Tag Archives: blog

Help please!

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Is it just my computer or does everybody reading my last post see some text to the right of the main section and have the links and email subscription button etc. moved down the page to the left???  I do want to upload some more workshop pictures taken during my amazing US trip and I also want to write about my favourite finds in Rhinebeck but I don’t want to play around with things too much and stuff the blog up totally.  What is going on???  Is it just me or can everyone else see what I do?  Thanks for the suggestion Lindy but you look great in the pictures so I don’t think that is the solution!!!  Comments please ……

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Weaving through the trees, first images of felt bag and Wikio ranking

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Day two saw everyone moving to the Feltmakers Ireland studio in Phoenix Park for the morning session before heading back to Collins Barracks for the afternoon.  Logistically this meant that we needed to bring all our relevant materials plus our work from day one with us. Because I had worked and felted my bag the previous evening I was free to start developing my theme further as well as have some time to absorb all we learnt on the first day.  Annette had asked friend and workshop helper Cristina to bring some balls of cheap yarn with her and we started the day by having a fun session weaving the yarn through the trees.  For anyone not familiar with Phoenix Park it is the largest park in a Capital city in Europe so we had plenty of trees to choose from!!! 

Weaving through the trees

Sunlight filtering through the threads

Jeanette suggested that we either allow ourselves to  get lost in the weaving and just enjoy the moment or else contemplate the different ways we were all connecting and how the many strands ultimately conntected and became one big web.  Needless to say this was great fun!

Today I am going to show you two detailed images of my bag, the full bag will be revealed in the next post.

Looking into the bag

What lies beneath

Lastly today I want to let everyone know that Wikio are launching a list of the top UK and Irish knitting blogs on Monday and amazingly Clasheen is in the top ten!  Here is a sneak preview of how things are looking …………

1 The Woolly Adventures of a Knitting Kitty  
2 Wendy Knits  
3 Little Cotton Rabbits  
4 Fourth edition  
5 Dyed in the Wool  
6 KnitWit  
7 Yarn Mistrys  
8 Confessions of a YarnAddict  
9 Clasheen by Nicola Brown  
10 Confessions of a Graveyard Gypsy  
11 Cakeyvoice  
12 La Belle Helene  
13 Art Yarn  
14 Dreamcatcher ~knitty in pink~  
15 KnitCave – Ramblings of an Obsessive  
16 Quelle Erqsome  
17 KnitKnack PaddyWack Give a Blog a Home  
18 All Fingers and Thumbs  
19 Frizz  
20 Fiona’s Knitting  
21 Heldasland  
22 Glittyknittykitty  
23 Chopped Tomatoes –  
24 Square One  
25 Witty knitter  
26 My Knitting Machines And Me  
27 Enchilada Sunrise  
28 Woolgathering  
29 I made this  
30 Simply Knitting  
31 The Wildcraft Blog  
32 Dots or stripes  
33 KTOG – ‘Knit TOGether’ group for North Hertfordshire.  
34 Knitting & Other Stuff  
35 MAZZAM AGAIN  
36 Claire knits and crochets  
37 Chang Knits  
38 KathrynsKnitting  
39 Stitchin’ Bints  
40 Carefree KAL  
41 Knitted ramblings  
42 Yarnspider  
43 Girl, Purl and Two Knitting Needles  
44 The mogs blog, the meanderings of a cat through yarn and life  
45 Cheviots  
46 Spinning Against The Tide  
47 KNITMAN  
48 Blueadt_knits  
49 Canny Cat!  
50 Knitting Mummy’s Everyday Life  
51 Daisychains  
52 Thumb gusset  
53 Skein  
54 Fyberspates  
55 Lizzy knits  
56 Lixie Knits It  
57 Mooknits  
58 Musing and doing  
59 Purlpower  
60 Roo Knits  
61 Sajona’s small world  
62 Slippedstitch  
63 Spinning Fishwife  
64 The Virtual Princess and the Pea  
65 Annarella  
66 Carpe diem!  
67 PurlyQueen  
68 BananaKnits.com  
69 Minxxys World  
70 COMING UP BLANK  
71 Emma & Co.  
72 ROR Sitemap for http://www.knitorama.co.uk  
73 Sweetpea Blogs  
74 Knitwise  
75 What Katie Did  
76 Morecambe  

Ranking by Wikio

It is possible to submit your own blog to Wikio for inclusion and I think that it will be interesting to look through some of the above blogs whenever I get a free minute!

One more day to go!

