Merry Go Around: Collaboration Project

Today I want to show you the start of the collaboration project we were due to have finished by today... Unfortunately I didn't get chance to finish what I wanted to make. As most of you know I have been laid up after an operation in mid December, so this in effect is a cheat post... I started the project a month or so before the op!

Ok, so the idea behind this was that we each give one other person in our Merry group a supply item... I sent some fibre to Agathe and received a cute little Bird from Ruth.

I was stuck for ideas at first, but knew that I needed to make something new for the shows next year, either the start of a new demo project, or a new finished piece... but what to make?? Then it hit me, whilst shopping. I came across this inexpensive wire framed jewellery stand in the shape of a bodice and it propelled me back to my fashion days... I've always had a thing for historical costume... so I bought it.

 Then I needed to start some research... I love French costume, so thought what about something a bit 'over-the-top', 'tongue in cheek'? Marie Antoinette struck me as a figure to find pictorial references to... I came across this book (I imported it from Canada on Amazon, but you may be able to pick it up here in the UK too.)

 'Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution' by Caroline Weber. I must confess I haven't read it all, but the picture plates, are fantastic to work from (although there aren't may).

 I started by attaching a wet felted ball as the head (using this method http://www.youtube.com/SARASTEXTURECRAFTS#p/c/493775A723A57580/0/sOl-RXkq4Bo)

 Then I added some Merino and Silk, which I had hand dyed for the hair.. pink, I know but I did say 'over the top'!

 I wanted lots of height, so added the blend in ruffled sections.

 I used some Blue Faced Leicester hand dyed fleece for curls... this I bought, i must confess, as I didn't have time to dye my own.

 I framed the face and sections of the hair with curls...

I then added a feather for drama... Below is where I have used Ruth's bird... not quite finished yet, but it will be part of the headpiece.

As you can see I have a way to go... I need to finish the head piece and then dress the bodice. This may be an on-going project!!
Sara x
Materials available from www.sarastexturecrafts.com  

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This post was part of a blog Merry go Around, where I have got together with some friends to talk about a similar subject on the same day... a nice way to meet people!

Mitsy at MindArt - http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com/
Kim at Vilt a la Kim - http://viltalakim.blogspot.com/
Sara at Crafts of Texture - http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com/
Fabienne at Easterya Jewellery Creations - http://easterya.blogspot.com/
Mariana at Florcita - http://www./florcita.eu/
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent - http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com/
Lily at Lily Pang Art and Design - http://lilypangart.blogspot.com/
Ruth at Birdland Creations - http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com/

Forgot to say...

When I'm up and feeling well enough i'll probably be knitting or something... I shall post pics at http://sarastexturecrafts.tumblr.com/

See you soon,
Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Closing the Crafts of Texture blog for Christmas!

Hi,
I'm having to close up shop early this year, as I'm due in hospital for an operation next week. So I guess this means I won't be blogging either... although I do have a Merry go around post ready for late december!

I will be back in january, hopefully bright eyed and bushy tailed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE and lots of love to you and your families.

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/  

Stashing yarn and things for my Christmas break...

It's true I'm stashing like crazy, as I know I'll get itchy fingers!
I got myself a new book, 101 designer yarn stash wonders, edited by Judith Durant as a starting point for inspiration... not sure really what I'll get finished as i do have a few existing projects, but just in case!

Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Customer Photos: Pia's spinning and knitting.

Pia is always an inspiration... her way of working with colours often makes me think of different ways to use the fibre I sell and different ways to create fibre too.

 Here is some kool-aid dyed Jacobs and below is one of my green merino shade packs...

