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!

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

The Start of Something New

Homely Matters

Like everyone else in the UK I have been enjoying the unusually warm weather lately and haven't felt like doing much baking. So instead I have battled through my crochet frustration and today I managed a granny square at long last. In no small part, this is thanks to Kandi of kandipandi encouraging me along the way. Once again I am soooo pleased to have finally mastered this. I have to admit that this granny is humungus in size as I crochetted it on a massive hook so I could see properly where the holes are to crochet into!! But as you can see it is a distinct improvement on previous efforts. It needs a little neatening and some down sizing but I think I've cracked it. Onwards and upwards - now I can try all sorts of yummy colour combinations.

My wool and my 5 double pointed needles arrived ready for me to attempt some sock knitting. It's lovely wool - it looks pinkish on the photo but is actually lilac and really soft. I think this project will be taking a back seat to my crochet for a while though as I don't feel quite so much like knitting snuggly socks in this weather. The five needles are a little daunting too!

I've also just recieved a lovely parcel of Merino wool tops from Wingham Wool which has inspired me to make some pre-felts ready for a new project. I have been in love with felting for about a year and a half now and it still amazes me how it felts with just water, soap and elbow grease. I'll be talking more about felting in my 'talking textiles' post next Monday if you're interested. Don't you just love getting new goodies? Even if you've had to part with hard earned cash to get them, they still feel like presents!! There is nothing quite like the start of a new project.

Crochet is My Frustration

Talking Textiles

Sadly this is not one I crocheted earlier! This is one I found at a charity shop and I love it. I can knit a tea cosy, I can felt a seamless bag, I can bake a cake, I can make handmade paper, I can cook a meal from scratch, I can even spin a skein of wool (well kind of) but I cannot crochet a granny square. No matter how many times I try- it just isn’t happening. I’ve watch endless utube videos, followed  attic24's wonderful tutorial/pattern and even went on a day course but I just can’t get it. It’s starting to really annoy me now. My squares are not square and I can’t seem to identify the right holes to stitch into. Don't laugh!

Somebody please tell me that I can master this. Someone out there please give me hope. I long for a perfectly crocheted square – not a blanket or even a cushion cover, just a little baby square! I can do the stitches on their own – chain, single, double and treble crochet but it all goes to pot when I try and make that square and I’m not even thinking about changing colours yet.  Help! It really shouldn’t be this hard – should it?

I wish I had lots of my own lovely crochet photos to show you but this is real life and the truth is I just don’t, but when I do, you will be the first to know. In the meantime I shall share with you my knitting project instead! Here is the finished tea cosy which I promised I would show you.

Anyone for tea? x

Saturday's Sewing part 2

Talking Textiles

Well I did it – I finished my skirt. I did have a little help along the way but I can honestly say I achieved my aim to make a garment.

As some of you will know I have been on a two part sewing course to make a skirt.

In this weeks lesson I learnt how to make a waistband and attach it (this was actually the hardest part of the project for me as the waistband was smaller than the top of the skirt and needed manipulating somewhat whilst sewing it on.) I found that I ended up having too much skirt material bunching together in one area and I had to unpick my stitches to smooth it out. Not sure how I’ll get on when I make one completely on my own. To finish the waist band we had to under sew just underneath the band, which was also a little tricky but I managed it by going very slowly.

We learnt how to do a button hole – not much to learn actually as the machine had an automatic buttonhole function which made light work of it. My machine is not quite so fancy so will take a little more effort.

After the buttonhole and sewing on the button, we just had the hem to do. I was sure it would be wobbly but it came out quite well.

So there you are. Skirt number one finished. I am inordinately proud of this achievement! I love it but now I need to buy a pretty top to go with it!

Not satisfied with one summer skirt I have been fabric hunting again. I was perusing at the charity shop last week when I came across a wonderful bargain - two duvets covers which look unused. They are both 100% cotton and were from Marks and Spencers originally. They have different patterns on each side which means four options to choose from and they were only £3.00 each. Can’t beat that really now can you? Here is a peek at my favourite.

I already have another skirt cut out and hope to do some more sewing whilst it’s fresh in my mind.

If you have never made anything I would encourage you to book on a course as it’s so much fun and you get something no one else has at the end of it. x



Saturday's Sewing

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was quite an adventure. As its Monday I'm talking textiles.

