Knotting Not Knitting

Most Wednesday mornings I attend my weekly knit group in the welcoming atmosphere of Nicky T's Cafe in Oldmeldrum.  Nicola and her staff couldn't be more accommodating!

Last night, though, I joined six other ladies there for a macrame workshop run by Jana of Love and Create to make Christmas decorations.  A tantalising array of beads, wool and festive accents was laid out before us as Jana welcomed us to the class.

A bag of materials and some pre-cut wool and string awaited each participant.

The closest I got to a photo of Jana!

Wasting no time, Jana jumped straight in and had us creating a woolly hat from a section of loo roll tube knotted with soft grey yarn.  

Next, we knotted strands of string around a curtain ring and threaded longer lengths through a wooden bead.  

Combing these strings created a beard and moustache to go with the woolly hat.

A quick trim, and a helping hand from the hot glue gun, meant assembly of our first decoration, a wee tomte or gnome, was complete - and the evening had only just begun!

We moved swiftly on to the next challenge - a macrame angel.

Jana utilised a clothes rail and climbing ropes to demonstrate in hugely magnified form how to make the required knots for our celestial creature.

Possibly the most challenging part of the evening for me was making the angel's wings but, lots of knots, a comb and a trim later, and she was done.

With our gnomes and angels finished, it was time for a coffee and cake break.  Toffee Crisp cake for me - yum!

 

Jana ensured we made the most of our workshop by speeding onto making a Christmas tree next.  Her clear, cheerful instructions soon had us wrapping green string branches around a central stem.  Taping the star to the table offered stability for making these knots. 

Didn't stop me wishing I had an extra hand at some points!

Keeping the momentum going for the knots we'd just learned, Jana patiently guided us though another two decorations before the end of the workshop.  So intent was I on finishing, I didn't take any progress photos.  Here's my evening's work -

 

And here are the lovely ladies from the class sharing their favourite makes.

Thanks to Jana for a wonderful introduction to macrame at Nicky T's Cafe.

...

Jana Graham 

Love and Create

Macrame Artist Workshop Leader

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The Book of Deer Community Textile Banner Project - Taking Part

Scotland's oldest surviving book returned home this summer.   On loan from Cambridge University, and with lottery funding, the 10th Century Book of Deer was proudly displayed in Aberdeen Art Gallery for three months.  I'd the pleasure of seeing it for myself in August.  Thought to be designed for personal use, it's a wee book of great import.  Whilst the monks scribed in Latin, they notated the margins in Scots Gaelic making this the earliest evidence of written Gaelic in Scotland.   The monks also doodled mythical beasties around the edges of these precious pages.

Aberdeenshire Council's cultural arm, Live Life Aberdeenshire, along with partner agencies,  developed a programme of events to generate interest in the return of the Book of Deer to Scotland for the first time in 1000 years.  The community textile project, From Book to Banner, sought crafters from across the shire to join groups at their local libraries to stitch a series of panels.  Rachael Forbes, the artist commissioned to design the textile banners, drew inspiration from the illuminated illustrations in the book as well as incorporating some of the fantastical creatures doodles by the monks.  She also dyed threads and fabrics using natural dyes the monks would have had access to in the 10th century.

Red (madder root) Blue (woad) Yellow (alder buckthorn) Grey/purple (alconet) Grey/brown (dried elderberries)

Inverurie Library hosted my nearest group.  During our inaugural get-together last May, I joined the eight other aspiring banner makers to chose which section each wanted to make.  Rachael had cleverly translated each of her banner artwork prototypes into detailed sectional drawings.

As I'm not an expert at embroidery, I was happy the more experienced stitchers in the group chose the apostle figures whilst I selected a background to a figure.  Each section comprised donated fabric, aged with tea by Rachael, on which she'd drawn the design with a dissolvable pen.  We each also received an envelope of matching applique pieces, complete with Bondaweb adhesive.  I couldn't wait to get all mine ironed on to the backing fabric so I could start stitching.

To help guide our hands, Rachael recorded a short YouTube video for each section of each panel.  I'm in awe of the amount of preparation work Rachael did to ensure that no matter the level of experience, the craft group volunteers would be comfortable recreating her designs in stitch.

Tentatively, I started outlining all these wee coloured pieces in black whipstitch as required.  I didn't rush and gently stitched away over five weeks, in between other craft projects, to complete all the black lines.  By this time I'd gained confidence and managed to complete the colourful embroidery stitches in just five days!

Hilary, who I knew but hadn't met before this project, was stitching the apostle which fitted into my background.  When she had completed her section, we married up the two pieces in early June over a companionable coffee and lots of chat.

Meanwhile, the group was meeting regularly at Inverurie Library and I joined them when I could to enjoy the company of the other ladies. It was exciting seeing the design emerge as sections were completed.  Any head scratching over how the pieces should be joined together was definitely made easier as a group!

You'll see there are crochet motifs along the upper and lower edges of the banner.  Rachael incorporated repeat patterns from the Book of Deer into all her designs and left each group to make them depending on the craft skills of the group members.  I crocheted a few prototypes from a book I own called Crocheted Granny Squares (20 to make) by Val Pierce until I got the size right for the space. 

Margaret then made eight more but there was space for ten so we used my matching sample and I unravelled one that was too big and re-made it in the same undyed Shetland wool.  

