By Helen

crochet for Christmas, part two…

I mentioned that there might be Crochet for Christmas part two: but it depended if anyone came along to the crochet course I was running at Grace and Jacob.  Well three people turned up: and so my fledgling teaching crochet career has begun. 

I had the most fun, and hopefully the people on the course did to.  We crocheted; Starflakes (blocked with water, pva and glitter), mistletoe and started to crochet Christmas puddings and robins.  Time went sooooo quickly, that the puddings and robins were taken away so that they can be finished in time for the big day.  Just look what the talented people crocheted...

Can’t wait to see some picis of the finished works: and here’s to more teaching crochet in the New Year…

inspiration from the knitting and stitching show, Harrogate…

 

Yesterday me and two friends took ourselves to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate: we had the most fabulous day, I just had to share some of it with you.  Not only were there lots and lots of stalls full of goodies to buy (and we did buy) there were also amazing displays, of all types of textiles, to inspire. 

The first thing that I was drawn to was, of course, crochet art works by the very very talented Samantha Claire…

I loved her mug warmers, something I must try and crochet for myself…

I loved the purple and the flowers on this fabulous quilt…

The colours were fantastic, not to mention the work which must have gone into the quilt.  It was all, yes all, hand stitched…

Downstairs, we came across these wonderful displays.  All knitted.  All inspired by children’s stories…

These projects were commissioned by Customs House, and the North East Maritime Trust, a group of knitters and stitchers from the North East of England. 

One of the stars of the show, had to be the village…

…this had been knitted and stitched by very creative people all over the country, as part of a completion, I thought that they were all brilliants and was very glad I didn’t have to choose a winner!  Although I did love the allotments...

Of course, we didn’t just look at the displays, we shopped.  Shopped and shopped and shopped.  I’ll show you a few of my purchases in a few posts time…

crochet wire course part two…

So where did I get to?  Oh yes, I was about to share with you some other amazing crochet wire work that the very talented ladies crocheted, on the course last weekend.  I hope you are ready for some serious ta-dah moments?

This is another piece by Julie, our tutor….

Isn’t it fabulous, the way the colours work together?  M decided that she was going to crochet herself a fully set of jewellery, earrings and a necklace...

I think that this is just brilliant, especially as the earrings match each-other!  Think making socks here, you have made one, you are really happy and then you realise... you have to make another, and it has to be the same!

The lady who crocheted this (sorry I have forgotten your name) took a very precise approach to crocheting, everything was thought out and counted, and what a result…

This is something that I can only ever aspire to.  It is not in my nature to be so accurate, but I do love, love, LOVE the results.

This is what A crocheted, a gorgeous sea blue necklace…

Isn’t it stunning?   A only learnt to crochet back in March. Yes March, this year.  That’s four months ago.  Just think what she will be crocheting this time next year…

It was a wonderful day.  A real treat.  An inspiring tutor, a wonderful workshop, infectious creativity and, oh, that lunch…

baking biscuits...

I woke up and felt like making biscuits for breakfast and in just have ten minutes the biscuits will be ready to come out of the cooker, all golden, yummy and ready to eat.  I am making lemon and cardamom cookies, the ones which feature in the Hairy Bikers’ book Bakeation, the same ones which I made a while ago.  Do you remember my moan about how I couldn’t find the cookie stamps to decorate the tops of the biscuits?  I looked EVERYWHERE.  In the end I did the only thing a girl, in that situation, can do:  I asked my Dad to make me some.  My Dad is one of those very clever people who can make almost anything, out of anything, if you show him a picture of it.   He didn’t let me down…

Aren’t they brill-i-a-n-t?  He is so clever; I think that they are just beautiful.   Dad isn’t a baker, so he didn’t realise the practicality of getting biscuit mixture out of the stamps.  Not all of them worked: I was only able to use a couple of the stamps.  The biscuit mixture just wouldn’t come away from the more decorative ones: it’s a shame – they would have made gorgeous looking biscuits.

Hang on a minute; the biscuits are ready to come out of the cooker…

…Oh dear!  The biscuits rose and spread so much that the patterns were lost in the baking.  Think that Dad will see it as a challenge to make some more with deeper and simpler patterns.

Still I have home cooked biscuits and fresh coffee for my breakfast…. ;-)

having a wonderful time...

Sorry that I haven't blogged this week: we have been away, having a wonderful time.  Here is a little clue as to where we went...

