ICA Book of Crafts

 

The lovely folk at Mercier press have sent me a lovely package! Two copies of their latest publication, The Irish Countrywomans Association Book of Crafts! One copy I will be reviewing in the coming weeks for The Woolly Way of Ireland blog, (which will probably be covered in drops of tea and biscuit crumbs by the end, as I ogle the absolutely beautiful photos). The second copy will be given away as a prize on The Woolly Way. The competition is open from now until the 4th of December!

The Gift

I don't often blog about books, which is actually surprising, since I'm a total bookworm, and obsessively collect craft books. I rarely buy new books, I find them far too expensive, and there's almost too much choice! A strange complaint, I know, but I find most bookshops, like yarn shops, overwhelming. (I love finding a good book in a charity/secondhand shop, it makes the find so much more special, when you find it amongst trashy fiction!). So, I though I'd start writing about the books that have influenced me the most, either directly, as in a practical craft books, or indirectly inspiring!

Cork Cycling Festival 2011 and the History of Silk in Ireland

This years Cork Cycling Festival runs from Saturday 16th July to Sunday 24th July 2011. So, the piece I made for the Kerry Bike Festival is on its way to Cork, as this year they are sharing the Visual Arts Exhibition. (See this post!).

Its looks set it be a great festival and I hope to make it down one of the days. I am delighted however to have sold the piece, so it wont be coming home!! It was going cheap, but I was in the midst of Body and Soul chaos, and couldn't face the thought of it coming back, so its better to put an affordable price on it. Also it was all made from recycled materials, and just because its in a gallery doesn't mean it has to be over priced. With the proceeds I bought this book.

Just published, its written by Mairead Dunleavy, who sadly passed away last year. But I'm sure she would be delighted her book was published, because if it hadn't, we would have lost a gem. I have another of her books the excellent Dress in Ireland, a bible for Irish textile history. It is such a shame Dress in Ireland is now out of print. There are so few books on Irish Textiles, and written by Irish people.

I'm on a mission to try collect all the books on Irish textiles I can. I must compile a list here, so if I'm missing one, you good folks can tell me.

The International Freeform Fibre Arts Guild Book 2010

The International Freeform Fibre Arts Guild Book, 'Somewhere in My World' is now available on www.blurb.com

I had said in my previous post, that the monies raised will go to the Mercy Corps, INTFF fund, but they are also going to go towards KIVA www.kiva.org. Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. A fantastic way to give money directly to the people who need it.

"The 2010 International Freeform Fiberarts Guild show, "Somewhere in My World", includes 61 freeform fiber artists from all around the globe.
 The artists were given the choice of creating one freeform piece interpreting the theme any way they chose using any materials and any techniques.

The artists were not restricted to scrumbles and many of the pieces are wearable art and sculptural as well. None of the artists saw each other's pieces until the online show was published."

The books cost €24,95 for paperback, €35.95 for Hardback (Dust Jacket) , and €38.95 for Hardback (Imagewrap). Postage to Ireland costs €5.99. You can pay by PayPal.

It's a lovely book, full of fantastic pictures, and little thoughts, poems, etc, lovingly put together by Myra Wood. And it's for a good cause


http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1390468

International Freeform Fibrearts Guild

WWKIP, pears, exhibitions and books

I went to the World Wide Knit in Public event, which was on in The Crafty Alley shop in Killarney on Saturday. It was lovely to get a few hours off, time to have a nice relaxing latte before going to meet some fellow..knitters. Well, I didn't bring my knitting, but my crochet of course! And I successfully made half a pear, while chatting continuously to ladies I have never met in real life before. Two I had met in our Munster group Shebeens, the only illegal pretend drinking den in Ravelry! It was a lovely afternoon, and hopefully we'll meet up again. The Crafty Alley is going to start a weekly knitting circle, and the two fellow Ravallers want to organise a monthly meet-up, which would suit me much better.I'm trying to learn how to use a sewing machine properly, and the pears are my first real project, where I'm making up the pattern. It took 3 goes at the pear before I could get the pattern right. Whereas one go at crochet, and it was done. God, I love crochet! I have some really ugly large cushions, with torn covers, and I've wanted to make something fun out of them for a while now. I'm going to make some large fruit-shaped cushions, and I want some sewn and some crocheted, as I dont have time to crochet them all. I tested my sewn pears on my toddler. As I made each one, I gave it to him and asked him"what's that?". If he gets the answer right, its right, so third time lucky! So we had a ball, then a ball, then a pear!! (He loves them, he won't go to sleep at night without his balls...crazy kid... I know he's going to hate anything to do with fabric and fibre when he grows up...)

