Sara Noble RSS Feed

Tea & Hearts

saramakesthings@me.com — 2012-02-04T13:34:47+00:00

I will be teaching crochet (and knitting) at The Tea Rooms, in Stoke Newington on the 14th February, St Valentines day! So I thought for something a bit special we could make some crochet hearts, you can wear them as a brooch or give to someone you love! I will be there on the Tuesday morning from 10am to 12noon, and then Wednesday 15th from 7pm till 9pm. Please contact The Tea Rooms to book your place.

Fashion In Motion

saramakesthings@me.com — 2012-01-21T13:52:14+00:00

Yesterday, I was at the V&A with my fellow machine knitters, looking at the iron works for some inspiration for a new up coming project. This must be one of the few times I’ve gone there not to look at fashion or textiles directly, but I can totally see why the iron works were suggested, gates with intricate lattices looked just like knitted lace.

Anyway after photos and sketches done, followed by obligatory tea and scones in the amazing cafe, I stayed in the shop a little longer after the others left, inspired by beautifully designed accessories and spotting a couple of floral wood blocks for printing (I will buy these another time). Finally I went to leave, calling it a day, which was full of inspiration, shapes, pattern and design, when I was handed a free ticket to a fashion show/performance that was just about to begin....

Sat near the back, I still had a great spot to capture the models as they appeared out on the catwalk. “Models at Work” was a performance piece by Paris based museum director, curator and performer Olivier Saillard, featuring five famous french models: Axelle Doue, Claudia Huidobro, Anne Rohart, Violeta sanchez and Amalia Vairelli. The performance was in five parts and rather than showing off clothing, it was more about the models gestures and the idea of dressing and design and the elements involved in clothing shown on the catwalk: Black sheaths, An exercise in style around the white tunic. Catwalk without clothes. Modelled in calico. Shadow garments.
It was really exciting to be sat in the Raphael Gallery along side some very fashion looking people, journalist and dear I say, hipsters. I love this sort of thing and I want to be more a part of it!

Hat of 2011

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-12-31T12:03:11+00:00

So this hat nearly took me a whole year to complete although it only took a week to knit! I started it in January 2011, but it was too small for even my pea sized head, it has since taken me the rest of the year to get around to unraveling it, and re-knitting, but I finished it today just in time before this year is out! Happy New Year all!

New Crochet Classes

saramakesthings@me.com — 2012-01-10T12:44:37+00:00

I will be teaching beginner’s crochet classes at Julies Handmade World, in Crystal Palace. Working from initial stitches, onto following a basic pattern of a traditional granny square, or to make your own hat! Please look through the other workshop pages to see the sort of things you could learn to make! Places are limited, so please contact me to book your place now!

Ghosts Of Gone Birds

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-12-01T22:56:02+00:00

Most of the time Facebook is a time waster, but sometimes it shows its worth, I discovered this exhibition posted up through two different unrelated friends that I hadn’t seen in ages, Ed Kluz and Anita Bruce who were both exhibiting in it. I could have easily missed Ghosts Of Gone Birds, but managed to see the show the day before it ended in Shoreditch, when I was on my way to the Hoxton Knitting group. The show was overwhelming, I wish I had more time to see everything, a whole room of Ralph Steadman drawings, and recently I had discovered the work of Felt Mistress through twitter, who has worked in collaboration with Jon Burgerman to make illustrations into stuffed felt creatures! By chance I managed to catch up with Anita, invigilating the show, whilst knitting her hummingbirds in wire. Her knitting patterns and sketchbooks as complex and amazing as her finished pieces.

Felt Mistress

Ed Kluz

Anita Bruce

Morley College Winter Fair

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-11-27T23:02:57+00:00

Since September I have been attending Morley College, learning how to use a domestic knitting machine. This coming weekend, on Sunday 4th December, I will be showcasing and selling some of the items I have learnt to make, along side my course mates on a stall at the Winter Fair. I do hope you can come down and see what we have been up to. Below is a headscarf and scarf set I made the other week!

The Tea Rooms

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-11-27T19:53:28+00:00

Over the last few months, I have taken on leading new knitting & crochet classes at The Tea Rooms, in Stoke Newington’s Church Street.
When I used to live very near by, I would go for their fantastic cream teas, and thought how nice it would be to hang out there more often. Now I get to have a lovely pot of tea whilst helping people learn new textile skills! The class is aimed at complete newbies and mixed ability in crochet and knitting, I have hooks, needles, yarns to get you started, and ideas for your projects!
Keep an eye on their facebook page for details of when I will be there.

Vintage Fair 26th Nov

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-11-21T23:20:48+00:00

I have been invited to have a stall at Bruce Castle Museum, Tottenham this Saturday 26th November. I will selling some things I have made, like crochet rosettes, felt and lace brooches, screen printed items, and things I have collected like old knitting patterns, fabrics and other fun things. Come and see!

Snowy Pom Pom Tree

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-11-21T23:05:03+00:00

I have been asked to design and make, in collaboration with my community groups, decorations to hang on the big tree, to go on display in Tottenham this week! I have been working against the clock to get the decorations made on time. Here they are so far...