Yep, that's right we have been with the soft sweet showers of April to Canterbury.  I decided to be wholly cliche about the holiday and read the Canterbury Tales, something that I have never done until now.  I have to confess that I am reading a modern translation and in prose, but still, I think that Chaucer would approve.  So far, I am enjoying the tales.

Canterbury is a beautiful city full of amazing architecture...

Gorgeous gardens...

Fabulos tearooms...

Tiny Tim's was sooo good we ate there twice in two days!  We brought back a stunning little tealight holder...

The perfect souviner made by the talented people at Canterbury Pottery. 

All in all a wonderful mini-break...

wonderful day out, in York...

Yesterday Si and I had a wonderful day out in, our home city of, York.  We went around York's Open Studios... 

It is an annual event, usually for two weekends, where York artists are invited to open their studios, so that people can wonder round and have a look at lots and lots of different artists works.  A truly inspiring thing to do. 

My highlights included an amazing quilter Alison Bramley who really has turned quilting into an art form, producing contempoary wall hangings depicting a variety of subjects. 

We visited two fabulous textile artists Sandra Middleton and Carol Coleman who kindly shared the same venue, which saved our tired feet.  Their styles are very different, but both equally talented and inspirational.  They made be relies that I really, really, reaLLY, REALLY want to give machine embroidery a try.

My favourite studio had to be that of painter Lesley Seeger.  Lesley's work is so colourful, so zingy, so energetic, you need to see it.

The studios are open today and then again next weekend.  So go on, grab a brochure, download a map, put on a pair of comfy shoes and go and visit some studios.  There really is something for everyone.  You cannot fail, but to be inspired...

making up a gargoyle...

Remember the collection of gargoyle body parts that my amazing friends knitted for me? I managed to find the time to make them up. Actually I found the time a while ago, I have only just found the time to blog about it. So, without further delay…ta-dah…

My friend (who is a VERY VERY talented and competent knitter) did find the pattern a challenge to work-up, and I also found the making-up a bit of a challenge. There was some level, on both our parts, of interpreting the pattern and making some assumptions. But things seemed to work out.

My crochet brain kept asking why wasn’t this made in the round? It made me think of how I would go about crocheting a gargoyle…

…that will have to wait for another day…

Today I have to work on an order for a hat, a cowl and a scarf…

To the hook!

Please note

The knitted gargoyle was placed in the garden on the last sunny day we had. He was placed there only for the photograph for this posting. He does not live in the garden. The stone gargoyle does reside in the garden: but he is hardy and tough and has lived there for at least eight years. No gargoyle was hurt in bringing this blog to you.

 

making up challenge...

One of my friends is a brilliant knitter.  Somehow I managed to persuade/con/bribe her into knitting me my very own  gargoyle.  Somehow she agreed!  The deal was that she would knit and I would do the making up.  She fulfilled her part of the deal, so now it is my turn.

I have a bag full of gargoyle body parts, ready to turn into the finished article...

I'll let you know how things work out..!

Ps - a MASSIVE THANK YOU to S for knitting this: a MASSIVE THANK YOU for labelling all of the body parts: you are a true star :-)

making up challenge...

One of my friends is a brilliant knitter.  Somehow I managed to persuade/con/bribe her into knitting me my very own  gargoyle.  Somehow she agreed!  The deal was that she would knit and I would do the making up.  She fulfilled her part of the deal, so now it is my turn.

I have a bag full of gargoyle body parts, ready to turn into the finished article...

I'll let you know how things work out..!

Ps - a MASSIVE THANK YOU to S for knitting this: a MASSIVE THANK YOU for labelling all of the body parts: you are a true star :-)

inspiration from the knitting show...

Like I mentioned in my last post  I would share some of the most inspirational things that I saw at the Knitting Show.  Here goes...

This amazing Christmas Tree was knitted and crocheted by over 700 people, as a fund raising project  for Livability a charity which supports disabled people, offering them a choice about how they live their lives.

More information about the Christmas Tree can be found HERE and HERE -please take a look and support this great cause.

Katie Jones won first prize for her entry into the Hand Knitting Association...

It is fantastic to see crochet been used in this way: and holding its own along side knitting!

I just had to take a picture of this...

How cute are they?  A knit your own nativity! 

Which reminds me, to remind you, only twenty-four days to go: make sure you have opened your advent calendar or lit your candle!