You're Not My Type...

What have I been doing, you say?  I have been marinating.  Thinking, reading, sleeping, changing my diet, and trying not to worry about the future.  I started craft club up again in private sessions and its nice to have something messy to do on a Saturday morning again :)  We used a resist and I taught my student how to make a pouch for her phone that evolved into a proper little handbag.  It's cute and drying now and next week we will embellish the flap and work on something new.

Pizza with gluten-free base for Fionn's birthday.  Did a
gluten-free cake also and turned out lovely!

I took the big step of making radical food changes.  I had been wondering for some time about the blood group diet and I picked up a copy of Dr. Peter D'Adamo book Eat For Your Right Type and was instantly intrigued.  I've had a hard time the last two years with fatigue and joint pain like arthritis and his theories on eating and blood type are interesting.  Historically, we are predisposed to eat and properly digest certain foods.  I am type O and we are predisposed to thyroid problems, blood clotting issues, and immune system issues.  We have a lot of acid in the stomach and so when highly acidic foods are consumed then there are problems. The program recommended removing all wheat, dairy, and corn from my diet.  So last week I made the big effort and started experimenting with non-wheat recipes.

Wheat and corn free breads are easy to make, as it turns out.  I bought a whole pantry of white rice flour, rice bran, tapioca, and potato flour and I can make a lovely brown soda bread with nuts and seeds.  It is best eaten on the same day baked, but it isn't hard work for the two of us to polish it off in the same day.  I did a little Internet hunting and found an excellent spelt bread recipe.  It bakes just the same as wheat bread but spelt is much more moist and it stays lovely for cutting for four days, which is handy for mid-week when you are busy.  I'll take pics and post the yeast recipe next time as it takes a couple days for the starter to develop, but for now here is the quick and easy soda bread...it is from Darina Allen's gluten free cookbook.

It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but once you buy them, they last a long time...

Brown Soda Bread

50g Sunflower seeds         1 t. gluten-free baking powder
50g Pumpkin seeds           1/2 t salt
110g rice flour                   1 t xanthan gum (health food stores stock it)
60g rice bran                     1 T sugar
50 g tapioca flour               1 egg, free range
25g buckwheat flour          175-200ml buttermilk
25g dried milk                    1 t baking soda


Preheat the oven to 230c/45of/gas mark 8.

Chop the seeds and place in a large bowl (I didn't and I also added sesame seeds).  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and make a well in the center.  Lightly beat the eggs and add to the well along with the buttermilk.  Mix well, but do not over stir, taking care to add a bit more rice flour if needed.

Add some rice flour to the baking tray and form a circle with the dough.  Place it on the tray and cut a cross into the bread with a serrated knife, taking care to prick the corners to let the fairies out!  Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes and then reduce to 180c/350f/gas mark 4 for 25-30 minutes.  You may wish to turn the loaf upside down for the final 5 minutes to let the bottom get crusty.  The seeds really make this loaf and you will want a piece slathered with butter straight out of the oven!

The Sun is Shining!

Colour scheme of new crocheted jacket

It's been a busy week!  I've been dyeing yarns on dry days to complete a new free form crocheted jacket. A bit pricey to sell, but I did want something wow! to submit for Kerry Fashion Weekend.  The colour scheme is all reds/pinks/natural wool in a kaleidoscope of patterns.  It's starting to shape up nicely and should be done within this week, I think. Unless I get the mad idea to start beading it in parts, which is entirely possible :)

When I crochet, it gives me a chance to think a lot.  About life, about my son, about things that need to get done.  It's a kind of stream-of-consciousness thing where the hands are busy and the brain relaxes and releases random thoughts, things that have been kicking around in the back of my brain.  That's what creating does, I think: it allows you to think and feel and interpret life.  Life can get pretty hectic at times, so its good to sit down and crochet or muck about in felt and stitch and just try to understand this life we have.

Part of the jacket pattern.  This is the
front right panel.

I've a couple friends sick at the moment and I am really praying for them, hoping they find their way through it.  That they know how many people love them and have the courage to face it all, to keep going no matter how hard it gets.  Some people are blessed to know how many friends they have and to feel love all the time.  Other people resist it like they don't want to believe it, that the friendship and love are mistakenly given to them and that they can't really accept it.  This struggle is hard to witness as they are often lovely people that can't believe in themselves. I sat crocheting late last night and finally gave up and went to bed, with no great insight into how to help.

