A Crochet Commission

Have I ever made a crocheted garment before?

Well, it depends whether these strappy summer tops I've made for my daughter, Maddy, qualify?

Late last summer, Julie of Black Isle Yarns asked if I'd be interested in making a yet-to-be-released pattern designed in her wool.  A proper sweater - in crochet - for her to use as a sample at wool shows.  Not just any jumper either, but a design by Samira Hill of Eildon Hills Design being showcased in the Autumn/Winter 2022 issue of The Journal of Scottish Yarns.  

The Eildon Wood Jumper, featured on the Journal's cover, is crocheted using Julie's Auchen yarn so it's the suggested wool for this pattern.  Exciting for the designer as well as the yarn purveyor!

So, a little different from just being asked to make something for someone else, and a little different from the strappy tops I'd made in the past.  

I needed to see if I was up to the task so I asked for a sneak-peek of the pattern in advance of its publication and made my decision.  I'd do it!

Shortly after agreeing, I received a squishy parcel containing three skeins of Black Isle Yarn from Julie in a beautiful shade of deep indigo.  Black Isle Yarns prides itself on provenance - Julie's yarns are custom spun from fleeces she's hand selected from farms and small-holdings near her home on the Black Isle, just north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.  Once spun to her requirements, Julie dyes the yarn herself using natural dyes and plants she's collected.  It's hard to capture all the bluey purple loveliness of the wool I'd been sent.  

I was itching to start and crocheted a couple of swatches right away to check my hook size.

I then footered about for more days than I should have, attempting to master the pine cone pattern in spare wool, then fretted about my lack of actual sweater progress.  

Eventually I realised I just had to make a start.  

A good decision because the pine cone and leaf yoke design appeared in hardly any time at all. 

Followed by the body and sleeves.

The only section to pose a real challenge was the ribbing and it's the only part where I deviated from the written pattern.  It just didn't look right being crocheted directly onto the body (no matter how many times I tried) so I ripped out what I'd done.

Then created the ribbed welt as a separate strip and crocheted it into place along the lower edge.

Once the sweater was complete it enjoyed a wee bath in some scented wool wash.

And was pinned into shape whilst damp.

A little over three weeks after I started, I was able to try on the finished crocheted garment!

But it wasn't really important how it looked on me - how would it fit Julie?  I parcelled it up and sent it off.  Though I'd kept in regular contact whilst I was making her jumper, I didn't tell Julie it was finished as a postal strike meant she might not have receive it in time for a wool show she was attending.

But I'm glad to say that it did arrive in time for Glasgow School of Yarn  last October.

And it does fit Julie!

Julie and Black Isle Yarns will be attending the Unravel Festival at Farnham Maltings in Surrey from 24th to 26th February 2023 so, if you'd like to see all her wonderful wool, and the Eildon Hills Sweater in person, you know where to go!

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