Off the Grid a Bit

It is entirely too long since I posted last, especially since I had vowed to start posting more regularly than my once a week routine!  However, it seems like  life is rather conspiring against me.  Major change of diet has me a bit distracted while I go wheat/dairy/corn free.  I'm getting the hang of it now and it's going well.  Then I fell into a more than full-time job and that has kept me REALLY busy.  Nothing to get excited about, but I do have to take a break from creating full-time to pay the bills back down and reassure my lonely bank account that I do not intend to abandon it (and possibly reassure my bank of same).  I am not giving up felting, just spending more time experimenting and ENJOYING felting, versus producing on such a high level.  As sales are not great in craft at the moment, I can't justify spending so much time and money there.  It's nice to enjoy the nice weather and relax a bit without last year's incredible pressure to produce and sell.  Anyone would lose their mojo in the midst of that!

Bin Ban Beach in Dingle.  The weather has been pretty
good this spring!

And, sadly, my mother passed away last Saturday, April 7th in Seattle.  She was ill for a long time, but she rallied back from death so many times that we began to think that she just wouldn't succumb.  In the end she did pass rather quickly (and mercifully) and it has been hard for me and Fionn to be so far away.  I had two rough days and now I feel numb and rather shell-shocked, like I could go to bed and sleep for two weeks straight.  But I decided not to take any time off as I thought sitting around the house thinking too much wouldn't do me any good.  I don't think its all really sunk in, to be honest, but it will.  When one or both of your parents pass, it's a milestone; the people who loved you the best and the most are gone.  Thankfully I still have my father.

For now, I am keeping it pretty simple.  Still working on a freestyle crochet cardigan that will be done soon and I need to get cracking on a baby blanket for my new niece who will be here in May at some time.  I started deep cleaning the house, which I am sure must be one of the little-talked about stages of grief.  I may not be the most mentally healthy, but dammit my house will sparkle!  I also am working on felting and patterns for new items, but its all in a muddled state--pics to follow!

Enjoy the spring and I hope to have some decent pics soon as I can't keep cleaning the house at this pace!

Kerry Christmas Market

I've been a bit quiet lately, but I haven't been idle!    I am putting together a big two-day Christmas market for Kerry food and craft producers.  Sales this year have been so poor, that we really need a good event to give us a boost for the holidays.  And it's really shaping up to be a great event!  Lots of fantastic vendors and the Díseart will be beautiful for the weekend.  As Santy himself is too busy to leave the North Pole at this time of year, he has sent two fellas to stand in and make sure boys and girls are being good and are really deserving!  Saturday Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh will be present as Dadaí na Nollaig on Saturday and on Sunday Brendan Griffin will be with us.  Great fun!  Santy will arrive via Dingle Jaunting car at 12pm on Saturday and on 1pm on Sunday.  Loads of details to see to in the final planning, but things are going well...

Another craft fair done yesterday and it was pretty dismal for all, if I am honest.  Most of Ireland is full of anxiety at the thought of the year's budget being launched tomorrow and are just afraid to spend.  We are promised another year of woe and punishment.  I am not sure how many more years of this average people can take.  The politicians have given themselves raises yet again.  It is beyond a disgrace to cut hospitals and creches and people on low income and then to give yourself a €27,000 wage increase (or one for your friends).  I am not sure if people aren't too downtrodden to riot at this stage, but most other countries in Europe would be raging.  Hard to say if it would actually do any good.  It makes keeping a cheery Christmas attitude that bit more daunting, I tell you.  I'd love to say that things will bounce back in the New Year, but I think people are largely thinking craft is a luxury and it is just not on the list of things to purchase.  As well as excellent value, it must be said that not all craft is expensive.  And the negative repercussions of buying overseas imports can be seen as close as our neighbors.  We all buy a certain amount of things that are made out of country, but Ireland has lost so many jobs in the last 3 years that it is critical to keep that money in our economy.  And if people aren't buying craft at Christmas, then I fear for sales the rest of the year.

Tree top angel,  Handmade out of pure wool!

Meanwhile, the craft club is going strong.  We made these little ladies last week and were working on felt Christmas ornaments this week.  I think the last session before Christmas will be Christmas stockings.   I am making these angels for hampers for Bluíríní Blásta Cafe for the next week.  It's all go!

Rolling in November...

Merino and silk hat with resist
patches--looks fab on!

I've been busily felting for a pop-up shop that is opening in Limerick.  New hats and scarves are on the way.  All things going well, I will need to felt more!  Here are two new hats. Both are merino with silk pieces and hand-dyed.  The turquoise one is finished, but I have to think about the burgundy and see if it might need another bit of embellishment.  I have three new scarves I felted and dyed yesterday that need ironing and labels sewn in.  