It was with great fear and trepidation that I embarked on my next mission- to learn how to sew a skirt. It wasn’t without its challenges. Firstly when my gorgeous Amy Butler fabric arrived it looked completely different to how it looked online. Yes, I probably should have realised it might, but it was a rookie mistake. Anyway it was a gorgeous pattern but I felt it was just toooo bright (looks lovely on the screen but the green is less lime and more fluorescent), rather too busy and would probably make me look several sizes larger. Oh well .. it’ll make a gorgeous apron. Better put that on my list. So I had to go fabric hunting again at the last minute.

I love fabric shops but I don’t get them. They are full of such incredible possibilities and yet I have no clue as to what each fabric is suitable for. I need a tour guide to point out what the properties are of each fabric and so I plumped for a fairly standard cotton (printed with a cord look and little flower print) even though what I really wanted was a thicker fabric more akin to what I guess to be upholstery fabric.

Armed with my supplies, the nervous feeling was replaced with one of anticipation and excitement. Off I went to my class at The Ministry of Craft in Manchester. On arriving, I was pleased to see we were a select few – just the four of us, which meant lots of personal attention. The tutor was very personable and made us feel relaxed. We watched as she demonstrated all the basics on the machine, the placing of patterns, cutting fabric and marking the darts. We all had a go at each step and then it was on to the sewing.

I was particularly scared of using the fancy machines. I have a bog standard Toyota machine and theirs were Janome machines (All electric buttons and fancy stitches). Once I got the hang of it, it was ok. We sewed our darts, our back seams and then it was zip time! The bit everybody dreads. It was a little tricky and I will be practicing some more this week just to make sure I can do it without guidance, but we all managed it.

Next came sewing up the side seams and using the over locker on the pressed edges. If you think a sewing machine is scary, it's nothing in comparison with the over locker. It's much faster and cuts the fabric so one wrong move and you could destroy your garment. I think after a few goes you could really get to like it though as it gives a very professional looking finish.
Then came the first fitting, which was another nerve wracking part of the process. Apparently after measuring we all had to make a size larger than we would normally wear due to the outdated measuring system on patterns. I always think my hips are humungous and was dreading the skirt not fitting but it fit nicely and I was sooo proud of myself. I can’t show you the finished article until next week as I’m doing the second part of the course next Saturday but please come back so I can show off a little bit! x

Knitting Therapy

Today I'm talking textiles again. Knitting is one of my favourite crafts. It calms me down when I feel stressed and I love the gentle rhythm of it. I also love the fact that there are so many types of stitches I can choose whether to knit something challenging or something relaxing depending on how I feel at any given time. On my needles at the moment is a tea cosy in the making. I have long admired the vintage tea cosies I've spotted in little cafes or at craft fairs and was really pleased to come across this pattern. It's been an enjoyable knit after I procrastinated for quite a while in fear that it was too complicated for me. The stripes turned out to be far less difficult than I first thought and it's been fun to see it take shape. It's just garter stitch throughout which means I can watch my favourite programmes at the same time. The ridges are made by pulling the yarn tightly across the back of the other colour on the wrong side. My only fear now is that I will run out of yarn before its finished and as it was bought as a kit I'm not sure how easy it will be to get more.

I also want to share with you one of my completed projects which I knitted on really big needles and I mean big. I bought these from Ingrid Wagner at  The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. (There is a photo of her knitting with them on her website.) She makes some really amazing things. I decided to start with a bag so I bought some different fabrics and cut them up to make strips, then sewed them together to make a ball of yarn ready to knit with.

The bag knit up really fast but the size of the needles made my arms ache after a while. I was really pleased with it in the end although it is a little on the heavy side. I think the big needles would be great for making cushion covers or rugs with. You can see the finished bag on the right in the side bar.

My next project will be to try to knit this lovely pair of snuggly socks. I've chosen the pattern from my gorgeous new Knitting book 'socks' by Chrissie Day and have ordered my needles and some lovely lilac wool. I have never knit 'in the round' before so I have picked some long slouchy socks in order to get plenty of practice before tackling the heel. I will definitely need some help to work out how to do that!