I went back to my old friend the Tunisian
crochet hook.  It's a bit like knitting &
crochet mixed. You cast on and off...

I dreamed all last night of a great friend of mine who is going through a terrible time.  I woke with entire sentences of encouragement streaming out of me and I had to get up and get a notebook and start writing it all down.  I started sketching designs and had six pages of text and sketches before I knew it.  I looked at it critically and realized that most of what I had written had been to help a friend in need, but it would also work in a more generic basis—everyone needs encouragement or a reminder every now and then when they stray off the path they travel in life.  I think I may have woken up and developed a whole series of textile collages.  The sun is streaming in the dirty windows and I see dust all over the floor and all I can think of is rummaging around my studio until I find the right colour fabric and dyeing new ones and getting started cutting and sewing and beginning the process of making these collages a reality.  I will definitely send the words of encouragement out to my friend, but it has already become something more than that.  My inspiration well is full this week.

So, I'm off to felt/dye/sew on this beautiful, sunny Spring day.  I hope you all get outside for your vitamin D!

Pancake Tuesday

We got up early this morning and made a load of pancakes and sent them off to my son's school.  In Ireland, the Tuesday before Lent  begins is Pancake Tuesday, the day that extra eggs were used up before Lent commenced.  Apparently, in times of old, any luxurious or pleasurable food was also given up for the Lenten period, something that is definitely not followed in modern times!  At any rate, the boys should be full and happy by now and ready to face Ash Wednesday tomorrow.

More lovely superfine Merino scarves that will by coming at you soon!

I have been a quiet blogger lately as there is lots of new things in the works.  Not only have I been busy with part-time work, but I have also been re-designing my label and getting ready to relaunch my brand.  The fiddly bits of tweaking all the marketing text is time-consuming, but I am happy with the new results.  I am having my clothing labels printed as we speak and then I will have to remove all the old ones that I am going forward with and I am busily designing new knitwear items that I will submit for Kerry Fashion Weekend.  Lots of details to follow up on to get it right this time.

I sent off designs for Project 51 in Dublin and I am waiting hear back from them.  I was very impressed with their artisan range when I visited their booth at Showcase and I'd love to take part in their Festival of Irish Design for March 2012.  Fingers crossed there!  There are a couple more options coming soon also, but stay tuned for more details!

In the meantime, take a look at Aisling Ryan on http://www.fundit.ie/project/a-little-old-a-little-new.  She is one of the first craft artisans who is pursuing funding on www.fundit.ie.  Fundit has successfully launched many projects, but their crowdfunding endeavors are now helping individuals get financial assistance.  Well done to Aisling and the best of luck to her!!

Blurry Picture in the Distance

There are times in life when all seems muddy and unclear.  It's really that time of year, isn't it?  Time to wisely listen to the animals and hibernate a bit.  Its the time of year when I drag out magazines to look at new projects, new fabrics, and to think about people I want to work with and skills I need to learn.  I read a lot and cook and try to actively NOT think at times.

After a few weeks of this, something generally starts to emerge.  I am a list maker, essential for anyone balancing too much in their life, and if I lay the lists out next to each other I generally start to see a pattern of interest.  I can see now that there was no way I could sustain the amount of work that I was doing.  I think less teaching, or at least more isolated teaching, is in my future.  I love teaching, but I end up giving too much of myself and the transition between designing and teaching isn't as fluid for me right now.  I think now is a time to concentrate on design ideas and working on selling.

I went up to Showcase on Monday, just to have a look around. I was nearly certain that it wasn't for me, but I wanted to get some feedback on designs.  Not only did I get excellent feedback on my hats and scarves, but I really do think Showcase will be for me next year.  I have a lot to do to get ready, including perfecting my begging face when I have to go to the bank and look for a small business loan, but it will be worth it for the exposure.  The addition of the fashion show this year was really the clincher.  I was told that my work would have been perfect in the fashion show the night before, that I was on track with the style and textures and colours.

