Inspired of Glen Iris Here …

It is impossible not to be inspired (and a little overwhelmed) by the plethora of extreme crafty talent around the world.  I could waste hours trawling pinterest, following facebook leads and jumping from site to site looking at really stunning works of art (and I sometimes do).  For those of us who get excited and inspired by these things, the internet has opened up a multitude of avenues for googling, ogling, and salivating over incredible artworks.  I am constantly amazed, stimulated and inspired.  No wonder I wake early most days with my head brimming with ideas.  So to share a couple of my recent favourites with you … and I can see what will happen here … you will link onto one or another of these links never to see my post again.  My tastes are eclectic and range from the cutest little bunny softies to the hardcore steampunk knitting at the end of this post.  So lucky to live in the age of the internet.

This one because it’s close to my heart …. nearly 900,000 ceramic poppies planted outside the tower of London … but that’s not the only amazing thing on this site http://www.thisiscolossal.com/

Loani Prior … the DOYENNE of tea cosy art https://cosytea.wordpress.com/tag/loani-prior/

Prudence Mapstone … the Queen of freeform http://prudencemapstone.blogspot.com.au/
who inspired me to think outside the knitted square so many years ago and really urged me to think creatively about my craft work

The ladies at Yarn Corner and I expect there will be men in there somewhere too … who decorate our everyday lives with colour and life http://www.yarncorner.com.au/

What I am calling rightly or wrongly Steampunk Knitting … that is really knitting on the edge, gritty, edgy and very, very sexy.  I love these looks (although the model could use a good feed).  This at the Darker Horse … the Photo is attributed to Caroline Munro (must follow that name)

And Tess Gibersen (must follow that name)

 

 

 

2014 International Freeform Challenge

So excited here …. Finally the 2014 international Freeform Challenge book has been released and I can now publish our entry. Sister in Law Marg and I have again collaborated on a piece for the challenge which we both really enjoyed …. The process as well as the outcome!  The theme this year was One Colour and we chose Eucalypt as our colour … The colour of the Australian bush.  We hand dyed all of our yarn … Mostly commercial yarn … Wool, cotton and mohair, but Marg did have a go at spinning some yarn too … Turning into regular earth mothers here …. We had a great time playing with raw materials and mordants and seeing what colours would emerge from the dye pot … And then crocheting up the yarn into cute little pods.  We could not have been happier with the outcome.  Its simply called Eucalypt …

It’s really interesting to see all of the different interpretations of the theme.   You can preview the book here.

Dear Blog …

Oh dear … six months since my last post!!!!

I can’t quite believe it’s been that long … there is no excuse …. suffice to say I have been SO busy … much like the rest of humanity, and although I have thought of you often dear blog … other things have taken precedence.

Let me share with you what’s has been keeping me so preoccupied for the last year really … in the main …. Poppies.  Poppies.  Poppies.  The 5000 Poppies Project has taken over my life and my backroom and my living room and just about every other room in the house.  Who knew it was going to be as big as it is …. and that’s not as big as it is going to be … but oh what an amazing journey it has been for me.  Getting excited now as I start to plan the display.  Keep your eye on the  5000 Poppies blog or follow us on facebook.  Very privileged to be involved in this project I must say.

I also made a little time to finish the beautiful Rowan Lima sweater that I had been knitting for my son’s 20th birthday … he turned 21 recently and I thought I should be a good mummy …  BUT it’s a bit tight on him … so he won’t wear it and wants me to start again (oh dear). It is a lovely sweater and very very soft … the yarn was beautiful to knit with, but was a bit of a battle keeping the 4 row pattern (Star Stitch) correct especially on the increases/decreases … I love the finish though … and I have said I will knit him another in a slightly bigger size.  Don’t quite know what happened there because for the first time in my life I knitted a tension swatch … measured twice (or maybe even 3 times) … and no he has NOT put on weight … I knew it was going to be a struggle after I had finished both the back and front but given my battle with the pattern I was not about to pull it out … so the only way was forward.  Not sure what I will do with it … oh well.

 

And my muse and collaborator Margaret and I have made and entered our piece for the International Freeform Challenge this year … that was inspiring.  I can’t show you it yet because the book has not been published but very soon I hope.

Until next time

Lynn x

 

 

Happy New Year

Christmas came and went … New Years came and went … and now it’s back to work … I really should NOT have blinked.  I am thinking that most of you feel the same.