I will leave you with this true story I read recently about some knitters from Sedburgh, Cumbria. Apparently in the early 1900's knitting was a good form of income and in order to earn extra money Dalesman Farmers began to take up the craft. To increase their output they made special knitting tools called 'pricks' which they wore in their belts. These acted as a second hand, freeing up their own, for farm work such as milking the cows or churning the butter and they would do two jobs simultaneously. I couldn't believe it when I read it. Knitting with one hand sounds hard enough, without trying to do something else at the same time. Obviously, other people at the time thought the same, as these knitters became a tourist attraction and eventually gave up due to being too self concious. Their wives and children continued with the knitting. Several of the women were renowned for the speed of their knitting and became known as the Terrible knitters of Dent. 'Terrible' didn't refer to their bad knitting but to their quick pace. I certainly won't be winning any records with my knitting speed but I will show you my tea cosy when I eventually finish it. If you haven't tried knitting yet - watch one of the many utube video demonstrations and give it a go and I'm sure you'll love it once you get the hang of it. xx

Wonders of Weaving

Hellooo – happy Monday. Hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was magnificent in no small part due to the weather being distinctly spring like.

As it's Monday I am talking textiles. This is my first attempt at peg loom weaving.

Inspired by contemporary weaving with unusual yarns I had a go at making my first woven wall hanging.

The process was very relaxing due to the monotonous, rhythmic nature of the task and was it was ultimately rewarding to see the piece growing and developing. In the future I would love to weave with fabric and yarns I have dyed myself.

The beauty of weaving is that is can be done at a very basic level with young children or at an extremely high level on very complex looms. This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Farfield Mill  in Cumbria. (More about that on Friday) The Mill is a wonderful mix of the traditional and the contemporary and I got to see a traditional Dobcross loom being used. These looms were made from 1861 to 1970 and exported all over the world. They are extrememly noisy when in use and it is impossible to have a conversation when weaving.

There were many different sizes and types of looms to see and you could even try some out.

There was also an exhibition at the Mill called Pairings, by various artists from different backgrounds. These included cross-disciplinary collaborations from 32 different makers/designers. I was especially interested to see the pieces which incorporated weaving/glass and felt/glass. It's amazing what can be achieved by working outside the box. It got me thinking how I could merge different textile techniques in my own work.

(Margaret Eccleston & Kirsteen Aubrey -reflections on glass through weave structures) 

If you're interested in seeing the exhibition, it is running at Farfield Mill until Sun 3rd April.
Hope you're inspired to try a little weaving of your own. If you need somewhere to start check out this utube video. If you want more weaving inspiration take a look at http://www.sandrarude.blogspot.com/

Share your weaving experiences. Don't be shy. x

Talking Textiles - Spinning and Dyeing

In January I was at a vintage fair in Stockport and met a wonderful lady called Judith Beckett. I was looking at her lovely stall and we got chatting. She offered to give me a tutorial in dyeing and spinning yarn. I very quickly accepted her offer and just a month later I went to her beautiful character filled home for my tuition. She has an amazing ‘woolly room’ where the spinning is done, filled with her gorgeous wool skeins, books and equipment. I was immediately impressed and the session was every bit as good as I had hoped.

Judith taught me about mordents (which for anyone who doesn’t know are used to treat the fleece or yarn prior to dyeing it) Each mordent creates a different colour when the dye is added.

We used sheep’s fleece, natural and synthetic yarns which initially looked like this.

They were washed gently and were then added to a hot water boiler which was heated gently. The brazil wood dye was added in a muslin bag and the water heated to near boiling. Every so often we would check the colour and see the differences that the mordents had made.

Finally the wool was taken out of the boiler and hung up to dry. Gorgeous colours from very pale through to vibrant hues.

Whilst the dyeing process was happening Judith taught me to card fleece. It began with fleece looking like this

We first used hand carders which has a knack to it and takes a little practice. Then it was on to using the drum carder.

This produced a soft batt of fleece which is suitable for spinning or felting.

Judith showed me how to use a hand spindle which was really difficult and I was very glad to move onto using her beautiful spinning wheel. It was not as easy as it looks and at first the wheel went backwards when I treadled but I eventually got the hang of it. Ok, so I wasn’t great at it but with help I managed to spin a skein of wool which I was more than happy with for a first go! 

If you want to know more about the process or about Judith’s tutorials take a look at her link here.