And I took a good hard look at what the other knitwear and felt people were doing.  There's no point replicating the same designs as we all look the same and it only creates a price war.  So I now have a fair idea of what I will make that will stand out from the crowd.  Now to just find the space to do it!  I am also seeking advice from a mentor and I am toying with the idea of changing my company name and re-branding. It's a bit fussy, but I think the name I have hasn't been connecting at all and now is the time to do it.  I have arrived at a name and mentor thinks it's good, too, so just have to think about it over the week and then order new business cards and labels for clothing.

Some progress is being made on sorting my house out.  I made a space for my dyeing microwave and now just need to find a space for all my dyeing equipment.  Not easy!!  Hopefully some space will be made available in the near future.  Meanwhile, I am working on samples to show a couple of shops who I am going to approach. I need to get all my details all organized so it looks like a cohesive package.  The mist is lifting and I can see the blurry picture in the distance!

And I also need to get taking some pics because this is all I had this week!

My Dyeing Week

One of the student's resist-dyed fabrics

I have spent the last three days dyeing cloth with over 60 primary school students.  I realized over Christmas that if I wanted more students for the Craft Club then I needed to head out to the schools.  So, I went to Lispole and Dingle primary schools and I offered to teach colour theory and dyeing to the kids to get them interested in making.  They all definitely loved it, but it remains to be seen whether I will gain any students from it.  I shall have to wait until Saturday and see what it brings.

Adding their resists before dyeing

If it all goes pear-shaped, then I will have the hard decision of closing my studio.  People are just not buying and I can't fund it without income coming in.  The students are buying me some time to build up clientele and work on new design ideas, but if I can't get the students then I just have to move as much as I can back home.  It would be both a blow and a relief.  I would only have space to make small items as my house won't accommodate all the materials I have acquired, but the financial pressure has been immense.  It would be nice to just go to bed and be able to sleep the whole night through.

All dressed up and no place to go

There has been a lot of talk about using public buildings to provide arts space/studio areas, but nothing seems to be rising to the surface, certainly not in Kerry.  With many talented people abandoning their craft right now, the Craft Council of Ireland or the Department of Arts should really do something to help artisans to continue their work.  It will come to a stage where emerging artisans will not be able to afford to develop their work because the resources to assist them just aren't there.

The state of Ireland is just bad right now.  I am usually a glass half full kind of person, but the lack of direction and jobs, unbelievable amount of taxation, and extreme corporate greed has left almost all of us a bit deflated.  Even if I wanted to abandon all my training and get another job, where do I go?  My cost of living would be much higher somewhere else.  Where are jobs better?  It's a miracle I can get out of bed every day with all this swirling around my brain.

Is it too much to ask that my work sells and I make a modest living?

The great texture of dyeing your
own work

A Rather Damp & Windy Start

Crocheted & felted hat, with hand-dyed trim
and flower. Machine embroidery!

Well, it's January, and as usual I have a couple of goals.  Trying to stay in business is one of them.  I keep hearing on the news how the retail receipts are up and it was improved on Christmas 2010, but I did far worse.   Is it possible that they are lying to keep us all going???  Tralee was deadly quiet until the 4-5 days before Christmas.  I think everyone is waiting until the last minute now to get the best deals.  Understandable, but hard to take.  I heard that people in Dublin at the Gift Show in December returned items that weren't made in Ireland and were almost patriotic about it.  That did not happen in rural areas.  I did not have much to spend this year, but I did try to buy as much as possible locally and Irish so that at least it was money staying in Ireland.  I saw people doing that last year, but this year it fizzled out.  It is rather hard to go chirpy into the New Year with financial disaster looming.  I know I am not alone, but somehow that is rather poor consolation.

I did get a nice shared feature in the Irish Examiner in an article called "The Life Changers" written by Sharon Ni Chonchuir, so many thanks to her for that!  The photo turned out great, so much try and get a copy.  All publicity is good!

Merino bainín and hand-dyed merino.
Felt/silk/angelina flower, hand-dyed with
beads.  Scarf: 19 micron merino, resist-dyed.

