rockpool candy

LET ME EASE YOUR DAY - fibre movement has launched

Take an idea...

Put it in a public space for 2 hours...

Collect a group of people open of mind and generous of spirit...

Add a monster plushie and engage interested passers by....
 

And before you know it, you've pieces created for gifting...

Knitted glasses cases and bookmarks...

Pillows for rough sleepers....

And cushions for tired commuters...

Wall-hanging tea pockets for a hostel and warm scarves....

Ickle monster surprises....
 

And hoorah! People are running with the idea and are starting to...

for complete strangers.

They are easing someone's day...

Can our fibery ways begin to soothe some of the fractures in society? I very much hope so.

My heart-felt thanks to everyone who jumped on board. You all made the launch a wonderful time and I thank you for your time and energy. It will be testament to your initial involvement in the way this idea now spreads.

Happy Birthday to me...

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm currently celebrating my birthday, running around the Crack! Festival in Rome with MyTarPit and a few hundred other artists. Will post pics when I return.

Supreme Broship

Or:- HOW ARE THESE GUYS SINGLE?

Supreme Broship? Supreme talent more like.

Be prepared to be impressed by Jim Mahfood's work, and even more prepared to snort milk out of your nose at Scott C's comedy genius. Their collaborative exhibition is awesome.

Mahfood's comic book black line captures that 'too cool for school' thang that makes me wish I was a lythe, urban, foxy minx.

Campbell's humorous editions make me guffaw in the most embarressing way, until my sides hurt and I feel giddy.

 

I want sneaky knights to fancy me.......

How come I know these talented, charming, funny, SINGLE American guys? Well, they're among a list of many. I reeled off names a-go-go recently of all the lovely US based men I know. My UK girlfriends were aghast. Why haven't I introduced them to our Isles? Well, I may just do so. So like some dodgy dating agency reflecting my art crushes.

And no they don't know about this post, so it may well be the last time they ever speak to me......

Catch their show at the London Miles Gallery til July 5th.

Rav Day

6th of June 2009: Coventry: Bucketing Down: Best Fun I've Had in Ages
One ball of 'normous yarn behind block-printed English Cookies cautionary tape.
One fibre activist in a Curious Tales corset and bustle.

7 hours of Cor Blimey! Crochet.

A bit of hanging with Bevboot's sock monkey.

A little Medicine sans Frontiers added to my new chair design prototypes....(the proper chairs go on sale in August. Watch this space.)

 

And all that's left to do is rest my tired feet and pull Betty Page poses.

The after party? Well those pics are under lock and key.....

make do and mend

Credit crunch? Pah! We crafty crafters are better than that!

Who needs expensive florists when little posies spring forth in our gardens at this time of year?

And it needs a press, but my 6ft show banner began life as vintage doilies, lace tray cloths and bra straps!

And what will Cinders wear to Ravelry Day?

Well, whilst digging about in a charity shop recently, I came across a load of lovely handmade silk ties. They triggered a misty memory of a wartime dress pattern I'd seen in a 'make do' article.
So being a lady of hour-glass proportions and liking bias-cut hip skimmers that slim. I've embarked upon a dress.
I'll let you know how it goes....

Have a colour-filled day of joy.

Ravelry Day 6th June

It's coming up soon, people.......

Are your fibery fingers twitching? They should be.....

 
I'll be there doing my Cor Blimey Crochet! exhibiting a few micro-organisms with Ildi, and selling my batts.......

And eating cake of course....oh cake.....
Make sure you come by my stand. I'll be downstairs. Probably eating cake....
Get your tickets HERE.

p.s don't forget to enter my May competition. Click on WIN MY FIBRE! in the right hand column over there.

100th post!

Well, I'm not the greatest at keeping up my blog, but I've reached my 100th post so I must have had at least 100 things to say about my fibery adventures.

To celebrate I thought I'd show you The International Fiber Collaborative's latest triumph. Jennifer informs me that my coral panel (from her Wrap a Gas Station Project this time last year) has been deconstructed and reinvented as tree lichens. Waste not, want not!

The tree is on its way to a children's museum where the 'lichens' will be made into a surround at the base of the trunk for kids to snuggle into.

I'm also very honoured to announce that I am one of the four fibre artists sitting on the IFC's judging panel to award a $500 grant. Ohhhhh get me!

Prudence Mapstone Workshop

I'll let you into a secret. I know nuffin' about crochet really. And even less about knitting. 'Tis all bluff.

I just make it all up as I go along. It's never stood in my way. But now I'm on a mission to learn the technicalities from the gods and goddesses of my art. Hence a workshop with Prudence Mapstone.

Like excited children, we gathered in the Swan Hotel in Hay-on-Wye. Prudence brought some of her delicious creations and then (very, very patiently in my case) walked us through creating our own scrumbles inspired by many of her own.

I wish I could say that this is mine, but in truth, it's one of Prudence's. Mine was SO hideous, that it put the F in FUGLY.
At the end of the workshop, the group pieced all our scrumbles together. Some of them were really quite inspired.

Which was good, because it dragged your eye off mine...I'm telling you... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUGLY!

AND I got a knitting headache learning to garterslipstitch... someone fetch me a dunce hat!

So how was Wonderwool?

Well, I lusted after their fleece...not only for spinning, ..but it was COLD inside, out of the sun.

But wrapped up warm in my scarf it was OK. I crocheted it from all the odds and ends of batts that I was selling at the festival, spun up of course.

And I was honoured to share a space with Prudence Mapstone.

That's Prudence's amazing cape on the far left, Ildi's crocheted plastic bag outfit centre, and my reef surrounded by Prudence's scrumbles on the wall. Oh, and all my spinning tat on the floor!
I am in awe of Prudence's cape. It is STUNNING. My crappy photography doesn't do it justice.

I bought warm clouds of guanaco from a lovely couple who own 300 of them......

I ate hog roast, jogged around the Welsh Show Ground in the rain before anyone stirred on Saturday morning, and generally relaxed into an atmosphere of fibre-based joviality.

Oh, and took part in a fashion show with my reef.... hmm...wonder if it's the first time a reef has ever walked down a catwalk?
Can't wait for next year.

Wonder Woman / Wonder Wool

I'm squeezing into my stretchy hot pants, twirling my golden lasso and twizzling all the way to WonderWool.

My pink reef will be exhibiting with Prudence Mapstone.

And my batts will be stocking a corner of the Artisan Yarn stand. Colourways include 'ketchup and mayo', 'lilac and peach sugared easter eggs', 'blue pebbles'

'violet beauregard', 'easter chick', 'snowdrops', 'verdigris','cowgirls love the blues', 'yellow sugared easter eggs', 'woodnymph dreaming' and many, many more.

So if you want something a little different to spin, say a blend of soya, milk protein, silk and many wools, then get on over to Artisan Yarns' stand.

I'll be out and about, wearing a big ravelry badge, so feel free to rockpool candy spot and say hi. I love meeting my blog readers, preferably over coffee, cake and a gossip.

See y'all there!