Yarn Along

Lovely to be joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

These are a couple more handwork samples I made, to come up with a truly simple bag pattern for my class one kids, comprising pretty much everything they've so diligently learnt in this first year...how to cast on, knit plain stitch, change colour, decrease, cast off and seam. That's a lot, right?

I always feel that making a simple little bag is a great project for children, it fulfils the beauty and purpose ideals, but also children of this age still love to gather, collect, bring, find and carry. Though I do feel that these bags should really be lined, being that coins and stones seem to be high on the 'cargo' list  for the lads ; ) We've run out of time this year but I'll make sure to work that part in to next year's lesson plans, great to develop their sewing and seaming skills too.

 I avoid projects that seem to go on forever for this age group, favouring instead smaller projects where children who need more time can make a smaller version if they like, and children who need less time can make a bigger/longer version. Getting the children to this stage is a lot of work and I have learnt sooo much in this new role, but when I look at and hold their work I am constantly impressed with their capabilities (a couple of finished ones below) And what a joy to see their pride and satisfaction when they finish and take their work home, I do feel honoured.

Loved seeing Ginny's daughter knitting away so carefully on her previous post : )
And how about you, what are you working on..? And if you have little ones in your life who knit/crochet, what do they like to make..? Love to hear.

Thanks so much for your visit x M

Easter Antics



There are no less than nineteen of us gathered at my parents house over these few days...the entire family under one roof!

 Blessed by mild weather we have feasted and frolicked. And lucky for me there's been much creativity : ) in the great company of my nieces and nephews..

I was inspired by the children's eggs at kindergarten to colour these eggs with the smallies, using wet crepe paper. So simple and fun for even the smallest of hands.

But this year I have surely found my all-time favourite way of colouring eggs.
With onion skins : ) 

I've really enjoyed dyeing fleece and silk this way in this past. But doing this with the bigger children and the excitement and mystery of seeing the lovely results, really lit up my little world this Easter Sunday.

We gathered flowers and foliage from Nana & Papa's garden  and made little egg parcels to cook, using both white and red onion skins. Inspired by this tutorial over at Ulicam. I can certainly imagine this becoming an annual ritual now. The only shame was that I could not find any white eggs...on which the effect of both of these projects would have been far greater.

 I'm very in love with these little nature paintings : )

I will be back in a few days 

with more makings and doings from our stay ; )

I hope you've had a wonderful Eastertime x M

a sprinkling of gold 

As I write, it is the eve of a new school year. Bittersweet. Trying to squeeze every last drop of sunshine and of freedom from these last days!
 My small boy has been asking me to make him a golden crown for some time now, its been on my summer list of 'luxury tasks' I wanted to make time for. He chose all the colours and shapes/symbols and I worked from his simple drawing. He waited impatiently, I stitched while he slept and while he ran wild with the cousins long after bedtime...it seems to celebrate the elusive sun of an Irish summer  : )

I would've loved some golden thread to weave in here and there but alas, I was on the road with limited supplies though I did find copper in my small box of tricks. I worked with pure wool felt, next time I'd favour my own handmade felt... I keep seeing a sunset crown in my mind's eye : )

 I've been lucky enough to be around some other crafty mamas who've inspired a creativity different to the kind I've come from. Thanks to Liz and our school Craft Group, projects like this are an ease and a pleasure now where I totally shyed away from stitching before.

Speaking of the promise of gold, heres a silk we dyed with onion skins. Still fantasising about how I could use it as a panel in a nuno felted garment... maybe. It's subtle hues are lost in translation here. I've been told the colour shines through more beautifully when the silk is ironed, somehow the use of an iron just doesn't seem to be in my nature ; )

Another fun thing to be borne of this summer were a few sweet hogs. It all started when my lovely niece and I sat up late one night crafting pom poms (hers was gorgeous). Next day I thought 'what to do with a pom pom..?' hmmmn and wondered if I could needle felt wool into it. I'm constantly amazed with how wool wants to fuse with wool in all kinds of felting contexts. This works! 

Children seem to really fall for these little guys, their softly spiked and rounded bodies feel delightful in the hand. I was thinking it would be an ideal handwork project where wool is used for its therapuetic properties. And it makes a really warm toy. 
Amazed to find conkers on our local river walk when it's barely September, smallie filled his pockets and once home carefully left them for the hedgehogs to nibble on. I happened upon this scene on the living room rug : )

Autumn has indeed crept up on us this year. Welcome!

Farewell to Spring

Before it feels like Spring has finally bowed her head to Summer, I wanted to share some felted pieces that I made in honour of springtime.

I recall having a nature table in primary school and I clearly remember being captivated by the birds nest it held. The value of bringing the outside in, to the classroom or home is significant, particularly in more urban environments. Children love to gather natural treasures and put them in a special place, like a seasonal table, to remind them of that special walk, what's currently growing or changing in nature and the colours or creatures we associate with that time of year.

 Symbolic figures such as these reflect the changing seasons outside and welcome in the new. The figures have real presence, are sturdy enough for gentle play by older children and are ideal as central figures in puppet plays and storytelling.

Lady Spring's basket I made from hemp, I felted with undyed and plant-dyed wool. I tell you, working with plant-dyed is a whole other level of experience as a feltmaker. Every time I use it I swear I don't want to work with any other kind of wool. Otherwise known as Magic Wool, it is quite literally alive and you can feel the energy of that in your hands as you work with it. It's also to do with the very subtle qualities of the colours...conventionally dyed wool presents a single flat colour, whereas a  plant dyed colour contains many other colours and hues within it. The beauty of this, is that any combination of colours you might choose to use in a piece of work, will not only be compatible but will be in harmony with each other. Magic indeed : )

Jenny of Woollygathering kindly photographed these locally in East Clare. They were the preliminary shots for a series of Spring cards, taken with the thought of making a collection of greeting cards that celebrate or mark each season. The seed of an idea to be further developed...

These needle felted figures are made without sewing, gluing or patterns, I work from my head. And why I love it..? They are100% Wool. I can take it absolutely anywhere when I'm working on it, (and I do!)without having to think about access to water. There's no clean-up after a work session and I can put it down and pick it up at will. In other words, it's perfect if you have a family, small children. I find I can do it right there at my kitchen table, in between getting up to stir the soup, or soothing my small boy's latest injury ; ) And I love the sound of it, of the fibres entangling with every stroke of the needle. Three-dimensional work was not a strength for me at art college and as I have mostly worked in two dimensions, I've found that the soft sculpture work really has developed my sense of that, and brought me on in ways I didn't expect : )

I cherish the way handwork can make you feel like you're making something out of nothing. It is just so with this process, you start out with tufts of coloured fluff and end up with a figure you can hold and place, and look to. Enchanting, no?