Other goals: Christmas is over, so off the sugar and carbs again.  All the good progress of November & December was probably undone by simply eating bread.  Must get tough and focus now.  I quit smoking the last year and a half, so now its time to tackle that.  I would like to do more creative embroidery and must figure out a way to present them less expensively.  They look fab custom framed, but it's just too expensive when they aren't selling yet.  I am really hoping that www.swoop.ie gets going as I have a good feeling that this will be a much better on-line selling venture than ETSY.  While it's true that I could spend more time marketing my ETSY page, I really have never had any return on the time and money I have put into it so far (over a year).  Hard to plan on spending more time there with no positive outcome.  I think switching over to another online venture is going to work out better as you could spend your life trying to set yourself apart from the pack and not get one thing made! Final goal: I really want to get raised beds done and do a decent vegetable garden this year.  I must also rescue herb garden as its choked with weeks, but its been such a wet year and time was against me with starting a new business.  I'll start with the low maintainence stuff and see how I get on...

Curious response to my samples sent to Boston.  When they came back, the buyer was complimentary but said that my hats and scarves were "too upscale" for them and "possibly in another economy they would consider it."  Now this is a person specialising in handmade Irish craft for 40 years or more and they sell in an affluent area.  The only thing I could take from that is that Irish Americans want the same design the Failte Ireland has sold them all along: tweed, muted colours, and traditional design.  The only problem with that is it isn't modern Ireland.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this???

Must get into the studio now as its time to start producing work again.  I had a much-needed break, but it's time to start keeping the wolf from the door!

Can you find my little cutie in this pic?  Love the
school plays at Christmas!!

In the Gloaming Between

Bernadette Bohan's fabulously decorated Christmas cakes.

The Kerry Christmas Market was a big success.  Lots of work and I made very little money out of it, but the vendors were all very happy.  I have to think about whether I would do two days next year and I would certainly move it up a week so it wasn't the weekend right before Christmas.  Too many people had finished their shopping.  You certainly see the recession on the craft fair/Christmas market level.  Last year, most vendors agreed that they made 2-3 times as much in sales, but all were realistic this year and didn't seem upset as they did better that they expected.  I had two excellent Santy's and it was a shame to see that there weren't many people there for them as I thought they were better than any Santy Fionn has even seen.  Thankfully there were people there for sales.  I have to rethink the top floor as people don't seem to want to go upstairs, even with a lift.  All part of the strange psychology of selling.

Christmas Day came and went and it was as relaxing and chaotic as it should have been. By the time I get to Christmas, I am usually so tired that I am longing for my stack of new books and new pj's to just relax and completely unwind.  This year was no exception as I was going and going for what felt the entire year without much of a break.  I think if I hadn't the two weeks off, my body would have made the decision for me!  Despite the hard work, I didn't make hardly anything in December, which does not bode well for the rest of the year.  I am hoping that www.swoop.ie will end up being a good thing in the New Year to kick of Irish craft online.  I have been part of www.etsy.com for over a year now and my sales are horrible.  Granted, my cost is not high, but I find it a total waste of my time.  There are just too many other artisans to differentiate yourself from and it seems like you could spend a whole day marketing and get absolutely nothing made.  Etsy is probably a good option for Americans, but I don't see the majority of Irish shop owners there doing as well.  Changes must get made.

We made these felt Christmas decoration
in craft club.  Girls are getting to be quite
good on the sewing machine!

I have to get more students on board or I will have to give up my studio.  That is the hard reality of this recession.  I am desperate to keep it so I will spend the first week of the New Year going around to the schools that are likely candidates and talking to students about the Craft Club that I do.  It would only take about 5-7 more students to cover the cost of my studio expenses, which isn't much and a realistic goal.  Otherwise, I haven't room in my house to even move things back home as the tables won't fit and I wouldn't have room to make larger items.  The Irish government is just sucking the life out of the economy and people are afraid to spend or are spending all they have just to keep going.  We all talk about trying to just keep going and wait it out until things improve, but I see this year will be the watershed year of the recession.  People are giving up their craft and are quite dejected.  I am not sure what the answer is, but I know that something good has to come our way in the New Year.  The Year of Craft is very nearly over and I know it gave craft a boost visibly, but it would be interesting to see in terms of figures how much it increased sales.  Part of the problem is that I think Dublin shoppers were much more in touch with buying Irish and buying craft this Christmas, but Kerry buyers were not.  I need to get my work out of Kerry, simple as that.