I'm working on samples to send to Boston for a shop there.  I need to send my lovelies out into the world as the sales in Kerry just aren't enough.  I don't make as much money per item, but I am not making anything in Kerry!!  The studio is great and has put me in great space to produce a lot more, so now I need to put the head down and get some serious production going.  


Deadline is fast approaching for the Dingle Christmas Market (November 11th).  Participants must be in Kerry and all goods must be artisan produced/handmade.  I really want to showcase the talent in the county.  If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with me and I can forward you an application (087-9111793 or leave a message here).  Price is €25 per day and I would prefer that you are present for both days.  I know its a long way to travel, so if you come up with friend, I can assign you space next to each other so you can watch each other's work and not have to be there both days.  I am hard at work on all the details.  It promises to be a great weekend!!

Merino and silk pieces, hand-dyed.  I think these needs a
bit of bling yet!

I also wanted to let you know about an Indoor Christmas Market in Kenmare, Co Kerry. They are looking for potential stall holders that sell Irish Crafts and Christmas Gifts. The market will run from Dec 1st to 31st, 10am to 6pm. Prices depend on size of stall and are very affordable. Contact Sue O'Neill at 087 765 3319 or Anne-Marie on 064 6648907 to reserve pitches. Kenmare is a beautiful place and well worth visiting, so let's keep spending our money on original craft this year. 

 Buying Kerry goods = keeping Kerry jobs.

Hikes and Tests and Christmas

Crocheted hat with hand-dyed red flower &
glass seed beads

I am starting to get that frantic feeling, like time is running out and I need to find a way to duplicate myself so that I will have MORE of what I need.  This week seemed to have so much crammed into it: Scouts meeting, craft club, special orders, planning meetings, Scouts hike, Dingle Business Chamber meeting, and insurance company issues.  It's no small wonder that I have had a hard time finding time to sit down and read my road theory test book, but I spent my day off yesterday reading the dang thing.  I think none of you will be surprised to know that it isn't the most interesting reading.  I have the test on TODAY and the good news is that most of the info was repeat on the test I took 28 years ago in the US.  The Irish government seems to think that they hand out driver's licenses on street corners with reckless abandon, but I did take 3 months of theory and driving lessons before I was allowed to sit my exam.  Ugh.  So aggravated to have to do it again, but it should be over with today and then 12 driving lessons and I can take my road test.  All the drama of this I don't need.

I've been finishing hats like mad and put in an order yesterday for supplies so I can start felting like a lunatic. I have so many hats and scarves to make and so many test pieces to get right so I can start making more.  I have a pile of finished product to upload onto Etsy, if I could find 2 hours to do it.  I ran out of labels to sew into my hats and ordered more, so that will be another relief.  I want to close my studio door and stop answering the phone so I can really concentrate.  I must find a kind of Zen calmness of I will not make it through the busy holiday season...

Craft club going well and we finished the books!  Pics to follow as haven't uploaded them yet.  We felted last Saturday and will cut them into strips and the girls want to make bracelets, so stitching and beading this Saturday--all good!

As much as I would like to rest now, I must get ready to head into Tralee to face the music.  Wish me luck on my second driving test!  

Crocheted hat with orange & yellow
flower and seed beads

Merino, Alpaca, and silk pieces resist-felted
and hand-dyed.  Hand dyed star decor &
beading!

Keeping the Faith

New hat: merino, alpaca, & silk fibres & pieces.  Decor
in progress!

I try not to be a worrier, but it is very hard not to at times.  And these are worrying times that we are living in.  Quite a lot is changing quickly and we are coping as best we can with limited resources and changing incomes.  But I also reach a stage where I think "To Hell with it!"  Either the hard work pays off or it won't.  Either you can make a difference or you won't.  I take time out to think and find the solution for myself and just keep plowing on...

So, I am relieved to see modest progress with my new workshop space.  Craft in Kerry is no longer part of the Handmade Sessions as the summer was just too slow and the guild did not have the resources to keep going forever.  I personally paid out quite a lot of money from my own resources and that could not continue.  I took over the place as a studio/teaching space for myself as of September 1st and things seem to be falling into a nice routine.  The kid's Dingle Craft Club started yesterday and I had a good start.  It will pay the rent and keep me going while I work hard at developing new hats and scarves.  I am looking into exporting as sales are just too slow in Ireland.

