Making Time

Aw… I’d love to see this movie- just saw it posted on Etsy. Likelihood it would show in Ireland? Very low.

http://handmadenationmovie.com/ see a Preview/Trailer on YouTube.

It’s a documentary about the indie crafts movement- focusing on the US, and how it expressed itself there (started there??). Its funny, in Japan, I don’t think the younger generation would have to “rediscover it”, because I don’t think they ever lost it. And in Ireland… I dunno… I think it *could* catch on here, but there just isn’t the support/culture/environment here to foster the kind of independent crafts movement. There’s a historical, professional crafts tradition here which has never died out; conversely, I don’t think there was the critical mass of zine-making going on in the 90s in which a so-called indie craft movement amongst a certain generation could flourish.

Crafts are still seen as a rather granny thing to do… though I’ve been amazed to see the wedding craft stuff get very popular. I’m blabbing on!

The Handmade Nation blog has loads of useful links. I listened to this podcast at Craftcast, and this one too for public radio in her local area.

The stop-action animation intro is cooooool!

sadly, i won’t be able to get my hands on any orange felt before THIS halloween, but i’m bookmarking this for next halloween

http://www.jmurphybears.com/projects.html

Jennifer Murphy’s Bears are amazing. What a talented lady! Glad she shared this tutorial.

OO… I just noticed I actually have comments! All those hundreds of comments weren’t actually ALL spam. Sorry for delays in getting comments approved. I just never bothered checking the queue, since I get alotta spam.

Xmas Already?

Originally uploaded by feather.

I really wanted to find some thin red cotton with a nice colour and sheen… to make more garlands like this. But… seemed like the little yarn place we went to in Galway only had some Debbie Bliss baby cotton yarn…. in very pale, and I’m sorry to say, woefully boring colours.

I love the simplicity of the baby pattern books, but YAWN! What boring colours. Aren’t babies eyes just developing? Don’t they need colour and stimulation? Do we have to dress babies like they’ve been bleached in the sun for years? I think there’s some trickery going on there swathing babies in pale, calm colours.

Anyway… in completely unrelated matters… I saw this post from Woolly Wormhead who writes advice on her blog about making a go of vanity publishing for pattern books. It has completely quashed any notions I had of making a book myself. Whoah.

http://woollywormhead.blogspot.com/2007/12/torment-and-money-talk.html#links

“So, to recap….
Materials:-£1200
Labour:- £5510
Additional expenses incurred:-£500

So, all in all costs come to a whopping £7130. Minimum.
[snip …]
In total, I’d need to sell…..
340 books to cover my own financial outlay
1102 books to cover my time
1442 books in total.
“

More of her advice on making a pattern book using lulu.

Done!

Originally uploaded by feather.

Chicwithstix explained this was Blue Leicester

I lost the note which said who dyed this yarn!! I hope I can get some more. I bought some plain white that was available. But this was such pretty colouring.

All done now.

Irish Rail Niddy Noddy

Originally uploaded by feather.

This is what I meant about using the Sligo to Dublin train as a “niddy noddy” or “knitty naughty” depending on your pronunciation.

All done!

I had so much fun this weekend at the Knitting Retreat of Ravelry members; this crowd of lovely ladies:
Cniotáil

My boyfriend was a little wary: “You’re going to share a ROOM for two nights with complete strangers?” But by the end of the visit, I felt I had made great friends. I hope I can go to meet-ups in Dublin and see everyone again.

Thanks to Dearbhala (dmaxi), Suzy (SzuyMcQ) and of course, our very talented Drop-spindle guide, Diane (chixwithstix). So much work went into the preparation of this event by some very talented and busy people- who I’m sure were very busy beyond just preparing this event. But it was an excellent display of volunteer effort, with so much generosity all around. It was educational, fun, enjoyable- splendid. And it was really heart-warming, in that oh-my-god-if-i-don’t-get-a-break-soon-i’ll-collapse kinda way.

One of the ideas they thought up was a collaborative blanket to give to the hostess at Craig Country House, the gorgeous B+B. Again, so much thoughtful detail went into this. It culminated in the end of the visit.. the organisers presented the gift to the B+B hostess. It was a sweet moment. She put her hands on the side of her face… as she looked at THE FRANKENHAT! I blurted out: “That’s not your gift! Your gift is over there!”, pointing to the side table where the cute lap blanket laid. Laughs all around, because The Franken hat was looking pretty scary, and Mairead was developing a perplexed look on her face. Here was the cute blanket:

Throughout the weekend, I got alot of advice and encouragement, which is so helpful. I started a knitting project!(!) The Urchin hat! As well as the crazy Clapotis… which is naively thought was just a loads of stockinette, lol. So wrong, so wrong….

I learned to wrap stitches, drop-spindle some yarn, and I got some great yarn at the new LolaRose shop in Galway. As of this posting, it looks like they don’t have any yarn on their site, but that’s not true. They have loadsa yarn. Lola Rose Shop in Galway. I also had some bad family news when I was there, but it was really a very supportive environment.

I hope I can go next year, I’d say there’s already a waiting list forming

There’s more photos of Team Urchin and stuff on Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/cniotail/

lovely ribbons

Originally uploaded by feather.

i think i’ll end up hoarding this stuff if i’m not careful…

hmm… i know! i’ll just get a critical mass of it big enough so that i won’t mind using some.

yes yes, that is the solution. get more… yes.

done!

Originally uploaded by feather.

i’m pleased with how this came out. i think it looks even nicer in person than the book, i hadn’t expected that.

i added an edging of three rows of single crochet. i think it makes it look more finished.

i don’t know how the one in the book was joined, but it was kinda lumply looking. i did whip stitches to keep the seams flat. it doesn’t show up because it’s all one colour.

but WHOAH this was boring.

Face design monkey blank

Originally uploaded by feather.

I found this great yarn.. which reminded me of “sock monkey” yarn… and so I made a sock monkey… but I crocheted it.

Ronan asked me.. “Why didn’t you just use a sock?”

Which was a good point.

Probably the best sock monkey is Tony Millionaire’s Sock Monkey comic
http://www.maakies.com/SMChild/index.html

1. I think I like this one the best….

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Face design blank

Originally uploaded by feather.

I had tried, and ripped out some eyes on the bear. I was doing little eyes with french knots- and they were coming out all buggy. I was hoping to find little beads, but I think I should try felt applique.

Doing this in Photoshop takes a little time, but saves the pain of undoing work.

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