Meanwhile, I need to get a copy of the Examiner today as there is supposed to be an article on people starting businesses during the recession and I am included in it.  http://www.irishexaminer.com/features/the-life-changers-178524.html.

Colleen Bowler's beautiful, hand-thrown pottery.

And the New Year is almost here, so must make plans!  Happy New Year to all and wishing you a relaxing time for the rest of the holidays!!

Oh, Knit & Stitch, how I do love thee....

One of Ruth Issett's stunning
textile pieces on exhibition
at K & S 

 We made it up and down to Dublin, Fionn and I, and had a great time.  Knit & Stitch time is my favourite time of year: a chance to get great new supplies, take in inspirational exhibitions, and meet up with friends you see mostly online.  I took a mini-workshop with Ruth Issett called "Running with Colour" and it was fab.  I adore her work and her use of colour--so vibrant and full of life.  I tend to like a lot of abstract work in the last five years and so I could get lost in the piece on the left.  I had this one on my computer desktop to study every day and so it was a thrill to see the original!


Fionn learned a bit of weaving, but it was disappointing that much of the student classes were rather flat.  There were school tours there on the day we were there and most of the craft learning stations were geared towards girls, which was unfortunate as there were plenty of lads there.  I am a strong believer in teaching boys to sew as its part of my Basic Skills for Life training that I teach.  Who wouldn't have to know how to do an emergency repair of a seam or how to sew a button back on?  Even if they aren't going to pursue a creative career, its a great thing to learn to express yourself creatively.  I was told that a group from England decline to come over and tutor in craft.  My response to that is WHY do they have to come from England?  I know Twisted Thread, the organizing group for K & S, comes from England, but there are plenty of talented people in Ireland who could organize and teach young people interested in craft i.e. patchwork, weaving, spinning, felting, stitching.  I did love their great emphasis on repurposing and upcycling clothing and the awareness of who is producing clothing and how they manage to keep their costs low (cheap labour overseas...).  But, it's my third show now and I do notice that the cream of the craft doesn't always travel over from the English shows; it's time that we make sure that the Dublin show is just as good as the English ones.


Now I am back in Dingle, it's time to start working on the Kerry Christmas Market full-tilt.  The deadline to apply is tomorrow and I have lot of PR to do, a poster to design, and one more celebrity Santy to find!  It's coming along great and we have a wonderful group of artisans so far.  The children Christmas carol service will be wonderful on the Saturday and I am working on music performances for the Sunday.  If you have time and a few presents left to get, please DO come to Dingle for the weekend of December 17/18.  Come on the Saturday and spend the day taking in the wonderful food and craft at the Christmas Market and the unique and vibrant shops of Dingle.  Splurge and spend the night and have a fab dinner at Doyle's or Global Village.  Appreciate Kerry as much as we do!


Craft club is going strong.  We felted the pieces to make angels for the top of the tree and next week we will sew them together.  For now until Christmas, we will be making Christmas decorations or presents.  Great fun and the kids are learning so much (and they are a great bunch to work with).


If you have any inquiries about workshops or participating in craft club, please ring 087-9111793 or email sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com to register.

Hats

Tuesday, November 29th
Wednesday, December 7th

Scarves

Wednesday, November 16th
Tuesday, November 22nd
Saturday, December 10th

Absolutely amazing quilt close up.  Won Judges Choice 2011.  Artist is
Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga.

Love this guy!!  

I also loved her sketchbook on how she designed the wonderful seahorse

Very impressed with this one as it was a kid!
Leif Sinclair from Leominster.

This is a panel of a quilt series from Genesis.

Part of Seascapes exhibition sponsored by CCOI.  This is
Marika Miklosi-Manning.

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.

October is Transition Month...

Crocheted merino hat with hand-dyed felt pieces

Lots of transitions these days.  Transition to self-employed person, which is simultaneously exhilarating and creative and also very worrying on how I will manage a regular income.  Transition to a car owner once again.  Yep, I picked up my darling on Monday and so I am now the proud owner of a 2000 navy blue Ford Escort station wagon.  She has low miles and is ready to go!  I must get her washed again because she is filthy after driving up from Cork, but otherwise seems in great form.  The relief of having a car again!  Plenty to be doing, but must get the final license sorted ASAP as motor insurance is shocking here.

