Wool n Stuff

Hello All

I had a timely reminder of the lovely Wool n Stuff community group when I received a friend request for the group’s Facebook page .

The initial impetus to set up Wool ‘n’ Stuff had been to explore wool crafts in the ambient surroundings of Kendal Museum. When we gathered for the first time in the autumn of 2006 to the strains of ancient Viking music (I couldn’t help myself…) in the midst of medieval and Roman artefacts little did we realise that we would be celebrating the woolly textiles that are our Cumbrian heritage for many years to come. But as they say in these parts ‘Pannus Mihi Panis’, wool is our bread.

While based at Kendal Museum each activity was run by a Wool ‘n’ Stuff member and between us we covered tablet weaving, drop spinning, knitting, and prodded rag-rugging.

Following a reduction in staff and hours at the museum we had to find a new home which we did thanks to the kind folk at Kendal Library where we resided for a couple of sessions – looking at different fleeces and holding a quiz about our woolly friends (the four-legged varieties).

(Un)fortunately we were a mucky lot and sought out a new venue – the YWCA – where we could branch out into the messier crafts of natural dying, felting, and tye dye. We also held sessions on easy-weaving, tubular tablet weaving, hooked rag rugging, spinning wheels and crochet.

When building work meant another move we found ourselves in the marvellously grand surroundings of Kendal Town Hall until we were finally ensconced in the Art Room of Castle Street Community Centre where we worked on individual projects and group activities,

and held small sales of our own-made goodies (very popular at Christmas):

Time passed people’s lives changed and while there had been few woolly groups about when we began many more local ‘knit and natters’ had sprung up around us. It was great to see such a revival of interest in wool crafts and homespun community activity but as the need for a group like Wool n Stuff receded the small core of people that kept it running felt it was time to wrap Wool n Stuff up.

Sadly not long after the last session one of our key members Linda was suddenly taken from us. Yet even now she has left us a happy little legacy which I had almost forgotten about in the tumult that followed her short illness. Together with her son MF, much tea and hilarity we had created a Facebook Group for Wool n Stuff. Now as we look forward to celebrating Linda’s huge contribution to community and woolly activity during Mintfest might be the time to revive it.

Each Wool n Stuff session was full of support and friendship, rich with laughter and probably more biscuits than were good for us. It might be difficult to supply virtual biscuits but….

…being reminded of our Facebook Group by our newest member made me wonder if Wool n Stuff could be re-invigorated virtually. Perhaps it can be a home for us crafty types to share what we are working on, come to for help with tricky bits, gain solace for disappointments and congratulations for the things we are proudest of. Anyway crafters its our little bit of the universe to use …. enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/woolnstuff/

Until next we meet. Moke xx

PS I hope the links work. If you have any problems try typing out the address afresh in your web browser. Mx

PPS Apologies to non-Facebookers. Mxx

Bread, Vikings and Latin

Oct19

What a 24 hours that was! If variety is the spice of life I’ve just eaten a Vindaloo. Here goes…

I got off the train yesterday looking forward to a creamy tomato soup for tea. Not homemade I’m afraid, but that brand – mentioning no names – that sometimes you crave when a bit of cosseting is required. All that was missing was a tasty crusty loaf. I was ready to settle for some toasted slightly stale left over crusts. But AW must be a mind reader as there she was at Oxenholme with…fanfare please…sourdough baquettes just purchased from the artisan baker (Lovingly Artisan) based in the little yard next to the station. The smell was delicious and having purloined a couple of these wonderful creations I whizzed through my front door and straightway gave in to the temptation to tear off a hunk and eat it there and then, mmmmmmmmm….I wish you could smell this photo,

So far so relaxing but Saturday morning saw a change of pace. Here come the Vikings

As a Young Archaeologists’ Club leader I have enjoyed some wonderful sessions exploring history and archaeology with groups of brilliant young people but this morning’s meeting was one of the best! It was made particularly special because it was lead by one of our long time members FW (she’s been a Young Archaeologist since she was 9!) who is a Viking re-enactor. FW had brought along a fellow re-enactor whose character name is Bjarni Thorvaldrson and they shared with us their passion and tremendous knowledge of the Viking era. We handled artifacts (look away if of a squeamish disposition),

wrote in Runes,

and played Nine Men’s Morris, sometimes know as Merrel, a very addictive Viking board game,

But the best was yet to come Viking weapons and how to use them. After terrifying museum visitors with group training in the use of shields and battle formation – I should have known they were not all lined up just to look pretty! –

FW and Bjarni went on to demonstrate with the stuff that could really hurt you (don’t try this at home these people are experts!)

