between grass blades over the cracked clay. Using a pry bar left lying outside the house’s little storage shed, he wedged a back window open and slipped into the muggy house.

The brother had not come home, and cat work did not trump the necessity of timing where multiple men were concerned. Shiloh had to prove he could collaborate; that he could do more than work by his lonesome. (So, not like a cat at all.) He’d been instructed to bring two men to the mill; this was why he had the boy from the Blackwater Outfit along. But, as the shadows deepened, he was obliged to make a choice: bring in the villain himself, or no one at all. Easy decision. The younger outlaw waited outside, instructed to hoot like a barred owl if the proprietor of the woolmill turned up to his appointment.

He never did.

The robber who crossed poor Miss Brown – that angel of whom Smith was so dearly fond, and Shiloh, too, not only because Smith liked her so well but because she’d cooed to him awful sweet about his wounded paw! – that robber clanked around in his kitchen come evening and whipped himself up a pot of pintos cooked in recycled fat. The smell seeped through the swollen floorboards to the second story, where Shiloh smoothed his gloved hand across the brother’s bed. There’d been a wife at some point, judging by a second divot in the featherbed. Long gone – else her brother-in-law wouldn’t be reusing week old fatback and gnawing cornbread so dry it fouled to grit in his mouth. There wouldn’t have been plates in the sink slimy with congealed grease, flies buzzing ‘round gravy that’d turned two days earlier.

Shiloh walked when Abner walked. Cat work. Waited for the man to piss off the back porch. Waited for him to suck down a little whiskey, to have a smoke. Then he came a-plonking up the stairs, sluggish. The coyote’s heart beat in time, composed. He leaned his back to the wall behind the bedroom door and waited coiled hair-trigger like a viper.

Abner ambled in, and Shiloh waited. He unfastened his suspenders, unbuttoned his shirt and let it slough off his shoulders to the floor, then he kicked his boots off, and Shiloh waited.

The robber unbuckled his belt which slumped around his boots, and Shiloh waited.

The man’s trousers slouched down to his calves, leaving him in his long underwear, and Shiloh swept out of the dark to kick the back of his knee in. Abner dropped to the floor with a startled grunt the outlaw cut off when he squeezed his windpipe shut, clasping his neck between his forearm and bicep while the other hand shoved a dirty sock he’d plucked off the floor into the man’s mouth when it gaped like a bass’. This was the part where he’d ordinarily insert a knife into Abner’s back and twist it. Bring the matter to a swift end and go about his night, or else while away last the hours ‘til sunrise shoveling dirt into a hole he’d dug ahead of time. But tonight was different – he needed to bring this man to Smith and Howard alive, and that meant he wasn’t to stick a knife anyplace. So, he mollified his mouse with, “Shh, shh,” and pressed his cheek to the back of his head as though coddling a child out of a nightmare.

Abner was not especially broad, and he was shorter than Shiloh. He was stronger, anyway, blessed with dogged strength that kicked in under pressure. This possibility had been anticipated, but not to the degree it came true. Abner rose from the floor, and soon Shiloh was rising with him, boots hoisted off the floorboards before his deceptively muscular target slammed them both against the bedroom wall.

He dropped down, toed the floorboards, averted a second impact by kicking away from the wall. Cue the ballet, his feet swept off the ground, stomach swooping when Abner tangled his ankles in his downed pants and they collapsed onto the bed in a flurry of scattered feathers. Shiloh grasped for the breath crushed out of him, then the bedstead gave before he could catch it and they fell a second time.

He dovetailed his ankles around Abner's and they were like a pair of blacksnakes mid-coitus in May. He could smell the pork fat in Abner's greasy sweat and could barely find purchase on him now that it glistened a thin film over the man’s skin. Still, H-O-L-D and F-A-S-T held on for dear life, and the robber couldn’t obtain the range of movement to crack Shiloh’s ribs with his elbow. His face turned from red to purple and he tongued at the sock in his mouth, but Shiloh clamped his paw across it til the salty wool clogged halfway down his throat.

“I need your help with something,” Shiloh said when fireworks popped off behind Abner's eyes. He gripped a handful of his moist black hair, letting the man dislodge his sock gag just enough to almost suck in a gasp of air. Almost. His arm was still a vice around his throat. “...And I’ll let go. Sound good?”

He gave him an opportunity to answer, but Abner could not. (He did make a few animal groans, to his credit.)

“Nothing complicated: You open up the mill office. Let me and my friends in. We tie you up, leave you good’n whole. Law finds you in the morning; you’ve got a story you can tell for years to come.”

This time, Abner replied, but it was nigh indecipherable. Damn you to hell, shit-stain, probably, or some alternative of get proper fucked.