Closeup of the texture of merino and silk

I will be on the food trail of the Dingle Food & Wine Festival with Blúiríní Blasta cafe (located in the Seal Sanctuary in Lispole).  The girls make WONDERFUL food, but also sell their homemade jams and are developing other products for sale in their cafe.  The are going to be making their homemade jamtastic cakes for the trail and I will be felting.  Should be great fun!  

I have a whole pile of new hats that are ALMOST done.  Mostly the finishing decorations.  So, it will feel good to put four new hats out by end of day on Tuesday and start work on yet more.  Being productive is a big relief for stressful money juggling!

So, these developments are good. Yes, I would love to be making actual money instead of breaking even, but sometimes you just have to keep going and hope for the best...

New fabric collage for my Green & Gold window that
is going up very SOON.  The All Ireland is next Sunday,
so it has to happen soon!

Heritage Week is Coming...

 Celebration of Traditional Crafts withCamphill Community and Craft in Kerry

Ceardaíocht Traidisiúnta a cheiliúradh le Pobal

& Ceardaíocht Chnoc an Choma i gCiarraí

Join Camphill Community and Craft in Kerry craft guild for our day of traditional crafts for Heritage Week! Try your hand at weaving, candlemaking, wood turning, felting, and more! Food & drink available & great family day out. Music and facepainting. Cost:€5 (fund raiser for Camphill)

Many thanks to Kerry County Council Heritage Office for their kind support!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

1-5pm

Bín Ban, Dingle, Co Chiarraí

087-9111793

I Been a Busy Girl...

Seattle Seahawk-inspired felt scarf

It's that time of year when we all disappear and relax into the summer, stealing away for a holiday or two--everyone except me!  This summer has been non-stop.  It's no joke trying to get a new business off the ground in the current economic climate.  I am not giving up yet, but this is the slowest summer since I moved to Dingle. People are now here, but they aren't spending.  So, we have a good week and then a bad one to balance it out.  Is it too much to ask that we have two good weeks back-to-back???

I've virtually moved my studio onto the premises or else I would have nothing made the whole summer.  My new line of scarves are coming along nicely, felted with 19 micron Australian merino and resist-dyed.  I need to get quite a lot felted this week as we have events coming up.  August 19-23rd Craft in Kerry will be teaching, demonstrating, and selling at the Rose of Tralee Festival.  Hopefully the crowds will be there and the atmosphere great!

Fionn at Fota Wildlife Park.  Our campground
was so close that we could hear the lemurs
when we got up!

Then August 28th we have a Heritage Week event at the Camphill Community in Dingle.  They provide support and training for people with special needs.  They have a 44-acre farm and make and sell for the Dingle Farmer's Market.  We will be co-hosting a family traditional crafts afternoon at the farm, with weaving, wood turning, felting, ceramics, crochet, and candle-making.  It will run 1-5pm on the Sunday, with a suggested donation of €5 towards Camphill's fundraising efforts to build a home on the farm.  Kerry County Council Heritage Office has been most gracious in assisting us and we are now just hoping for decent weather for the day.  There will be face-painting, music, and food, all going towards the good work that Camphill is doing.

And after that, I need to start wrapping my brain around Culture Night, which is Friday, September 23rd this year (and International Day of Felt, not long after!).

Meanwhile, we have another Women's Woolly Day Out on Saturday, August 13th from 1-5pm.  Come by and learn to felt a scarf and then resist-dye it--head into autumn with flair!  It should be great fun.  Ring 087-9111793 to pre-book your space as space will be limited.

We did manage to go camping last weekend.  I hadn't been camping in twenty years and let me tell you: it's easier to get up off the ground when you are younger!  Even with an air mattress, that first push up off the ground was brutal!  But it was great fun and many thanks to Scouting Ireland's Fota Campground.  It was just adjacent to Fota Wildlife Park and we were a high-spirited group of 17 camping Scouts.  We learned how to clove hitch, lash, and frappe ropes to make a large tee pee out of rope and logs.  Can't wait to do it again.!

A proud Crafty Bootcamp student--her Australian flag
pillow

Flying through July

New 19 micron Merino and silk fibre scarf.
Resist-dyed after felting.

When I look at the calendar, it's hard to believe that it's the 17th of July already. The Handmade Sessions is taking a good bit of time, but I have succumbed and moved quite a lot of my studio down so I can get some of my own work done and still be opened for office hours and inquiries. I've got quite a few scarves felted and that takes some internal pressure off as I was starting to stress that I wouldn't get any personal work done this summer AT ALL. I felted a handbag on Saturday that I think will turn out well.  I dyed it and left it to dry overnight, so pictures to follow during the week.

