Saviours Of The Lost Arts ’11

Well, proceedings kick off today starting with the craft fair at King George Square. It is not as colourful and awesome this year on account of us not making them a garden this time and the square has not been yarn bombed either. I know, a slight bummer we will need to remedy next winter, but still the fair is worth checking out if you can get down there today. Our good friends from Biggan Designs, QSWFA and Voodo Rabbit fabrics are down there with stalls, along with our own Catamation, of course. Other stalls of interest were embroidery, tatting, bark pictures, basketry and there is felt and sewn stuff too. On display there is an origami city hall made from old cheques (from the 40′s, I think) and there is a live bit of ice sculpture too. Now that is a good way to mark the beginning of winter! The market goes until 4pm and there are lounges set up from anyone to sit and knit or craft on Adelaide Street, in the middle of King George Square and also at The Bleeding Heart Cafe on Ann Street (in the old school of arts building opposite the council building). See you there? There are demos on through the day, the ice carving as I mentioned has already begun. Hmmm it is prolly done by now, I must go back to the square to sneak a peek. Sarting about now is a soap making demo and at noon there is a glass bead making one I can’t wait to see. At 1pm is eco aware clothing and at 2 is one on spinning wheels. Which reminds me that I must resist the Kromski spindle I saw down there at The Mountain Spinnery Stall, but it is hard.

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A little philanthropy to warm the winter months

Hi everyone.
The Benjamin Andrew Footpath Library , an inspiring Australian charity that donates books to homeless and disadvantaged people, is launching in Brisbane on 1 June.

The library is currently looking for donations of knitted scarves, beanies, gloves, and socks to distribute with their books and help keep the homeless warm during the winter months. If you are keen to knit and donate some items, please contact fiona@footpathlibrary.org.

Further information is available at the Footpath Library website

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Your chance to contribute to Fashion Catwalk Parade!

A new i knit Brisbane (Guerilla knitting project) event is a parade of reconstructed and knit items from the fashion design students of Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE.
They have designed a project called

DECONSTRUCT recycling RECONSTRUCT creativity

a project in conjunction with Knitting Guerrillas 2010

This project has a sustainable focus, the idea of next generation’s designers working with local textile and yarn developers to create a concept piece for a runway show. See student brief here

The students will be using recycled knitted and crocheted garments deconstructing them and adding newly created pieces of knits and crocheting to produce a new fashion item.

We are hoping to get geometric shapes knitted and crocheted. Your contribution will be credited in the final design and parade. The size is up to 15-20cm square, circles, diamonds etc. The students are hoping to dye them so natural fibres would be great.

You are more than welcome to come along to Mt Gravatt campus 1030 Cavendish Road when they are doing the workshops (see student brief for details) as it would be great to meet the creators of the pieces. The first year students will be working on their concept piece design.

This is also a great opportunity to check out the Fashion School if you have never been there, and to meet some of the textiles teachers.

As I get more details on the workshops I will update the brief and also notify you here.

If you are interested please email me on gorgeousfee@gmail.com

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Knitting guerillas, calling all renegades!

We’ve been rather quite on the blog, apologies to those who try to find us here rather than ravelry

Here’s some big news- there’s a fantastic underground knitting graffiti project underway sponsored by the city council. We are involved in a project knitting a garden in a very prominent spot in the CBD.  Here is some information.

 

You can contact Jennine, or if you would like to join the snb project, please contact me on gorgeousfee@gmail.com or hit us on the ravelry group. If you haven’t joined Ravelry yet please have a look- it is a fantastic website for knitters all over the world!

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want yarn, will travel

OK, I am back from my trip up the Sunshine Coast to spinning camp.  On the way, I finally went to Jenny King Designs.  I had lunch with the lady herself and met the regulars, how nice is that?  Now, I know I meant it before when I said it, but now I really mean it.  We really NEED to take that road trip.  Lookee what I got, my first ever skein of Araucania (and i don’t want it to be my last).  Ranco multy sock yarn.  NOM

Mmmmm... Ranco

The best bit was that this stuff was a lot cheaper than I would expect to pay for it.  Whoo!

