A look back to the Knitting & Stitching Show

Hello and I hope you're keeping warm and cosy. I've been outside to break the ice in the bird bath three times today, at least, having also made sure I topped up the peanut feeders too. I'm still phone-less, therefore camera-less, so no new pictures of what I've been up to today. Which is a shame as I finished making a mini fabric garland and am pretty pleased with it. Oh well, that'll wait for another day. In the meantime I've been delving into past photos and decided to show these pictures instead.

I went to the Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show back in 2017 (and there was me thinking I'd gone a couple of years ago. Crikey, time flies!) It was a great experience, masses of exhibits and inspiration and opportunities to shop. My photos aren't the greatest, but they're a record of what I saw that caught my eye. I'll say upfront that I don't always get the maker's name in the photo, which is a shame as I'd have much prefered to credit the stitchers/crafters/artists involved.

It was the bird - a raven I think - in the centre of this display that I admired the most. So much character in the way it's depicted.

More birds for us to appreciate.

This was an immensely powerful piece by Hilary Hollingworth, about the 17th century Lancashire witch trials. (More info about the Pendle witch trials can be found here, if you're interested.)

These fibre sculptures were strange but beautiful.

Admired this quilt, and especially those magpies.

More birds! I love this recreation of a Ladybird book cover.

And finally this exhibit was very pleasing. I even managed to get the signage in, didn't I?

Hope you enjoyed that brief virtual walk around the show. I think I ought to set an ambition for myself, to one day get something of my own work displayed there. No idea how I'd go about that, but it's always good to aim high. And after all, stranger things have happened ...

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're ...

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