rockpool candy

snow on the line

apologies.

my site is teething and causing me hassles.

I'll be sorting it over the next few days.

Hang on in there with me whilst I bash it with a really big stick.

You can also find me on facebook and flickr is you need to contact me.

ta

USA tour - month two

So I've been slacking in my posting. You know what? There are several reasons why.

Here's one. Life's just peachy.

We've been hanging out with my friend, Debi, and friends, on her 'dirt farm' as she calls it. 'Damn near perfect' I call it. This was taken about 2 hours' from her, just at sundown on a western Floridian beach.

There have been parties with fire dancing - you know the way it is....

And then there's checking that the pool water is the right temperature.....

But more importantly, there's been fibre fiddling. Meet Marvin Morgenstern. What he doesn't know about Overshot weaving, ain't worth knowing. The man is a genius. 

And luckily for the weaving world, he's documented every overshot pattern that he's ever woven. The library is extensive. I just hope that someone out there with the necessary archiving skills approaches Marvin and gets this stuff down officially. If there was a website with this stuff on, it would go into meltdown.

For our own projects, we've started sculpting loom weights from clay. Fir cones took our fancy. We've got 40 ready to fire. We'll build a neolithic-style loom to hang in the cathedral of trees on Debi's farm.

And then we've been acquiring new skills, like warp thread painting.

And there are three looms to explore no less.

And then there's the dyeing, the spinning, the rug hooking.

And I want to share it with you all, but, you know, it's hard to sit in front of a laptop when the sun is shining, the Thanksgiving cassoulet is bubbling on the firepit, and there are balls to throw for Lil' Bit.

 

And right now, we're busy in Washington D.C.

We're visiting artists at Pyramid Atlantic paper and print making studios.

Creative Director, and buddy, Gretchen Schermerhorn, gave us a crash course in papermaking.

 

Including bashing the heck out of gompi bark that we boiled. It makes THE MOST beautiful paper.

And we went to town on the process, adding in my wool, pieces of embroidery, peacock feathers from Debi's farm and anything else that didn't move quick enough to escape our clutches.

But you know me, I wanted to go 3D.

And to the onlook and thumbs-up of workmen working in the street outside, I created a few coral forms.

 

And then a few more....

It was SO exciting to watch as the paper dried in the hot box.

And the result of my labours?

I'm pleased to announce that I have fallen in love with papermaking.

It is a fibre after all.

 

And a HUGE installation is now in the pipeline. I'll need a space to exhibit, but I'm hoping that opportunity will present itself...

here's hoping.

USA tour - month one - part three

Hold onto your dashboard - I certainly did - as we snaked our way down winding roads with nothing but sheer cliffs, precipices and scree mountain faces to scare the living bejesus out of us....

The scaredy cat in me found relief oohing and ahhing at Carson City and Reno as we drove the smooth roads of Nevada.

We were running ahead of the snow, trying not to freeze our pretty little potooties off. Californina Ho! We drove through trees - literally.

 

Via Clear Lake. 

To redwood forests filled with wonderous fungi.

Silent dampness.

 

Misty clouded mornings.

Running to keep warm in the ancient moisture.

 

The Dyer Giant - Those are its roots. The hub's there for scale.

 

More beautiful fungi.

 

And finally, some sunshine and warmth

to ease our bones.

 

Cedar avenues.

 

Sun-bleached yarns in Mendocino weaving studio window.

 

And our hotel,

 

repleat with spinning spot.

I plied my Granny Smith's Citrus batt with a Funky Ulster Tweed Batt.

Think this may be where they invented sunsets.

And spooky river inlets.

Breakfast at a cafe with its original gas pump.

Jaws-style piers for lunch.

 

Duh du. Duh du. Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum....dananaaaaaaa.

 

But we needed to catch a plane pronto. 

And so it was, to San Fran, but bypassing the city, and to the airport.

Tampa bound.....

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.....

USA tour - month one

So what has the first month held?

We began in Chicago. Cold, cold, cold Chicago.

Were we hung with our super-talented friend Ann and her gorgeous partner Henry.

