Tag: crochet

Season’s Greeting from the Land of Down Under…

Hi everyone, as another year nears its end, & I reflect back, I realise the many goals I had set for myself have gone by-the-way… One being updating my blog with new helpful crochet information & another, completing new crochet patterns…All are in the pipeline, just waiting for me to get on with it…

2018 will be remembered by me as the year of technical malfunctions… from personal household stuff to Government introduced NBN… Everything is now purring away as it should & I’m hopeful it will stay that way for a long time to come so I can get back to the things I enjoy: creating, inspiring, learning & not to mention, my over-grown, neglected garden.

Firstly, I’d like to thank all the lovely ladies who have participated in Crochet Classes this year; your support & friendship has been wonderful & most appreciated… I’d also like to send a special mention & Congratulations to the new beginners who have been coming along to class… it’s very gratifying for me to see you gaining confidence as your skills grow… I look forward to another year with you all.

I’d also like to thank everyone who has contacted me throughout the year. I really value your lovely compliments & feedback &, the requests for advise with those tricky stitches that we come across from time to time, I hope I’ve been helpful…

Another gracious, ‘Thank You’ must go to all my Etsy, Ravelry, Craftsy & Zibbet customers, most of which are international &, I really appreciate your trust & taking the time to leave great feedback.

2018 ~ Alice Springs Beanie Festival comp was fun. I received a ‘Special Mention’ for my ‘Blue Planet T-Cosy,’ which the judges mistook as a beanie, Whaaa! Ha! What a hoot! Goes to show how freeform can confuse the best of us.

~ Maleny Knitfest seems to be growing bigger each year, much to the delight of the organisers. Thanks again to Robyn Bailey who looked after my trade stall & helped customers after while I workshopped. Competition entries were very low this year, nevertheless, the standard was high. I won the Best Scarf award & 2nd prize for Best Beanie. 

~ The Landsborough Tea Cosy/Beanie Challenge’ had a large increase in entries & I was lucky to win the Best Tea Cosy…

~ &, for the computer nerds, I’m now on Instagram… bit of self promotion doesn’t hurt… or, so I’m told.

Here’s hoping 2019 brings new inspirations & more interesting crochet challenges. I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & all the very best for the New Year ahead… cheers, Renate

And the results are…. Maleny Knitfest & Alice Springs Beanie Fest 2018….

What a fabulous weekend it’s been for beanie enthusiasts & fibre tragics across Australia… From all reports Alice Springs Beanie Festival was a gigantic success & had its best sales ever… As always, the competition entries were amazing & huge congratulations to all the winners. You can find the winner’s list & photos here . Caroline Payne won the Acquisition award, a huge honour. Megan Jack also received special mention for her Dark Emu. Congratulations to both of you.

these were my 2 competition entries: both sold so I’m pretty happy about that, yay!!

(1) Cosmic Goddess:

(2) The Blue Planet… received special mention for the Embellishment category:

And so to the Maleny Knitfest. The weather was perfect & people came from far & wide. It’s getting bigger each year which the organisers must be thrilled about. The assortment of trade stalls selling beautiful yarns & fibres were buzzing with customers & workshops were overflowing with happy participants learning new & exciting skills. A big thank you to all the ladies who attended my 2 workshops. I hope I inspired & increased your crochet repertoire… Another huge thank you goes  to Robyn Bailey, my trade stall off-sider, I always say it & I’ll say it again… I couldn’t have done it without you… You are a champion!!!

Knitfest competitions entries were down from last year, nevertheless some awesome pieces were on display… Tea cosy prizes were won by Jivan Leela,  sorry I don’t have photos or a link. Caroline Payne won 1st prize for character beanie & 2nd for shawl… Megan Jack won 1st prize for beanie… These 2 girls ripped it this weekend, I must ask them what’s in their water…

These were my entries: I won 1st prize for shawl & 2nd for both character beanie & beanie… a great result all round

(1) Shawl:

(2) Character Beanie:

(3) Beanie:

And so the fibre madness has come to an end… thank you to everyone who came along to say hello, & for all the lovely compliments you gave me about my work…

… So, that’s a wrap for 2018 (no pun intended)… but, let’s make it a date for 2019…

Cheers Renate…

Maleny Knitfest 2018 – Fabulous Fibre Indulgence…

Hi everyone…The Maleny Knitfest 2018 is on again & just around the corner; 2 fabulous days of fibre indulgence. Sat, 30th June & Sun, 1st July.

The theme this year is Outer Space/Sci Fi. As in previous years, The Maleny Knitfest promises to be a fabulous weekend of gorgeous fibre fun, with workshops, exhibits, trade stalls, competitions & much more… so there’ll be something for everyone.

Maleny Knitfest 2018 is offering 30 workshops, which you can check out & book here, I’m sure you’ll find one to interest you; I’m told workshops are filling fast so don’t leave it too long & avoid disappointment. If you’d like to know more about this year’s presenters, you can see them here.