As I mentioned before, I had a few pictures accepted into the online International Freeform Crochet Guild exhibition, but this year they are doing one for real. All the ones in the online exhibition were invited to send their piece into a real exhibition. Its at the The San Luis Valley Folk Arts and Fiber Festival. And this baby is winging its way to the States as we speak, to be part of the exhibition. Its exciting to have a piece in an exhibition with the likes of Myra Woods and Prudence Mapestone, the Queens of Freeform!!


This is a sneak preview of the pattern that has just been accepted into the Crochet Liberation Front's Third Ever Book. It's a Silly Monster Peg/Pin Bag. Once the book has been published, I'll put up proper pics, but for now, you'll just have to wait!! Thanks again to my merry little band of helpers who tested out the pattern for me.

Garden, more books, Spindles and spinning, and other home crafts

What fabulous weather! Its like the summer we never had last year. Or maybe its our summer for this year, so I am determined to enjoy every minute of it. I haven't been blogging as much, even fleeting visits to Ravelry, because I've taken up gardening. So, between the spinning and gardening, I actually haven't made anything in ages.

Garden
At the moment my garden is a mess, but it is a genuine Work
in Progress. I do apologise to my neighbours for the unsightly black fabric/cardboard and seaweed coverings, (especially those trying to sell there houses!). But as I'm going au natural, organic and all that, this is the only way to go. It is hard going getting a garden started, takes up a lot of time, but once I have the beds established, it shouldn't be so hard. Less digging thats for sure! I have started a course at the local Community Organic Garden, just 3 hrs a week, but its great. Great for learning, chatting, and getting free cuttings. As well as the herbs and veg I've started a dye/fibre garden. So, as this blog is supposed to be all about textiles, I will only bore you with the dye-garden. So far I have planted rhubarb, goldenrod, marigold, teasels....


More Books
I am a book worm, in fact I would say its my only serious addiction. So when I came across a fellow Irish Raveler selling these books, I just had to have them. 2 books on Freeform Knitting and Crochet, a book on felt, and a Prudence Maplestone Never Enough Handbags! Then along comes another offer. Natural Dyeing, by Jackie Cook, I have a copy of this book from the library, which I have renewed and renewed for the past few months. Hogging it is an understatement! Then Laura, of Aran Brew fame, spotted it for 5euro in Borders bookshop in Dublin. Being such a lovely lass she got it for me, and posted it down. Thank you!

Spindles and Spinning
At least I'm back spinning again. We have all recovered from our various sicknesses, and I can spin away to my hearts content. Thought I am confining it to one room, just to stop the bits getting everywhere. I finally got my DIY spindles finished. I got a small branch of ash, and whittled it down to fit onto the spindles. Slightly tapering it so the spindles would fit snugly. The great thing about my whorls, is one stick fits all, so I got to practise with the different weights. Now I know it depends on what fibre you are using, but my favourite is the disk whorl on the left. For the fibre I was using it spun really smoothly.













So, as I said I'm back spinning again. Out came my spinning wheel, and I finished off the brown roving I got from Kerry Woollen Mills, and I then started using the merino/silk mix I got from Stephannie of The Yarn Room.

After the rough, tough Kerry fibre, the silk/merino was just lovely, but needed a a good twist, and I'm not sure if I did it tight enough. I just made it 2ply, maybe next time I will make 3ply. Then, it occurred to me, what will I make with my first lot. The bobbly- uneven-over-under-twisted-first-ever-hand-spun yarn. Its too rough to make clothes out of it. It wouldn't look good as a hat either. So, humming and hawing, not wanting my lovely first born homespun to end up as garden string, I decided to make it int a coiled basket.

