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!

Long Time No Blog...

Pat Lawless' regal chairs

We are over the Easter holidays, thank God. My son was quite happy to put on his uniform and walk to school.  He was ready a half hour early!  I think we definitely are both ready to get back to routine.  I spent a manic amount of time in my studio trying to get ready for the Craft in Kerry craft fair and then the admin work to get the craft fair ready (with the help of the wonderful Fiona Crinnion and partner Ronán and Colleen Bowler).  Nationwide has come and gone and it should be on tomorrow night (Wednesday May 4 at 7pm in Ireland, but you can view in on Player at www.rte.ie).  I was happy enough with the feature and so we just have to wait and see how we end up after editing.  The weather was beautiful on the day and we all came outside.  Actually, it was too beautiful and people were down on the waterside part of town soaking in the sun and sea, but no matter.  We made a start and it's onward and upward!!

Colleen Bowler's beautiful pottery.  All items at the CIK
Craft Fair were handmade in Kerry.

Now I need to get the Handmade Sessions on the map.  If we are going to get started for the beginning of June, there's a good bit of work to get done.  I have a flyer done, but we need to adapt that to a brochure and have leaflets printed for all the hotels and B&B's.  We need to build a great table to work around and have a real kit the building out session.  We don't need much to get started, so we might just squeak by on the cheap.  It's a bit ambitious to get us started on this so soon after starting Craft in Kerry, but the time is now and I know it will work.  There are also so many promising artisans that are not working and I am hoping that this will not only raise their profile, but also their income level!!  We all need a boost and a break from the Irish economic doom and gloom. Lots of meetings to get through this week, but I am hoping to have a good answer on funding and getting our foot in the door soon to get the premises ready.

A final pic of some of the journals that I felted for the craft fair.  I am happy enough with them and hopefully they will be part of my off-season woolly stock.

Felted journals by Chiarrí Creations

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/

The New Pace of Life...

In the days before I racheted up my felting regime a notch, I had a quiet November, January, and February.  I was very busy those months this year and I am now so flat out that friends have started ringing me to see if I am okay they haven't heard from me in so long.  Wake, laundry, clean, feed, small boy off to school, two hours of phone calls and emails, and then off to paid work.  After that, studio, phone, email, feed, avoid cleaning, stitch, and fall asleep in my chair.  Wake up and go to bed at 1:30am and then repeat.

Our new logo!

Craft in Kerry is off to an amazing start.  Truly, it's time had come.  I am having a hard time keeping up with all the opportunities that are coming our way.  Our craft fair on April 29th is having some teething problems, but I will figure it out.  We are on Radio Kerry for an hour's interview this Wednesday and headed to Dublin April 4th for Meitheal with Failte Ireland to promote the Handmade Sessions, our new craft education venture.  We will be teaching 4 hour workshops for visitors and locals alike from 10-1pm and 2-6pm in a variety of crafts, including patchwork, felting, woodworking, embroidery, jewelry, and much more.  Accommodating 8-10 people per setting, we will be working towards our goal of providing employment for talented craft workers and preserving handmade traditions.  The Handmade Sessions will begin in June and we are hard at work to get all the fine print sorted so we will be ready for the summer season.

New piece on the way to the framer..

In the meantime, I have my own felting workshop on April 27th to get ready for.  Located in Dingle, it is an excellent beginner's felting class.  After getting down to basics on wool materials and how to felt, we will felt a few sample pieces and then I will show how to lay out fibres using a resist to make felted journal covers.  I'm looking forward to it!  And if that's not enough, the lovely Pam de Groot will be visiting Dingle and teaching a 3 day Master Class in felting and resist dyeing.  Pam is Dutch by way of Australia and will be in Europe for a limited time, so we jumped at the opportunity to host her. Day One on Friday, June 17 will be resist dyeing, Day 2 & 3 are mosaic felting of wearables.  Day One can be taken by itself or with Day 2/3 or Day 2/3 on their own.  The fee is €50 for Day One by itself or €100 for Day 2/3 on their own or €150 for the three days.  Pam's work is best seen on her blog http://pamdegroot.blogspot.com/.  She mosaic "tiles" in pre-felted pieces to make beautiful wraps and wearable pieces, made even more beautiful by her resist dyed silks.  The three days together promise to be wonderful and great value.  The price does not include room or board, but I can help people from out of town find a good deal if they need help.  Spaces are limited to just 12 people, so please contact me at sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com.


In the meantime, I actually got two new pieces done this week.  This is a partial shot of the finished panel, awaiting it's journey to the framer.  It's a mix of felt, silk, cotton fabric and machine embroidery.  The weather has been sunny and dry this week, so I've started dyeing lots of wool and it will really show in these new pieces as the hand-dyed fibres really bling up the designs.

Meanwhile, I have marketing copy to write and a small boy sleeping in my chair.  And I suppose there's always cleaning to finish, but I don't think I can face that tonight...

La, La, La, La, La or I Can't Hear You Valentine's Day....

Book cover: resist felted and ready for stitching...