2014 looks set to bring many wonderful challenges this year and I am feeling very excited about what’s in store.  Poppies will be foremost in my year … no doubt … but there are other projects that I will also be working on including the latest International Freeform Challenge … the theme this year is “one colour” … which was my preferred theme … but now that it’s settled I am starting to realise that one colour is really a difficult theme to interpret.  My sister-in-law Marg and I usually collaborate on this project and we have had our first planning meeting … and settled on a way forward.  You will need to wait now until the challenge is published before we will be allowed to reveal our work … but we are feeling very inspired.

Today was our first Poppy Playtime at Fed Square in Melbourne and we had a great turnout … with lots of poppies to add to the total.  After the workshop … Marg and I walked down to the City Square in Melbourne to have a look at the newly installed Yarn Corner yarnbomb installation  … and were suitably blown away.  Big … nay HUGE congratulations to the Yarn Corner team for an inspiring installation … worth a look if you get the chance to visit in Melbourne.

Where did those two months go …

It’s been two months since I last posted … I feel like I am making a confession here.  Not that I haven’t wanted to … it’s just that well … I’ve been busy.

Marg (sister in law) and I have had a very busy couple of months … the 5000 Poppies project has hit fever pitch much earlier than we expected and well … we thought we would have 500 poppies for our milestone display at Fed Square this week … but ended up with close to 5000 (and I mean close) so the display was a much bigger effort than we initially thought.  Coupled with the fact that we changed galleries in Fed Square for the installation at the last minute so we had to do a rethink on HOW to display … and then of course there was the actual physical installation … and it looked FANTASTIC.  Must thank EVERYONE who has been involved to date.  And grateful thanks to Sue and Anette who came along on the day to help install.  We are proud and thrilled … you can read more on the 5000 Poppies blog …

Throughout this time, Marg and I were also preparing for our very own personal planting of Remembrance Poppies at my Dad’s Battalions’ Cypress Pine at the Shrine of Remembrance on Monday morning …. 120 poppies all on sticks planted around the tree …  This was a tribute to both our dads … Wal Beasley and Stan Knight … beautiful men both … and we miss you every day … it meant so much to us both.

 

I even took my other knitting to Pubcrafters this week just to get back to normal …. hahaha … forgot the pattern … knitted unpulled, knitted unpulled, knitted unpulled.  Still fighting with it even now … trying to keep a pattern correct while increasing for the sleeves … you know the drill.  Looking forward to getting back on an even keel next week … just before the Christmas fever  hits … there will be holidays and LOTS of crafting … and the poppy juggernaut will continue to roll on to its modified goal of 25,000 poppies by April 2015.

There will be more posts in the next week as I catch up on myself.

 

Catching Up on Myself …

Its been a couple of very busy weeks since I blogged last.  I have been to a fantastic stitching retreat with Leanne Beasley of Leanne’s House and Gail Pan to beautiful Waikiki on the island of O’ahu in Hawaii with a bunch of truly wonderful women … where I learned traditional Hawaiian quilting.  That was novel for me … I’ve never quilted before but  I think I have a taste for it now and am looking forward to a time when I may be able to add more quilting to my bow. I certainly would have loved to have spent more time in Hawaii exploring.  What a beautiful part of the world … and what beautiful people.

I am now back at work and also back into poppy making mode.  Things are moving along quite nicely in poppy land.  Tomorrow night we have our first felted poppy workshop at Open Drawer in Camberwell while the rest of the nation continues to create poppies of all shapes, sizes and materials at a rate of knots.  We now have in excess of 1500 poppies for our initial display in Fed Square in the second week of November which is unbelievably exciting … but even more exciting are the stories that the 5000 Poppies Project is uncovering.

Late last week I was able to make it to the Embroiderers Guild Victoria exhibition “Traveller’s Tales” … and was blown away by the unbelievably beautiful work these women do.  Disappointingly I was unable to take photographs but I will post an image of the piece that I purchased once I get it home.  Very excited.  The exhibition is on until 22 September and certainly worth a visit if you get the chance.  I would love an opportunity to go back and spend a little more time there.

Cancer Council’s Garden of Hope

So I promised to share what we were doing with all those daffodils …. 120 of them to be precise. And here they are : our first sanctioned yarn bombing … does that even qualify as a bomb if you were commissioned to do it????? A conundrum.

The Cancer Council is building a Garden of Hope in Fed Square to mark this year’s Daffodil Day.  Gorgeous plantings of both real and crocheted daffodils.

Kinda like a pimple of a pumpkin really … but given the time constraints … Marg and I are VERY happy with the outcome.  If you are near Fed Square in the next week you can see the garden and write a message of hope to those affected by Cancer everywhere.  Did I mention how cold it was.  Thank you so much Deb Lewis for braving the elements and helping me install …