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Only one more day of canvassing and then the electorate vote in the local elections from 7am – 10pm tomorrow. Felting has really taken a back seat over the last couple of weeks but as soon as the weekend and the count are over I will be fully up to speed again, hurrah!! My biggest concern then will be preparing work for 2 upcoming exhibitions (one to be hung next Thursday!) and sorting out my wrap up presentation about my Craft in the Classroom project which takes place on Saturday 13th June. Although I ususally work pretty well to a deadline I definitely will need to prioritise over the next week and don’t want to feel rushed when creating the work for either show. My plan is to create some small and medium sized felt pods which I will suspend in a cluster and I also need to make a large rug/wall hanging expanding the concept of ridges and bumps as with the swirling water sample piece. Off now to get on the campaign trail again, I look forward to properly continuing with this blog next week!!

Experiment with plastic, awards, spiral neckpieces and production line of prefelt

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Detail of plastic onion net in felt

Detail of plastic onion net in felt

Here is an image as promised of the experimental piece I felted using wool, silk, alpaca, scrim, mohair and an orange plastic onion net.  Using a typical Irish seascape for inspiration I created a wet felted piece suggesting rocky pools, frothy water, fishing nets and swirling sand.  It was great fun to do and now I am going to ask all my pupils in Leitrim to collect these nets as I really think that we can use them in some of our work for ‘Craft in the Classroom’.

I had a great evening at the Irish Blog Awards in Cork on Saturday.  It was a LONG drive up and down but well worth the effort, stylish hotel (amazingly the Cork International Airport Hotel!), the ladies tea party was a hoot and the ceremony itself great fun.  Congratulations to ‘Irish Blogger of the Year’ Suzy Byrne who’s blog Maman Poulet won the gong Best News/Current Affairs Blog as well as the top award.  You can check out all the winners in the various catagories and a big word of congratulations to Damien and all his crew who organised such a great fun event.

I was pretty tired yesterday after my 6 hours driving so decided to relax by making two more spiral neckpieces (pictures in Flickr), very relaxing!

Today it is back to the grindstone as I have a production in line up and running making prefelt to use for my first session in Leitrim this Wednesday.  I have decided that since we will be having a 2 hour ‘taster’ at the school the best way of ensuring all the pupils make a successful piece of felt in the allocated time is for them to lay out their design on a backing of prefelt, hence the production line!

Some projects finished and Irish Blog Awards

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Well, the challenge as issued by Jo-Anne and Ann has actually spurred me on to finish some of my projects, amazing!  Yesterday afternoon I made and fitted (simple task so why could I not do it before) handles for 3 of the bags and then in the evening strung 5 long streamers of glass and felt beads ready to assemble into a mobile.  I have had a couple of ideas how to suspend the mobile, this afternoon or tomorrow I will try and get this piece finished and decide which method to adopt.  If the weather is clear later this morning I will take some pictures of the work in progress.

I was pretty excited to learn that a friend has nominated me for the ‘Newcomer’ catogory in the upcoming Irish Blog Awards!   This is a great vote of confidence although I guess that I need a few more nominations to be in with a shout of getting through to the next stage.  The awards take place in Cork this year on Saturday 21st February and I have booked places for me and Alan.  Podcamp was great fun in Kilkenny during the early Autumn and I am looking forward to meeting and catching up with many of the people who I met at that event. Nominations for the awards must be in by 6pm Irish time on Wednesday 14th (next week) so if you have some favourite Irish blogs get cracking, it’s probably best to get them by Tuesday to be on the safe side!  Nominating a blog is a simple procedure procedure, just click here, choose the catogory, give the blog address and a short reason why you would like that particular blog to be considered.  Obviously you may nominate different blogs in various catagories but don’t nominate the same blog in several catagories or you will get the blog barred!

Craft Gossip and feedback please for felted road sign

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Interesting Craft Blog

Interesting Craft Blog

Many thanks to Linda Lanese from Craft Gossip who has just written an article about me and put it up on the internet!  Craft Gossip have all the latest news from real crafts people telling you about the real stuff.  They scour the net looking for the best craft ideas and projects and review them for you.  Craft Gossip have divided their blog into many sub-blogs covering topics including knitting, crochet, bath and body,  jewelry making, scrapbooking, sewing crafts, recycled crafts, needlework, edible crafts, indie crafts and of course felting.  Each of these sub-blogs are managed by their own dedicated editor so you know that you are getting personalized attention, click here if you would like to meet the editors.

FEEDBACK PLEASE I started my felted sign last night having decided on  ‘Studio open’ for the wording.  It would be great if some of you could leave a few comments regarding what wording you find works best for you personally, I am still not sure should I have felting on the sign, felt, studio, my name or any combination of the above!  Please leave a comment on this post if you have ANY advice or words or warning.  Thanks!