For those of you with a competitive spirit, why not give the competitions a go; individuals, groups & businesses can all enter… check out the categories here, It’s only $5 per entry & you can enter as many times as you like…

This year I will have a trade stall selling my freeform pieces, my books & patterns & presenting the following 2 workshops:

(1)  Title: 13 Novel Stitch Sampler workshop. Saturday 30 June 2018, full day session (10am to 12 noon,- 2 hr break, – 2pm 4pm?)

About the Workshop: This is one of my most popular workshops, covering the basics through to those interesting stitches you’ve always wanted to try: Clusters, Puff sts, Popcorns, Crab st, Bullions, Bent Bullions, Coil st. Off-set Clusters, & a Clone st Tassel – 13 different stitches in all, not counting chains & slip knots… Samplers are a fabulous way to learn new stitches & increase your crochet repertoire… Stitches are worked over a short 21 stitch row allowing you to move on to the next row quickly. However, I do encourage everyone to work at their own pace.

~ The worksop includes 4 pages of written patterns with 1 page crochet chart (graph), & 6 pages of stitch drawings & stitch instruction. Those of you who don’t know how to read crochet graphs (charts), here is the perfect opportunity to learn.

Requirements: it’s essential that participants have good basic crochet skills

~ bring along your own collection of hooks, (I prefer you to use the hook you’re most comfortable with)

~ I will supply pattern sheets (11 pages)

~ I will supply 8ply yarn,

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(2) Title: Crochet Flowers with a Difference. Sunday 1st July 2018, morning session (10am to 12 noon)

About the Workshop: An introduction to crochet flowers worked a little differently. Fun & practical motifs to enhance & decorate your projects: beanies, hats, scarves, thongs & shoes, headbands : turn them into brooches, garlands & lanyards: or anything your imagination can conjure up. This worksop includes 6 patterns, each a little different from the other. Patterns are in both written & graph (chart) form. You can make as many flowers as time allows

Requirements: 

~ it’s essential that participants have good basic crochet skills

~ bring along your own collection of hooks & a large-eyed darning needle

~ I will supply 6 patterns to choose from

~ I will supply some basic, plain coloured 8ply yarn, however, please feel free to bring along your own favourite colours & yarn

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For more information go to the Maleny Knitfest website & you can like Maleny Knitfest on Facebook 

I’m looking forward to a great weekend & hope to meet & greet you there…. cheers, Renate

When Technology Lets you down… back to basics & Crochet on…..

It seems like an age since my last post… with Christmas & New Year celebrations well & truly over, I was keen to get back to what I love, writing patterns. With lots of ideas floating around in my head, I wanted to get them written down on my trusty work computer; the computer I’ve had for years. She had all the bits & pieces I need for the precise & intricate details required for pattern writing… You can imagine my stress & panic: when she refused to start up & the Techie sadly shook his head…

So, years of work gone… my fault really… I should have up-dated regularly, I should have backed-up more often… well, I didn’t, trusting that the ‘old girl’ would go on forever… naive, silly me…

However, it’s not the end of the world… some of my work can be re-loaded onto another  computer, unfortunately, I was using very old programs so more up-to-date ones will need to be found & I’ll be able to re-build… A whole new learning curve… yikes! that’s a job…

Meanwhile, crochet on… just so you know I haven’t been completely idle, here are a few new items I’ve created, with more to come, & which I’ll be listing in my Etsy Shop over the coming weeks as I get more photos done… stay tuned…

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Downunder….

Hello everyone,… it’s hard to believe that yet another year is coming to an end; I do hope it’s been a happy, healthy & creative one for you all &, that 2018 will be even better. A huge thank you to all the crochet class ladies, your participation, (rain, hail or shine), has been wonderful & greatly appreciated &, hopefully, will continue with the same zeal, friendship & creativity in 2018. A generous welcome to all the new ladies. I hope your crochet interests have been re-ignited &, I trust, the door has been opened for the very new beginners to this fabulous, fun craft.

I’d also like to thank the many people who have contacted me throughout the year. I really value your lovely compliments & feedback &, the requests for advise with those tricky stitches that we come across from time to time, I hope I’ve been of help…

Another gracious, Thank You must go to all my Etsy, Ravelry & Zibbet customers, most of which are international &, being so far away, I really appreciate your trust & taking the time to leave great feedback.

~ So…, 2017… it took a while to get my mojo back on track after a difficult 2016, but time has a way of moving forward & taking us along with it…

~ I wasn’t able to enter Alice Springs Beanie Festival comp but did manage to send a bundle of beanies to Beanie Central with only one coming back…Yay!

~ Maleny Knitfest was a great success with Robyn Baily at my side working the trade stall while I workshopped. I was honoured to win both best Beanie & best Scarf awards. And, while I’m at it, I must give a ‘shout out to Karen Lynch’ who won 2nd prize in the beanie comp…Well done!

~ The Landsborough Inaugural Tea Cosy/Beanie Challenge’ was also a success with People’s Choice Awards. I was delighted to win both best Beanie & best Tea Cosy…

~ I also had the great honour of being included in ‘Artistry in Fiber Vol 2 – Sculpture’, A coffee table book featuring an array of world-wide fibre artists.

Here’s hoping 2018 brings many fabulous inspirations & new interesting crochet challenges. I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & all the very best for the New Year ahead… cheers, Renate