Back To The Knitting Machine

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-10-24T16:50:01+01:00

Last year I started my journey into machine knitting, I didn’t get too far. I kept getting frustrated and stressed with casting on and off and panicking whenever I dropped stitches. It’s so very different from hand knitting. But I still want to learn how to use the domestic machine, not as a replacement and speedier technique to hand knit, but to explore it as a new way of working. I’ve taken it up again and to my delight, I can (on most occasions) cast on, knit and cast off with no problems. Now I need to work out what to do with it! Which yarns and fibres, what thicknesses and tension, what patterns and techniques of hand tooling? It really is a whole new visual/craft language and I am trying to find my voice from within it...

Chunghie Lee

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-10-17T16:53:42+01:00

Whilst still installing at the Knitting & Stitching Show, the exhibit that really caught my inspiration was The Patched Pojagi by Korean Fibre Artist, Chunghie Lee. Chunghie uses Korean wrapping silks called Pojagi which she sews together in intricate and delicate patchworks of colour, as wall hangings and kimono like garments. Some of her pieces had repeated screen printed figures shown on them, which reminded me of some work I had explored during my Textile Art degree, although Chunghie’s held more substance and a professional finish, still it was really interesting to see how some lines/threads of visual/craft exploration ring through in both our work, although I had not heard of her before. As other exhibits also needed installing before the opening of the show, we were running around juggling to finish, all hands on deck, but I’m really pleased I got left to help tweak and finalise the hanging of Chunghie’s work. Again I’m sorry that I haven’t yet got a new decent camera and that my photographs here, do not do justice to her textiles. Have a look at her website for a better overview and images.

Knitting & Stitching Show 2011

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-10-17T16:05:52+01:00

I was back at the Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally again this year, helping Liz Cooper to install some of the art exhibits in the show. Our main task was to install the major Beryl Dean retrospective, of intricately stitched Gold work on Bishop’s gowns, some huge colour embroideries on big panels, and numerous framed drawings of her design work, all of which was incredible.

Some other pieces that caught my eye, once the show had opened were these knitted pieces by Yoshimi Kihara. I didn’t get to meet her till the end of the show, when I asked her if I could take this photo, and it turned out that we both went to the same school in Kyoto: Kawashima School of Textiles about 10 years ago! How fantastic that I’m still making connections from a very brief, but most influential time of my art / textile schooling.

There was some interesting, knitting/performance art, but it seemed a bit lost and out of place to the crowded mass of shoppers in the main hall!
And lastly to note, the fun knitted bunting in the Palm Court, made by readers of Woman’s Weekly magazine!

The Edges Of The World

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-09-24T22:12:44+01:00

The Edges Of The World. Ernesto Neto. Hayward Gallery.
Describing his immersive, experiential sculptures as ‘body/space/landscapes, Neto explains that they begin in one form and then take on many others, and ‘in between is a kind of dance’.
His installations use bright and translucent coloured fabric. His interests in physics show through in his pieces, exploring ideas of tension and weight, biomorphic forms and participatory environments. Again the use of the building’s architecture becomes a part of the work, merging the soft and hard materials. The very nature of this exhibition involves you to take part within the piece, to be surrounded by it and touch it and be playful in its dreamscape enclosure.

Jonanna Vasconcelos

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-09-26T21:55:12+01:00

I Will Survive. Jonanna Vasconcelos. Haunch of Venison.
“The use of crochet alludes to an activity usually associated with women and traditional crafts but in these ingenious manipulations it is such perceptions rather than the activity itself which are rendered obsolete”. - Bomi Odufunade (Haunch of Venison).

Here you see crochet being used to cover the surface of hard objects of concrete statues, a grand piano and ceramic animal figurines. The materials are out of context from what you would normally expect. Re-questioning how you see traditional crafts skills such as crochet (often associated with the idea of old grannies or bad 70’s fashion trends). The crochet here is not fluffy and woolly but crisp, intricate and graphic looking. On the concrete figures it looks like tattooing, again to make you question the traditional idea of who would use crochet. The motifs of the lacework echo the surrounding cornice plastering on the walls and ceiling. I am interested in the relationship of the constructed soft materials to the harder objects they envelope and the placement within the building’s architecture. Looking at the construction within ‘soft’ textile fabrics and finding details within the surrounding building / architecture or hard objects such as furniture, where these construction methods or decorative features have been used on another scale and in other materials.

New Banner

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-10-03T22:38:46+01:00

If you have looked at my website before, you may notice it looks a bit different now. I decided it was time to update and give it a face lift. I have been playing around with using a drawing tablet for the first time and using Sketchbook Pro, which I could use Copic pens in lovely colours. I should probably get more experienced with it, but I liked my first little doodle so have used it here for my new banner (at the top look ^^). Here also is what the previous one looked like.

Knitting & Stitching Show

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-10-09T23:41:08+01:00

So as mentioned before, I was back at Ally Pally again this year, but this time to teach crochet workshops in the Learning Curve.
How to make a granny square...
Here’s how some of the participants got on...

Summer Screen Prints

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-08-09T23:13:53+01:00

Coombes Croft Library have taken me on as their Artist in Residency, to give a couple of screen printing sessions to their younger members. Here’s what happened...

Wool Modern

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-09-24T18:21:54+01:00

On Friday I went to the Wool Modern exhibition at La Galleria, in Pall Mall. I was planning on getting to see this anyway, but I ended up going as part of a group with my machine knitting course, which made it so much more enjoyable to share our excitement over knit structures, and to get our tutor Jo, to give us an insight to how some of the more technical pieces had been made. Here are some images of my favourite pieces in the show. The first being a punchcard fairisle machine knit outfit: Knit Monster by Sibling.