We also finished the first week of summer camp and I found it a real pleasure to teach the girls.  Not only were they very enthusiastic, I found it easier to teach them than adults because the minds of children are wide open and creative; they don't second guess themselves or worry about how their designs will appear.  They just get on with it!  And it was lovely to see such confidence.  They produced great work: Felted book covers that they stitched afterwards, dyed cotton fabrics and rovings/yarns, patchwork pillows, and they tried crochet and found it difficult.  I let them off the hook as they did so well in everything else.  They were excited to enter their efforts in the Agricultural Show in Dingle this weekend.  See my Facebook page for the photo album.  Tomorrow starts the next cycle and so we'll have to see if I end up with such a great group again!

It was a busy week last week.  Lots of teaching and administration to cover, not to mention a visit from my boss in Tralee and the new Harry Potter movie finally arriving!  Needless to say, Sunday was spent planted firmly at home coming to grips with the disaster of my home.  With the wind howling and heavy showers, I could hardly wash the windows, but everything else got a good scrubbing!  Dull housework done, I think it's time for a cup of tea!  

I love how the blue and purple came together: cornflower

Hand-dyed yarns & rovings.  Despite the wet week, I
did get quite a bit dyed.

Crafty Bootcamps from Handmade Sessions!

A Participant in the wood carving Session.

The Handmade Sessions/ Seisiúin Lámhdhéanta are open and teaching, but it's a bit of a learning curve, to say the least!  Lots of promotional material distributed all over the county, but it just takes time for people to know that you are there. Quite a lot more local people coming in for Sessions than visitors, which is surprising, but great news for the state of craft in the county!  


Monday we are getting started in our Crafty Bootcamp, a summer camp for 10-15 year olds in our venue in Dingle, Co Kerry.  Live from John St, we will be teaching felt, stitch, dyeing, crochet, patchwork, and drawing.  It will be a very busy week!  We have room for 12 students for the Monday through Friday camp. The fee will be €60 with materials included and I can give a small discount for multiple bookings.  We will run every week until the end of August, so that's what I will be up to for the duration of the summer!


I am excited, though!  Children from 10-15 years are generally very enthusiastic and well able to follow directions and get stuck into a project.  It's wonderful to spread enthusiasm for craft and show them how satisfying it is to create objects by hand, to say nothing of the fact that it will give them appreciation for the time and effort that goes into it!


Meanwhile, I am just grateful that the time of cleaning, dead spiders, and painting is over.  I don't mind spiders, but the sheer number of them was a bit unnerving.  

Minister for Arts, Heritage and
Gaeltacht Affairs,
Jimmy Deenihan, launching
Original Kerry.

The other milestone is that Original Kerry is launched!  The website is lovely and live, due in large part to the great efforts of Deirdre Johnston, the craft coordinator for the county.  Check it out at http://www.originalkerry.com/. Craft in Kerry is under original producers and "mixed craft," which is a little confusing, but we are there! There are Original Kerry gifts and the three new craft trails that have been established to show off the fantastic artisanal talent that our county boasts.  Most of the stops on the trail are interactive and allow for people to view craft being made.  Hop in the car and take a look at craft being developed--it's a great day out.  

Handmade Sessions

Crafty Boot Camp

Participants will learn craft technique in the following areas:

Felt—stitch a sampler, make a small handbag or pair of cuffs

Making a felted book cover...Crafty Bootcamp
will be felting, among other crafts

Stitch—embroider and embellish a felted & dyed piece; hand sew patchwork wall piece.

Dyeing—dye wool yarns for crochet, fabric for patchwork & merino for felting

Crochet—Learn to crochet a scarf, e.g. basic single and double crochet which can be adapted into larger projects

Patchwork-dye fabric and cut and sew a pattern for a small wall hanging

Drawing—learn to draw and keep a design & idea book

For more information on the Crafty Bootcamp, email handmadesessions@hotmail.com or ring 087-9111793.  Craft is for every day!

Mastery, Anyone?

Hand-dyed lambswool hanks 100g

It must be Sunday, because I am sitting here at my computer trying to put together another blog post! Despite the best of intentions, I only seem to be able to put together one, perhaps two, posts per week.  So much going on and no time to write about it. Nationwide was a great success and we are all just composing ourselves and trying to take in the spotlight.  I think we all appreciated the spotlight and here's to hoping that the artisans that need Craft in Kerry find us!  Sadly, they edited out our contact details in the interview, but people are quite good at Googling these days, so they should find us either on  our blog on  http://craftinkerry.blogspot.com/ or on our Facebook page.