It makes me want to spin lots of stripes now!
Sara x
Materials from: http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Loop - Sit and Knit A Bit Project

Here is a project I wanted to blog about a while ago... I came across this, or rather they found me at Exeter's Knit-Expo. I wanted to pass on the information, just in case anyone was interested in participating in their knit project.

loop - sitandknitabit

100 Events for the 100th International Women's Day

100 Million Stitches for 100 Million Women

Tuesday 8th March 2011

http://garterstitch100.posterous.com/

WHAT ARE WE DOING ?
•holding 100 Events on the 100th International Women's Day
loop
•knitting 100 million stitches to represent 100 million women
sitandknitabit


WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
It is estimated that 100 million women are missing from the world today due to gender discrimination. Each stitch will represent a woman missing: discriminated to death or vanished from the global population.
Some of the reasons women are 'missing':
•gender provoked infanticide and abortion It is impossible to gather statistics on the number of girls who die annually from infanticide. Calculations are clouded by the nature of the crime, and by ambiguity and unrelability of much of the data. Nonetheless, a minimum estimate would place casualties in the hundreds of thousands. Sex-selective abortions likely account for an even higher number of 'missing' girls, and is a crime overwhelmingly commited by women.
•sex trafficking and slavery Again, the nature of the crime makes statistics and estimates difficult to rely on. A 2009 UNIFEM report estimates that the number of trafficked persons range from 500,000 to 2 million per year. In India, the federal police say that around 1.2 million children are involved in commercial sexual exploitation.
•prioritising resources and medical care to men in communities [eg vaccinations]
•lack of education education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace. Non- discriminatory education benefits men and women, boys and girls. In 2008, UNESCO's statistics from 157 counries indicated that only one third of countries has reached gender equality in both primary and secondary education
•preventable complications in child birth which needlessly claim one woman a minute
We wish to take a fresh look at the challenges women face today in:
•governments Women make up less than 20% of UK MP's. The UK now stands at 52 in the international league of women's representation in parliaments - about level with the United Arab Emirates and below Afganistan, Rwanda, and Iraq. Lack of equal representation has direct consequences on policy making and the therefore the lives of everyone.
•workplaces 96% of executive directors of the UK's top 100 companies are men. 40 years after the Equal Pay Act, women working full-time in the UK are still paid an average of 16.4% less per hour than men. 30,000 women every year lose their jobs as a result of becoming pregnant
•homes 1 in 4 women in Britain will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime, many of these on a number of occasions
•in the media statistics everywhere show what we know in our guts. The roots of women being valued for their physical appearence, analysts say, are economic. By presenting an ideal impossible to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet and clothing industries are assured of growth and profits. Research also indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self esteem and unhealthy eating habits. It's also an all consuming obsession of our time which distracts from more pressing issues...


We wish to open conversation and debate about women in the 21st century.


It is important too to look at the faces of the ladies who have made positive change, whose shoulders we all stand on today, and to recognise their work and achievements in creating a fairer, more beautiful world for the women and men who live in it.

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Those balls of wool, those small bits of creativity in baskets in corners of room. To connect them all into a blanket of that creativity. Those moments of meditation carved out of women's busy days. Into a blanket.


Why the big blanket?
It is estimated that 100 million women are missing from the world today for reasons which can fall under the title of gender discrimination. These reasons include gender provoked infanticide and abortion, the sex slave industry, and the channelling of reasources and medical care to the men in communities first (eg vaccinations). They include the consequences of poor education, and preventable complications in child birth, and conditions like fistula.

We are trying to provoke Scotland into asking questions regarding women in 2011 by collectively knitting between 60 and 100 million stitches to exhibit as a beautiful and poignant centre piece to loop.

We are asking you to get involved.

How? sitandknitabit.

PLEASE NOTE:
- your knitting will be well loved and cared for wisely during and after the event.
- we plan to support relevant charitable organisations on a local, national and international level. Details to follow.

PLEASE KNIT:
We're estimating that to gather that amount of knitting, we probably need around 600 squares every day between now and the end of February. If you think this is a movement worth supporting, either read on to see the many different ways you can get knitting and get everyone you knitting, or use your imagination and contribute in your own way.

It's a challenge. There are many different ways we can make it so:


1 KNIT a square and send it to us:
Guidelines: 6 x 6 inch squares using any yarn or needles, as many as you want, by hand and by machines.

Where to send it:
sitandknitabit
c/o Tramway
25 Albert Drive
Glasgow
G41 2PE
Scotland
UK

2 SET UP a sitandknitabit
sitandknitabit is a knitting station that is available in a public place for people to come together any time and knit.