Shiloh relented ‘til he could sneak a little breath around the dirty sock. Took his hand out of his hair and drew the pistol from his belt to wedge the barrel into his kidney. “Feel that?”

The robber swore at him again. 

“Know what that is?” He half-cocked the hammer and waited for Abner to bob his head. “You over-imbibed,” Shiloh went on, craning his neck, then farther still when Abner’ hair clung to his scruffy chin. When he’d escaped the wispy clinging hairs, he let up in earnest and yanked the wet sock from the robber’s mouth. “Your friend’ll hold you up. You’ve got a lot of friends waiting for you, as a matter of fact. Some of ‘em the law; some just plain haints in the night.” Neither was true; the only backup he had within earshot was the other outlaw. “So, picture it: you try something, I pull the trigger. You know what a bullet does to internal organs? It goes in real neat and out real messy. Drags your bowels out with it, like the stinger out of a honeybee. You bleed out in minutes, and it hurts to where you can’t make a sound; not a peep, hard as you try. Ugly business. So, you lean on me – we rob the mill, nobody dies thrashing on the street holding his entrails in his hands.” Brightly, “C’mon.”

Abner swaggered to his feet, glaring daggers, hands hoisted at shoulder level.

“Pants,” Shiloh suggested, waving the gun at the discarded pair next to the collapsed bed before he trained it on the robber again. Then, “Shirt,” and he did not need to tell him to put his hat or boots on. Wisely, Abner didn’t go for his belt.

Cat work: when the mouse is caught, you play with him ‘til he doesn’t hold your attention anymore. This is when you realize you were never all that hungry in the first place, so you bite off his head and leave the rest for somebody else to clean up.

[nevayarn-blog]

NEVA YARN

100% natural fine sheep wool yarn

Made in Russia

[reginacavaispica]

Ancient factories in Biella, the city of wool. #ancientfactory #abandonedplaces #woolmills #woll #river #window #industrialdesign #industrialstyle#factoryvisit #photofactory #photo #sundayvibes (presso Biella, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CV_BhEcMWoq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[primroseyarnco]

Shhhhh 🤫…. Test knit in progress. New pattern coming from @ghoststorywriter, and we are working ours up in our super color shifty Homestead Sport “Mismash: Morningstar + Westworld” & our brand new Roan Sport in “Soot”, that will be making its debut next Friday (April 15th) to celebrate our company’s 8th birthday! Keep your eyes peeled for this stunning sweater release- and of course we are going to have kits 😉 #primroseyarnco #ghoststorywriter #elizabethhalliedesign #loveinthemist #testknit #testknitting #testknitter #strandedknitting #strandedcolorwork #strandedcolourwork #yokesweater #yokes #knitting #knittersofinstagram #knitter #knitting_inspiration #knittinginspiration #knittersoftheworld #knittersofig #knit #nevernotknitting #millspun #millspunyarn #madeinusa #strandedcolorworkyoke #americanwool #woolmill (at Primrose Yarn Co.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcDynLuLCzX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[neemansofficial-blog]

You beauty ! Our Merino Wool after combing.. #pasture2foot #merino #merinowool #wool #natural #sustainablefashion #woolcombing #making #neemansofficial #behindthescenes #insta #startuplife #woolmill

[ht-craftedcurated]

. . #oldtownmill #oldtown #hebdenbridge #worstedwool #woolmill #yorkshire #yorkshiremills

[thedailytartan]

Knockando Woolmill Sporting

[coolitoff]

Down to Whiskey Town

5 - 7 June 2017

Back down from the Isle of Skye and on toward Aberlour, in the heart of Speyside aka area where single malt whiskeys abound. 

Eilean Donan Castle – we didn’t go inside, but the castle is a common filming location (anyone seen “Made of Honor”?) 

My second stop at Urquhart Castle this year, overlooking Loch Ness and keeping an eye out for Nessie. 

Made a quick drop in to Fort George, and even saw some dolphins!

Dallas Dhu Distillery is now a historic distillery and no longer produces whiskey, but did between 1899 and 1983. Now they lead tours and show really old, poorly edited videos while serving samples of delicious whiskey.

Earhairman! This dude works at Knockando Woolmill and was telling us about how blankets/ scarves/ all kinds of textiles are made (he also had some very impressive ear hair, hence the nickname)

View from Knockando Woolmill – like everywhere else in Scotland, quaint and beautiful. 

Speyside Cooperage - here you can see how the whiskey barrels are made! Very impressive skill set needed. 

My parents went on an additional distillery tour but took my brother and me along for Glenfiddich. 

Soon we’ll be back all the way down in Edi! 

