Enrolments for the Autumn Term of Creative Classes and Workshops at Ards Arts Centre is currently open! So if you have ever wanted to try your hand at a new artistic skill, and meet like minded people, then check out the classes available.
I recently knit a friend an ’emotional support chicken’. I posted it over to her, as she is in England and I am in Northern Ireland.
These have been showcased across Facebook and Instagram over the last few months.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟳 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝟮-𝟰𝗽𝗺
𝗡𝗜 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗿𝘆 returns with their wonderful birds of prey,
Christine of Kiri Cottage Crafts will be sharing her baking skills with 𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 for sharing.
And, the entertaining 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 will be bringing the past alive
Inspiring Yarns in Newtownards has a lovely selection of wool, and plenty of other craft supplies. Well worth a visit!
We have now become an ‘unincorporated constituted group’, and renamed ourselves ‘The Makers’ Moot’. The main aim of our group is to help retain, share and promote local heritage, and other crafts by increasing our skills and knowledge as a group. By becoming a group such as this, we can apply for relevant grants so that we can learn more crafting skills.
As part of Ards and North Down Council’s Creative Peninsula, craft demonstrations were set up in the North Down Museum in Bangor on Sunday 3 August.
I brought several lucets, a Scandinavian braiding tool, for demonstration. Lots of chat with interested visitors, and a few who tried it out Lucets were used to create decorative braids and trimmings for clothings and household, and also to make more practical cordage and fine rope.
Ards and North Down Council kicked off Creative Peninsula on Friday 1 August in the square in newtownards. A number of us did some demonstrations in the Arts Centre, offering opportunities for the visitors to have a go at the crafts on display.
I had brought a number of peg looms and had plenty of customers, aged from under 10 to over 80.
Peg loom weaving is fun, easy to learn and provides an opportunity for creativity.
I had a lovely morning on Thursday with Molly, over from England and staying with her daughter Zoe for a couple of weeks.
An experienced knitter, Molly was interested in the Scandinavian craft of nalbinding. So we spent a couple of hours nalbinding, between cups of coffee and homemade cherry and lemon scones, and soda bread.
I was given about 20 fleeces this morning from a local farmer – a very welcome gift.
The first job to do is to ‘skirt’ the fleeces which involves removing both the very dirty fleece, and the shorter and weathered parts of the fleece as using these would create a poorer quality yarn once spun.
We have now renamed our club ‘The Makers’ Moot’, and are setting it up as an unincorporated constituted group and hope to be able to apply for grants, once our bank account has been finalised, so that we can access craft courses and learn new skills.