Currently we have:
1 - Tramway, Glasgow [the one in the video at the bottom]
2 - Artisan, Gibson Street, Glasgow.
3 - Please let us know . . .
We are hoping that you might feel inspired to find similar ways of bringing this project more people.

In coming together, ideas are shared, valuable time is spent with valuable people from all generations, contributing to a movement which affects everybody. These times have so far been precious, contemplative and hugely enjoyable.

Please keep in touch with ideas and inspirations and we will do likewise.

Can't make it to Glasgow?
We have friends knitting in New York, Colombo, Perth [Austrailia] . . .


3 SHARE it with a knitting group [or start one . . .]
We would welcome videos and photos of women and men knitting and telling their stories:

Who taught you to knit?
What does knitting mean to you?
Who has knitted you something treasured?
Story of your favorite blanket, or stories from your life: of discrimination, burdens, secrets, glories, love..?
Set the group a target - i.e. 100 squares / a blanket banner . . .

Here are some charities we think fantastic and relevant, but there are many and you are free to choose one you think deserving too:

The Fawcett Society, Glasgow Women's Library, Care, Tostan, Apne Aap, Equality Now, The Fistula Foundation, The Self Employed Women's Association, Women's Campaign International.

How to get the perfect 6 inch square, no matter what your yarn / needle size:
cast on 3
skip 1, k1, make 1, knit to end of row
repeat this until the side of the square is 6 inches (15 cm)
knit 2 rows straight
skip 1, knit 2 tog, k to end of row
repeat this until 3 stitches remain
cast off


Can I do something other than a square?
Of course you can!
You could cast on 100 stitches and knit 100 rows.
You could cast on 10 stitches and knit 10 rows!
You could think of a woman you are knitting for and stitch her name, favourite colour, smile into the yarn...
You could knit a massive blanket with the face of a woman you love.
You could knit a landscape / a world map.
You could knit names you have been called, times you recall.
Whatever you do sitandknitabit...

If you want to get involved, please do check out the link - http://garterstitch100.posterous.com/pages/100-events
Thank you...
Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Customer Photos: A Monday Mosaic!

On this wintery Monday I thought I'd brighten up our lives with a little look at some of my customer's work.

1. red mits made with red and white Merino by Creative Bumble Bee, who is always a colourful felter.
2. Flower Picture made with merino by Nikki, who is very new to felting and doing a wonderful job!
3. Dusk made using the merino/silk blend by Puddytatpur, whose lace spinning blows my mind!
4. Mitaine Feuilles made using merino (I think) by Dans mon corbillon, whose work I am in awe of... love the use of texture!

Sara x
Materials from: http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Yard Sale 5th December Cancelled!

I'm sorry Folks, although the snow is slowly dissappearing there is a heavy ice here. I daren't let anyone onto our concrete back yard (not without ice skates anyway!), just in case someone injures themselves. We are also due more snow this weekend, which would make things worse.

So I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel the Yard Sale on Sunday 5th December.

Sorry about that... I do hope to plan some new dates soon, so do please keep an eye on the website.
Sara x
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Hand dyeing and Spinning

I've been dyeing Blue Faced Leicester (BFL, from my shop) with the remnants of dye stuff I had from my yarns... slowly it is drying and I'm able to spin it.

 This is colour 'Day Dream'... it spins up a more muted version, which is fine as this gives me that day dream effect.

I'm hoping from January to start hand painting more BFL for the shop, so you can try it too.

Sara x
Materials from: http://www.sarastexturecrafts.com/

Yard Sale or to not Yard Sale?

We had snow last night... Not loads, but enough to turn to ice if temperatures drop again. So I'm keeping an eye on things while I cut for the yard sale. If it looks like it could be dangerous, then I will call off the sale.

In the meantime, back to labelling my handspuns!
Bye for now,
Sara x
Www.sarastexturecrafts.com

Knitting Swatches

I've made up quite a few new colour selections for my handdyed yarn range.



So now it's time to swatch, so that I can show you how they knit up.


Above is colour 'Spring Fresh' on double knit Merino, which I made a while ago.


This one is my next swatch, colour 'Rainbow' in Shetland Aran.

Bye for now,
Sara x
Www.sarastexturecrafts.com