Alice Springs Beanie Festival 2011

My goodness… the Alice Springs Beanie Festival came around quickly this year – with not enough hours in the day & other commitments I selected not to enter this time but once I saw the categories…. celebrating the Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire & Water… I thought, ‘What the heck…’ changed my mind & decided to have a go….

With very little time in hand I set to work – the crowns for both beanies were crocheted, machine felted &  then hand-dyed – next I crocheted the bands to the crowns.

They looked very plain & ordinary at this stage – what to do??

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Flame: off to the kitchen & Nuno felted some freeform patches using bright, fiery wool & silk rovings which I attached to the band & then set to beading the crown. Yes, you guessed it, this took ages but I’m super pleased with how it turned out….

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Landscape Exposed: I made a freeform crochet coronet which was attached to the band & I then needle felted the crown using only silk rovings – still not satisfied… I decided to attach some felted dread lock tassels… yep, that did the trick.

So, there you go… my 2 entries for the 2011 Alice Springs Beanie Festival – Good luck to all the entrants & my sincere thanks to the organisers, for all their hard work putting together this fabulous event – may 2011 be a huge success for all who participate.

Crochet Beanie & Cowl Sets – beautiful & practical….

My freeform inspirations have been at a low ebb lately but, never one to be idle for long, I’ve been crocheting these lovely beanie/cowl sets  just to keep my hands busy – hopefully I’ll get the pattern written soon too… meanwhile these items can be purchased from my Etsy & Zibbet shops

The Alice Beanie Fest 2010

I’m a bit late posting this year – why is time whizzing by at such breakneck speed?

So…. it’s that time of year again when all the beanie nuts come out of the woodwork to show off their creations at the Alice Springs Beanie Festival & what a wonderful collection of talent there is to see again this year – take note of my cyber friend, Megan Jack’s entry… she receive a well deserved special mention for her amazing beanie ‘Under Ones Sun’ in the Loveliest Madcap Category – hopefully one day I’ll get to visit this fabulous Aussie event….

Here are my entries for 2010

‘Blue Mountains’ – A freeform Crochet snood – lots of bullions, spirals, tunisian patches & a scattering of beads to add some bling

‘Country Life’ – is an upcycled beanie made from an old woollen jumper that has been felted then cut & sewn into shape – corkscrew tassels added to the crown to finish

As a new year begins…

…. I wonder…. just where did the old one go? 2009 whizzed by but looking back I realise what full & productive a year it really was…

 

I started this website/blog with very little tech knowledge & bumbled though learning so much along the way – my aim to be informative & hopefully recruit more enthusiasts to the exciting world of Freeform can be gauged by the amount of hits, comments & emails I’ve received over the year  so I’m  certainly giving this goal the big tick of success…

‘Freeform Crochet & Beyond’, was published & wholeheartedly endorsed by those already immersed or just embarking on the Freeform journey. Many thanks for all the wonderful feedback I’ve received

Alice Springs Beanie Festival entry ~ ‘Australia in colour’ ~ won the Spirit of the Land Category  & I now have this fabulous ‘Camel Trophy’….. my best prize ever!

 

Joined Ravelry & found all the fibre, crochet & knitting nutters in one place – I’ve met some truly remarkable people & what a joy this has been….

Encouraged by family I’m now on Facebook & even have a Fan Page – good grief!!! what next?

I bit the bullet & opened an Etsy Shop… where I’ve met a great bunch of Aussie Girls in the Dust Team & would probably still be foundering about had it not been for their help & support- it’s been huge learning curve (that is still going on) but I’ve enjoyed every minute – so much in fact, that I decide to open 2 more – one on Artfire & another on Zibbet – I may have over-extended myself here but I’ll just see how things go…..[edited August 2011: what a shame… Artfire no longer supports basic accounts]

There has also been a lot of creative participation throughout the year -‘ The Four Seasons’ challenge  – National Gallery Pole knitSydney Hyperbolic Coral Reef Project – All great fun projects that wetted the creative juices….

Most importantly…  I’ve made some new & very special friendships (you know who you are) – thank you to all of you for your love, support & encouragement – as I look back on 2009… yep…. it’s been a fabulous year indeed….

So what’s in store for 2010?

At the moment I’m having a real fair dinkum  go at Knitting after discovering ‘Crazy Lace’ by Myra Wood – not really much of a knitter myself but this Crazy Lace has unleashed a whole new adventure – thanks Myra – I’m so enjoying it  & posting my first pics of one of many projects I’m working on…. Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful creative 2010…..

Cotton Rainbow: Crazy Lace knit …. enjoy!

 

It’s Official……

‘Australia in Colour ‘ is ‘The Spirit of the Land’ – this morning the Postie delivered a parcel with the best trophy I’ve ever received – HOW COOL IS THIS?

and the winner is…….

Australia in Colour – Snood