After School Knitters

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-07-20T16:10:47+01:00

As term draws to a close for another summer, I thought I would show off some of the work achieved by the talented kids who have been coming along to my after school knitting group, Thursday’s 3.30pm - 5pm at Coombes Croft Library, on Tottenham High Road. Shown below are samples made by Jessica, Nathan, Marta and Premise.

Tacos, Tortillas & Textiles

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-08-19T16:36:10+01:00

It has come to my attention recently, that I have been going out a lot to eat mexican and latin american. Not only is it refreshing to delevop a new taste for food, but some of the bars and restaurants, have really inspired me for their cultural take on interior design with textiles. Maybe this is a sign that need to go traveling again to explore the Americas...

50's Vintage Knit & Chat

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-08-16T15:05:51+01:00

On the 13th & 15th August, I lead workshops at Hornsey Library and Bruce Castle Museum with the theme of Vintage Knitting. Inspiration was taken from the 1950’s to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Festival of Britain, which took place at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank of London, with activities also taking place in North London’s borough of Haringey. Although my part was to facilitate the workshops, to help and teach people how to knit and crochet, I found the importance through what individual participants brought with them, together as a group. Sharing knitting experiences, memories and stories from a time gone past. Alison brought some fantastic original patterns with her, and a lifetime’s wealth of British knitting knowledge. I’m only sorry that my photography is rather shaky and blurred from my mobile phone, time to invest in a new camera!

Knit With Attitude

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-07-18T21:54:22+01:00

Over this Summer’s month of August, you can find me 3 days a week at Knit With Attitude. I’ll be there to help you with your knitting needs, in between stroking the gorgeous stock of eco yarns! 228B Northwold Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 6XT.

Tuesdays 12noon - 5pm
Fridays 12 noon - 5pm
Saturdays 2pm - 6pm

Dog Tooth for Dog Ear

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-06-28T10:48:52+01:00

I wanted to submit a piece to DOG EAR, but thought it would be more appropriate for their site and format to just give a written knitting pattern rather than a finished piece. Taking on the theme of Dogear, I have taken the pattern of dogtooth to create this bookmark. See below! If you want the full pattern of how to make this, then please go to DOGEAR.

Folksy Shop Page

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-06-17T17:02:41+01:00

http://www.folksy.com/shops/saramakesthings

I received a lovely email the other day “Dear Sara, I am crazy about some of the cat prints you have and would really like to buy some prints to frame...” With this request, I have restocked my folksy shop page with some of my screen prints. Please go have a look, ♥♥♥ some of my items and perhaps make a purchase too! New prints to come soon!
http://www.folksy.com/shops/saramakesthings

Stitch & Craft 2011

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-03-23T21:44:57+00:00

Last weekend I was at the Stitch and Craft 2011 at Olympia, another show organised by Twisted Thread. After the success of my crochet workshop at Ally Pally, they invited me do some more at this show. I presented two workshops on making freeform crochet flowers. Here are some images of the pieces created, not the best photographs I know, but I was running around teaching too! Thank you to everyone who attended the workshops and to Twisted Thread for having me.

After the workshops, looking around the stalls I spotted this amazing hand knitted cardy!

Painting Lyme

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-04-27T00:00:48+01:00

Before heading back to London, walking along the seafront I came across these stunning paintings being worked on from one of the beach huts. Artist, Philip Clayton has been painting from the same spot in front of his rented hut since November 2010. Looking through a folder of his previous paintings you could see the changing moods, weather and seasons in the landscape with dramatic colours. I miss painting and having a direct handle on working with colour. I feel quite inspired after seeing Philip’s paintings and talking to him about his artistic career.

http://www.westcountryartists.com/

Seaside Bank Holiday

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-04-26T18:26:25+01:00

A lazy Easter Sunday soaking up this fantastically early summer sun on the beach was broken up by an Easter bonnet parade. This one made by Robyn was my favourite. She very kindly let me take a photo of it to share here with you. Following this, was a mob of bright pink marjorettes showing off their routine to some pumping dance music. It actually made my day, and got me back into some photography.

I also picked up a little instruction booklet from 1936 with this beautiful screen printed cover.

London Fashion Week A/W 2011

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-02-26T23:23:54+00:00

Don’t hang up your hooks just yet - crochet is back in fashion! As seen in the Autumn/Winter 2011 collections of Christopher Kane and House of Holland at London Fashion Week. I might make one of these for myself!

Oxford Craft Fair

saramakesthings@me.com — 2006-11-09T14:08:50+00:00

Following on from the success of last year’s Craft Fair, again Sophie Woodhouse and I will be at the Oxford Town Hall to display and sell our hand made goodies! Come and say hello and pick up some gifts!
Oxford Town Hall.
10am -4pm.
10th - 12th November.

Holga Halloween

saramakesthings@me.com — 2007-11-07T14:55:32+00:00

Some spooky shots with my new Holga Camera...

Crochet Cowl

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-11-19T11:30:25+00:00

On your marks...get set...GO!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-02-14T14:23:47+00:00

Oooooh Art Collection

Waverley School

saramakesthings@me.com — 2011-01-21T16:05:13+00:00

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything on here. I will gradually catch up with what I have been doing, but for now I just want to say a huge Thank You to Art Teacher - Mrs. Joubert and her pupils at Waverley School, in Birmingham for taking part in my workshops and for being fantastic budding Textile Artists!

