I have been waiting patiently, oh-so-patiently to share this woolly story with you all, and am soooo excited that finally today is the day to tell. It's been six months actually, yes Half A Year that I've managed to keep this whole thing under wraps, and I have to tell you dear readers that it has been a devil of a job to keep shtumm. I don't do Secretive things very well, I am much happier with the Share Everything approach, so it is with some relief (phew!) and a huge amount of excitement (yippeeeeee!) that I am finally able to spill the woolly beans.
If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will probably know of my Thursday morning routine. You will have heard me talk about jaunting off to the cafe each week for some sociable hooky time. The cafe in question is rather gorgeous. It's light and airy, decorative and happy. There are scrubbed pine tables, mismatched chairs, old wooden church pews piled with crochet cushions. And each Thursday morning it is filled with the noisy sound of chatter and laughter when the Knit n Natter group is in full swing.
Any gathering of like-minded woolly folk is always a good thing in my opinion, and the enjoyment of sharing a creative passion with others is not to be underestimated. There is such a lot of fun and pleasure to be had when solitary crafting finds it’s way into a social situation.
When the group first began, there was only a small handful of us that met regularly, but these days we are a rather large bunch who take over half the cafe. I would say the mix is fairly evenly spread between those who crochet and those who knit, and it's always a real joy to see what everyone is working on.
So....shall we chat about the knit and crochet squares in the top picture?
Here they are look, all handmade with love and ready to be put to good use. The whole of the Knit n Natter group helped to make these squares over the course of last Summer, and it was wonderful when we finally gathered them all in and laid them out.
....what a happy, woolly jumble!
The joining of the squares was undertaken by my wonderful yarny friend Carole who runs the Knit n Natter sessions at her cafe. She and I have been hooking along together for five years and we were both so excited to see this project coming together.
Whilst Carole was busy stitching up the woolly patchwork, I had a very important hooky job to do. I had to set aside my colourful yarns and work in shades of grey. With black details. I know!! I actually worked with BLACK yarn!!!
As you can see, the black yarn was needed for a pair of eyes. Cute eh?
When the grey and black was finished, I got started with the other part of my task which was to design and crochet a rosette. You know, the sort that gets dished out to Very Fine Animals at agricultural shows.
I so enjoyed making this rosette, it came together really well.
Time to attach the rosette to the woolly grey animal with the cute black eyes.....
Baaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! I crocheted a Sheep's Head!!! Did you expect that??!!
I realise that at this point, you are maybe feeling a tad confused, I do apologise. First there was the cafe, then a pile of knitted squares, and now a sheep's head?! EH???!!!
Well what we were trying to do was to create a delightful, fabulous woolly version of the sheep logo in the above picture.
A handmade Patchwork Sheep no less.
Would you like to see how it turned out when the legs and face joined the body?
OK!
Look......................
Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh I do love, love, love, LOVE our Patchwork Sheep!!
As you can see, we had a very definite job for our Patchwork Sheep. We needed something fun and colourful to adorn some postcards.
Postcards that tell folk about an amazing event due to take place in September this year.....
....introducing YARNDALE 2013. A festival of creativity, celebrating all things woolly and wonderful!
Yarndale will bring together a fabulous mix of retailers, manufacturers, craft workers and artisans from all over the country who are passionate about beautiful yarns, threads and textile treasures.There will be beautiful yarns, materials, haberdashery, books, kits and hand crafted goodies for sale.
There will be creative exhibitions, demonstrations, displays and workshops.
Did I mention the yarn?
And did I mention the creativity?
There is lots more information about the event on the Yarndale website, oh and Facebook too....
http://www.facebook.com/Yarndale
I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to being at Yarndale. It promises to be an exciting and inspiring affair, with a great mix of things to do and see. There are already a good number of amazing artists and craftspeople who have booked a stand, but the Yarndale committee is looking for more. Would you like to take part? Do you know of anybody who would love to come and sell/demonstrate their wool/textile passion? There is lots of information on the Exhibitor page of the website, so do please spread the word and get in touch if you are interested.
I will be taking part at Yarndale, oh yes, I will most definitely be there. I'll be sitting on a chair surrounded by crochet blankets with my back resting against a crochet cushion, hooking and nattering the day away in the "knit n natter lounge". I hope very much that some of you might come and join me there as it's going to be whole lot of woolly fun. Can't wait!
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Oh I'm defo coming and hopefully bringing my sister too
Posted by: Angie Moore | April 19, 2013 at 05:53 PM
Mejorando mi inglés para septiembre. Saludos, Lucy
Posted by: Lola Sanchez desde Córdoba | March 18, 2013 at 07:20 AM
Hey Lucy! Seen these and thought of Yarndale. :)
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-pattern-flower-sheep
Posted by: Angela-Southern U.S.A. | March 14, 2013 at 02:01 PM
Amazing decorations! Wanna try by myself...:)
Posted by: Types of wine | February 12, 2013 at 01:39 PM
What a fantastic sheep! He looks exactly like the photo. Yarndale sounds like fun, wish I lived in England. :-(
Posted by: Zuleika | February 03, 2013 at 02:35 AM
I am also thinking of travelling north in September... I love all the stuff so much!
