Workshops Archives - Kiri Cottage https://kiricottage.co.uk/category/workshops/ CONTENTED, CALM, CREATIVITY at your fingertips in Kiri Cottage Thu, 07 May 2026 14:22:48 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://kiricottage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Kiri-Cottage-Logo-100x100.png Workshops Archives - Kiri Cottage https://kiricottage.co.uk/category/workshops/ 32 32 Learn To Knit https://kiricottage.co.uk/2026/02/05/learn-to-knit/ Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:06:11 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=3642 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.

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]]> Braniel Church Women’s Youth Club https://kiricottage.co.uk/2026/01/24/braniel-church-womens-youth-club/ Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:47:18 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=3629 Braniel Church Women's Youth Club - New faces always very welcome — come along and bring a friend!

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]]> Knitting in Glastonbury https://kiricottage.co.uk/2026/01/09/knitting-in-glastonbury/ Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:55:08 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=3589 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.

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]]> Mittens, Hats, Socks and Scarves https://kiricottage.co.uk/2025/12/24/mittens-hats-socks-and-scarves/ Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:49:38 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=3582 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

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]]> Kiri Cottage with Ciara and Joanne https://kiricottage.co.uk/2024/01/10/kiri-cottage-with-ciara-and-joanne/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:26:46 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=2027 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.

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Kiri Cottage Ciara and Joanne 3
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.

Having said that, Joanne has knitted the past so it was more of a refresher!
Kiri Cottage Ciara and Joanne 3

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]]> Crochet for Wellness https://kiricottage.co.uk/2023/11/29/crochet-for-wellness/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:56:52 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=1832 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.

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Kiri Cottage Crafts Crochet for Wellness 1

I have been running some lunchtime crochet classes with my colleagues in work over the past few weeks as part of the Northern Ireland Civil Service “Well” program.

Yesterday’s session had a Christmas theme and we made ‘ribbon Christmas Trees.’ 

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]]> Barr Hall Residential Home Christmas Tree Decorations https://kiricottage.co.uk/2023/11/24/barr-hall-residential-home-christmas-tree-decorations/ Fri, 24 Nov 2023 18:34:54 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=1876 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!

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Kiri Cottage Christmas Tree Decorations 9
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!

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]]> Final Session with Portavogie Seniors https://kiricottage.co.uk/2023/11/24/final-session-with-portavogie-seniors/ Fri, 24 Nov 2023 11:22:30 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=1844 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!

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Kiri Cottage Crafts Portavogie Seniors 2023 11 24 9

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! 
Kiri Cottage Crafts Portavogie Seniors 2023 11 24 5

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]]> Ballywalter Seniors Craft Session 4 https://kiricottage.co.uk/2023/10/16/ballywalter-seniors-craft-session-4/ Mon, 16 Oct 2023 19:18:00 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=1760 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!

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This was our final workshop with Ballywalter Seniors Club this afternoon and we did ‘paper plate weaving’. 

We cut petals into the plates, created a warp (a bit like a spider’s web, and wove different  colours of wool in and out of the warp to make a flower head.

We then added some charms – angels, bees, and kingfishers.

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]]> Donkey Harness Weaving https://kiricottage.co.uk/2023/10/10/donkey-harness-weaving/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 21:37:31 +0000 https://kiricottage.co.uk/?p=1667 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.

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Kiri Cottage Donkey Harness Weaving 2

This evening 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.

We also had lots of craic, a good catch up, tea, coffee, home made soda bread and a Heatherlea cake provided by Violet.

I will be running this again, and it could become a regular feature of the Craft Club.

Read more about Paddy’s work in the article here.

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