Once all the sections had been attached to the backing panel, strips of coloured fabric had to be attached to frame them.  Tiny self coloured stitches secured the strips then they all needed to be outlined with black thread.  Most of the group took it in turn to complete this work over several days, taking the banner home to do so.  I was one of the last to stitch the outlining so I got to proudly hold it up - finished! 

Now you can see the four apostles made by Fran, Hilary, Collette and Janet and the surrounding sections complementing them made by Lesley, Margaret, Glynis, Jane and me.

The next step was to sew on a fabric border and quilt the top piece, work beautifully undertaken by Fran.

All banners then returned to Rachael for finishing, including the attachment of hanging loops.  

It was always the intention to display the banners back to back on three free-standing easels with a grand unveiling to take place on 2nd October 2022 to mark the end of the visit of the Book of Deer to the North East of Scotland at Aberdeenshire Farming Museum at Aden Country Park, Mintlaw.  The chosen venue as it's close to the site of Deer Abbey, where it's thought the Book was written, and has a permanent display about the Book.

Here are the banners on display at the opening event.  

Firstly, Inverurie Group banner -

Inverurie Group Banner

Such a lot of stitches.  

Artist Rachael Forbes with the Inverurie Banner

Such a great achievement.  Friendships forged and skills cherished.

Banchory, Inverurie and Banff Group Banners

Peterhead, Mintlaw and the Home Group Banners

Peterhead Group Banner

Mintlaw Group Banner

Home Group Banner

Banchory Group Banner

Banff Group Banner

I feel very grateful to have taken part in this wonderful community effort.

...

The Banners will be on display at Aberdeenshire Farming Museum at Aden Country Park until the end of October 2022 and over the winter they will tour the libraries where the craft groups met to create them.

If you're in the area you can see the banners here:

Peterhead Library 4th to 16th November 2022

Banff Library 23rd November to 12th December 2022

Inverurie Library 11th January to 23rd January 2023

Banchory Library 28th January to 9th February 2023

Stonehaven Library 14th February to 5th March 2023

Mintlaw Library 9th to21 St March 2023

Sea Treasure

Who can resist picking up shells and pebbles during a bracing beach walk?

The Dhorlin (causeway), Davaar Island, Mull of Kintyre

Certain beaches, though, yield more than just sand and seaweed.  Tumbled and tossed in the waves, smoothed by abrasion with the rocks, bottles and jars cast into the sea as trash end up on the beach, smoothed by time and frosted by salt, as the treasure known to beachcombers worldwide as sea-glass.  

When I spotted on social media that artist Shelagh Swanson was holding a workshop to create mosaics from sea-glass and sea plastic in Fittie Community Hall recently, I couldn't wait to sign up and my pal, Carol, decided to join me.

I had taken along some sea-glass I'd collected myself from Davaar Island causeway and Stonehaven beach.  My husband thoughtfully found some sea-glass for me on Crail seashore in Fife on our most recent holiday.  I wanted to incorporate that too if I could.

After Shelagh welcomed us to the class, a large tub of sea-glass, sea pottery and pebbles was tipped out for us.  What fun to scrabble through and select our precious pieces. 

Though this tub of sea plastic looks appealingly colourful, it was sad to learn how little time it had taken Shelagh to collect it from her local beach.  That, too, was provided for us to add to our pictures.

After selecting a frame and removing the back, Shelagh suggested we sketched a design on paper and laid our sea treasure on top before gluing it directly onto the glass.  I took some clipart images I'd printed with me for inspiration as I wanted to create a tree with sea-glass leaves. 

This piece of salvaged rope untwisted cooperatively into branches and roots for my tree and I selected tiny fragments of lime plastic and wee bits of green sea-glass for my leaves.  

Gluing the pieces into place was pleasantly therapeutic.  I snipped the threads of yellow rope and used them to augment the tree roots.

I kept dipping back into the tub of sea treasure until I'd found all the bits I needed.

Shelagh was always on hand to encourage us and finesse our designs.  You can see Carol's picture in the background beside mine.  Her sea pottery vase of sea plastic flowers was taking shape as she worked beside me.  Once our compositions were all stuck down, Shelagh glued our frames into place for us and our art works were complete.

It's always a joy when the class shares its artwork and everyone admires what everyone else has made.  They all kindly allowed me to take a photo of their picture.  Some people painted on their glass.  Many had nautical themes.  All are unique and wonderful.

Carol and I, very happy at the end of the class 

Here's my finished tree in the Community Hall propped against its soothing blue walls.

.....

Whilst I was at the workshop, I remembered having fun during a crafty morning spent with my cousin, Stephanie, last February at her home in Fife.  

She and her family have turned beachcombing into an art form! 

Selecting pretty pieces from their extensive trove of sea pottery and sea-glass, we both created pictures.  I made a wee bird whilst Stephanie created a lovely vase of flowers.

I might just have been influenced by the flock of pretty birdies in Stephanie's house.

But I never framed my sea pottery bird when I got home.  When I looked at it, it always felt unfinished.  Incomplete.   

So I took it to pieces, soaked off the old glue and decided to re-make it, just as we had at Shelagh's workshop.  

I attached the pottery directly onto the glass with clear adhesive and added a wee twig for my bird to sit on.  A few sea-glass leaves completed my composition.

I'm much happier with my sea pottery bird now, seen here with my glass cooker splashback behind it.

And he can join my tree in my personal gallery of sea treasure!