ELLE magazine

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-10-12T12:26:36+01:00

In the latest issue (November 2010) of ELLE magazine, you will find one of my cat prints illustrating a feature about Print Club. This has been a lovely surprise, as I had no idea my work would be included! If you have been in touch with me about buying a print online, please bare with me and I will get back to you shortly!

How To Crochet A Granny Square

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-09-28T21:34:12+01:00

Not posted anything on here for a while. It’s been a busy month, with lots of change and new beginnings. However, I should mention that next week I will be running a workshop at The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. If you wanted to learn how to make a crochet granny square, I would have said, now is your chance, but apparently my workshop has already sold out! So in between packing boxes to move house and doing my homework for the Crafts Council maker development program I am now on, and learning to use a knitting machine at Morley College, I am putting together some crochet packs for my learners. Wish me luck! Come find me at Ally Pally on Thursday 7th Oct, around 3pm for a cuppa, I’ll need one after my workshop!

Knitted Felted Sheep

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-08-29T21:38:57+01:00

On the last couple of days now of working on the Mirabilia Domestica exhibition. It will be sad to take it down, its provided an inspiring space to work within, to create new textile ideas and Solveigh has been full advice and stories! Today I had a closer look at fellow assistant and Textile Artist Alex’s shrunken felted cardy, which is so cool! I have been trying to follow it stitch by stitch, to draw out the sheep pattern on graph paper, to knit up at a later date sometime...

We Are Your Friends.

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-08-25T14:47:09+01:00

“Everybody, everybody in the (Art) House of Love”. I’ve got this song stuck in my head by East 17. Its probably because I’ve recently been asked to take part in a group exhibition “We Are Your Friends” at the E17 Art House as part of the Walthamstow Art Trail over the first weeks of September. I will be showing a selection of screen prints of friendly characters along side other interesting print makers...

A Sewing Machine & A Typewriter

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-08-14T03:25:37+01:00

I’ve orchestrated a fight between a sewing machine and a typewriter...
My response to working within the space of Solveigh’s installation of Mirabilia Domestica, using the instruments in the workstation.

Keep & Share

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-08-02T22:52:01+01:00

These foxy slippers on my mantlepiece were a lovely leaving present from an old job, a few years back. I’m keeping these!

This is a square I knitted at Latitude festival...

I’m going to share this with the others.

Keep & Share

Mirabilia Domestica

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-07-05T13:14:31+01:00

Looking forward to the summer ahead, I will be assisting textile artist and researcher Solveigh Goett on the final stint of her PhD, to install her exhibition of Mirabilia Domestica. I’m excited to be apart of this project, to get more hands on and get my teeth into textiles with a narrative, and inspiration for my own textile art exploration.

Since the beginnings of humanity textiles have accompanied us on our journey through life: not only our bodies and environments, but also our memories, feelings and thoughts are clothed. From socks and lucky underpants, sheets and blankets, curtains and jumpers, to uniforms and flags, beer tents and parachutes, telephone wires and fibre-optic cables, we live in a world heavily layered with textiles, a truly world wide web: without textiles human life is unimaginable.
Intrigued by the extraordinary power the most ordinary fabrics hold to evoke memories and capture emotions, textile artist and researcher Solveigh Goett has collected materials and stories, made assemblages, memory boxes, books and many other hybrid, quirky and whimsical things to create a cabinet of textile wonders that aims to entice the narrative imagination, to move, surprise and enchant its visitors.
Mirabilia Domestica celebrates the small things in life, so often overlooked by force of habit, yet so deeply embedded in the stories of our life. Like the cabinets of curiosities of early modernity, the predecessors to museums and galleries, Mirabilia Domestica is a densely packed space that doesn’t reveal all its treasures at a glance. There are boxes and drawers to be opened and their content to be explored by the curious eyes, minds and hands of the visitors, who rather than being kept at a distance are invited not only to look, but also to touch, smell and listen.
Breaking the touch taboo that dominates art exhibitions and museum displays, Mirabilia Domestica not only permits visitors to give in to their desire to feel what they see, but positively encourages them to engage through their senses with the textures of the work, to touch and to be touched. Such sensory exploration beyond the visual will enrich the visitors’ experience in unexpected ways, and also provide points of attachment for those who through loss of sight are often excluded from enjoying the visual arts.
Mirabilia Domestica: the textile self re/collected is part of a practice-based research project that links threads of experience and lines of thoughts to investigate the role of everyday textiles in the stories of our lives.
The project website serves as an on-line catalogue of the installation as well as leading the visitor into a wider network of textile matters, memories and metaphors.

For more information, please contact the artist solveigh_goett@hotmail.com

Mirabilia Domestica: the textile self re/collected
www.mirabilia-domestica.co.uk
7 August - 29 August 2010
Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture
Middlesex University, Cat Hill, Barnet, Herts, EN4 8HT
www.moda.mdx.ac.uk/
Tuesday to Saturday, 10am - 5pm. Sunday, 2pm - 5pm. Closed on Monday.

Antiques of a Crystal Palace

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-06-12T13:44:46+01:00

A friend of mine has moved South of the River, not that this is a huge distance for me, as this is where I grew up! But I have not really been to this part of London since I was 9 years old. I caught an easy ride down on the new overground and after a quick look in the park at the dinosaurs, the three of us then spent the afternoon searching out gems in a whole parade of vintage and antique shops and market places. Here’s some of the things I found...

