.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Inspiration

 It seems I haven't written as much about textiles of late. This is partly due to the fact that I am being drawn outside so much by the dry and warm weather rather that being curled up in my favourite spot knitting or sewing. These little jaunts out have been providing me with inspiration for new ideas to be translated into designs for textile work. I have been loving my local river walk and was again surprised by how stunningly beautiful wild flowers are.

I was captivated by the obvious sculptural design of these flowers, the multitude of textures and array of purple shades against the green backdrop. They make me want to interpret them in a new way -attempting to reflect some of that beauty.


 The butterflies were all out this evening too and were only too happy to pose for photographs.


 I stood and watched these delicate creatures for quite a while, looking carefully at their individual markings.


 There is so much inspiration to be found if only we have the time and the eyes to see it. xx




Monday 18 July 2011

Tea Time


In an earlier post, I waxed lyrical about the wonders of Hebden Bridge and promised a little post about the amazing tea shop we found there. Above is an example of the beautiful cup of tea which you can have made for you personally from a vast array of varieties. I am partial to a non caffeinated tea and I opted for a tea I've never had before called elephant tea. It came with huge pieces of dried banana and coconut and unusually for a non caf. tea tasted as good as it smelt! It was served as you can see in a delicate silk bag and diffused for several minutes before drinking.

What is so lovely about this tea shop is the fact that it only has one table, so you are guaranteed personal service! We were able to learn lots about the different varieties and they also served some pretty yummy cakes to go with the tea.

It is well worth a visit if you are anywhere near Hebden Bridge. You can also get some lovely gifts there for tea drinking connoisseurs.


Lots of teapots, strainers, Chinese tea sets and the like. It is definitely one of the best little tea shops I've been in but when I say little I'm not exaggerating! x

Friday 15 July 2011

Open Gardens


One of the highlights of my summer is visiting the Open Gardens at Knowle Green. I am never disappointed and this year was absolutely gorgeous. Not only are the flowers beautiful but the surrounding landscape and the attention to detail that some of the gardeners employ are just wonderful. I want to do the experience justice by showing you lots of lovely photos.


Isn't this a pretty little shed?


Who wouldn't want to while away a few hrs in this adorable hammock in a hidden part of the garden?


Or dine alfresco here?

We had a cup of tea and Mr K had a cream scone sitting here looking at the view below.



Simply stunning . Here are a few more highlights....




It was such a gloriously hot day, I was seriously tempted to put my feet in this but Mr K wouldn't let me! One day I might even have a garden of my own. A girl can dream... x



Wednesday 13 July 2011

Honey Tasting and Lace Making

These are the bees that made the honey which I sampled straight from the honey comb at Alston Hall Summer Fair. Sweet, delicious and totally natural.
I bought a pot of lavender honey made from the pollen of local lavender.

These beeswax candles were also for sale.




There were as usual, lots of homemade crafts for sale but the most interesting part for me was watching a very clever lady make lace. Incredibly intricate and requiring a huge amount of dexterity and patience!



Not a craft I'll be trying anytime soon. x

Monday 11 July 2011

Catching Up with Friends


Thank you to any followers who have popped in whilst I have been absent - apologies for the length of my break, I hope you will enjoy a little catch up today.
I have recently had chance to chat in person with a few of my faithful readers which was very inspiring and encouraged me to get going again - so here goes....

This weekend I have been at K Fest which is an annual event that was started by my hubby Mr Keith at a place called Smallwood Manor. My role in the proceedings is to provide some creative inspiration in the form of a little class for some of the lovely ladies whilst the men indulge in a game of football. Last year I taught a few people the basics of  flat wet felting.




Everyone was extremely creative considering the fact that I was using left over wool tops to keep down the cost! They made some wonderfully different pieces.



As you can see from the header photo, this year the class was focused on learning to knit. I was asked by two of my lovely friends to show them the basics of knitting and was eventually able to teach seven people to knit in an hour and a half. The class started with casting on and basic knit stitch, then those who wanted to, moved on to purling and everyone learnt to cast off. I realised that to be a good knitting teacher you need to know how to recognise and fix mistakes - something I am still only just learning myself, but we got managed in the end to make sure everyone had a little sample to take home with them.



It was really fun to do and I loved being part of such a great group of ladies all chatting and learning together. I cant wait till next year now!