Phew what a finish to an exciting morning.

Time for something more sedate and what could be better than sitting down to master (snigger) the present passive infinitive? whatever that is….

AH and I are nearing the end of Book 4…oops I mean IV… and have only one more book to go before we finish the course. EeeeeeK. We are hoping that the gods are watching and on the last page of the last book there will be divine intervention transforming us into perfect Latin speakers. Methinks we live in hope!

Now before you go thinking I have forgotten my woolly stuff never fear something I saw amongst the Viking goods reminded me of where my obsession with wool-crafts began. Here’s a clue:

Watch this space tomorrow….

Not a Dodo but definitely a bird

Aug4

Yahoo! time for some needle felting. I know I promised to show you how I needle felt a Dodo brooch, small change of plan … yesterday as I cast my eyes over the latest edition of Current Archaeology the cover photograph of a bird of an altogether different kind grabbed me.

Poignantly this small bronze enamelled cockerel was found along with a pottery feeding cup in the grave of a small child discovered by archaeologists in a Roman cemetery outside the walls of Roman Cirencester. It probably dates from the early 2nd century AD and was dedicated to the goddess Arcana by Ulpius Verinus a veteran of the sixth Legion. A gift for a much loved child to take to the afterlife.

While I thought that this would make a relevant edition to the brooches I make for Kendal Museum – they have a collection of local Roman finds – what most inspired me to create a brooch effigy was the pleasingly tactile shape and design of this small enamel funerary offering. Here goes.

First I drew a template.

As you can see I had a bit of a struggle with the tail! I simplified things in the second version. So it turned a bit cartoonesque … Then I transfered my design onto fusible interfacing which I pressed with a hot iron onto a piece of felt fabric.

Now I was ready to needle felt my little not-so-feathered friend. I usually use locally sourced and dyed Merino wool tops but I also have some vibrantly coloured Austrian Merino tops that I bought at last year’s Woolfest.

Just a word of warning. Keep the needles out of harms way and watch your fingers while you are felting. Dry felting needles are barbed and they don’t half sting when you pull them out! I’m impatient so I always try to felt too much wool in one go. Best to remember ‘less is more’, you can always add wool its much more difficult to thin it out! Otherwise it’s a bit like colouring by numbers. Keep your needle straight, I’ve snapped several when trying to felt at an angle.

Still my little bird seems to be coming along.

Now all the felting is done.

I trim off the excess felt-interfacing backing, tidy up the rough edges

and sew on a brooch pin.

Voila!

More Foghorn Leghorn in a beret than the grandeur that was Rome but still good fun.

Day off

Jul19

The Summer Reading Challenge is now in full swing and Thursday saw me talking in assembly at lovely Levens School. Levens is a friendly village school and as they were my last school visit the children were ‘lucky’ enough to have the chance to smell this year’s pungent stickers. I finished my talk to choruses of “poooh”, “erghhhhh”. Think they liked them.

The playground has the most glorious view but my photographic skills didn’t do it justice. Must try harder.

Today I had a morning at home catching up with those jobs I put off as long as possible but in the afternoon I caught the bus into town to deliver my needle-felted dodos to Kendal Museum. I’ve talked about it often enough so I remembered to take my camera and took some photos for you.

Pleased to see that my crafts – Moke’s Makes – have been released from the confines of the glass cabinet and are spread out amongst the wonderful goodies made by local craftspeople.