Over 60's Club

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-06-15T17:51:59+01:00

Today I was invited to be the guest speaker at the Over 60’s Club at the Salvation Army. It was a bit nerve wrecking to walk into to a room full of wiser elders, and to be confronted with a microphone at a head table to do my thing. What could I tell these ladies about knitting that they didn’t already know?! I discarded a formal approach to run around each table in my own way to show all the ladies (and two gentlemen) how to cut a plastic bag to recycle it as Plarn (plastic yarn), as an alternative material for crocheting. For those who couldn’t hold a hook, we did some finger crochet and had a bit of fun!

Beyond Kimono

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-06-13T00:45:29+01:00

One of my main obsessions and inspirations is japanese textiles. I’m very excited for tomorrow I’m going to see a Kabuki play with my mum, I’ve not been since I was about 5 or 6 when she took me then. Apparently she was completely amazed by the whole spectacle and started collecting books of Edo period woodblock prints, and photography of the costumes. I remember growing up with these stunned by the colour, pattern and style of these exotic forms. Recently I’ve been spending my sundays down Brick Lane, not shopping so much, and not so into people watching as I used to be, as everyone seems to look the same these days, but just wondering, taking in the vibrant atmosphere and being open to looking at all the colours, patterns and textures found on all the market stalls, still nothing pulls me more than a kimono or two.

Markfield Park

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-06-05T00:22:35+01:00

Last week I ran a workshop of Colourful Collage for TreeHouse’s Parent Participation Project. On a beaming hot day, we set up camp in the middle of Markfield Park, surrounded by flower beds with a backdrop of some stunning graffiti, a skate park and an adventure playground designed by the children who use the day centre at Markfield. Some awesome colours to inspire me too!

Gardens & Crochet

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-05-26T00:07:01+01:00

So as a continuation of my previous post, it was such a lovely weekend, I wanted to show more of it. With the sun really out, proper, there was nowhere better to be than in the garden in Iffley, finishing off the final joins in my crochet comfort blanket. The last image shown here is my blanket modeled in Candy Pop’s dinning room (see my previous post).

Candy Pop

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-05-24T21:34:50+01:00

I went to Candy Pop’s house the other day, and as ever I was stunned by her gorgeous sense of interior design and collections of toys, dolls and other memorabilia. She is also becoming an amazing photographer, which has inspired me again. These are some of my shots of just a very few of her collections. More can be seen on Candy Pop’s Flickr.

Spring Cuttings

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-04-16T22:03:41+01:00

I run an adult knitting session in Tottenham. I have one very anxious regular, who comes along each week with no interest for knitting or crochet just as yet, but who wants my creative help to gain the confidence to make collages and 2d work. Having recently found out she’s really into gardens, this is what we are working on at the moment...

Crochet Comfort Blanket

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-05-05T15:58:24+01:00

Summer Craft Club

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-08-12T19:44:12+01:00

Over the summer I have a few extra sessions at Coombes Croft Library.
Here’s what we created today...

Crafty Little Entrepreneur

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-03-25T22:56:33+00:00

Jennifer is one of the girls who comes along to my after school knitting group. I think she’s about 8/9 years old ( I’ll have to check when I see her next week). Anyway today she told me that she is going to start up a business were she knits things and then people buy them. I said that this was a sweet idea, then she quickly pointed out to me that this wasn’t just an idea, that she had already made £5 selling the scarf she had only just learnt to knit a few weeks back!!

(This is the one Jennifer was working on today).

Degree Show.

saramakesthings@me.com — 2002-06-20T00:33:15+01:00

This entry is just a test. more details to follow later...

Sakura

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-03-17T00:18:55+00:00

Happy Sakura my Japanese friends.

Moth In The Motor

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-02-10T21:15:57+00:00

http://www.brokensoundmusic.com/moth.htm
www.myspace.com/rachaeldadd

Moving

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-01-16T02:19:35+00:00

I am moving house. Although it is very sad and stressful, its time for a change. So things may be a bit quiet on here until I get settled again.

Cranberry Crochet Beret

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-12-24T12:14:06+00:00

A treat to myself this Christmas, to keep my head warm and pretty!

Creative Stitches & Scotch Eggs

saramakesthings@me.com — 2010-02-09T02:07:51+00:00

Last week I was invited to go down to Brighton for the day to help out on the UK Hand Knit Association’s stand at the Creative Stitches show at the Brighton Centre. Most of it was not so much to my taste, mainly hobbyist card making and tacky lower end commercial craft, which is a good thing as I wasn’t tempted to buy anything! However it was massively busy, and I was rushed off my feet with a que of mainly elder ladies wanting me to teach them how to crochet! So after a day full of slipknots, hooks and chains, and yarning over, I went for a quiet walk along the seafront to take in the waves before heading back to London. Getting on the train I spotted a musician, who I only recognized from some gigs I had been to in the last few months, where he was featuring with his band Drum Eyes. Dj Scotch Egg joined me for the journey home. We had a lovely chat about noisy music, before I left him on his way onward to Leicester...

DJ Scotch Egg - Scotch Chicken

Nothing To See Here | MySpace Music Videos

Jitterbug Fingers

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-11-17T10:34:36+00:00

I few months ago I bought this Jitterbug yarn at the iknit weekender. I’ve been wanting some hand warmers so I picked up my 5 needles and made up these as I went along! I hope you like them. Here’s the pattern if you fancy making your own pair, mine are rather small and snug, so you may wish to add a few extra stitches, but I’m sure they will stretch with a bit of wear. This is the first pattern I have written up for others so it may not read well or seem a bit awkward. Don’t feel obliged to follow it note for note just as long as the second hand matches the first!