Ann is like one of the Bagpuss mouse organ mice - (no I don't mean she's small with a twitchy nose)- I mean that she finds the tiniest of unloved artifacts, adds a wee bit of her magic and "Ta Da!" creates pieces that make your hear swell. She's especially good at tiny books.

And they have a VERY photogenic dog, Hammond. He looks like a renaissance painting on their couch.

So from Chicagee we drove: for three days.

Across country. As the trees turned.

To North Tonawanda. Where we met one of the most interesting blokes you could wish to meet.

He works the last wurlitzer music roll punch machine in the world. And that's what he does, makes new music rolls for carousel wurlitzer organs.

I collected little punch holes from both the machine and a nearby block to use in my paper making residency at the end of November.

So then on to Niagara Falls - it had to be done.

Ok, so here's one of the water. 

I'm beginning to realise that I don't take pics of all the stuff other folks do. I like machines, paper, wood textures and leaves. They excite my brain way more than a picture of me in front of a scene. I can see me in the mirror anytime. But a shiny metal optical viewer! Ooooooooooooo!

And so to St Lawrence. Canton.

Where we worked with the students to create natural graffiti.

 

 

 

And installed tiny pieces of crochet in natural environments.

 

And built a neolithic-principle loom.

with squash weights.

And wove successfully.

we even printed using crochet. 

I'll post more in a few days. As I'm going out of range of wifi again.

S'later

Mountains and lakes, oh my!

Last week I was lucky enough to have a whittling lesson with Jimbo www.jimbosfrontporch.com
What a gift! I've already spent many a happy hour on the shores of Lake Tahoe, sun on my face, snow on the mountains around me, knife in my hand, creating my own hooks. This one is a piece of lake driftwood and termites have carved it's surface in patterns reminiscent of the wood carving on Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay (google it!) just across the lake from where I carved this.
There's talk of jimbo giving official crochet hook whittling classes. As soon as he does, I urge you to sign up pronto. For his company as much as his teaching. You'll not regret it.

Cross state, upstate, down state

1115 miles in a fortnight.

Illinois, Indiana, ohio, pennsylvania, new York - we drove in 'em all.
But the best mode of transport so far?
A north tonowandan carousel horse.
We've met Wurlitzer music roll artisans.
Carved pumpkins with friends.
And be immersed in university culture in the coolness of canton.
Now on to Portland Oregon.
The adventure contines.

Twisted Halloween

For a perfectly surreal Halloween you will need:

One chunk of Jimbo genius, carved into a HUGE crochet hook.

A dolly mix of me.

 A splash of Crochet Liberation Front.

Mash liberally in a Twisted Yarn store.

And what do you get?

So what are you waiting for?

Come join us!

Artist in Residence

So for the last three weeks, I've been lucky enough to be staying at the most beautiful of schools, Shiplake College,

where the hub and I scored the deal of being artists in residence.

Set on the River Thames, it's like Harry Potter with rowing facilities. (Their Dep.Head is an Olympian Gold Medal Rower, don't you know...)

As you can see, the beautiful surroundings, wall-to-wall sunshine, misty mornings and general eagerness to explore and learn at the college were hellish....

With the luxury of an orchard all to myself, I was able to while away the hours crocheting on the trees,

using neolithic principles to build a loom

and creating a 12th Century-inspired spinning wheel from 21st Century junk.

I span Herdwick on the newly-built wheel. The resulting cob made my heart leap, as it mirrored the huge cones on a nearby fir. Pleasure perfection.

I ventured into new realms of natural graffiti, creating leaf stencils

and veneer marquetry to reinstall in nature.

Along with students, we explored the space amongst the trees using threads and fibres,

then challenged our egos by taking them down, often without even a photographic record. (These are two of the few taken.)

Ask yourself, as an artist, do you need everyone to know that you created a piece, or was the process satisfaction enough? Ironic to discuss on a public blog, but I for one, do not show and tell a great majority of my work. Sometimes it's a secret between me and the piece.