Couldn’t let a day off go without some crochet. I often use long craft pipe cleaners in making needle felted bracelets. I wondered how they would work with crochet. I formed the pipe cleaner into a circle – making sure it would fit over my hands – and bound it together with some yarn. Then using a chunky multi-coloured yarn I double crocheted around the pipe cleaner circle. I then played about with creating ‘petals’ in the front and then the back loops. The ‘pattern’ could do with a little more work and a mix of colours would be fun but I’m pleased with the prototypes.

With all the blues I think they look like a strange jelly fish.

I know I’m British and obsessed with the weather but “Phew what a scorcher!”. Night night.

Comfort blanket

Jul17

Having been averse to technology I had to question my sudden rush to blog and I think I have hit on why I turned to my keyboard. It was the end of Wool ‘n’ Stuff a group of local woolly people to which I belong…sniffle…belonged…Let me tell you a little bit about this marvelous group of craft-y women.

The initial impetus to set up Wool ‘n’ Stuff had been to explore wool crafts in the ambient surroundings of Kendal Museum. The museum was facing hard times, even the threat of closure and we hoped to lend it some moral support. We gathered for the first time in the autumn of 2006 to the strains of Viking music – creating the mood for the ancient Scandinavian craft of tablet weaving – in the midst of medieval and Roman artefacts and since then we have continued to celebrate the woolly textiles that are our Cumbrian heritage, after all ‘Pannus Mihi Panis’ (“Wool is my Bread”).

While based at Kendal Museum each activity was run by a Wool ‘n’ Stuff member and between us we covered tablet weaving, drop spinning, knitting, and prodded rag-rugging. In addition the owner of ’Spinning A Yarn’ from Ulverston visited us and gave a wonderful talk on the History of Knitting. Did you know there is a North-South (class) divide in how you hold your knitting needles? Apparently Northern working knitters like the Knitters of Dent who knitted to earn a living kept one needle firmly tucked under their arm while ‘middle class’ Southern hobby knitters knitted with both needles free. Being a born and bred Northerner my mother always clamped one needle tightly under her armpit. Consequently I do the same…but I have yet to earn a penny from knitting!

The museum remained safe but at the time a reduction in staff and hours meant we had to find a new home which we did in Kendal Library where we resided for a couple of sessions – looking at different fleeces and holding a quiz on our woolly friends. So many breeds of sheep! Unfortunately we are a mucky lot and sought out our next venue the YWCA because we could branch out into the messier crafts of natural dying, felting (textile artist Annie Coxey visited us for this one), and tye dye.

In our YWCA home we held sessions on easy-weaving, tubular tablet weaving, hooked rag rugging, spinning wheels and crotchet. Thanks to The Brewery Arts Centre we were supplied with marvelous teachers and three funded sessions through their ‘Motto’ (you remember “Pannus mihi Panis”?) project.

When building work meant another move we found ourselves in the grand surroundings of Kendal Town Hall and finally we have been ensconced in the Art Room of Castle Street Community Centre where we could again indulge ourselves with wet wool crafts like felting and its beautiful cousin Nuno felting.

Wool ‘n’ Stuff-ers are a smashing bunch. Each session has been rich with laughter and probably more biscuits than are good for us. It’s been a privilege me dears.

During our years together we created a beautiful handmade archive. Our felt covered book is currently being brought up to date. Once it is looking its complete best I’ll take some photos to show you. So watch this space.

I don’t know if the end of Wool n Stuff has anything to do with this but I’ve started a ‘comfort blanket’.

Comfort blanket in progress

Comfort blanket goes with sofa

Crochet is relaxing – most of the time – working round and round and round an ever growing granny square is almost meditative and starting this blanket has kept me sane over the last week. In using up my stash I am hoping to have a snuggly cover ready for the chilly winter nights.

Meanwhile back in ‘sunny Cumbria’ (yes summer’s still here) it was a very strange morning. As I toddled in to the library there was something special in the air, shops were open that would usually be closed for at least another hour, the town was very spick and span and the good folk of the Auld Grey Town were gathering along Stricklandgate.

I don’t think this was meant for me!

Bunting was everywhere,

Flying the flag in Elephant Yard.

So who was it all for? The Queen and Princess Anne who visited Kendal today (thanks to ST for taking the photo for me).