5x 5.5mm double ended knitting needles
I used Jitterbug yarn but doubled up more like a DK weight.

Cast on 40 stitches, then split between 4 needles and join in the round.
1-6: knit in the round
7-29: rib stitch (knit 2, purl 2)
30: knit 2, purl 2tog
31-43: rib stitch (knit 2, purl 1)
44: knit 2, purl 1, make1
45-54: rib: knit 2, purl 2
55: cast off 10 stitches at start of round to make thumb hole, continue to rib(k2, p2) rest of round
56-64: at start of round now purl 4 above thumb hole opening, then continue to rib knit 2, purl 2
66: knit 1, make 1, knit 1, purl 2tog
67: knit 1, purl 1
68: purl 1, knit 1
69: knit 1, purl 1
70: last row cast off.

Bloggers Blagged and bagged a Banquet!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-11-14T13:15:04+00:00

Susie is one of my ladies who attends my crochet class at Hornsey Library. She has been involved with putting on an event with a bunch of food bloggers called Blaggers Banquet, and even blagged me into screen printing up a whole bunch of tote bags to give away as their guest’s goodie bags!

Beard For Boyce

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-10-19T22:32:00+01:00

After knowing Mr Boyce for over 3 years with a beard, he has decided to go clean shaven. This has been some what of a shock to me and others, so I have made him a woolly replacement in crochet to keep his face warm.

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-07-02T21:40:45+01:00

Hyperbolic Crochet

I have become hooked into crochet. As a Textile Artist this activity is something I already had in practice, picking up the stitches and following on from my grandma’s legacy, this has gone beyond what is commonly perceived as a feminine handicraft, a hobby of the past or of a quirky, kitche activity to do in the pub with your indie mates. Crochet, knit and other textile techniques are not just a physical activity. Here lies a cognitive exercise, in which thought process develops through the process of making. Crochet has gone into the realm of physics and mathematics, as being a perfect method to create models to express and explain the hyperbolic plane.

A hyperbolic plane?… I have become stuck for trying to describe it, yet through making I can show you an example of this one surface that is ever expanding and multiplying in its negative curvature. If mathematics is a language, then in its visual form shows structure and pattern. Using crochet, increasing the number of stitches from the starting point, demonstrates these geometric forms. I have found a connection here, a thread that runs through all my textile work, uncovering a sense of order out of apparent chaos.

The hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is an international collaboration conceived by The Institute For Figuring bringing together the work of countless people, creating their own crochet models as single elements, brought together as a whole, show a mass of microcosms and macrocosms. The “coral reef” has been exampled for this project to push forward an ecological issue, but when looking at these forms could equally be describing other biological structures.

From its international exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, people from the Uk were invited to respond and make their own crochet corals. This response has been so fantastic, that I have become involved in this branching off, to create the UK Reef. In partnership with Denise Quinn, and with support from the Crafts Council I have helped curate and install the crochet display for tour in the Knitting and Stitching Show, during which I taught more people how to crochet. The project grows and spreads as more people get hooked. The future for the growing UK Reef? As more off shoots develop, this craft is becoming viral, watch this space...

The Knitting & Stitching Show

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-10-06T21:55:23+01:00

As some of you know I have a crochet group on Saturday mornings, this week we thought we'd meet up at the Knitting and Stitching show. If you are already going it would be great to see you there! Tickets are available on the door for £12.00, so I believe.

Before going into the show we are going to have our usual Saturday morning crochet and knit meet up.
If you want to join us we will be meeting up on:

Saturday 10th October, at 11am. Outside The Phoenix pub, next to the main entrance of the Palm Court of Ally Pally.

This meet up is free to attend and anyone can come! - you don't even have to go into the show!

I will also be going to the show on Friday 9th if anyone wants to meet up! Hope to see you all there!

Carousel

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-09-07T17:06:53+01:00

The beginning of September, means back to school for most. For me it’s my birthday! Last week, I skipped off to the seaside to celebrate!

Maybe I should stick to crochet...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-08-25T12:44:03+01:00

Knitapoem

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-08-16T00:05:01+01:00

I am knitting a letter ‘S’ for the Poetry Society. They want lots of knitted letters which will be sewn together to make up a secret poem, to be revealed in October. I wonder what its gonna be?

Print Monger

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-07-25T18:13:00+01:00

On Sundays, get yourself down to the Back Yard Market, off Brick Lane, where you will find the Print Monger, the stall for Print Club. You may also occasionally see me down there running the stall with some of my own prints!

Summer Craftwerk 2009

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-08-02T15:02:48+01:00

Yesterday I took my felt Cats on a trip to St Aloysius social club, in Euston for a bit of craftwerk, they made lots of new friends and admirers, and some of them even went off to new homes.

How much is that kitty in the window?

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-06-25T17:33:45+01:00

I have recently entered the world of Olive Loves Alfie, a lovely boutique on Church Street, in Stoke Newington. It has everything I could wish for, bright vibrant colours, patterns, stunning design and japanese influences and a sense of magic in the clothing, accessories, toys, prints and products. Only thing is, its meant to be for little children, and I keep forgetting that at age 30, I am now supposed to be a grown up, and can’t fit into those cute tiny t-shirts! To my fortune, owner ( and former Red Or Dead shoe designer), Ashlyn Gibson spotted me wearing one of my felt cats in her boutique and thought they would be perfect to sell in her shop! My felt printed cats now hang in the window, waiting for small (and big) children to take them home...

