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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Thanks for telling us about Yarndale. I will be helping from California with the Bunting once they post the instructions. So excited to help with a yarn bombing - have been wanting to do this for ages!
Posted by: Deanne | January 13, 2013 at 11:48 PM
Hmmmmm..any chance Yarndale would consider a roadshow to Australia??? :-) Why don't WE get things like this? NO FAIR!!
Posted by: Linda | January 13, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Here I am again, just asking if you will PLEASE place the pattern on your blog of the FRENCH BOWER BIRD..... I have read this question several times, please do, please? So while you are creating your chair for Yarndale, as I have read on your Facebook page, we, loyal followers and readers of your blog, can make bower birds?! FYI: I am not on Facebook.
Much love, Liesbeth.
Posted by: Liesbeth Houtman | January 13, 2013 at 09:28 PM
So cool. You ladies rock. If there wasn't a huge Atlantic ocean between our countries, I would be booking a hotel right now.
I love that the table seems decorated with all of your fun stuff. I'm so glad you're a blogger. I am so excited to sit down with my cup of coffee and read your latest posts. I'm rippling along on my blanket and looking at my pretty granny pillow and it's all because of you!
Posted by: Rani | January 13, 2013 at 05:37 PM
Your sheep is so wonderfully fun! I just love it. Have a great time at Yarndale I so wish I could jump the pond to join you. ~Kelly
unDeniably Domestic
Posted by: Kelly | January 13, 2013 at 05:33 PM
I wish you post the pattern for the sheep head
Posted by: Bindhurani | January 13, 2013 at 04:38 PM
How completely fab! Can't wait to here more and hopefully make a visit x
Posted by: Sarah-Louise | January 13, 2013 at 02:05 PM
Lucy, Firstly Bravo!! and for all the others who have put this idea into action. A Festival just for all of us who love yarn WOW. As a spinner, weaver and rugmaker the whole attraction for me is the colour and what happens when colours are put together. Your blog (brilliant) is inspirational and has drawn me back into crochet in a big way! Can't wait for Yarndale!! Thanks for all you do and the colourful world you share. bless you.
Posted by: Marianne Richardson | January 13, 2013 at 12:07 PM
oh...you're going to have so much fun!
penny x
Posted by: penny | January 13, 2013 at 09:54 AM
That would be a dream come true to get a chance to go to a event like that. You cafe group looks inviting and comphy.
Posted by: Jan | January 13, 2013 at 02:24 AM
I love Skipton and particularly that cafe which hubby and I go to quite often as we are veggie - but never on Thursday mornings - yet :)
This sounds great - not as big and impersonal as Harrogate and nice and local to me from Leeds. I love looking at your photos and recognise some of the places you show and try to guess at the others. Hope to meet you at Yarndale - and I love the sheep. Nice!!!
Posted by: sara | January 13, 2013 at 12:36 AM
I love the sheep, what a great idea! And so very cute too. Would love. Go to the fair but its way too far from me as we live in the south east!
Posted by: Ingrid | January 12, 2013 at 09:57 PM
wonderful baa-baa! I wish these types of things took place where I live!
Posted by: val | January 12, 2013 at 08:37 PM
Hi Lucy love the sheep you and the ladies in the group are very clever. I would love to go to Yarndale but a bit to far away.
Hope you all have fun.Take care vina xxxxx
Posted by: Davina | January 12, 2013 at 04:28 PM
Simpaticissimo! Complimenti per il tuo blog, una vera fonte d'ispirazione!
L'ho segnalato nel mio per il tuo cuscino a petali: http://iltempotraledita.blogspot.it/2013/01/work-in-pr.html
Grazie per il tutorial! A presto!
Posted by: Dana | January 12, 2013 at 11:54 AM
OMG! Utterly thrilled to have been accepted as an exhibitor at Yarndale. I can't wait to be there!
Posted by: Claire | January 12, 2013 at 11:50 AM
How wonderful to see pictures of my favourite Yorkshire cafe Their salads and dips were fantastic What a great environment for all wooley adventures The sheep is amazingly cute My own crocheting adventures are now in Melbourne with lots of great cafes Its so lovely to visit your site for inspiration and gorgeous local pics Thankyou so much xx
Posted by: Allie | January 12, 2013 at 11:04 AM
If I won lotto, I will fly over from New Zealand! Oh! That sheep! I LOVE!
Posted by: Kimberley | January 12, 2013 at 08:54 AM
This is a must! How exciting - I must make sure I bring my Mum too - she would love it!
Posted by: Dorset Finca | January 12, 2013 at 07:45 AM
"Oh, how pretty.", said (grandchild #3) Sofi, all of 2 yrs. old.
Posted by: jonquil | January 11, 2013 at 11:34 PM
The sheep is so inspired! Ah, if only I could make the fantastical trip across the pond for yarndale! I'm also hoping to win the lottery. :D
Posted by: Blair | January 11, 2013 at 10:32 PM
oh my god! that is so cool!
Posted by: Linda Wallberg | January 11, 2013 at 08:02 PM
Brilliant idea, and for those needing an excuse to bring families to Skipton that weekend, there's also the amazing puppet festival with shows for all ages and lots of fun street events to enjoy free of charge. Get them here then sneak off to Yarndale!
Posted by: Caroline | January 11, 2013 at 06:14 PM
Love the sheep! If I was nearer to Yarndale, I would so be there, sounds amazing! Well done :D
Posted by: bethbutcher | January 11, 2013 at 05:54 PM
Bolton Abbey caravan site booked-will start saving now for srious stash purchase. Thanks for letting us know Lucy.
Posted by: Catriona | January 11, 2013 at 04:25 PM