And the Queen seemed happy to be here!

It all felt very jolly. And it continued to be very jolly as I was invited out to lunch with a couple of my bestest buddies. It was well worth the climb…

No need for the comfort blanket tonight. Sleep tight.

Another day another library

Jul13

Life is never dull working for Cumbria Library Service. This morning I am off to cover at Grange Over Sands Library. Our trusty pool car driven by colleague L appeared right on time to whisk us off to the pleasant seaside town of Grange.

It’s a big day today as it is the first day of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge!

Here it is…Creepy House. All the art work has been done by marvelous children’s illustrator Chris Riddell. Its free to sign up and all you have to be is a member of the library (also free) and aged roughly between 4 and 12 years old.

But what is the challenge? I hear you ask. To complete the challenge all the young people have to do is read 6 borrowed library books over the summer hols.

Of course there are rewards along the way and where would we be without this year’s crop of evil smelling stickers (particularly malodorous this year, the word sulphur comes to mind).

There are also many new titles in stock and Talking Books count towards the six. Great for long car journeys, cleaning, washing, ironing, sewing, crocheting, needle felting……

Talking of the latter, my three Dodos are complete and almost ready to fly…ermmm waddle from the nest over to Kendal Museum. I think you could say I have a rustic possibly naive style. Some might (rudely) say crude but I like to think of it as unique! and the Dodos look happy enough.

The sun is out – its our first summer in four years I can’t help getting excited – and I’m looking forward to making a couple of visits this evening to see relatives and friends but I might just grab a bit of time for a cuppa and a good read.

I’ve just finished Susan Hill’s “The Shadow In The Street” a Simon Serailler crime novel. Susan Hill’s crime writing is a bit like my Dodos, unique. Usually I find it refreshing but sometimes I get really impatient especially when everyone seems to be either making or drinking coffee! A library patron pointed this out to me and now I can’t shake it off so I notice every cup. But the caffeine intake is not enough to stop me. Hill is definitely an author worth reading. After all “The Woman in Black” is one of the most tense and chilling books I have ever read.

And as you can see “The Shadow In the Street” has been very popular with other readers too.

Now I’m turning my attention to Susanna Gregory’s “Blood On The Strand”. Its London in 1663 and Gregory’s hero Thomas Chaloner is on a bloody quest to find a murderer and prevent treason. Oooooo-er. I am enjoying this well paced book immensely and as I don’t know much about Restoration England getting an informal history lesson along the way. Gregory’s style reminds me of C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake series which is set in Tudor England and that is no bad thing as they are real page turners. Oh look a rabbit peaking out of my book…..

It’s Morris! and Morris used to feature on the stationery of my favourite bookshop in the whole wide world Fireside Bookshop in Windermere. Morris was the well-loved rabbit of the family that own Fireside Bookshop. I think even to this day there is a small toy rabbit hiding out amongst the well ordered, delicious titles in his memory. Now as you can guess I lu-rve libraries all that access to books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, PCs, fun, information and much used public space but sometimes you want something special. A beautifully bound edition of a book that’s close to your heart, a rare copy or an out of print title and new reads at very good prices (often cheaper than charity shops!). These things and so much more are to be found in small independent bookshops like Fireside. I treasure them.

But time is short before my early evening amble. So I’m off to make that cuppa…or should it be a cafetiere?

There’s a first time for everything…

Jul12

…and today it’s blogging! The day is fine. I really should be pegging out washing but inspired by wonderful blogs like Attic24 I thought I’d start my own.

On a rare day away from the library I’m contemplating a walk into town and an afternoon of crafting to build up my stock of woolly goodies at the local museum. As you can see there is a natural history theme going on and my task for today is to make more (the last hatch sold out!) needle felted Dodo brooches to compliment the museum’s Dodo exhibition.

Crochet Dodo included! Now for a gratuitous bottom shot…Loving those tail feathers…but best be off, my cup of tea is nearly empty and the auld grey town calls.

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It'll Be Reet

Life and loves of a woolly Lakeland bibliophile….baaaaaah!

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