Mosaic felted wrap by Pam de Groot

Our craft showcase went well and I have plenty of hand-dyed yarns left, if anyone gets itchy fingers to start a new knitting or crocheting project!  I need to get busy as there are plenty of new babies showing up in our circle of friends.  A friend of mine, having her third baby, was sure she would be overdue again, but that baby just could not stand the idea of hospital and she ended up delivering him HERSELF in the bathroom!  I about died when she sent me a text with the news.  Mother and baby are doing wonderfully, but if that child doesn't deserve a special present, I don't know who does.

The big push now, besides the Handmade Sessions, is Pam de Groot's master level dyeing and felting workshop that will be held in Dingle, Co Kerry on June 17/18/19, 2011.  The 17th will be a day of resist dyeing to prepare for the 18/19 felting days.  Pam is Dutch by way of  Australia and in Ireland for a short time.  Her work is mainly in mosaic felting, which is comprised of individual panels of pre-felts that are inlaid or tiled and then felted into another, larger piece or garment (thus mosaic).  Much of her work is in wearables and they are very beautiful; more examples can be seen here http://pamdegroot.blogspot.com/.  The workshop will allow time for participants to dye the silk and felt pieces on the 17th and then make the prefelts on the 18/19 to end the weekend with a unique and fabulous piece (or two, if you are quick and ambitious!) to wear for the cold weather months.  Pam also does quite a bit of natural dyeing and I am hoping that she brings some of the eucalyptus that is native to Australia as I have seem some of her work on her blog and the end result is really lovely.  A day of experimenting with dyes and two days of felting with talented and interesting women--HEAVEN!

Mosaic felted tunic by Pam de Groot

Cost for the three days of master level work is just €150.  A deposit secures your place and I have just a couple places left.  Originally, I wanted to start organizing these workshops in Dingle as there isn't much outside of Dublin or Cork.  It would be nice to have advanced level craft education on the West end of the country to make it more accessible.  Kerry is off the beaten track, as they say, but it is also a wonderful place to visit and get inspired.  The workshop fee does not include accommodation, but I can help with referrals.  Many people are staying with friends in Dingle, so I wanted to keep the price as low as possible for participants.  Lunch will be provided by the Goat St Cafe (http://www.thegoatstreetcafe.com/), which has a wonderful reputation and very good vegetarian/special diet food for people who need to consider those options (again, not included in the overall price, but their prices are fair). Great desserts, too!

If you want more information regarding this workshop, please email me at sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com.

Now, if I can get back into my own studio now, I have a fairy blanket to finish for that lovely, new baby....

No Holidays This Easter!!

Life is zooming along lately, with me as a mostly willing participant.  I am tired, though.  I am cramming a lot into my days, but once we get past Holy Communion and into summer, things will slow down--roll on the end of June!

Fiona Crinnion's beautiful bracelet

Not that all my activities are drudgery.  I am really looking forward to Craft in Kerry's first Craft Fair that is coming up next Friday, April 29th from 10-6pm at An Díseart in Dingle, Co Kerry.  More of a showcase that just a run-of-the-mill craft fair, it will feature some of the fantastic diversity that Kerry's artisans have to offer.  In our dodgy economic times, it's important to remember that supporting handmade artisans means jobs to Ireland.  You can own quality, beautiful items that will last and make sure that Irish people stay employed.

Beyond our stallholders, there will be craft demonstrations featuring our Handmade Sessions, the boy's of Scoil Ioghnad Rís selling handmade bird boxes/houses, face painting for the kids, and a lot more.  Nationwide will be there filming us, so there should be something for everyone.  All on the grounds of the former convent.

We are *hoping* for a fine day and so the convent gardens should be spectacular.  They are going to be redesigning them into the Tree of Life garden which can be seen here http://www.diseart.ie/visitor/gardens.html.  I am sure the Monsignor would appreciate all interest!

So, lots of events in our short week next week:

• Wednesday, April 27th Felting Workshop 1-4pm @ An Díseart in Dingle, Co Kerry.  Email sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com or 087-9111793 for details.  Limited spaces.

• Friday, April 29th Craft in Kerry Craft Fair 10-6pm @ An Díseart in Dingle, Co Kerry

Bluebell Eco Candles

Felting Workshop

Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books. --bell hooks

Learn the easy and transformative process of felting, one of the oldest textiles in the world.  With wool, warm water, and a little soap and energy, you can create all kinds of wonderful items.  We will focus on the process of making felt and then felt book covers that can be used as journals, sketchbooks, or photo albums.  Materials provided on the day, but space is limited so please book in advance.  All abilities welcome, but preferably age 14 and up. 087-9111793.