Using my head

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-06-29T22:54:43+01:00

I have always been drawn towards making a head piece of some sort. With a wedding to attend last weekend, I thought I would make my own fascinator...

I had purchased a few meters of this coral lace from Dalson Mill Fabrics, in Ridley Road Market (my favourite shop at the moment!). I cut out all of the individual lace flowers, then hand stitched them onto the matching netting. Voila!

Wools & Crafts

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-06-13T15:54:55+01:00

I discovered this amazing little shop today on Blackstock Road, in Finsbury Park. Some of the ladies in my crochet group had mentioned it in passing, but I had no idea just how much stock they have! It was really hard to leave empty handed. I managed to only buy two items, some matching purple cotton to finish off my treble crochet granny square!

Finished Object?

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-05-30T14:13:59+01:00

Well, I have run out of time on my UFO, so I guess for now it is finished. I had intended to do something totally obscure and weird to transform an ordinary piece of knitting into some sculptural multi-coloured form. But when I received the unfinished cardigan, I couldn’t bare to make it odd, in saying that I think my colour choice has made it end up equally as an oddment! Anyway here’s the story behind it, then what I did...
Great Granny’s Oddment Cardigan. “This back of a cardigan was constructed from great granny’s sock oddments basket. From a mixture of 4ply blues and greens. Have you any oddments lying around?”…

The back instantly looked like it would make a rather lovely top. I found an odd ball of sock yarn and started crocheting around the edge, gave it a few ruffles, then it was transformed from an cast-off cardigan to a hyperbolic halter-neck!

UFO Project Administration Service

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-05-09T13:44:06+01:00

Rachael and Louise at Prick Your Finger are, for the next couple of months, becoming the administration service for a UFO project, which will result in an exhibition at the Jerwood Space. UFO being - Un Finished Object! This is aimed at all those knitting and crochet items that were once started then forgotten, another chance for these to have a lease of life. It sounded like a great project for me to get stuck into, so for the next couple of weeks I have put on hold my crochet and knits to finish off someone else’s UFO, and at the same time handing over a piece I had given up on.

This is a hat I started a while back, then used it as sample to practice my cable stitch on. It then got too tight for my head, and I got fed up of it. I wonder how it will turn out?

A day at the RCA

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-05-02T09:24:44+01:00

This is probably as close as I will get to being at the Royal College of Art! I went along for a day put on by the Crafts Council and ReachOutRCA, for Teachers / Craft Makers working with children,“Revival: Exploring Contemporary Ceramics, Jewellery and Textiles” It was so very inspiring to see the students work, and encouraged me again that this really is my area, and through looking around the studios, their standard of work is attainable for me , and yet at the same time, i don’t necessarily have to do an MA there and spend huge amounts of money to achieve my creativity, then again wouldn’t it be great...

Budgies for the love birds

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-05-05T21:37:30+01:00

An old friend from my art school days, got married at the weekend. It was a lovely barn wedding full of bunting, dancing, casks of ale, and plenty of food for us campers on the farm! Emma and Terry asked on the invite for presents, if any, to be handmade, so I screen printed them a pair of budgies.

A Little Bazaar...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-04-24T08:51:38+01:00

Last night I took my hand screen printed felt cats on their first outing, down to The Albany, in Deptford for A Little Bazaar. I shared a stall with two lovely and creative ladies Parusha & Anita, and together we had a wealth of vintage, design and hand made craft on our table! We had lots of fun dancing about to a great DJ set, ate glitter cupcakes from the next stall, and tested punters on their bartering skills! My cats had a fair amount of interest, so I thought it was time to share them with you! If you would like to buy one, please email me!

Thank you Parusha & Anita and A Little Bazaar for a fun evening. x

a short film for you...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-02-26T23:04:49+00:00

Until I find a home for this somewhere on this site, it can live here. Enjoy. x

plastic bag turned hyperbolic

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-03-23T22:46:00+00:00

Here, is what I came up with after a few days working at the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia...Yet more hyperbolic crochet forms, working with stripped up plastic bags. This one is made with a bag from Marks & Sparks, and a few Accardo bags on the edge.

UK:DIY exhibition

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-02-16T21:11:48+00:00

Two of my images of my yarn bombs have been chosen to be included in the UK:DIY exhibition, currently being held at The Turnpike Gallery in Leigh. Its a bit out of my way to get to at the moment - but if you’re any way up by Manchester, please do check it out! And if you can’t get up there, you can view the images on flickr...

Bibliomancer's Dream

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-02-12T22:55:11+00:00

Thursday 12 February 2009 - Sunday 8 March 2009.
Bibliomancy is an ancient ritual that involves the random selection of a book and then a line or verse within that book to learn a truth, or inspire the imagination of the holder.
As part of Imagine Children's Festival, visit the magical library in The Clore Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall, and delve into hundreds of books that hold secrets for you to discover.
The Bibliomancer’s Dream is an installation by artist Alinah Azadeh (with design engineering by Willow Winston and Terence Williams).
(Upholstery by Sara Noble)

Sound Snow Sleighs

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-12-10T21:15:45+00:00

I have been working for the Southbank Centre over the last week to help create a pair of Sound Snow Sleighs. I did most of the upholstering by hand, and now my fingers are really sore ( next time i will take my sewing machine with me!) But now its done it looks lovely, gleaming and snowlike!

