Category Archives: Out and about

It’s all yellow

This week it’s been all about yellow. I’m sure there’s a song in there somewhere, or perhaps it’s just fashion/spring (delete as inclined).

These are part of Wanderlust by Jilly Edwards as seen at Collect 14.

Jilly Edwards, Winter Ploughing

Jilly Edwards, Field Fence

Donald Hamilton Fraser – Cyclades 1960

This shocking 60s yellow fabric is on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum as part of their Artist Fabrics exhibition.
Then the Emmanuel Cooper retrospective at Contemporary Applied Arts’ new home in Southwark (and it was all yellow too – apart from the pink ones).

Emmanuel Cooper, handbuilt pots

Knit for Peas

It has been a while since my last confession on this blog. It’s Wool Week and I’m recovering from a long weekend at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Knitting for Peace at the House of Commons, (very cool) and negotiating one of our patterns to go on the Guardian website. Later this week we’re off to the Rowan awards at Libertys, so it’s all go.

On the Knit for Peace stand at the K&S Show we were telling anyone who would listen about the kits that we send out. Each box contains yarn, needles and patterns, all donated by you, the public. These are a lifeline to women who may be stuck in a refugee holding centre with nothing to do, and means that they can knit for their families and keep themselves busy.

When I had my lunch break I hot-footed it around some of the other stalls and stumbled into Max’s World. She was selling necklaces with my name on, so one had to be purchased. I also adored her Knitting Octopus. If you are very keen you can buy the pattern (or just buy the card, that’s what I did).

Post K&S we ran on to the House of Commons for a Good Gifts reception where we talked even more about Knit for Peace. We laughed about knitting peas for peace with Susie Johns, the pea designer, and Marie Wallin from Rowan (above) who has donated a lovely crochet cowl pattern to the cause. You can read all about it and see the patterns at www.knitforpeace.org.uk

Irish Lizards

I’ve been busy researching a new artcle about Irish crochet lace for Rowan and was excited to be invited along to the photo shoot. Having spent a month or so pouring over ancient library books it was astonishing to see the detail of work for real. This is one of the books that I was permitted to look at in the V&A reading library. (The ‘snake’ at the base of the photo is the weight that holds the pages open without damaging the binding.)
The pictures don’t prepare you for the sheer awesomeness of the real thing. Here is the model at the shoot wearing a wedding dress. She can’t sit down for fear of damaging the dress, so the make-up artist has to improvise! These precious garments are on loan from the Knitting & Crochet Guild’s archive collection at Lee Mills, near Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
This is Marie Wallin, Head Designer at Rowan, putting the finishing touches to this exquisite ‘Lizard’ Jacket. You can see why is it called the “Lizard” by the close-up. This is a pattern from Album de Guipure d’Irlande by Madame Hardouin (1905). Also on this jacket are delicate baubles stitched along the netting at the sleeves and on the bodice.

These crocheted baubles look so contemporary, but the thread that they have been worked in is as fine as sewing cotton. I’m not sure that I even have a hook that small…

Blaenavon

Half term break in South Wales, and we visited the Blaenavon Ironworks. Going around what is now a visitor ‘attraction’ was fascinating, depressing and inspiring all at once. Now part of the post-industrial landscape, the Ironworks are derelict and part of the new tourist industry. However, if Mary Portas did interpretation she would have a field day here (though to be fair, some of the spaces were closed for re-jigging.)
The cottages, that would have been home to some of the workers, were cramped. Nevertheless the colours were astonishing. This hazy purple, acid yellow and rust painted interior doesn’t translate too well here, but the combination was enough to get me excited. Sometimes inspiration is in the oddest of places.

Adventures at Collect

This is the work of Valeria Nacimento shown by Contemporary Ceramics at Collect 2013.
The paper-like porcelain is made from slabs and rolled into shapes, much like pasta. The whiteness looks great in the white cube space that is the Saatchi Gallery. (Good to see the folks at CPA again, though we worked out it was 13 years since I worked for Ceramic Review.)
See more of her work on her website or more about Contemporary Ceramics at the CPA blog.

The Crafter

Words from the craft world