Knitting and Stitching

Next week I am of to Alexander Palace for the Knitting and Stiching show, The International Felt Association have a stand which I help man, spend hours demonsrating. There are lots of stalls selling wonderful goodies and great exhibitions. The best of the textile students degree work is shown which is wonderful, i alsways love it, may see some of you there.

Seem to be busy, not much felt making. Good times with HOPS, lovely outing to river, See HOPS blog. Celebrated my Birthday, one daughter came and cooked dinner, really lovely. Son phoned, eldest daughter did send email, Alison and Oskar! their web sight is on my blog list, if you want a yoga holiday in Cambodia.

Proxy grand daughter made me a really rummy cake.



Have played with raw fleece, just got some lovely Gotland and Wenslydale, so no excuses.



Quite like dead animal look.

Just made a cushion for a friend's daughter, who was married recently in Greece.Always hard to do gifts for people who already have a home that you have not seen, and they will have to take back to Greece.




Very envious of all who went to MFS, especially those who did Vilte's raw wool workshop,have tried won piece my self, must do more this bit is still wet so shall see what like when dry and I can fluff it up a bit.

My 3 day summer school at Adult education was cancelled because there were not enough students, five signed up but 3 were concessions so finances did not add up, I was looking forward to it despite other commitments, i always enjoy a three day class as students really get a lot done.I went to Goddington Gardens to hang Decopodastica it looks good in an alcove in the Italian Garden.



Friday I took HOPS,(the club I run ) to watch Polo, my niece and her husband demonstrated the skills needed, then a group of children they teach played a match, See it all on HOPS blog.

Bag by Student



A student who attended my bag class sent pictures of her finished bag and the purse she made from her sample piece.It is so nice to see the finished piece of work made my your students. It was the first bit of felt this lady had made, a great effort on her part.

Having read about Suzann's pod she hung in the garden and a bird started nesting in it, I thought I would post about a piece of my felt.




CHAIN MALE, When new in an exhibition


I put it in our garden, in the shelter we call the bus stop for some obscure reason,






The first year a robin nested in it's head but got disturbed, may be the Magpies, since then birds have taken wool from it, slowly it is disintegrating but interesting to watch.










I intend to put Decopodastica in the garden and photograph it over the next two or three years

I have just spent a couple of days in Somerset, was very blessed with lovely weather, had a morning in Wells, and the cathedral, it is such a beautiful building.



The scissor arches are amazing, well worth a visit. The altar frontal are displayed round the walls some amazing work,designed by Jane Lemon and Maurice Strike.



I really loved this



A boat
Home of a fish a man
that once rode a stormy sea
and from which nets were cast on the
the right side
now lies
abandoned

Broken and holed

Empty and silent

The shell of a past
from which
on white steps,
life went forth

it was made by Anna Sikorska

After Lurch in a great pub in Mells we visited the walled garden, what an unexpected delight, it used to belong to the rectory and is medieval, a jumble of wonderful cottage garden plants.














of course I came home with some plants, unfortunately not the beautiful "Black Lace Elder"

I also went to Stour Head and walked round the lake, very grand but prefer the charm of the walled garden, where you could eat a cream tea sitting on a bale of hay covered with a rug under an old apple tree with a rose climbing through it, just perfect in the afternoon sun.






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