Tag: freeform 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…

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…

 

Tea Cosies to make you smile…

It’s been quite an exciting couple of months of competitions for me with the ‘Alice Springs Beanie Festival’, ‘Maleny Knitfest’ & the latest being the ‘Landsborough Inaugural Tea Cosy/Beanie Challenge’ that was held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the naming of the Sunshine Coast, at the Landsborough School of Arts Memorial Hall & organised by Caroline Payne, a tireless volunteer of the Landsborough Hall & Market, (held every Saturday at the hall). This is the first year for this Tea Cosy/Beanie competition & from the encouraging response of entries it won’t be the last… hopefully, it can become a yearly event…

So… I thought it might be a bit of fun to post some pics of my own Tea Cosies (past & present) to inspire & make you smile… some will be familiar as they’ve been posted before, nevertheless, this is a little gallery for you to enjoy!

A Huge Honour to be Featured in Artistry in Fiber Vol 2 – Sculpture

In September 2015 I was contacted by E. Ashley Rooney & Anne Lee, who asked if I would be interested in being featured in their newest series of books for Schiffer Publishing, Exploring Fiber Art. The three volumes would cover Wearable Art, Wall Hangings; and In Three Dimensions, & anticipated including about 75 artists in each volume…

…Of course I replied with a positive, Yes….

E. Ashley Rooney has produced a long and successful line of books, which  can be reviewed at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Anne Lee, her coauthor, has worked with Ashely on several books and coauthored Encaustic Art in the Twenty-first Century (due late 2015).  Schiffer’s beautiful coffee-table books are aimed primarily at galleries, artists, art lovers, and collectors.

About the coauthors: ‘Living in Lexington, Massachusetts, E. Ashley Rooney and Anne Lee had been casually acquainted for many years. They first volunteered together in 2010, curating an art show at Cary Memorial Library. Other shared art events followed, and both their friendship and thier writing partnership evolved. Together, they have edited Encaustic Art in the Twenty-First Century (Schiffer) as well as this exciting series on fiberart. As coauthors, they balance each other and offer different experiences and perspectives: Ashley is the author of over fifty books, specialising in contemporary art and architecture; and Anne researched, curated, and wrote about exhibitions at Vose Galleries in Boston. Exploring fiber art’

…And so, in early June 2017, I was thrilled to received confirmation that  Artistry in Fiber Vol 2 – Sculpture was being released… A beautifully presented book, featuring 78 of today’s most noteworthy fibre Artists & 500 photos of their work… I’m not good at blowing my own trumpet but I can’t let this opportunity pass without saying…. What a great honour it is to be included in such an amazing array interesting & inspirational Fibre Artists & their diverse use of materials & techniques… ‘Artistry in Fiber Vol 2 – Sculpture‘ is a book that will fascinate & enthuse anyone remotely interested in the fibre arts…

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