Time:         Wednesday, April 27^th 1-4pm, at An Díseart (next to St Mary’s Church)

Price:          €25, plus materials fee €5

Sharon Crandall is a textile artist based in West Kerry.  She enjoys making things with her hands and crochets, embroiders, quilts, and makes jewellery.  Four years ago she discovered felting and Zing! wool and natural fibres became a passion.

Sharon Crandall, Chiarraí Creations; chairperson, Craft in Kerry; member, Craft Council of Ireland; member, Feltmakers Ireland. http://www.etsy.com/shop/kerryfelter http://kerryfelter.blogspot.com/

http://craftinkerry.blogspot.com/

Sunday is My Day of Rest??

Jewelry by Alison Walsh

My days are so busy that it seems like if I don't get everything done on a Sunday, then the list of Must-Do's gets carried over to the next week.  So, when I should be thinking Christian thoughts and relaxing, I find myself pulling the oven out and washing underneath, planting the garden, checking my son's head for lice, cleaning toilets, mending, washing floors, filling out forms, and baking granola for the coming week.  Did I mention laundry?  It never ends. 

But I am working really hard on a number of textile pieces to get to the framer.  I am joining the Back Lane Artist Co-operative http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Back-Lane-Gallery-Killarney-Artist-collective/183402851690156 in Killarney.  Deborah O'Keefe is the woman who had the inspiration to get it started back in November and she is doing well, recession be damned!  She paints herself and she has a number of artists and craftspeople under her roof, including Bluebell Eco Candles and painter Tina Reed.  Take a look at her blog at http://thebacklanegallery.blogspot.com/.

Work in progress

So, I need to step up my game to present some quality pieces.  I had stacks of dyed and stitched pieces, it was just a matter of deciding what to do with them.  I finished stitching three pieces yesterday and it's a matter of deciding if they need more embellishment.  One needs a few seed beads and another one I am going to play with text and stitch some paper onto it and see how it looks.  

Plenty to do!  Tomorrow is the meeting at Kerry County Council Offices in Tralee with Fruition, the new Craft Coordinator for the Year of Craft.  It runs 10-1130am and will hopefully generate some great new ideas on how to boost Kerry artisans into the national forefront, or at least give a strong profile for all those people in Kerry who want to buy locally.  

Gearóid O Duinnin's stunning abstract, "Horsie."

Felting Through the Fog....

Is the fog literal or metaphorical?  In this case, both, I think.  The day is dull and white, with a steady drizzle.  It makes it hard to get up and going and after three cups of coffee, I know it just isn't going to be a productive day.

Last night we had our Craft in Kerry meeting and we are progressing along nicely.  It's a lovely group of people to be working with, happily everyone seems concerned with the group and not individual needs/wants.  There's a lot of start up work to get underway and really things should settle down a bit once we have our first event under our belt.  The great news is that the craft fair is going great and we have a photo in the Kerry's Eye coming up this week.  An interview with Weeshie Fogarty should really get the word out in Kerry. The next meeting is on March 27th in Castlemaine.  Keep an eye on the Craft in Kerry page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craft-in-Kerry/172314459478834 for up-to-date information.

Sneak peak

I took the plunge and joined Back Lane Artist's Cooperative in Killarney, run by Deborah O'Keefe.  I am working on textile pieces like mad that I will have to get to the framer soon if I will have them ready for the beginning of March.  So far, I am using merino, silk, bamboo, cotton scrim, cotton calico, and a couple of them are resist dyed with more soy wax.  They have all been hand-dyed for specific colours that I wanted to work with and seem to be coming out well enough.  I am doing a lot of mark-making with machine embroidery.  I do love machine embroidery and it is especially satisfying to take out my frustrations with the machine and just hammer things into their place.  Perhaps I have revealed too much....:)

Enough about me, how are you all surviving this end of winter/beginning of spring?  Daffodils are sprouting in Kerry....

Rain, Wind, Felt...

One thing that you can say about Irish weather: it is really conducive to staying in and crafting!  It's Day Three of the rain and wind, although the wind is a bit calmer this morning, and I felted a book cover for my new diary and I will be stitching that.  I have a patchwork project to finish.  I don't know if any of you have a clean dinner table, but mine is always half-covered with projects waiting for time and supplies.  I am determined to have it clear by tomorrow night to start the week off right! 


Felted and dyed using soy wax

 I got one of my UFOs finished this week: a piece that I had felted and resist-dyed with soy wax earlier in the year. The soy wax was great, but it's supposed to wash out with simple soap and water and I had a little trouble getting it out.  I went online and did a bit of research and lo and behold! if you read directions things DO come out better.  Turns out the wax has to be pretty hot when applied (but not smoking, as there is a flash point) or else it doesn't saturate properly.  I ended up using too much wax and so it was harder to get out.  Learning curve!  Essentially it's a batik process.

