Sun, seaside and silks

Ohhhh what a lovely, relaxing day we had yesterday at Corrymeela overlooking the sea and Rathlin Island.  Catherine, Niqi, Mags and I were at an away day led by Pauline Edmiston the most wonderful Scottish artist who works with silk and can use her craft for either relaxation or therapy.  The day was entitled Dreams and we were gathered in the very restful, and very peaceful, Croi.

We arrived to tea/coffee and a lovely plate of home made scones with beautiful blackcurrant jam; lunch was lasagne, creamy garlic and leek potatoes with a multitude of salad sides to choose from and peach and pear pavlova for dessert.  At the end of the day, after we had finished our craft and had everything packed up for the journey home, we were given yet another cup of tea or coffee and another slab of home made lemon cake topped with fresh blueberries and raspberries. It was all very yummy.

The sun shone all day although the drive to Ballycastle was a little longer and more diverted than usual due to the annual Auld Lammas Fair being held on the same Bank Holiday Monday.  The fair has been running for about 400 years and is associated with the start of harvest and the Lammas tradition.  The tradition is to bring a loaf, made from the new wheat harvest, to Church for a blessing.  Bits of the bread were also placed in corners of the grain store to protect the grain and ensuring a season of plenty.

I was walking along the beach just after 8am and Ballycastle was just waking up in preparation for the Auld Lammas Fair.  You might be able to see the 'Big Wheel' in the background.

We all took different routes to get there, some coming from Coleraine or Bushmills/Balintoy, others from Belfast either around the coast road or via the M2.  Whichever route you had to travel the day was fabulous and so were the colours of nature.

Pauline told us a little about her work, how she became involved and talked about the textures and colours of the silks, how they can be cool or warm, vibrant or pale and how they can remind us of people, situations or of scenery.  The silk was so fine and yet so strong.  Pauline likened all of this to our lives, our strengths and weaknesses, colourful times in our lives and duller episodes, the warmth of family and friends or the coolness of hurtful situations.

We got to see a tiny cocoon, the size of a thimble and first of all we stretched it out to the size of a hat for a human head! Pauline talked about when is the best time to dye the silk and what different effects you can achieve if you dye it at the cocoon stage of wait until it has been unfurled.  Then we started to take apart the ten layers within each 'hat' all the time the silk getting finer and finer.

 
At every stage we had the opportunity to be hands on and to learn so much.  It was indeed interesting to see how tentative everyone held the tiny cocoons at the start of the day and pulled the silk for the first time but by the end of the day we were all so much more confident.  Did you know that silk makes a noise when you stretch it out?  Yes, it creaks and crackles - amazing.

Can you imagine that this ....

... would become this?

Each of us had the opportunity to add some of our own history, emotions, family life, thoughts and prayers into the creation which was a great privilege and whilst very personal also showed a high level of trust, sensitivity and understanding within the group.  Pauline spoke to us at various stages throughout the day and asked us to concentrate on something specific mentioned by her and to then choose a colour which represented what we were thinking about at that time.  We created something completely original and personal yesterday and which, one lady said, can never be replicated even if we had tried there and then to do the same thing again.  The piece has been gifted to Corrymeela.

We also got the opportunity to make our own piece to bring home.  Here is mine and it represents the seaside where I am always very at home and which has so many 'associations' for me.  I am also, if you know me well, drawn to the colour blue.

It was a day to re-kindle friendships and to make new friends.  Thanks to everyone for an absolutely wonderful day.  If you are on Facebook you may be able to see some photos here.

We had time to ourselves as well within the very busy day, time to knit or crochet or to just relax around the beautiful grounds and admire the views of Rathlin Island.  Niqi and I caught up on some knitting and crochet and I even managed to get a pic of part of my Seaside Winter Blanket CAL on the beach!

At the end of the day we 'yarn-bombed' this ladder which tied in nicely with Mags' closing theme of Jacob's dream and the ladder.

And goodnight

Owed to Spring

Didn't we have a Bliss-ful day the day we went to...

 Heather and Niqi and I entered the Aladdin's cave that is a converted outhouse on a working farm surrounded by lamb-filled fields and bordered by bursting daffodils. I have to emphasise the signs of Spring because they were the only ones I saw and it was COLD.

 Lots and lots and lots..

 And lots..

 And lots more very soft fairy puffs of yarn.

 And lots and lots and lots..

And lots of other delights too. All within a quick drive of Toast, where it is warm. And delicious and very wheel-chair, child, hooker-friendly. End of year jolly anyone?

Bags of style ...

These are some of the bags which I (or friends) have picked up when they have been
wool shopping.  These make a great change from the ubiquitous plastic bag!

 This is Knit - a lovely wool shop in the Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin.  As you can see, I've been more than once!

Neil the Knit travels round the country's many craft shows and also sells wool and patterns online

Yarndale took place for the first time last year in Yorkshire and was a very successful festival celebrating all things woolly

The Glen Gallery is a wonderful Aladdin's Cave outside Cullybackey selling all things crafty.  Their website is quite new but has all the information you need to plan a visit

 

And lastly, here is a special bag to remind folks where in their local library they can find craft books specifically on wool, crochet and knitting.  The bag and other themed goodies are available from Cafe Press

A cute and cuddly crocheted cow

Alas not much is happening on the crochet front at The Bookery over these first few weeks of term.  We have been busy with new students and staff shortages so the hooks and yarn have remained in our bags.  So, I thought I would tell you about a trip I had last week.

Yarn-bombing and cows have become very fashoinable and news-worthy items in Northern Ireland recently.  Yarn-bombing is a world-wide phenomenon and has even reached our sandy shores most notably in Newcastle and in Belfast.   The cows are part of Cow Parade which is an art project and has seen decorated cows appearing all over Northern Ireland in touristy areas, at local council offices and  commercial venues and in parks.  The statues are funny and definitely conversation-provoking. 

Last Saturday I took one of my frequent trips into town to visit St George's market and just look what I found - a yarn-bombed cow from the Cow Parade.  She was't there on my last visit but hopefully she'll be left alone to chew her cud and won't be sold at the market.  At least it is only a farmers', craft and collectibles market now so she should be safe.

Here's a better picture of 'Herself' showing the beautiful crochet work.

As you can see, I had a hot chocolate while I was there!  Javaman does really nice coffee and other hot drinks - very warming on a cold, frosty, autumnal Saturday morning, or any Saturday in fact!  Beautiful hand-crafted foods and other items and music while you shop.  What more could you ask for on a Saturday morning?

We promise to have some photos of our own work to show you next week ......

Now that some of us have had an exploratory field trip to St George's Market I was just wondering when our first official outing is going to be?  Who will be chief organiser and to where will it be?  I had heard rumours of a little trip up the country - will a little stop off for lunch be included?  Beads, wool, hooks, ribbons, material to line the hook holder and bag - all being searched for ....

Great news - I also must post information to the effect that we have become quite successful at our new summer chookery location.  Hookery in the bookery has three members but in the few weeks since the end of the academic year we have increased our numbers to eight. 

Field Trip

Here is David. This is the guy who runs the stall that stocks the wool that Heather raves about! And let me tell you, she is not wrong! The facebook link is here and you can see that everyone asks for advice and yarn availability all the time. I loved it!
So obviously if you've gone to St George's on a Saturday morning to visit the The Wool Stall you are going to eat a crepe from La Creperie chez Francis and you are going to wander round and chat to everyone else as well. You might not find yourself buying one hat and ordering another to be custom made for your apparently small head from hats2love, but then again, in the words of St Francis himself, on sait jamais!