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Wednesday 20 July 2011

Inspiration

 It seems I haven't written as much about textiles of late. This is partly due to the fact that I am being drawn outside so much by the dry and warm weather rather that being curled up in my favourite spot knitting or sewing. These little jaunts out have been providing me with inspiration for new ideas to be translated into designs for textile work. I have been loving my local river walk and was again surprised by how stunningly beautiful wild flowers are.

I was captivated by the obvious sculptural design of these flowers, the multitude of textures and array of purple shades against the green backdrop. They make me want to interpret them in a new way -attempting to reflect some of that beauty.


 The butterflies were all out this evening too and were only too happy to pose for photographs.


 I stood and watched these delicate creatures for quite a while, looking carefully at their individual markings.


 There is so much inspiration to be found if only we have the time and the eyes to see it. xx




Monday 18 July 2011

Tea Time


In an earlier post, I waxed lyrical about the wonders of Hebden Bridge and promised a little post about the amazing tea shop we found there. Above is an example of the beautiful cup of tea which you can have made for you personally from a vast array of varieties. I am partial to a non caffeinated tea and I opted for a tea I've never had before called elephant tea. It came with huge pieces of dried banana and coconut and unusually for a non caf. tea tasted as good as it smelt! It was served as you can see in a delicate silk bag and diffused for several minutes before drinking.

What is so lovely about this tea shop is the fact that it only has one table, so you are guaranteed personal service! We were able to learn lots about the different varieties and they also served some pretty yummy cakes to go with the tea.

It is well worth a visit if you are anywhere near Hebden Bridge. You can also get some lovely gifts there for tea drinking connoisseurs.


Lots of teapots, strainers, Chinese tea sets and the like. It is definitely one of the best little tea shops I've been in but when I say little I'm not exaggerating! x

Friday 15 July 2011

Open Gardens


One of the highlights of my summer is visiting the Open Gardens at Knowle Green. I am never disappointed and this year was absolutely gorgeous. Not only are the flowers beautiful but the surrounding landscape and the attention to detail that some of the gardeners employ are just wonderful. I want to do the experience justice by showing you lots of lovely photos.


Isn't this a pretty little shed?


Who wouldn't want to while away a few hrs in this adorable hammock in a hidden part of the garden?


Or dine alfresco here?

We had a cup of tea and Mr K had a cream scone sitting here looking at the view below.



Simply stunning . Here are a few more highlights....




It was such a gloriously hot day, I was seriously tempted to put my feet in this but Mr K wouldn't let me! One day I might even have a garden of my own. A girl can dream... x



Wednesday 13 July 2011

Honey Tasting and Lace Making

These are the bees that made the honey which I sampled straight from the honey comb at Alston Hall Summer Fair. Sweet, delicious and totally natural.
I bought a pot of lavender honey made from the pollen of local lavender.

These beeswax candles were also for sale.




There were as usual, lots of homemade crafts for sale but the most interesting part for me was watching a very clever lady make lace. Incredibly intricate and requiring a huge amount of dexterity and patience!



Not a craft I'll be trying anytime soon. x

Monday 11 July 2011

Catching Up with Friends


Thank you to any followers who have popped in whilst I have been absent - apologies for the length of my break, I hope you will enjoy a little catch up today.
I have recently had chance to chat in person with a few of my faithful readers which was very inspiring and encouraged me to get going again - so here goes....

This weekend I have been at K Fest which is an annual event that was started by my hubby Mr Keith at a place called Smallwood Manor. My role in the proceedings is to provide some creative inspiration in the form of a little class for some of the lovely ladies whilst the men indulge in a game of football. Last year I taught a few people the basics of  flat wet felting.




Everyone was extremely creative considering the fact that I was using left over wool tops to keep down the cost! They made some wonderfully different pieces.



As you can see from the header photo, this year the class was focused on learning to knit. I was asked by two of my lovely friends to show them the basics of knitting and was eventually able to teach seven people to knit in an hour and a half. The class started with casting on and basic knit stitch, then those who wanted to, moved on to purling and everyone learnt to cast off. I realised that to be a good knitting teacher you need to know how to recognise and fix mistakes - something I am still only just learning myself, but we got managed in the end to make sure everyone had a little sample to take home with them.



It was really fun to do and I loved being part of such a great group of ladies all chatting and learning together. I cant wait till next year now!
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