Friday 13 May 2011

The Ribble Way

Out and about

Helloo again. Today I want to share with you a personal place I recently found which has been such a blessing to me. This is the river near my home and the walk along this river is different each time I do it. I love it. One day there were fifteen swans, another -  a beautiful statuesque grey heron and still another day I spotted grebes, baby ducklings and snow geese. Not to mention the early morning chorus from the birds, the sunshine and reflections on the water, the warm wind on my face and the total seclusion that this place allows.


I have been experiencing the recurrence of some long standing health problems of late and find that this walk, which is part of the Ribble Way has been both invigorating and restorative. Due to this situation (my poor health) I have decided for a while, to post on a more ad hock basis depending on how I am feeling. I hope that you will understand and will continue to pop in form time to time. x

Wednesday 11 May 2011

A Little Bit of This and That

Homely Matters

I have had a little more time recently to get more confident with the grannys. In fact much enjoyment has been gained by these little squares and they are great for relieving boredom of a long journey. So far I have five but the first one is bigger than the rest for some reason so might need to be re-done. Anyway I think they are really pretty even though I think the yarn I chose is a bit thick and it keeps splitting. It was on offer at Hobby Craft and I love a bargain so I'll persist with it! I love the colours and can already imagine them becoming a little cushion.



Also on the agenda has been looking after my baby plants. (Cucumber, lettuce, sweet pepper, rocket, spinach, cherry tomatoes, basil and coriander.) I'm also very happy to report that we now have about 25 chillies growing steadily on our chilli plant and I just love watching them change colour.

Mr K suprised me over the holidays with a gorgeous bunch of flowers quite unexpectedly and they have made me happy every time I looked at them. Thankyou Mr K. x


I hope you are all enjoying a little bit of this and that of your own. It's so nice to have a few things on the go to look forward to after a day at work. x

Monday 9 May 2011

St George's Day Celebrations

Talking Textiles

Although this might seem a little late, today I'd like to tell you about our St Georges Celebrations. You might think that has nothing to do with textiles but I will come on to that in a minute so please bear with me.
There was nothing arranged in our part of the world so we headed off to a little town called Barnoldwick where I went to school a very long time ago. They were having a little event and we wanted to be part of it. As well as all the obligatory bunting, there was a little fairground for the children, several stalls and some entertainment laid on for everyone. We had a little look around the town shops, had a little bite to eat and went to listen to the brass band playing in the square. They were surprisingly good and we enjoyed a relaxing little concert.
The entertainment that followed was quite unusual. There were a group who dress up like soldiers and their wives from the civil war. They re -enact  loading and shooting their guns which was quite a performance and very loud. (So loud in fact, that a little child near us was quite traumatised)


What was much more interesting to me however, were the wives who were dressed beautifully and were engaged in some stick weaving.
I had a chat to them and found out they were making strips which would be sewn into blankets which are hard wearing for use in camping and the like. They could also be used for bag straps. I had a little personal demonstration and thought it looked quite easy but very effective.
I loved watching them weave, they looked so 'Little House on the Prairie' and I quite envied their weird but wonderful weekend lifestyle. They even drank water from a pot pitcher poured into glasses made from cow horns! I couldn't resist taking a picture of the little girl who they had with them. So cute in that costume- don't you think?
It was a great day and full of surprises. Thank you to St George! x

Friday 6 May 2011

Duck Race

Out and About

I love Hebden Bridge. The place has such a lovely arty feel to it. So many gorgeous shops and crafty treasures. The town itself is so pretty with a lovely canal, park and a river running through the middle of it winding underneath a sweet little bridge. We've been a few times but this time we were there with a purpose. It was the annual Duck Race! We purchased our tickets early and so had plenty of time to look round the town and browse the many shops.This is a little glimpse at one of my favourites. It is situated in the Hebden Bridge Mill.

It is jam packed with clothes, furniture, vintage linens and household items.





I especially like this kitchenette and if I weren't counting my pennies, I would have been seriously tempted to buy it!
We found an amazing tea shop but I'm going to save that for another time as it's worthy of it's own little post. Also in town were street artists and a jazz band which all added to the wonderful atmosphere.

After lunch, we headed over to get a spot ready for the main event. The suspense was nearly too much to bear. The Town Crier commentated whilst 7,000 plastic ducks were launched into the river. (There doesn't look to be so many on the photos but the stream of ducks went on and on.)


Sadly we didn't win this time but there's always another year. Have a wonderful weekend whatever your weather and I'll see you on Monday x
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...