I couldn't decide what to do with it and I just decided that I was being too precious about it and collaged some fabric onto it.  It turned out great (I think!) and I am going to develop a line of fibre collages as the woolly hats and scarves will not sell well in July and August!  I also stitched a paper and fabric piece that I am happy enough with, so more time for experimenting with that if the weather continues to be dire.



Closeup of the centre flower



I also started felting again after the right arm decided to get cranky and have tendinitis.  Not sure what aggravated it.  This is the answer the doctor gave me: "Yerra, it could be anything really."  Very technical.  So I had a highly unproductive January.  I decided to start small and felt a cover for my diary as it is a really icky green and I couldn't be looking at it anymore.  I love my purple, so I picked out a nice mix of merino and silks that  I had dyed and felted it using foam underlay as a resist.  Design came out well = the diary fit in it, and I want to stitch it a bit, so I will post again tomorrow with the results. 

I have ordered an instructional DVD from Interweave Press in the US and I am dying to receive it and the back issues of Cloth Paper Stitch that are on the way.  I ordered it December 31st and it has not arrived yet.  Needless to say, I will not be ordering anything from them again soon.  I order hair conditioner and soap from a US website and it's at my door in 10 days in total and they don't charge me a fortune in shipping, either.  Interweave has got to get their act together.  Unfortunately, I love, Love, LOVE Cloth Paper Stitch, but I can get it from http://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/ fairly quickly.  I can't seem to get anyone in Ireland to stock the magazine and I NEED it :)  Their mixed media stuff is always interesting and always makes my brain hum. 



I also have a copy of the book I have been coveting for some time on the way!  I had been *hoping* that Santa might bring it to me, but I guess he had his hands full trying to sort out the Irish government.  One of the many ways we are being made pay for their incompetence.  Jane Dunnewold is supposed to be the surface design guru, so this book has me drooling.  I hope this book lives up to it's reputation as there aren't many textile courses going in West Kerry at the moment, so it's all DIY for me! 

I am taking Karen Flannery's sewing course, which will be good for patterning and finishing clothing.  I more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants seamstress and really I need to be more precise with my work.  Karen has the horrible task of trying to rid me of bad habits.  Has to be done or else no one will buy a nice tunic or jacket from me.  I didn't get the piece I wanted to work with felted, so I worked on a piece of felt I made before Christmas and designed a cuff necklace.  My neck isn't long enough for it, but it isn't necessarily for ME.  Pics of that to follow when I finish the beading touches...

Now, must get off the computer and get some work done! 







Finished product

















 

Where Did January Go...?

I usually find that January and February are the dullest months of the year, but that was before I decided to start a Scouts troupe and a craft guild simultaneously while working, cranking out new stuff from my studio, and cleaning (hah!) my house.  Some of those things are going well and some things are falling down the rabbit hole.  Scouts and the craft guild are going great!  House is okay, not bad, but studio is not going well at all....In desperation, I moved a load of stuff back over, to tempt myself into taking up camp and getting stuck in again, but it was freezing and so I unpacked the boxes and hightailed it out of there.  I will be heading back tomorrow, but it won't be for long periods of time until the weather warms up some.  It's just hard to stick -5 with no heat, especially when sewing requires sitting for lengths of time and felting is a wet process that would leave me with even colder hands.  My right arm has also been giving me some grief, something about tendonitis, so I've had to take it easy.  Never a dull moment.

Make a beautiful felted book cover?

We had our first meeting for the craft guild, changed the name to Craft in Kerry due to Google search engines, and are off to a flying start!  We have our first event, a craft fair, scheduled for Friday, April, 29th at An Díseart in Dingle from 10-4pm.  We will have craft demonstrations and try to give it a real family atmosphere, given that two festivals will be taking place at the same time.  We have our next meeting scheduled for Monday, February 21st in the Carlton Hotel in Tralee at 7:30p.m.  Lots to discuss!  Details for membership to finalize, publicity ideas, logo's hopefully will be ready to vote on, and we have an interview on Radio Kerry to get ready for!  Weeshie Fogarty rang me and said he would be delighted to give us an hour's interview on his "In Conversation with..." show on Wednesday nights from 6-7:00pm.  Our slot isn't until March 30th, but we need the time to get press packs ready, start a blog, decide which five members are doing the interview, and get him some background info on our coming events.  Meanwhile, Nationwide was in contact and they are coming to Dingle to film us for the craft fair, so it's time to get organized!  I did get a Facebook, page up and running, so you can look us up under http://www.facebook.com/KateOConor?ref=ts#!/pages/Craft-in-Kerry/172314459478834.