Can you buy the yarn online somewhere?
Posted by: Maria A | January 31, 2013 at 01:25 PM
Wauw, mooi en gezellig. Groeten Wilma
Posted by: wilma oud | January 29, 2013 at 11:19 AM
ohhh I wish I lived closer and could join you weekly. It looks like such a nice time.
Posted by: MegsMadeIt | January 28, 2013 at 03:27 PM
Wish I lived closer.
Posted by: Dana | January 25, 2013 at 02:16 PM
seriously amazing. when i think you can't be any more special, there you go. have fun love!
Posted by: lori | January 21, 2013 at 02:06 AM
Is Yarndale anywhere in Ravelry?
Have been to Skipton a number of times, would love to return for this event and combine it with meeting up with friends in Lancashire and Cumbria.
Posted by: PixieMum | January 20, 2013 at 05:05 PM
I really have don't far to come from Manchester. It looks great. Can't wait. X
Posted by: Cat G | January 18, 2013 at 06:51 PM
I'm looking forward to it. One of your co-organisers told me all about it on the train back from the Harrogate knitting & stitching show & it went straight in my diary
Posted by: Karoline | January 17, 2013 at 08:38 PM
I love your sheep so much that i want to create one with the bits of my favorite handspun. I can't part with them but making a patchwork sheep would be a fine way of doing something artistic for all to admire. Can you write atutorial for the head because I am lousy at this type of work.If you have time.Please
Thanks.
Jeannine from Ottawa Canada.
Posted by: Jeannine Turcotte | January 16, 2013 at 02:14 PM
Sounds good. A great excuse to visit Skipton, which we last visited when "Flock to Skipton" was on.
Posted by: Sue Wild | January 15, 2013 at 09:24 PM
What a lovely idea... I wish I had a place like this to go to... The sheer thought of it makes my heat skip a beat... :-)
Posted by: Eef | January 15, 2013 at 06:44 PM
Your knit, crochet and natter sheep is amazing for Yarndale. I will have to arrange a weekend away to Yorkshire that just so happens to coincide with Yarndale in September.
Posted by: Thestitchsharer | January 15, 2013 at 03:42 PM
oh my goodness how exciting! i wish i lived on your side of the pond, and for a very special reason....i have written my first picture book (about a cow who KNITS!!!!!) and it is being published THIS YEAR!!!! wouldn't that be a fun addition to something called yarndale?! oh my goodness...i'm very excited for you! i know it will be a fabulous event and i can't wait to hear more!! that sheep is a DELIGHT!
Posted by: sharon from sharon stanley writes | January 15, 2013 at 03:15 AM
Well here I am in Aussieland... so very far away BUT your energy, your enthusiasm and your creativity has reached my heart across the seas and lands. The sheep is just sublimely cute... SUBLIMELY cute! I will be there in spirit. I promise. ♥♥♥
Posted by: Angy Braine | January 15, 2013 at 03:09 AM
Hola Lucy, mi nombre es Puri y te escribo desde Madrid (España). Siento no hacerlo en tu idioma, pero es que no se nada de Inglés. Quiero decirte que soy tu más fiel admiradora, adoro todo lo que haces y estoy totalmente enganchada a tu blog. Yo he hecho algunos de tus maravillosos modelos, los cuales a veces pongo en mi blog (con tu nombre, por supuesto). Me haría muy feliz que tú visitaras mi blog: http://trespcrochet.blogspot.com.es/
Si alguna vez vienes a Madrid, tienes una amiga aquí que estará encantada de recibirte y hacerte de guía en mi ciudad. Un beso fuerte de Puri.
Posted by: Puri | January 14, 2013 at 07:42 PM
I am living and hooking vicariously from Seattle, Washington. If I was rich, I would fly over with my sister and I know we would have a great time. Have fun ladies! I'm on my fourth granny stripe afghan. I had to make one more to use up all the stray bits of yarn from the first three. Okay, I did buy a few more skeins!
Posted by: Dawn | January 14, 2013 at 07:08 PM
The sheep is fantastic and Yarndale sounds like lots of fun, I've mentioned to Beloved that a trip at the end of September to Yorkshire might be on the cards.
I've nominated you for a Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award, but if you don't do awards, I quite understand.
Posted by: Jane | January 14, 2013 at 05:54 PM
¡Qué bonito blog! Haces unas labores preciosas. Tienes suerte de poder ir a Yarndale.
Muerdo mis uñas de envidia,jiji, y no me olvido de la graciosa oveja.
¡Adelante!Suerte desde Madrid.
Posted by: Carmen | January 14, 2013 at 02:27 PM
That is the cutest, coolest sheep I have ever seen!!! I so wish I could come to Yarndale but I will be watching and reading your posts all about it all the way from San Diego, California!!! XO
Posted by: Sandra Lee | January 14, 2013 at 03:01 AM
Loving the sheep and wishing I lived on the other side of the pond....
Posted by: Louise | January 14, 2013 at 01:00 AM