rockpool candy

USA tour - month one - part two

So from tree looms attacked by squirrels and natural leaf doilies on frosty mornings to our favourite place in the world. The Adirondecks.

 

And then pumpkin carving with our buddies before flying to Portland.

 

The population of Portland prides itself on keeping it weird. A tradition that they seem to have perfected. Way too weird for me - and I never thought I'd say that. But if it means we can eat Voodoo doll doughnuts and laugh ourselves stupid over mimosa cocktails with our buddies at breakfast, then it was fun.

And then of course. We (hopefully) broke the world record for the biggest crochet hook.

 

We made a basic web out of yarn we'd spun from wool. We went for texture and lumps and bumps, navajo plying it badly for extra texture. (There's me and Jimbo)

 

Then we used the hook. (That's Laurie of the CLF.)

And crocheted the outer part of the web.

 

Yes I am gurning as I strain to lift that darn thing. That's a genuine sweat being broken. But we did it!

Next  - the Coast Starlight train to Oakland.

Before surrendering to the beauty of Yosemite.

 

Marvelling at Lake Tenaya.

 

And crocheting and knitting my fugly sock on lake Tahoe. 

More in a few days.....

Fibre frenzy

Long time, no post. This is due to me being head down, fingers a blur, getting ready for several up-coming shows.
I'm delighted to have been invited to show my work in a cabinet at the ICHF Creative Stitching and Hobbycraft shows as they tour around Britain. This meant a new reef had to be created. I'd been dreaming of making a white and yellow one for ages so here it is.

It's 1m 30cm wide and weighs a tonne (or feels like it).
But... in my enthusiasm back in the spring, I decided not to make one, but two of these reefs.

Lucky for me, I was also invited to show at Wrexham Yale's Recycling and Sustainability Show.
So here's the second reef in the pair.

They stand on their own, but also act as a pair, giving them a different dimension.

 

They're so huge, I had to hang out of my upstairs window to take this picture.

But two reefs wasn't enough.

I'd also promised Jimbo that I'd make him a reef with his Friedrich's Ataxia travelling hook. (It's the most beautiful hook I've ever had the pleasure to hold.) So I dyed, spun and crocheted like a mad thing to create a very unique wall hanging.

 

It'll be auctioned on the 12th September, along with many other wonderful creations to raise money for research into a cure. PLEASE go along and bid.

All this, and the Coral Collective Hospital Project is going from strength to strength. I received a beautiful coral from someone who'd picked up one of my packs in the hospital.

It made me SO happy to receive it and can't wait to add it to the artwork hanging in the waiting room. Thank you to the anonymous crocheter.

Is that all I've been up to? Nah! I don't sleep. I've got Pom Pom International and I Knit London coming up.

So I've been washing texel fleece and dyeing it;

Dyeing up merino roving;

Creating my own fibre blends that will soon sell through my site and at I Knit London's shop;

 

Carding British Breeds Batts for I Knit London's fetes and Bestival;

Spinning some of my exotic multi-fibre batts;

 

And then there was all the fun I had hanging out a Woolfest with the wonderful Moonspinning;

Here she's teaching Gerard to spin with a drop spindle.

Gnome spotting;

And getting emails from lovely slebs who've been crocheting with my yarns at their events.

I thank you, Miss Amy Lamé for making a corsage from my lemon and lime handspun.

Stay tuned for the next installment - this is only a teeny bit of what I've been up to! I haven't told you about Castlewellan show (you can read about it on Moonspinning's blog) or any of the other groovy stuff I've been up to.
Next stop LA, New York, London and touring Northern Ireland.
I'm international, me!

The lightest hook on Earth

London picked me up, wrung me out and left me pooped. I'm one tired lady - too tired to even hold the weight of my crochet the last few days.
And then a little angel arrived.

It appeared in the shape of the most beautiful hook, hand carved by Jimbo from a dead aspen branch behind his cabin. He whittled the whole thing whilst sitting on his front porch, overlooking a meadow, so it has relaxation running through its grain!
It's sensuously soft, beautifully smooth and weighs less than a gnat's sneeze! And it's tempting me towards my yarn stash again.

I'm so flattered that Jimbo should take the time to carve me such an object and all inspired by a small piece of lichen that looked like coral. (See how he found it by clicking here.)

LIFE IS IN THE DETAIL. I shall attempt to crochet my own homage to that little piece of lichen tonight.

Thank you Jimbo.

And if you haven't yet tried his chophook, what's keeping you? It's another fantastic creation from the hands of a master. The one pictured here is especially carved for bullion stitches - and we all need help with those little blighters. And do you know what? All you have to do is make a small donation of at least $10- (which is nothing in pounds nowadays!) to the Freidreich's Ataxia Research Alliance through the button on his site and he'll make you one. A good cause AND a bargain. Win win.

He's also got a "gob o hooks" like the one he carved me up for grabs in his auction. Believe me, they'll change your crocheting experience. They're sexy hooks.

Get me! I'm a Goddess!

I can't tell you how honoured I was this morning to be named Chophook Goddess by the lovely Jimbo.

And all I did was have a bit of fun crocheting in order to all to raise awareness of Freidreich's Ataxia. Please read about it here.

It's such a wonderful thing to get feedback from people about what I do. And the warm glow that having such nice words heaped upon me has lifted my otherwise creaky body this morning.
Thanks, Jimbo!