The first rule of Craft Club is...

TALK ABOUT CRAFT CLUB

The second rule of CRAFT CLUB is..... you see where I'm going with this right?

This week I went to a training session for Craft Club, this organisation is all about championing Craft in schools, galleries, libraries, community centres and anywhere else that will bring people together in there love of trying something new. 

The session gave a great insight into something which I think should be part of the school curriculum anyway,  doing crafts encompasses a huge number of skills and helps with co ordination and concentration.

The training day was hosted by Jessica Worley a textile artist, with a special speaker of Deirdre Nelson who discussed her recent community projects. 

The actual day was very hands on and interactive, we did some finger knitting which Craft Club use as a good introduction to craft for everyone. We also made some knitted fish which linked back to the community projects of Deirdre, I think knitting fish may now become a small obsession. 

This was a wonderful, inspiring and creative day and I now have a head buzzing with ways to bring this to my local area and my Daughters school. I hope more people join this cause and help pass on their skills to a generation which seem to have missed out on these gentle arts.

If you would like to sign up as a volunteer or want more information the link is here 

And remember, the first rule of Craft Club is talk about it.....  lets get this organisation known about.

Thank you, Amanda.x.

Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

I have been tagged in a meme by Claire  my Sister-in-law on her blog to write 7 things that you don't know about me. I'll then tag some interesting people I know, and so the loop extends...


1. My Maiden name was Pinguey (ping-ee) strange eh! and was the constant joy of the school bullies. However I'm really proud of the name, as you grow and have children it makes you step back and look at where you came from.  My family has been traced back to a French monk living at Holme Cultram Abbey, and set up as a farmer when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.


2. Unlike Claire I'm not scared of cows, and have actually milked a few in my time. My formative years were spent living on my Grans farm, which has now been sold off and turned posh houses I can't afford to buy, I have many wonderful memories from the farm which was also haunted so those people may have bought more than they bargained for.


3. My Dad is a Paranoid Schizophrenic,  it had a huge effect on my family. And left me with some twisted phobias including medical/hospital buildings including the dentist (it's the smell), seeing feathers poked in the ground, wary of fires and wary of any one else I know to have mental issues. This makes me feel bad as I know it's an illness and nothing they can do can change it but it still makes me on edge.


3. I'm a very crafty person(you probably do know this about me)I think it's an inherited gene my Grandma Pinguey knit, crocheted, sewed , baked, made rag rugs and anything else that took her fancy.  My Nana Green was the Head Chef for Border TV(local channel) for years and could bake the most amazing and huge cakes.


4. I was brought up Roman Catholic, when I was confirmed I choose Bernadette my Nana Green took my Mum, Sister and I on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, it was an amazing experience. I went to Nevers where her glass coffin is laid out, and to the actual grotto where they covered the hole she dug in glass, but you see where her fingers dug in the clay. Even though I'm not a practising Catholic I am still inspired by her story and have a photograph of her laid out in my sewing box.


5. I'm a film and TV geek, I used to love horror films but after having children they don't have the same appeal. The list of programs I watch is too extensive to list here but most are supernatural, sci fi or crime based. And I think that if zombies attacked I would survive, I have a plan.


6. I have a strange and electric mixture of music on my computer, Nina Simone is always my favourite for lifting the spirits but I'm also currently listen too Styx, Flaming Lips, Bad Company, Queens of the Stoneage, Dropkick Murpheys, Timo Mass, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Pixies, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Cash and AC/DC. What can I say I like variety in my life.


7. I have had many jobs in my life, starting at 14 when I used to clean holiday homes in Windermere, I then worked in a pub, Kwik Save, another pub, restaurant, BHS, pub, Wife, Border Fine Arts, pub, hotel, Barista for Costa, mystery shopper, pub, on a make up counter for Benefit, Floor manager for Monsoon, Mummy, and setting up my own business. 


So people I've shown your mine what you got...

@MhairiMcGhie
@_inmylife 
@blottedcopybook 
@seasparkle_x
@meridianariel


Love Amanda.x.

First Crochet Workshop

When I say first crochet workshop I mean the first I've ever taught, eek, it was so scary. 
I think I'm pretty good as a public speaker & talking to people on a one to one basis but when it comes to actually showing 6 other people how to do your craft it's really mentally taxing.
I understand why my Nana had a hard time trying to teach me as an insistent 5 year old at her knee, I think learning crochet is a lot about muscle memory, the ebb & flow of wool through your fingers is something which becomes remembered by your hands and happens when your brain switches off.  But learning those initial skills is hard work, and you have to concentrate on every little loop.

The workshop took place at Weft Craft Studios run by the lovely Mhairi below, who played with my pom pom maker all night instead.

I find it fascinating watching peoples hands working with fibre, and I loved the age range of all the ladies attending, and that some of them actually finished a lovely little flower for their coats by the end. 

The lovely ladies and I at the end of the night, I hope they had a lovely time and as my computer won't let me attach their refresher worksheet to their email I think I'll post a how to guide on my blog.

So would anyone else like to crochet along?

Amanda.x.

Roses are red,pink,blue,orange,green...

So it turns out there are some great benefits to Maisie being at school, and that's getting some crafting time back, and boy have I being making the most of it. Below is my rainbow of Rose corsages I've been working on, they look so pretty, but I'm not sure if they need leaves before I put them in the shop.

What do you think? Maybe felt ones with fabric trims, hmm.

Would you like to see any different colours?

I'm also trying to work on a crocheted jewellery range, more on that soon.

 

The wool I use for these Roses is Rico Creative Cotton, which is a beautiful fibre for crochet, it doesn't split and glides through your fingers. 

I've been using this cotton for ages, collecting a little range of colours but thought it was a little expensive in my LYS at £2.50 per ball, & had my fears confirmed that I'm being locally ripped of by those smiling old ladies when I Googled it and found this lovely shop, First4Yarns selling it at £1.50. And what's worse is that I always read Attic 24 blog and Lucy had previously blogged about this yarn & where to buy it from.So I have now learnt my lesson, even though I'm a crusader for buying locally I think with this yarn I be getting it from First4Yarns. Look at the lovely pile I've still got left, sat there in all it's yarny goodness.

This brings me to my other exciting news, on the 4th October I'll be running my first craft workshop at Weft Studio in Carlisle, on how to make these Roses and after that date I'll publish the pattern here for you all to have a go.

Love Amanda.x.