Knitfest… the celebrations are over but the buzz goes on…

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The 2016 Maleny Knitfest is now done & dusted… check out some pics here… How wonderful to have so many local, talented artists coming together to share their expertise with workshops & demonstrations in all things fibre. Being the first one of its kind there were quite a few hiccups but I’m sure everyone learnt a lot & all the wrinkles will be ironed out for next time… The town looked fabulous yarn bombed from top to toe. Congratulations to all the volunteers & organisers who worked tirelessly to get it all done.  I saw so many people taking photos in front of trees, cows &, of course, the controversial cannon… A talking point for some time, I’m sure.

On behalf of Lynne Hall & myself, I’d like to thank all the ladies who attended our ‘Scrumpling Workshop’. A lovely group who weren’t afraid to jump in & have a go… I hope you’re all inspired & overflowing with creative juices…

A big thank you also to everyone who participated in my ’10 Novelty Stitch Sampler’… I trust you all had a great time, leant some new interesting stitches & came away enthused to create your own projects…

&… A small drum roll please…I’m particularly honoured & proud to have won 1st  & 2nd prize in the Tea Cosy competition & 2nd prize in the Scarf Competition.

The Topics 1st prize winner 2016 Maleny Knitfest
‘The Topics’ –  1st prize winner – Tea Cosy Competition – 2016 Maleny Knitfest
The Hinterland 2nd prize winner 2016 Maleny Knitfest
‘The Hinterland’ – 2nd prize winner – Tea Cosy Competition – 2016 Maleny Knitfest
Calypso - scarf Competition - 2nd prize winner 2016 Maleny Knitfest
‘Calypso’ – Scarf Competition – 2nd prize winner 2016 Maleny Knitfest

My re-purposed Freeform Crochet Coat…

Forest InspiredSo, continuing with my personal commitment to complete UFO’s & work on new projects that have been sitting on the back-burner for far too long, I took a good hard look at this Freeform Crochet Coat that I created in 2006 & is featured in my book ‘Freeform Crochet & Beyond.’

This piece has special meaning for me as the colours, textures & forms came alive for me in a forest reserve where I often visited for solace & inspiration. Having that said, & as much as I love it, I also know that it’s big, bulky & heavy, more over, not to everyone’s taste, & to sell it on the Net would cost a small fortune to ship…

It’s been in my mind to pull it apart & make other items, but… Oh my!…What a job that would be… so,… the idea was put in the ‘too hard basket’ time & time again… Then, this summer, an extremely hot one at that, so much so, that I found it difficult to move too far away from the air fans blowing at high speed, I decided that, seeing as I’m sitting here like a sweltering lump, I might as well be doing something useful… & so I began unravelling the freeform patches…. long story short… here are the items I came up with… I’m very happy.

Hood & scarf ComboDSCF1717Large Freeform ToteLarge Freeform ToteSmall Freeform bagSmall Freeform crochet bagFreeform Crochet Tcosy

My 2012 Alice Springs Beanie Festival Entries…

Life has been rather hectic these past few weeks so I’m a bit late posting about my entries for the 2012 Alice Springs Beanie Festival – This year I decided to do something different & made a felted beanie & a tea cosy, packaged & shipped to Alice Springs,  all in good time, with the intention of posting a little write up but somehow never getting around to it…

Well, this morning, when I checked out to see how the festival was going, to my utter surprise & delight I found that my Fossils & Limestone felted beanie entry has won the ‘Ashfords Prize for the Best Hand-felted Beanie’…. Wow.. I wasn’t expecting that…

Thank you to all the judges & festival organisers…

& congratulations to all the winners & special mentioned in each category – here’s a link to the results, hopefully there will be photos soon

Technique: felted crochet beanie, hand wet felted & needle felted embellishments, freeform crochet motifs

The Freeform Tea Cosy for Alice Springs Beanie Festival

A Tribute to my Sister…

I’ve dedicated this piece to my sister & to all who are travelling the arduous cancer road…

My sister’s courage, strength & inner grace… the inspiration;

Her unwavering faith in her God… my admiration;

Her ongoing positive, down-to-earth approach to life… my deepest love & respect.

Creating this piece has been bitter sweet but nonetheless, an absolute joy, not only because of my own personal involvement & the opportunity to express my love for my beautiful, courageous sister, but also because I had to work outside my comfort zone; as a fibre artist my preference is for bold, strong, gaudy, in-your-face colours & textures & working with these gentle pinks was a delightful surprise…

  • Technique used: Freeform crochet, Glass bead embellishments, Wet hand felting
  • Materials used: over 25 different yarns: pure wool, acrylic, cotton, metallic thread. Glass beads. Hand-carded fleece.

2012 World’s Best Tea Cosy Competition is an initiative of M.A.I.D., (Moving Arts Into Dogwood), with a partnership between the Miles Regional Arts Council Inc and the Western Downs Regional Council.

You can read more about the competition here

The Breast and Prostate Cancer Association of Qld Inc is holding a health information day for breast & prostate caner Saturday 28th July 2012, at the Leichhardt Hall, Dawson Street, Miles.

You can find more information here

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