Post Dingle Harvest Picnic with the Kerry Bicycle Festival!

Incredible! That is the only way to describe the day that was the Dingle Harvest Picnic. We had sunshine, kids on bikes, chilled out parents, workshops, talks, and SUNSHINE!! Its amazing what a sunny day does to Irish people these days. It was almost overwhelming, to be able to organise something outdoors, and not have it cancelled or moved because of bad weather...We had an escorted cycle around the marina and town before heading up to the town park for a day of fun and frolics. Talks, workshops, music, and even the match (Del-boy style, a TV on top of a van!)

Curation Masterclass

I'm just back from a few days in Kilkenny, the nerve centre of the CCOI. I've been attending a series of Curation Master classes, the first time the CCOI have run workshops on the craft of curation. (And believe me it is a craft; an elusive, time-consuming, art-form that, I believe, involves a huge amount of craftiness in order to succeed).

Well, I only actually attended a couple of the series, because I couldn't make it to all of them. But I was very, VERY, lucky to have attended both of the classes that were facilitated by Freddie Robins and David Littler. Two incredibly inspiring people. Its impossible to really describe what actually went on in these sessions, which were a 2 day conversation about curating contemporary craft. But here’s is some of the key words... well, an awful lot of key words...(I do like a good word cloud...)

Halloween!! (but really its about the Retro Romp)

Only 8 days to Halloween!! My favourite time of the year. (And 11 days to the Retro Romp!!) Luckily the Retro Romp ties in with Halloween, or my son wouldn't let me away the with the mess I've been making lately, (and the time I am spending, making the mess). We want some of the stuff we've been making, to be a surprise, so the picture above is a glimpse of some papermache I've been working on. If you pass by my house Halloween night, you might recognise those bones...

I'm really enjoying working on the Retro Romp. I haven't done papermache for years, or painting for that matter, and its nice to get away from woolly things, for a change. (Never thought I would say that!). We've pretty much made all the decor, mostly out of salvaged and recycled materials. What I love about it, is the fact we are trying to bring together some of my favourite things; crafts, music, dancing and people. And I'm working with some wonderful people, who want the same things!!

I've had a few people ask me why are we putting this on? Whats it for? I have an answer, a really good answer that will explain it all and sound really intelligent, deep and artyfarty. When I get my head around the spiel, it is there, I just haven't got the words right yet. And considering I have been up late painting every night, I doubt it'll come to me soon. So, for now I say, fun! Its for fun, do you remember fun, purely and utterly for a fun night, well, music, dancing and people.

McCarthys Bar, Retro Romp Photoshoot!

Felted Crochet Hook Bag

I'm having a little lull in activities, well, I mean the crafting activities. (Not the toddler, garden, shopping, cooking, washing activities, that's just standard relentless. Thought how could you not indulge that face...)
I needed a break to just sit back, and well, tidy. Oh, the endless sorting of the supposed studio! I have gone to extremes and decided to completely compartmentalize myself. It's the only way of saving me. I have a needtoknowpathic need to know where everything is. That perfect button, that scrap of fabric, I haven't seen in 10 years, etc...so, I went shopping in Argos and bought boxes. I have spend days thralling through my lovely collection of old suitcases and wooden boxes, and have gone plastic. To this..It has already inspired me. I found a few pieces of felt, and decided to finally make myself a decent crochet hook bag. I have meant to make one for years, but couldn't get my head around what I wanted. I really enjoyed working with Felt again for the CTN exhibition, and loved doing this even more. Its a mix of wetfelt, needlefelt and stitching, and has got the sparks going...

Sorry, having a bad photo day. Felt is one of the hardest things to photograph. When you physically see it, the uneven edges add to it. On a photo they just look wobbly...

Still, its appropriate that I'm re-discovering felt, since October 3rd 2009, will be the very first International Day of Felt! Have to get practising...

Wordle - Words and Colour!

This is a Wordle. a great way of creating word clouds from, guess what,

words. Any words! You can just type in any words you want, or you can link

it to your blog and it will create a word cloud for you!



You hold the copyright of the image, so you can print them off, onto

cards, t-shirts etc..



Images of Wordles are licensed                                                                                                









Haven't figured out how to get them the size I want yet though...

The Clear Out of the Doodle Box

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from a word, a thought, a doodle you jotted down years ago.

When I finished 2 very busy years at art college, I had to move out of my house fast (long story, not going there), I had to throw out nearly everything I owned, give away about 10 years worth of books, and it broke my heart. Since then I have become a hoarder. I have suitcases of photos stashed under my sons bed, I have boxes of pages, doodles, drawings, leaflets, that will someday be useful. I have heaving bookshelves everywhere.

Well, now all my yarn and textile equipment is taking over, and I need space. So, I'm doing a clear out of my doodle box, but I just don't want to throw some of these out. Some of these doodles took me hours, bring back happy memories of hang-overs and pretending to be working. As one collage said one day, I know your not working, I can smell the marker!

So, I've decided technology is going to help me out, and I am going to scan in all my doodles, so apologies if you get bored over the next month with daily updates of doodles as I clear out the boxes...At least I know where I can find everything. They are here!

These are sketches I took from various books on Folk Art in the library in Turku, Finland. There is something about Finnish design that really appeals to me. Well, I've kept these for over 7 years, they would want to!

Joseph Albers in Lisburn!

I've just heard there is a Joseph Albers exhibition on in Lisburn! I have never seen an exhibition of his, and its of Silk-Screened prints, which I do like....I have his book, Interaction of Colour, which I enjoyed. Yet I read it with a kind of, HA!

This new way of looking, is actually a re-working of a lot of very old textile techniques, of dyeing and colour blending for Tapestry..Lucky for him his wife was a textile genius. Anni Albers was behind the incredibly successful textile workshops at the Bauhaus School. The only financially successful workshop, I might add. So, I reckon, its the great woman behind the man syndrome...

Now I've just checked a route planner, which according to the AA Ireland, is 280.00 miles away, roughly 5 hr 55 min, without pee stops, food stops, tractors, road works, etc...

It probably isn't worth a 6/7/8 hour drive, but it is tempting because its history in the making. I'm a big fan of the whole Bauhaus scene (the art movement not the band. Still you cant beat, Bela Lugosi's Dead...). Klee has a special place in my heart, as does Kandinsky....

I used to move house every couple of years, even months at one stage of my life. And now I have been living in the same place for a few years, and the same County for several more, my hobo tendencies are starting to get a bit rattled. I'm like that girl in the book Even Cowgirls Get the Blues: that starts to hitch-hike around the room because shes going mad living in the same spot.

I do feel like hopping in the car and taking off, but maybe I should find something a bit closer to home...In fact I should be working on several projects but feel a bit lackadaisical at the moment.

• I have to make a kids knitted cable cardigan for someone...
• I have to try get something together for the Crochet Liberation Fronts Second Ever Book
  
• I have to go to Galway to collect my inkle looms (again sorry, I haven't done it sooner)
• I have to start my bloody Etsy shop!
• I have to sort my workroom, its a mess
• I have to start thinking of ideas for the latest Cork Textile Network exhibition...
  
• what else...tidy the garden, start getting my early spuds together for planting, make something for my ma's approaching birthday, take-over the world....(na na na na na na you cant help doing the theme tune to Pinky and the Brain after that one..I used to have it as a ring tone on my phone..)

And now for something completely different...Psychiatrist Dr Karen Norberg, of National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, spent a year knitting an anatomically correct replica of the human brain

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