I came back with lots of goodies.  But not as many as I could have.  That is to motivate me for the return trip.  As it turns out the store is only about 10 minutes from The Big Pineapple *cough* and quite easy to find, so *sunshine sundae* we don’t really have much of an excuse now.

Oh, remember that beautiful cashmere and silk laceweight we were shown?  Well there is very little of it left and all of it black (suits me).  I am gonna go write up my shopping list now, while you all think about when you’d like to go.  ‘Cos we are sooo going.  Hmmm, I’ll be needing some Eki Riva alpaca, some, of that Lana Gatto linen, some Doris Chan books, more circular crochet hooks, a tartan weaver needle, more Ranco sock, silk garden lite, that scrummy cashmere silk stuff… oh and I have to try the zuchinni soup from the cafe…

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Bookfestivities

The lifeline bookfest is on again next weekend, our favourite source for hilarious and/or invaluable old knitting and crochet books and patterns.
On Nitrojane’s suggestion let’s have brunch/lunch/knitting at Toscanni’s South Bank and then mosey over for the pick of the mouldering piles on Saturday the 12th.
Who’s in? at say 12? And are there any better ideas for noshing than Toscanni’s?

This is an invite for interested noobies and regulars. If you haven’t hit bookfest to feed your crafter library before you don’t know what you’re missing out on.
All I can say is the Golden Hands are mine, all mine!!

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An interesting link

This is an archive of interviews with successful craft businesses from Craftzine. There’s some great info here about going out on your own, for anyone who’s interested.

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Who wants to spin?

OK, I am putting the call out.  Who wants to spin?  The Queensland Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artists are having a workshop called Spinning A Yarn.  It is on the 27th and 28th of October and will set you back a measly $50.  I intend to be there, who’s with me?

 I have sent them an email to confirm it is still happening, as I think there has been some concern that numbers could be low.  I’ll let you all know when I hear back. 

Fees and enrolment forms are required four weeks before the course at the latest.  That basically gives us until the 25th-ish of September, because they seem to want payment by cheque (so I guess it will need to be posted).  It is all not that far away really, so if any of you want to come with me, let me know.  I am happy to organize the forms, cheque and the postage if that makes it easier. 

Just in case you wanna have a look, here they are… 
http://www.qldspinners.org.au/

Oh yeah, and drop spindles are fine for this, that is all that is absolutely necessary to take along I believe.  Much easier to organize than a wheel at the last minute I’d imagine.  This fellow here
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=56263
 sells eucalyptus wood ones (and is a Queenslander).  How cool is that?  Anyhow, I’ll be sure to get all the info on what we need (if anything) and where to get it, when I have heard back from them.

 Wheee!  I am so excited, I have been waiting most of the year for this.

So what do you say?

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I think we’ve finally found a new home Ms Hooker

Tonight the attending members at snb (Miss Vicky and myself) decided to leave the 3 monkeys and case the Shamrock Hotel as a possible licenced stitch and bitch venue, and we think it might work!

It was open, quietish, has comfy couches and BEER!!

 So next week, 20th of Feb, we’re going to have our meeting at the Shamrock hotel in Fortitude Valley, on the corner of Brunswick and St Paul’s Tce. Same time 7pm.  The entrance is along the side on Brunswick st, next to the Arena

There weren’t any dodgy people, or crusty old men in stubbies and thongs or topless maids or anything like that, the bar has cleaned itself up a bit. If you’ve ever been to Black Fag, it’s the same place but downstairs.

 I hope we see a few of you there, it will be fun! We could even mix it up if it passes approval with y’all, and we could meet in the pub on the first Tuesday of the month, and 3 monkeys the other weeks to keep up the addiction to overblown cheesecake we’ve all developed

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ladyfest happenings

ZOMG Free!

There are art & craft exhibits, and workshops too, all this week from Wednesday the 22nd to Sunday the 26th. Of particular interest to our activities and proclivities would be the Stitch & Bitch or the soldering workshop, both on between 10am-12pm this Sunday the 26th at Visible Ink, 54 Berwick St Fortitude Valley.

Full program info (not all events are free) – here.

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