I really dislike Valentine's Day.  I think I always have.  Not because I don't have a boyfriend/husband, but because I don't believe in one day to tell people that you love them; you have to do it all year round.  I used to have a roommate when I lived in Boston who taught English to male prison inmates.  She was an attorney by trade and she told me once that inmates hate Valentine's Day and that they would do anything to avoid it, often getting put back in jail.  She used to force them to write out letters to their wives/girlfriends/children to atone for bad behavior, but it got me thinking: how bad is a holiday if it forces men to commit crimes to avoid it???  No patience for it really or the artificial, saccharine sweetness of it.  Why does an expensive gift or an engagement ring prove they love you, when surely the handmade card or dinner shows more thoughtfulness? 

So, on that note, I thought I would PRETEND it wasn't nearly Valentine's Day and felt my way through it.  Since I have books on the brain, I decided to make a cover for my really horrible looking diary that I bought to organize myself.  I like to write in books and I like to read books, so don't try and convert me into using a Blackberry or a Kindle; won't work.  Kindles don't smell like aged paper and there is no pleasure in eagerly turning it's pages.  I imagine it also doesn't relax you as much looking at a screen as reading a proper book would.  I know it's probably convenient to put 40 books into one Kindle, but I am really not a convenient person.

Front cover with a bit of quick machine stitching and a few beads

I measured my diary and cut out a piece of foam underlay to suit and went gathering my fibres.  Since I would be using the cover for the year, I wanted something nice and girly and fun.  Purple!  Found some nice dyed silk pieces from last September and flipped some on there, as well.  Felted in the usual way and I ended up with the above photo.  I then machine stitched a quick design and sewed a few beads in the centre for a flower design.

I will be more specific with the next book cover in terms of design.  This one I wanted to work on the actual felting process.  I need to play with another size and perhaps some bamboo fibres....

I did felt two small pieces on Thursday.  One will be for two matching cuffs in natural tones.  I used natural merino and some black alpaca and silk mix that has a lovely silvery glint to it.  I buried some silk cocoon pods into it to give it textures.  And I felted some more pieces that can be cut up and resist dyed with the soy wax again.  Love playing with my dyes!  I can't wait until the weather is warmer and I can do dye days and really hang everything out on the line again...

Meanwhile, the only good thing about Valentine's Day is the selection of good chocolate...

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???

After the Wedding

My head does not ache, despite having plenty to drink and getting to bed after 3am, but my feet sure do!  We danced the night away at Siobhan and Thomas' wedding and it was fabulous!  The bride was gorgeous and the groom was very sweet in his speech at dinner.  A great night, really. 

I finished my dress the morning of the wedding, just in time.  I thought I was going to have to wear the felted top wet and smell like a sheep, but I ironed it dry and left in on the laundry line to air in the breeze.  There are plenty of mistakes, but I suppose I am the only one to see most of them.  I ran out of silk chiffon to nuno felt the sleeves, so I had to do them pure Merino, which was a bit warmer than I wanted.  I cut down the neckline a bit lower and over the shoulders to balance it.  If I ever do another dress, I will try to do the whole thing chiffon.  It was hard for me to see the whole thing seamless, but maybe when I start tackling seamless creations then the patterning will make more sense then. I initially made the bodice far too big and I had to add darts and cut it down. I was very happy with the texture and colour, though.  I am glad to have it behind me as it took up so much time with the learning curve and I have a lot to get to this week.

Hope it doesn't spoil the surprise, Woollove!

I have to get started on (YES!) Christmas items.  I am felting Christmas stocking samples this week.  I am going to try and resist felt them and see how they turn out.  And I think the scarves will sell well, so I am felting more of the silk and Merino scarves as soon as my order arrives.  I did a book cover that I sent to Woollove as part of the Clasheen Summer Crafty Swap.  You can see the pics on Flickr.  It turned out well and so I will start a series of those because I think they will sell well for Christmas.  I'd love to receive one! 

The view of Dingle Bay from the Skellig Hotel

This week I have started cranking into high great the publicity on Lámhdhéanta.  The first workshop in the series is on September 25th in Dingle from 11-4pm.  You can drop by at 1030am and have a cuppa and see what we will have to sell there in our supplies shop.  Options in the fibre day are: beginning crochet with Orla Breslin, felting with Una Ni Shé, and patchwork with Nikki Foley.  I have a Facebook page under 'Lámhdhéanta' with more information or you can email sharon1_crandall@hotmail.com.  All are welcome and it should be a great day.  The price is €65 for the day, including all materials and a fine, handmade lunch.  All instructors are very talented in their field and reside in West Kerry.  While I will not continue to use exclusively Kerry artists/creators, we simply have too much talent in the area to not start with the people around us that are making wonderful and diverse pieces.  I think that Dingle is also a wonderful place to come to for the weekend and if anyone is travelling over to Dingle for the workshop and would like to stay overnight, I can recommend decent accommodation. 

Okay, must feed the Small Boy and do a few mundane and decidedly uncreative household chores.  Has to be done!!!