I had the opportunity to get involved with a textile event last Saturday as part of the NI Science Festival. The event was the ‘Textile Metatronics Challenge,’ and was essentially an information share and brainstorm exercise to consider how flax and other fibre processing could once again be carried out on a small scale, as e.g. a farm diversification scheme, or by individual or small group textile crafters.
Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese braiding technique used to create decorative cords. These cords are often used for jewelry, obis, and samurai armor.
It’s great to be part of this group, and part of our collaboration journey to pitch Ards and North Down as a key tourism destination locally and internationally.
Here’s a little story about spinning dog hair or ‘chiengora’ as it is also known.
Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived a woman named Lian. She was known for her remarkable skill in spinning and weaving, creating the warmest and softest garments anyone had ever worn. But her secret wasn’t wool from sheep or fur from rabbits—it was something far more unusual.
I have been involved in helping to facilitate a few workshops over the last week or so, funded and delivered by the Department for the Economy, and Ards & North Down Council.
The aim is to help develop and enhance numeracy skills within the adult population using events and workshops such as knitting and crochet, rather than formal numeracy training.
This week’s project at Ards Arts Centre was to crochet or knit ‘worry worms’. These little wiggly worms are packed into a pretty bag, along with an uplifting message, and the idea is to leave them in various places within the community – park benches, gateways etc where they can be picked up by members of the public.
We made St Valentine’s Day decorations at Ards Arts Centre on Tuesday evening. We wrapped wool around pre-cut wooden hearts, sewed hearts from fleece remnants and went daft with beads and ribbons.
This evening’s workshop at Ards Arts Centre was so much fun. We made St Brigit dolls from wool.
This has turned out as a lovely, bright wool. It is hand dyed Galway fleece. It is spun as a single and is very textured.
I am now spinning some raw fleece for a customer to knit an Aran jumper. She has asked that some lanolin is left in the wool, as that is what her customer for the jumper has asked for.