Felted and dyed three scarves yesterday with pics to follow.  Craft fair on tomorrow, so must get labels sewn in and all new pieces tagged.  Trying to keep a high production level, but darn busy life keeps interfering!  I do have samples to make and send to the USA for two shops who have expressed interest, so that will help me sleep at night if I can get that going.

All Kerry Christmas Market on at An Díseart in Dingle December 17 & 18 (Sat & Sun) from 10-5pm.  Standard 6 ft stalls INDOORS €25 per day.  Please give me a ring to register as space is going quickly!  There will be charity Santy, facepainting, excellent food and craft, and more surprises being organized.  Should be great craic! 087-9111793 for more info.

If you are interested in felting workshops, please note the dates below...

Hats

Saturday, November 5th

Tuesday, November 8th

Tuesday, November 29th

Hand-dyed merino felt hat with seed bead
embellishment

Wednesday, December 7th

           

Scarves

Friday, November 4th

Wednesday, November 16th

Tuesday, November 22nd

Saturday, December 10th

Ring 087-9111793 or email sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com to register.  Space and materials are limited.  Plan to make something lovely for yourself or a loved one for the holidays this year!

Time to think about your warmies...

It's mid-October and if the weather hasn't turned cooler where you live, then it will likely do so with a bang in the next week.  So!  Time to think about updating your lovely cold weather gear.  I am listing workshops for making hats and scarves on the following dates.  The price is €40 per workshop, materials included.  We will be using high quality Merino wool and some silk and alpaca fibres to create lovely scarves or hats for winter, which we will then custom dye to the colour of your choice.  All workshops 2-5pm on John St in Dingle, Co Kerry. 






Hats
Saturday, November 5th
Tuesday, November 8th
Tuesday, November 29th
Wednesday, December 7th


Scarves
Friday, November 4th
Wednesday, November 16th
Tuesday, November 22nd
Saturday, December 10th

Ring 087-9111793 or email sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com to register.  Space and materials are limited.  Plan to make something lovely for yourself or a loved one for the holidays this year!


I am also busily planning Kerry Christmas Markets in Dingle this year, with Kerry made food and craft.  Santy will be there with mulled wine and lots of fun.  Dingle has a fantastic array of original food and craft, so plan on spending some time with us!  We have a Jingle Bell jaunting tour and penguins for the kids.  The Christmas tree will be lit Sunday, December 4th. Plenty to do and see, so watch this space for more details...

A Foodie Hangover...

The Handmade Sessions on the Dingle Food Festival taste trail was a great success!  We teamed up with Bluíríní Blasta cafe in Lispole and offered up sublime, jamtastic desserts: they baked meringues with their Blás na hEireann nominated lemon curd, fresh cream, and raspberry coulis; lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd on the side; and strawberry jam sponge with fresh strawberries.  All gone by 445pm!  Craft sales for the day weren't great, but there were a lot of people in and out and appreciating the work, so hopefully a preview of Christmas sales.  It was pouring out of the heavens by 4pm and is quite wet now, but still another day of the Festival to go!  We are heading out on the taste trail ourselves and it should be a relaxing, enjoyable day.  I need me some oysters!

It was a rather frantic week of felting and embellishing.  I felted 7 scarves and resist-dyed them and felted two new hats and resist-dyed to match two of the scarves.  I embellished three hats.  And cleaning and hiding all the clutter so the studio would be ready for the general public.  Really, I need a good closet with shelving inside to just store things in and shut the door so my mess isn't out in the open.  The new hat wall looked well and Colleen Bowler and Ursula Tramski's pottery was fab, and the company great all day.  A huge success!

I held the Craft Club on Friday afternoon to make room for the Taste Trail on Saturday, so it was a mad two hours of sewing and helping the girls learn to use the sewing machines.  They really are learning the sewing machines fast for 10 year olds.  Their books are nearly done and next week we start on two weeks of bracelets.  We will felt a lot of pieces and then decorate our bits the next week with stitch and beads.  And then two weeks of Halloween projects, but I have to have a think about what we will do there...