[pacobobo]

Dag 1 – 31 augustus, op de ferry

Ontmoeting bij Grand Cafe Kruiten in IJmuiden, voor een hapje en drankje. We hebben de routeboeken en een leuk rallybord uitgedeeld.

Om 16:00 uur zijn we gezamenlijk richting de ferry KING SEAWAYS van DFDS gereden om in te checken. Om 17:00 uur hebben we een welkomstdrankje gedronken in de Compass Bar en kennis gemaakt met de deelnemers en verdere instructies over de reis gegeven.

Om 17:45 uur zijn met zijn allen gaan eten in Seven Seas Restaurant, waar voor ons een deel van het restaurant was gereserveerd.

In de rij om aan boord te gaan

Aanmelden en routeboek ophalen

Op de Ferry

Rallybord

Dag 2 – 1 september, naar Killin

Paul had twee routes gemaakt die naar het Killin hotel zouden gaan:

Route 1:  benodigde reistijd Newcastle – Edinburgh – Killin  5½  uur, 350 km

Leuke route langs de kust via Edinburgh. Als je er voor kiest om het centrum en het kasteel van Edinburgh te bezoeken dan blijft er niet veel tijd over om andere routepunten te bezoeken. Het centrum van Edinburgh is best druk en heeft veel eenrichtingsverkeer.

Route 2: benodigde reistijd Newcastle – Gretna Green – Killin  5 uur, 360 km

Deze route loopt via Hadrian’s Wall en Gretna Green en loopt vanaf het Falkirk Wheel weer gelijk aan de andere route. Hadrian’s Wall is gebouwd in de tweede eeuw na Christus en diende als bescherming tegen aanvallers uit het noorden. Het is een mooie route door het binnenland met veel bijzondere punten van Hadrian’s Wall. We kunnen Housesteads Romeins fort en de muur bij Biroswald aanbevelen. Daarna gaat de route naar Gretna Green. Bij het Falkirk Wheel komen de routes weer samen en leiden uiteindelijk naar Killin.

Falkirk Wheel

Bamburgh Castle

Gretna Green

Falkirk Wheel

Killin hotel

Hadrian’s Wall

Dag 3 – 2 september, rondje Killin

De route van vandaag is niet zo lang. Omdat er gisteren toch veel kilometers onder de banden zijn doorgegaan houden we het vandaag kort. Maar….. wel over de kleinste weggetjes die ik heb kunnen vinden. Net als gisteren is er weer een short-cut naar het hotel voor degene die tijd tekort komen of Perth bezocht hebben en anders niet op tijd voor de borrel en het diner terug zijn.

Dam Lochan na Lairige

Scottish Crannog Centre

Graf van Rob Roy

Drummond Castle en Gardens

Drummond Castle en Gardens

Graf van Rob Roy

Drummond Castle en Gardens

Dag 4 – 3 september, naar Grantown on Spey

Vandaag vertrekken naar de volgende bestemming, Grantown on Spey, een rit van ongeveer 200 kilometer. Onderweg bezoeken we de Highland Games van Braemar. Vanwege dit bezoek is het aan te raden om op tijd te vertrekken, de rit naar Braemar is ongeveer 120 kilometer en duurt 2 ½ uur. Probeer om 13:00 – 13.30 uur in Braemar te zijn. We hoorden dat de koningin rond 15:00 komt.

Het laatste stuk van de route, naar Tomintoul, nadat we bij de Highland Games geweest zijn, nodigt uit tot sportief rijden. Het is moeilijk om de maximum toegestane snelheidslimiet (60Mph) te halen. Let goed op de blinde heuvels… Houd links!

In dit pittoreske plaatsje vinden we ons hotel The Grant Arms voor de komende drie nachten.  Vanuit dit hotel gaan we de komende twee dagen naar Loch Ness en doen we de whisky trail of de havenroute. We kunnen schuin parkeren op de weg voor het hotel.

Het hotel is een “wildlife” hotel, dat wil zeggen dat veel van de bezoekers dit hotel uitkiezen omdat het veel promotie doet voor het wildleven en de natuur. Achter in het hotel is de Bird Watching Wildlife Club gevestigd, als je het leuk vindt om een wandeling te doen in de bossen om Grantown en wild te spotten dan kun je je opgeven bij de receptie. De achtergrondmuziek in de lobby van het hotel bestaat uit vogelgeluiden. Kijk ook even naar de “daily chirp”.