I'm also teaching a felting workshop during the Feile.  It took me awhile to decide on what to concentrate on since by the end of April it will be warmer and a new winter hat will be at the back of everyone's mind.  So, this is what I came up with...

*********************************************************************************************

Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books. --bell hooks

Learn the easy and transformative process of felting, one of the oldest textiles in the world. With wool, warm water, and a little soap and energy, you can create all kinds of wonderful items. We will focus on the process of making felt and then felt book covers that can be used as journals, sketchbooks, or photo albums. They make a wonderful gift, but you may want to keep it for yourself! Materials provided on the day, but please book in advance. All abilities welcome, but preferably age 14 and up. 087-9111793.

Time: Wednesday, April 27th 1-4pm
Price: €20, plus materials fee

Sharon Crandall is a textile artist based in West Kerry. She enjoys making things with her hands and crochets, embroiders, quilts, and makes jewellery. Four years ago she discovered felting and Zing! wool and natural fibres became a passion.

**********************************************************************************************
I know the workshop fee is very small, but it's really hard to fill workshops right now.  In the good old times, I could easily have charged €50 for the three hours.  Any thoughts???

Getting organized...

.There will be a meeting Monday, January 17th at 730pm at PAUL GEANEY'S to organized a handmade artisan guild, tentatively named KerryHandmade.  There's lots to discuss, including setting up a committee, grant possibilities, craft fairs, and workshops.  Since this is the Year of Craft there seems to be a rush to schedule lots of activities, but there is also the opportunity to promote Kerry crafts and get a bit of money to do it, too.

If you are in Kerry and you make handmade goods, please try to attend the meeting.  Not only will we be able to market together and save money, but we will also raise the profile of all handmade goods in Kerry.  Speaking of marketing, I am currently reading Un Marketing by Scott Stratten.  It was a recommended read by Etsy and I have to say it is worth every penny.  It kind of validates all the ideas that I have had about cold calling and how it does not work.  In a nutshell, people sell themselves as trusted individuals first before they ever sell a product.  Important to remember as a sole trader.  Do spend the money to buy the book because it makes so many valid points.

In the meantime, I have stressed the tendons in my right arm, so my felting and crocheting is very slow right now.  Not very convenient, but there you go.  I can use the sewing machine, so maybe I should concentrate on that for now.  There are lots of plans for this year, but it seems to be off to a very slow start!!  Is anyone else experiencing roadblocks???

Post-Christmas Slump OR Regathering My Thoughts...



Two books recommended on Etsy for marketing and,
I think, part of The Plan.



We have entered the post-Christmas slump, which is that delicious, drifting time of staying up late, sleeping in late, lazy breakfast and reading books.  Thank God for it because December always burns me out.  I have marketing books to read and lovely books of fiction to take my mind off the dreariness of winter.  I need it to recharge my batteries and focus on The Plan for 2011.  And in order to get to The Plan, I need to eat, sleep, and read and hibernate a bit to regather my creative energy.  I see on Facebook that friends were felting on Christmas Eve--how do they keep going???  I am always knackered by Christmas Eve and can just about manage making dinner before reaching for a medicinal glass (or three) or wine....

For now, I need to get my workspace reorganized and put back together.  I had to move most of my studio home because of the sub-zero weather and lack of heat and light in my studio, but my house is up in a HEAP that is driving me mad and it all has to go back before I flip out.  Usually, even in the worst mess I know where to locate things I need, but it has all gotten away from my like a large ball rolling down hill, getting larger and more dangers and faster as it hurtles towards disaster.  At least we are thawing and temperatures are up to normal. All that hunkering down by the fire and trying to stay warm was for the birds--I was only warm in bed and my son was always at me to get up and feed him.  No peace!

I suppose it's a natural time for focusing on plans for the New Year, although I do not do resolutions as such.  Goals to work towards...I need to get marketing and sales up for Etsy and get myself on Twitter.  I think I need to rethink Lámhdhéanta as it is not working--do I keep pushing to try and get the concept up and running or do I give it up???  I am personally thinking the concept will work, but the implementation needs tweaking.  And by that last comment I mean that I haven't a feckin clue how I am going to re-attack it.  It will come to me in a dream, most likely. 

As a goal for last year, I wanted to try and get nominated for the Irish Blog Awards, but I can't seem to find criteria for nomination.  I know the IBA ( are in March 2011, but that seems to be the only info I can find.  Anyone else know anything???

Does anyone else have any good goals/resolutions/common sense for the coming year????

All I want to do is stare at the tree like a cat...