Blogging Friends Forever Award

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Thanks so much to Micki who has given me this Blogging Friends Forever Award!  Micki is an American living in beautiful Donegal who is passionate about quilting, embellishing, felting and all fiber arts.  You can catch Micki’s blog Irish Muses and enjoy some of her favourite music by clicking here or following the link in the blogroll on the right.

The rules for this award are that you …

  • link back to the person who gave you this award
  • give this award to four dedicated followers of your blog
  • present it to one person who is new to your blog and lives on the other side of the world

The people that I would like to give this award to are Joni Phippin, Sylvia Oreifig, Mary Dawson, Dawn Edwards and Martin Lyttle. 

Yesterday I had my interview for ‘Craft in the Classroom’ and should get to know on Monday whether I am selected for the project or not.  I am really hoping that I will be chosen as one of the participating artists because it would be a great oportunity to work with primary school children and introduce them to the art of feltmaking.  On Sunday this weekend I will be having a small stand at a local craft fair so am busy today making some more scarves and putting a few things together that I might need for the day.  Because of all the work that I have been doing recently for the 2 exhibitions I don’t actually have a lot of stock lying around.  I am not going to worry unduly about selling work but have decided to do a few demos and advertise my felt making classes in addition to displaying work.  If anyone is interested in coming along the event takes place from 12pm  until 4pm at Boats Bistro on the Carlow side of the river at Tinnahinch, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny.

Finishing some felting items and swap news

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Yesterday I put the last finishing touch to some of the items that I have sent out in the Autumn swap.  These necessary but fiddly touches really defeat me sometimes so it was really good to have a deadline to work towards, things like putting poppers on bags and sewing pin backs to brooches, all the little SEWING details!  Anyway it inspired me to get out those bowls of felt beads that I have just waiting to be put to use.  In the afternoon Carmen arrived and we spent the time happily sewing beads around the edge of a hand dyed silk scarf (Carmen) and stringing several simple but attractive necklaces (me).  Today I actually have a couple of things to do outside the house but intend on spending some time tidying out the studio, or at least starting it in preparation for a marathon day tomorrow.  I have organised a neighbouring farmer to help me for a couple of days before next Thursday, he has some fiddly but essential outdoor tasks and I have those essential but horrible indoor tidying tasks to complete before the first of my evening classes starts next week.  I am also going to be finalising Mehmet Girgic’s workshop dates today so keep your eye on the blog, they will go up as soon as they are organised.

By now all of out Autumn swaps should be in the post.  I have a small confession to make, I missed the post yesterday so appologies to my partners, they are posted now but you will be getting your parcels one day late and I really have no excuse except confusion and distraction!  Next time for the swap I may set up a group on Flickr to run everything through.  Things were a bit confusing here and I actually am involved in a couple of swaps (really enjoying them!) but operating through my Flickr account would mean that I would have less chance to miss anyone out or have any errors. 

My swap package arrived from Anna, thanks SO much Anna for the fantastic painting and the great cards.  I actually admired the painting on Anna’s painting blog at the weekend so was absolutely amazed when it arrived in the post yesterday!!  I am also looking forward to making the delicious sounding bread, it should tase great made in the Rayburn.  Please email me images of your swap packages as they arrive if you want to and I will set up a page on the blog so others can see them as well.

Congratulations to Feltmakers Ireland

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Just a quick note to congratulate Feltmakers Ireland on their great new blog!  Check it out and whether you are an experienced feltmaker or just starting out in this fascinating field I would encourage you all join our group.  Earlier in the year I participated at a weekend ‘Felt In’ with some of the members and it was a really fantastic experience, great crack and very informative.  I know that another weekend away is on the cards so why not join up, come along and participate in the fun!

Autumn swap update

I just realised that of course we are not all in the same time zone therefore I will wait until tomorrow morning to do the draw for our first ever swap!  If you would like to join in the fun you have just a couple of more hours to either reply to this post or send me an email.

Images from my course with Mehmet Girgic will be posted tomorrow!

Fun afternoon Felting!

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I have just finished a fun afternoon felting and chatting with Carmen!  I needed to complete some pieces to show the curator how I am progressing towards my work for ‘Breaking Out’, an exhibition with the Crafts Council and really had to get stuck into things this weekend.  Because of being totally tied up with the organisation of the Irish Green Gathering recently and having had that accident with the glass I have really not been actively creating as much as usual.  It was great to get stuck in and work towards a couple of pieces that I have had in mind for some time.  When I was up in Enniscrone recently I collected shells, stones, seaweed and driftwood from the beach.  I also managed to find a great piece of polished horn which takes pride of place in a chunky necklace that I finished this afternoon.  Hopefully tomorrow I will get a couple of pictures of the work up on the blog, fingers crossed that my photography will be passable after the beautiful images that Bernie McCoy took not so long ago!