Highland Games – Braemar

Queen Elisabeth – Highland Games – Braemar

Highland Games – Braemar

Queen Elisabeth – Highland Games – Braemar

Highland Games – Braemar

Highland Games – Braemar

Highland Games – Braemar

Highland Games – Braemar

Pitlochry Fish Ladder

Dag 5 – 4 september, op zoek naar Nessie

Vandaag gaan we op zoek naar Nessie, het monster van Loch Ness. De rit is ongeveer 215 kilometer en is behoorlijk afwisselend. We rijden over de A-wegen wegen maar ook de binnendoorweggetjes worden niet gemeden. We starten de rit linksaf op het kruispunt voor het hotel.

Vandaag wordt ook de Grantown Motor Mania (10:30 – 16:00 uur) gehouden. Op dit jaarlijks evenement is het feest in de stad en worden er allerlei activiteiten met motoren en folklore gehouden. Leuk om te zien! Je zou er bijna voor thuis blijven….

‘s Avonds wordt er een ceremonie gehouden vlak voor aanvang van het diner in het hotel. Onder begeleiding van doedelzakmuziek worden we het restaurant ingeleid en  wordt de “Address to the Haggis” gehouden. Het is daarvoor belangrijk dat iedereen om 19:00 aanwezig is in de lobby en je mag je Schotse kleding aantrekken 🙂

The Grant Arms Hotel

Carrbridge

Urquhart castle

Address to the Haggis

Loch Nes

Address to the Haggis

Caledonian Canal

Dag 6 –  5 september, Whisky Trail of Havenroute

Weer een keuzemoment…. doen we whisky of gaan we rijden… Ingeval van de keuze voor whisky, volg dan deze beschrijving. De havenroute staat verderop beschreven. We vertrekken vanaf het kruispunt in zuidelijke richting (linksaf) om (een deel van) de whisky trail te volgen, een ritje over ongeveer 110 kilometer door de Oostelijke Schotse Hooglanden.

In de Schotse Hooglanden worden al eeuwen de meest legendarische Schotse whisky’s gestookt. Er is een prachtige route voorzien van speciale wegwijzers door de oostelijke Highlands. Van de 80 malt whisky distilleerderijen in deze streek komen wij langs verschillende distilleerderijen en bezoeken we Glenlivet, Glenfiddich en Glen Grant (Glen = vallei). Ook bezoeken we de Speyside Cooperage, waar alle vaten (“casks”) gemaakt worden, een echte aanrader!

Er is genoeg tijd om alle distilleerderijen te bezoeken en de rondleiding te doen.

Voor degenen die een lekkere route willen rijden is er de havenroute. Deze leidt ons langs verschillende autentieke haventjes aan de noordoostkust van Schotland. Om toch niet helemaal het thema van deze Schotland rit geweld aan te doen, bezoeken we wel de Glenlivet distilleerderij en de Speyside Cooperage. Een mooie combinatierit dus.

Speyside cooperage

Cathedraal van Elgin

Sueno’s Stone in Forres

Knockando Woolmill

Speyside cooperage

Craigellachie brug

Dag 7 – 6 september, op weg naar Newcastle

Het is alweer de laatste dag en we checken uit bij het Grant Arms Hotel. Een fantastisch hotel met super aardige medewerkers en een heerlijk keuken! Het was een top week!

MX5 – Schotland, 31 augustus – 6 september 2016 Dag 1 - 31 augustus, op de ferry Ontmoeting bij Grand Cafe Kruiten in IJmuiden, voor een hapje en drankje.

[allysonansusinha]

Taking a second to appreciate this gorgeous spectrum of natural, undyed, unbleached, domestic, American made wool and alpaca blend yarns spun @echoview fiber mill. I'm so delighted to be knitting with these beautiful beautiful yarns! 😍😍😍😍😍 🐑 #localcolor #localwool #woolmill #americanmade #knowyourfiber #woolwednesday #knittersofig (at Echoview Fiber Mill)

[nevayarn-blog]

Light pink natural sheep wool yarn

Pure organic

Neva Yarn

Made in Saint Petersburg, Russia

[guntherssupply]

Black @pendletonwm Bandanas $9.50 Made In USA #pendleton #woolmill #boardshirts #madeinusa #gunthersco #santaana #dtsa (at Gunthers)

[mushroomjelifish]

Mind yer heid #woolmill #knockando #scotland

[laradewolfe]

Love all the colours I purchased at the mill today. Thanks to all the sheep in Atlantic Canada! #local #woolmill #felting (at MacAuslands Woolen Mills )

[nevayarn-blog]

Neva Yarn wool yarn mill

[nevayarn-blog]

Care instructions for hand-dyed yarn Please follow these instructions to ensure your products have a long happy life. Wool yarn should be hand-washed in cool water with an appropriate specially for wool detergent with care. Dry flat.