So the adventures continue to bloom and blossom, not just in England, but in just a fortnight across the pond, in the USA, too. Again with the hub, I will be exploring all these ideas and more, with the students of St Lawrence, Canton, NY. I am beside myself with excitement and cannot wait to meet them all. I hope they're looking forward to it, as much as me.

Alternative Fete

Stuck in London and craving a bit o' the countreeeeee, my lovers? Well, this weekend, the Southbank is being transformed into a village fete. I'm not sure if there will be hoopla and throwing sponges at the vicar, but, as a Dooorset gurl myself, I'll certainly be there, along with my very talented friend, Julie-Anne of Curious Tales. (Seamstress of my famous corset and bustle.)

My fibre movement, Let Me Ease Your Day, will feature, and I'll be hawking my spinning batts and Curious Tales' will be selling her fab designer clothing.

For full details, read the press release below.

See you there,

x

Watch this Space Festival, National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1

Saturday 26th September: 12pm - 7pm

Sunday 27th September: 12pm - 3pm 

 

For the second year in a row, innovative live art and performance company, Home live art, presents a riotous weekend of artist’s, craft and produce stalls, performances and participatory activities which re-interpret the traditional village fete for the urban environment of the National Theatre.

At 12pm each day the Fete will be opened by a special Guest Star from the National Theatre….

 

Saturday will revolve around a vibrant stage programme - including a mass ukulele jam, contemporary barn dance, participatory skipping & hoola hooping and a spectacular bird of prey demonstration – alongside a wealth of fun, participatory fete based games and interactions that bring our traditional craft making practices into the 21st Century. The Legendary Miss Amy Lame invites you to make a pom pom for peace, while you can brush up on your knitting, sewing and craft skills with The Make Lounge, I Knit London and Rockpool Candy, as well as play fete games with The Society of Wonders and sample beautiful cupcakes and herbal teas. There will also be handmade toys and crafts using recycled and found fabrics.

 

Sunday's lunchtime programme will mark the seasonal move towards Autumn and Harvest with a series of innovative food and horticulture projects where visitors can share in the art of preparing, cooking and tasting to the sounds of anarchic Balkan beats from the Transsiberian March Band, ending with the fabulous School of Dance, where the audience can learn the Samba alongside the legendary Miss High Leg Kick and Boogaloo Stu.

Food artist Prudence Statie will be sculpting in chocolate, whilst Sharon Baker invites you to vote for your favourite bread breast bun, alongside cup cakes, home made jams & preserves, and innovative food interactions from performance company Curious and artists Lisa Cheung, Miche Fabre Lewin and Sophie Herxheimer.

 

Participants: The Benoit Viellefon Band, Bo-Peep Kids, Blue Field, Chrissy Cromer, Curious Tales, Cut a Shine, The Dulwich Ukulele Club, Golden Co-operative, The Hawk Experience, Hedgerow Provender, Miss High Leg Kick and Boogalou Stu's School of Dance, I Knit London, Lisa Cheung, Liz Bentley, The Make Lounge, MC Paul L Martin, Mary Mathieson, Miche Fabre Lewin, Peggy's Cupcakes, Pom Pom International (Amy Lame & Shane Waltener), Prudence Staite, Rock a Hula! Rockpool Candy, Roots & Shoots, Ros Badger, Sharon Baker, Simon Withers & Chris Jones, Skip Sisters, Skip Theatre, Society of Wonders, Sophie Herxheimer, Sugargrain, The Transsiberian March Band.

 

Notes:

home live art: ‘Home maybe where the heart is, but it is also where innovation takes root and thrives’ Lyn Gardner, The Guardian. Launched in 1999, home live art is a dynamic team of creative producers with a passion for presenting live art and performance work in site specific contexts. www.homeliveart.com

Watch this Space Festival is The National Theatre’s annual summer festival of outdoor theatre, circus, music, dance, comedy and film on the South bank from 1^st July until 27^th September. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/wts

For further information or images please contact: home live art: Laura Godfrey-Isaacs laura@homeliveart.com, Tel. 07957 565336. National Theatre: Caroline Ansdell cansdell@nationaltheatre.org.uk Tel. 0207 452 3231