The Knitting and Stitching Show 2013

What a fab day out! My good friend Ella took me to The Knitting and Stitching Show in Olympia as a belated birthday present. So much wonderful stuff crammed under one roof!! I hardly knew where to start, so I let Ella take the lead and wandered along just taking it all in. The creativity was amazing. Check out these favourite snaps of goodies that caught my eye :)

 Kia-Ora - it's too orangey for crows ;)

Knitted farmyard animals filled with beans for juggling (including a hedgehog).

But the highlight of my day was a 2-hour workshop with the very talented Heather Belcher, learning how to make 3D felted vessels. I've made felted slippers before, and I have fulled (whether intentionally or accidentally) more jumpers than I care to mention, but Heather's technique is unique. She uses calico instead of bubblewrap or a plastic resist, and turns a watery, swimmy, messy activity into one of precision and control. I suspect witchcraft.

Her control of water, fibre and fabric is masterful. She tells us to tap on the fabric to get the water to penetrate and then smoosh gently but firmly to get the fibres to lie down. I tap and smoosh, but my fibre remains rebelliously bouncy. She taps and smooshes in exactly the same way and the fibres lie down obediently and stay there. Later on she tells us to glue a piece of calico to the table with water. I glue as she directs but my calico slides around. She does exactly the same and my calico is stuck to the table like Arthur's sword in the stone. I'm in awe :)

We finish slightly early and she asks if we'd like to make felt balls. She half-laughs because it is something kids do when first learning about making felt, but I'm excited because it is something I have never been able to master. I'm struggling, and it is almost comical how badly I'm doing, having been quite confident making my vase. I wail and hand her what looks like an amorphous acid green sneeze which she calmly dunks in water and turns into a compact sphere. More witchcraft. I can't quite believe it so I have another go, and lo and behold I make a slightly egg-shaped but crack free sphere myself. I'm so chuffed! Other participants are amused that I seem to be more pleased with making a felt ball than a vase. They may laugh but I really am. This is something I have struggled with for years.

So, hold on to your hats because now I have this technique under my belt there shall be felt jewellery in my Etsy shop. Oh yes. In the meantime here's some gratuitous loveliness from Heather.

Next time: Shawl pins, silicone and polymer :)