Workshops carried out at Kiri Cottage, Loughdoo Road, Kircubbin
I am running a ‘Learn to Knit’ 6 week course as part of Ards & North Down Council’s Spring Arts and Crafts programme. First week was last night, and everyone learned to cast on, cast off and do knit stitch, and some got as far as purl and stocking stitch.
Especially well done to the two ladies who had never knitted before.
Braniel Church Women’s Youth Club – New faces always very welcome — come along and bring a friend!
I was away for a few days visiting a good friend in Glastonbury and of course the knitting came too.
I had lots of remnants from previous projects and donations, so I knotted them all together, wound it up on a wool winder and am using it double to make a long gilet.
In the background you can see some sourdough dough that I had mixed with a good, well risen starter – it was ready to bake the next morning.
My current commission is to spin some dog hair and make mittens, hats, socks and scarves for the client’s young nieces.
The dog hair is quite short and will not spin at all well on its own, so I have blended it with some alpaca, spun it as a single, and plied with a fine, commercial acrylic yarn.
First two hats completed
Great fun today with two lovely ladies, Ciara and Joanne. They came for a therapeutic, social, craft day, and both learned to spin. And we developed knitting skills in the afternoon, mastering plain, purl and rib.
Hats off to Clive from from Welig Heritage Crafts, Portaferry, as he guided four of us through the process of weaving a hare from willow.
We did some Christmas crafting this morning at Barrhall Residential Home when the residents created some lovely tree decorations.
Such creative people! Merry Christmas to all the residents and staff of Barr Hall!
I ran my final craft session of the year with the Portavogie Seniors Club this week. We made some simple ribbon Christmas wreaths.
It never ceases to amaze me how many creative people there are, and how everyone sees a project in a different way. I provided an example (one I made earlier…), and a box full of material strips, ribbons, charms and wooden Christmas decorations on each table, and off everyone went to create their own wreath.
I’d say this was a very successful session and I wish all of the seniors a very Merry Christmas!
The very creative ladies and gentleman of Ballywalter Seniors Club made a herd of alpacas at their meeting last Monday.
Armed with felt, beads, ribbon and a rainbow of embroidery threads, they stitched their way through the session, most not even stopping to have their tea and sandwiches (well, until the pineapple delights arrived…).
Great, enthusiastic bunch – thank you all for an entertaining afternoon!
I hosted a donkey harness weaving workshop for Finnigan Tools.
Paddy has engineered a unique, sustainable and welfare focussed method of making harness for donkeys, and we were privileged to learn the method and make some parts for the harness here at Kiri Cottage Crafts on the Ards Peninsula. They will be sent out to his working partner in Africa.