It's all go these days.  I need to do a big stock up on wool as I have a lot of stock to make for Christmas.  Once I have many kilos of wool under my roof, I will sleep well!! New calendar of events for October up, but must get it online still--tomorrow as my day off and then will plot dates for Christmas gift making...Meanwhile, Ireland killed Italy today in the Rugby World Cup and we are slated to play Wales next weekend in the semi-finals--GO GREEN!!

A Quickie...

This is just a quick post to show off two new hats I completed this week.  I have a load of purple on the brain as I have a custom order and I am doing 2-3 different styles and the customer will choose their favourite.  So far, they are totally different!

The first one is hand-dyed Merino with dark purple Gotland curls on the brim.  I carefully stitched the brim up and added grape-like clusters of purple glass seed beads.

The second hat I resist-felted and was trying to
develop the pattern into a cute style I saw online.
The side tail was supposed to collapse inward into a swirl on the side of the hat, but the tail is too long, so must adjust the pattern and have another try at it.  I do like the tail, however, and I over dyed the hat which came out quite dark purple with hints of pink where the silk threads peek through.  There are also pieces of silk habotai and Wensleydale curls felted in, but it so dark that its hard to see them by camera.  I think I might do a sprinkling of beads on the tail...

Meanwhile, it's time to get myself ready to head back into the studio.  Lots to do!

Sundays are my best day...

Teal hat: merino, alpaca, and silk.

Thank God, August is over!  I am thoroughly exhausted and run-down, despite eating properly and getting enough sleep.  Working 60-70 hours per week just does not suit me.  Or, rather, I could do it for a week, but heading into the sunset working that much is not good.  And no holiday in sight it seems.

The Heritage Week event with Camphill went very well and we had a modest turnout of 125 people.  Despite our best planning, we ended up competing with the Dublin/Donegal match to see who Kerry would end up playing in the All-Ireland Final--you just can't compete with football around here!  Many thanks to Camphill who demonstrated candle-making, weaving, and spinning and Craft in Kerry demonstrated felt making, wood turning, and pottery.  Kerry County Council Heritage Office was kind enough to give us a bursary for the event, so that helped sort out operating expenses and gave Camphill a bit for their time and effort.

I got quite a few scarves made in August, so I am in a good position to start on hats. It is time to consider hats! I made a lovely teal felted hat and now much start a range of colours going. I am also crocheting hats because they really do sell well and are less expensive for me to produce and for consumers to buy. As per usual, nothing drab.  If we are to endure these cold winters, we need a little colour to pick ourselves up!  

In the meantime, I am planning 8 week courses for autumn.  I will be teaching a basic felting course at Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne and a class in Handmade Home.  This class will focus on personalizing your home with your beautifully made items, concentrating on Christmas decor as the term ends.  The first few weeks will be spent on basic instructions and practice and then students will have time to concentrate on an area that particularly appeals to them.  We will felt, crochet, stitch, and see what comes out on top!  I am looking forward to it.  It will be offered 1030-1230pm and also 7-9pm, both on Thursdays beginning September 29th. Leave a message here and I will get back to you with details.

New nuno felted wrap: silk chiffon and merino/gotland curls.
All hand-dyed.

Yes, it is what you think it is!  People keep asking me
for tea cosies and so I finally made a few. These are
hand-dyed with silk pieces.

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.

Where did that weekend go??

Well, I seemed to have gotten nothing done this weekend bar laundry and rest.  I know the resting has to be done, but there is quite a lot of grass growing and my house could be a lot cleaner!  Nevermind, I will have a shot at tidying tonight.  For now, I have to get going because our Craft Bootcamp is starting at 10am!  We are learning patchwork, crochet, dyeing, felting, and stitch.  Plenty to do for them!

I did get busy in my studio a bit this week.  It probably worked double-duty as therapy and I got four new scarves out of it.  I felted them with 19 micron merino and a small layer of silk and then did the design work at the prefelt stage.  I finished fulling and then dyed then.  Two I dyed as per normal and two I resist-dyed to see what texture I would get.  Very happy with all of them!

Now, I need to get myself in gear and get us out the door!  Will post more during the week....xx