Them Knitting Needes!

Aren’t they big and beautiful? I bought them at last week’s Creative Craft Show here in Belfast. Although I haven’t tried them out yet, I’ve got big plans for these beauties! But there is no chance of taking these in my handbag for a spot of light knitting on the bus…

Talking about knitting needles… Recently, I was at a political conference, and spent long hours at talks, workshops and seminars – all very exciting, but of course, very exhausting, too. Knitting during the talks kept me alert and focused – and I was still working as well. Every day, I was walking into the conference area with a bag full of papers, but even more yarn! The political and the knitting overlapped everytime I was trying to pull out a paper, and a ball of yarn rolled out of my bag instead…

However, one morning my knitting needles – 4mm tiny wooden circular ones – were confiscated by security, because they were suddenly considered ‘too pointy’, and thus too dangerous to be brought into the hall. Telling them that I could do more damage with my rather pointy teeth did not help, so I had to leave my knitting at the security checkpoint. HRMPH!

To say that I was not amused is an understatement…and I had dreams of seriously yarnbagging somebody…

Not being a knitter who gives up easily (and especially when knitting is concerned), I tried to get my needles through security the next time – and no, I did not hide them in my unmentionables, just had them in my bag as usual – and to my surprise, my means of production were allowed in again. Therefore, I was able to continue my ‘radical knitting’ and managed to finish my pair of armwarmers for myself (during the English heatwave!), as well as a beautiful Halloween-themed scarf.

However, if I go next year again, I doubt my big needles would be allowed in.

Shear Maaadness

On Thursday, I went to the Stitch and Creative Crafts Show at the King's Hall, Belfast, with Maura from Irish Bounty. While she was interested in all things card making, I was looking for lots and lots of woolly delights. Just when I told Maura wisely, that I was keeping a tight budget and would not engage in spontaneous shopping, but in fact would look at all the stalls before making a decision to purchase, something caught my eye. It was bright and it was woolly! I zoomed towards it like a pin to a magnet.

Fleece!

Dyed fleece!

Dyed in colours of the rainbow!

MINE!!!

Greedily, I claimed possession of this beautiful fleece shaped like a feather boa..., and its neighbour, too. When the lady at the stall of the  Ulster Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers told me that she had more, my eyes were gleeming with fleecy gluttony.

I ended up with a rucksack full of three large dyed fleeces plus one roving, and I felt as if I was carrying half a sheep on my back.

So we went on and looked at many things, and I bought a few bits of stationary and some card making material, had a coffee with Maura's family before they all went home, and met an interesting French lady who told me her a fascinating life story, which had some weird coincidental parallels to my family history.

I went on to look at more stalls, but my feet started to ache. There were also not enough wool stalls for my liking, although I loved to look at all things crafty, sore feet or not.

Still, there comes a time when one wants to go home, put the feet up and admire one's purchases. There was this tenner left in my purse that I should have saved for food or new business cards. But I hadn't bought any yarn at all...! And there was one fleece still left at the Spinners and Dyers...yes, I had not totally cleared them out yet.

Needless to say, that lonely fleece went also home with me, plus another roving. My fibre trunk is now bursting at the seams, and I probably have fibre and fleece for years to come, while I don't even have a wheel, just two Turkish drop spindles and a Mother Marian. Those fleeces are pretty though, like works of art, and I am very tempted to just hang them up in my studio for the time being until they are spun...

They will be spun!

Watch this space for updates on spinning these fleeces!

Yarnbombing

Some beautiful acts of yarnbombing happend to the 'Sheep on the Road' sculpture outside the Waterfront Hall, Belfast this weekend.



Very appropriate, since it was a mucky sort of a weather, and the sheep might have missed their fleece...



No, it wasn't me...I love it though!


However, the act of yarn bombing, yarnbombing, graffiti knitting or yarnstorming isn't that well known in Belfast, and I had to explain it to some punters who were admiring those fashionably-clad sheep and shepherd. Basically, yarnbombing is a a type of graffiti or street art that uses colorful displays of knitted or crocheted items or simply yarn rather than paint or chalk. Yarn installations – called yarn bombs or knit bombs – can last for years, but can also be easily removed. They don't harm, but rather warm the trees, street signs, lamp posts, buses, sculptures and public buildings!
Blame the Texans - that's where yarnbombing apparently started!




This graffiti knitting was part of the street art at the Base Festival in St Anne's Square.