One of my favourite books is the Complete How-To Book of Indiancraft, by W.Ben Hunt. or as I call it my how to be an Indian book. This book is great, full of everything from beading to weaving, totem poles to ti pees. There is a basket weaving technique for making Coiled Grass Baskets, using Lazy Squaw Stitch. I have made one before and they are easy enough. I've just started the base, and will gradually add all my spinning mishaps to it.

Home Crafts
Since I didn't really have anything new and finished to show off, here is some other projects I have done. Over the past year I have been doing up my son's room. Trying to make it more enticing for him to stay in bed in the mornings, (what a surprise, it isn't working). For some reason its my favourite room in the house. Blue is probably my favourite colour, I have to admit I like having a boy for this reason..

This is a foam protection cushion thing, I made for his bed. He's a mover and shaker, even when he is asleep, and so was constantly bumping his head.

It runs the length of the bed with ties on each end to keep it in place. Its very light and I even bring it with me when I'm staying in someone elses house, so I don't get woken up with cries about bumps in the night!

This is a lovely old stool, that had the most disgusting rotten fabric covering on it. Someone was throwing it out and I took it in. I had plans to sand and varnish it, but me being me never got round to it. Instead I kept the distressed look, simply stripped away the old fabric and foam and covered it with some fabric I got from the remnants box. No sewing involved, simply staple-gun the fabric over some fresh foam, (leftover from a foam protection cushion thing), onto the original board


So, now its sorting and packing because I'm off to the wilds of Mayo for the weekend, for toddler to be doted on by his granny, and for me to be blissfully ignored...I normally bring some handiwork with me, but this time I'm not bringing anything. Just a few books, so I can chill, read, and probably drink a lot of wine..

My Books

I have owned and lost some beautiful books over the years. Some were borrowed and never returned, some simply vanished between various moves across the country. Mostly its my fault, for some reason I hate asking people to return things, maybe its an Irish guilt thing. Maybe its because I hate feeling attached to things, things that can be lost, and pretend I dont need or want them.

My first real book trauma, was when I moved from Dublin to Dingle, Co. Kerry. I ended up selling about 6/7 cardboard boxes of books to a bookshop for €50, because he was the only one who would collect them. I hadn't read all of them, but I had read a fair few of them. I had no choice, as all I could take with me had to fit into my mums car, (which at the time was a small Fiat Uno). Duvets, clothes and music also had to fit in there as well.

But I actually miss some of my lost craft books. The Japanese Macrame one, where the illustrations are so good, you don't need to be able to read Japanese (gone at least 10 years). The beautiful, History of Beads, with pull out timeline, and amazing pictures, (also gone 10 years ago). The Directory of Crochet Stitches, which had how to do Aran crochet (prob gone about 7 years). I suppose if I trawled though the net I could find these books again, but I cant remember the name, publisher, etc. Since I get most of my books second-hand, I feel they will come back to me again that way, also I just cant afford to buy them all.

But, since settling down (sort of, I've been in the same house for nearly 3 years, huge achievement on my part), I have created what I think is a fantastic craft library, and I'm going to be possessive and not lose them! I have now developed an upstairs/downstairs system with my books. Downstairs, in the sitting room, I mostly keep novels, reference, etc. Books I don't mind lending out, that I don't mind not coming back. Upstairs, I keep my prized possessions, my craft books, and my favourites, mostly children's illustrated books. Honoured guests can be brought upstairs to admire, discuss but not borrow...

So, just incase I do, stupidly lend one of my beloved craft books, and not ask for it back, I'm going to create a book list, with name, publisher, ISBN, etc...I will be editing this page continuously as I go through all my books, and slowly create a catalogue. If there is any book on the list you covet, (be honest, you covet one or two of them, I did, that's why I bought it!), feel free to ask about it.

Updated to say a big Thank you to Lauria for leaving a comment, and telling me about Librarything. I have been a bit scared of joining Library type things online for fear of seeing too many books I like, but this place is fantastic! If they have my recent purchase of Viking Age Headcoverings from Dublin in their data banks, well, then they must be good.... Here is my new Librarything page
(I am currently looking at the books beside me and adding them in, this could take me all night when I'm supposed to be making a tea-cosy. I know that sounds like a cliche, but I am actually making a granny square tea-cosy. So, I'm going to do a shelf every few nights, first shelf now added!!)