Lamp-post cosy

29 September 2014 Aisha

Lamp-post cosy Last weekend was Yarndale and, as part of the event, there was a ‘yarn walk’ through the park between the station and the Auction Mart and I have made this panel to decorate a lamp-post.
When the request came through I already had the little squares which were originally intended to be part of a baby blanket. However, the panel needed to be made quickly and I had the squares to hand so I joined them with coloured stripes and I think it works very well. I had accidentally made one square too many; I had believed I was one short and after the panel was finished discovered the missing (now extra) square in my dressing-gown pocket. My mother was staying and since her hip operation she uses a stick (made by my father) so I used the last square to decorate her stick. Decorated walking stick

By the way, it was Kim in the office who called the panel a ‘lamp-post cosy’! I thought it was a ‘yarnbomb panel’.

Yarndale Mandala

30 May 201430 May 2014 Aisha

As part of the tour de obsession cycling through Yorkshire this year, Yarndale will feature an installation of crocheted mandalas/wheels organised by Lucy of Attic24. Lucy is inviting people to make and send mandalas and at the last count she had more than 300 from over 30 different countries. I am not sure how the mandalas will be displayed in Skipton Auction Mart; the plan is to hang them on a wall but there aren’t many walls in the market. However, no matter how they are displayed, the gathering of so many varied and colourful circles should have the magnificence of a gothic cathedral window.

This is my contribution. It’s made from the the same Hobbycraft/WI yarn as Sue’s coffee cosy. There are patterns available but I just made it up as I went rather than working from a pattern. It was an interesting challenge as I didn’t use any actual increase stitches so often had to stop and think before starting a new row to work out how many stitches to put in each block. There were several rows where I stopped part way and started again with a new idea.

Lucy has asked contributors to send their name/region so I will send my mandala with this card from the Leeds University Art Gallery featuring Harrogate Pump House by Carlos Nadal, one of my favourite artists. It’s a perfect fit not only in terms of colour but also the Tour de Yorkshire theme. The university art gallery is well worth a visit by the way, with not only the (impressive) university art collection but also special exhibitions. At the moment there is an exhibition of images of Yorkshire. Go and see it; take my car!

mandala_with_card

There is a gallery of Yarndale mandalas on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/yarndale/mandala-wheels/, soon to include mine, I hope.

A Yarn Extravaganza

29 September 201328 February 2014 Aisha

Yarndale is a festival of yarn and yarny things: knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, felting… This year was the first but there is no doubt that there will be more. Yesterday, apparently, there were queues to get onto the roundabout outside Skipton and queues to get into the venue (Skipton Auction Mart). Police had to direct people to alternative car parks even though the Auction Mart has parking for more than 1,000 cars. The auction mart pens contained stalls selling yarn, tools, craftwork and accessories: a feast of colour and texture. Much of the yarn was natural and hand-dyed creating shades with depth and subtlety. The small sale ring became a ‘Knit and Natter’ lounge (coordinated by Lucy of Attic 24). There was some livestock: alpacas and angora bunnies. The Settle and Giggleswick Brass Band reminded people that this is Yorkshire event with “Barnard Castle”, “Light as Air” and the “Floral Dance”. Between the railway station and Yarndale, the path through the park was alive with yarniness including crochet ducks by the canal. Sunshine on the trees, just turning for autumn, and views of the dales created a walk of delight.

Yarndale was organised by a volunteer group but with great professionalism. It was a triumph! The organisers deserve several rounds of applause. Here’s to next year!