Green Knit Graffiti

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-02-05T22:15:00+00:00

Today I had to go to the Southbank Centre for a meeting, and had a sudden idea before leaving my flat this morning, grabbed an old sample of knit that I did about a year ago - finally! I think I have found a use for it!!

After leaving the Royal Festival Hall, I headed over to the Skater Park to find the new home for my square of green knitting...

I was a bit nervy at first and thought someone was gonna come over and tell me off for doing stuff there, but no one did, I wish my whole bag full of yarn to string up there, with those pillars, I could do some installations like my previous work.
Anyway here’s what i got up to...

This piece is far too small for this amazing pillar.

Knitting resting on wall whilst i look for a better location.

I found a railing - perfect!

Tied on with a bit of pink yarn.

Looking out to the Thames.

One week later...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-02-02T23:46:00+00:00

SNOW!!!

and my zebra crochet cosy is still there

The tree is still warped up in the park - i still don’t know who did this.

And this was our snowslug...

Teaching knit and crochet!!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-11-16T21:04:45+00:00

OK, don’t laugh - I didn’t design the flyer OR come up with the name,
but i will be running two of these groups for the next six weeks!!
If you want to join in please contact to book a place.

classes to continue

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-01-17T14:51:31+00:00

If you want to learn the basics of how to knit and crochet, you can find me at Hornsey and Coombes Croft Libraries every week!
(From newsletter of February Events at Haringey Libraries) Knitting: The Knitter Natter Club
Great news, the knitting and crochet classes will continue for another 6 weeks.
So, grab your needles and join in!
Starting dates & venues:
Knitting & Crochet- Coombes Croft Library every Thursday 3.30 to 5pm
Crochet - Hornsey Library every Saturday 11 to 12.30pm
Knitting - Muswell Hill Library every Saturday 2 to 3.30pm
All children must be accompanied by adults.
Bring your own needles and yarn or these will be available to buy on the day.

Crochet Greetings!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-12-21T00:07:29+00:00

Amigurumi

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-11-08T18:37:14+00:00

I’m completely hooked.
I could spend all day on the net looking at pictures of japanese amigurumi crochet.
Kawaii!
This is one of mine:

Ari The One Armed Ami.

If you want to make some crochet characters, check out this book by Annie, a lovely girl who also works at Tatty Devine.

10 minute costume

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-11-02T14:26:44+00:00

After spending all day traveling up the country wating for delayed and cancelled trains trying to get back home, I had about half an hour to dump my bags, rest, make a cuppa, and get ready for the ATP’s Release the Bats, with Lightning Bolt playing first at 6.30 - we couldn’t be late. But I couldn’t go to a Halloween party without a costume so this was my super fast cardboard cut out and tin foil attempt. Of course it got completely crushed as I made it to the front of the mosh for Lightning Bolt!

MF Doom for Jamie

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-10-19T16:24:07+01:00

I can now reveal the minature sewing i have been doing! Me and Matt have been transforming a Doctor Doom action figure, blinging him up into MF Doom for our flatmate Jamie’s birthday present! Check out the Doom nike high tops I made!

hello hello erm... hello!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-08-09T22:28:50+01:00

This is my new website, I hope you like it.

all my masked men say hello!!!

Vote for my designs on threadless.com!!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-09-18T23:27:48+01:00

I have submitted two designs for threadless.com, once up there will be 7 days for you lovely people to vote for them! (you don’t need to choose between them just gimme 5 for both!!) I think these would make great t-shirts, don’t you!

Click on the links below, sign up / login in and get voting!!!

new textile installation

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-09-27T17:15:17+01:00

I have begun to string up a new textile site specific installation, this is it so far...

Warped tree

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-10-15T15:47:39+01:00

I went for a walk through Clissold Park the other week and look what I found!
Two trees that had been warped up together with red yarn.
This look so beautiful, I would love to know who did it.

Its still there now, a week later.
My friend spotted another tree wrapped and warped in the same way, in London Fields too.

Haircut

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-08-11T23:02:39+01:00

I've been putting this off for months, going to the hairdressers is like torture for me, but if I'm looking for work maybe its best not to cut it myself this time.

hairdressers looking pretty but bored.

There was a young girl, maybe 5 or 6, waiting to get her hair done. She looked really sad.

hairdressers doing their fancy flicks and moves.

me in despair.

Move Me in 3D!!

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-04-18T21:06:11+01:00

I was just heading into town on the tube today and discovered my poster is still up! Now try this!! Get yourself a pair of Tatty Devine 3D glasses- like the ones I'm modeling here, and look at my drawing, this was totally by accident but really works! Get your own from www.tattydevine.com

Bones Magazine

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-03-17T23:03:43+00:00

Recently, I’ve been having lots of fun playing with my new Holga camera, which lead to Bones Magazine asking me to contribute some photography for their Hardcore issue.

Move Me

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-02-23T22:14:47+00:00

Basically what you need to know here is that i won a competition to have my artwork made as a poster to be displayed on the London Underground!! From 25th Feb - 10th March, go to the end of the south bound platform on the Victoria line at Highbury & Islington Station, and you will see my work! The drawing above was previewed at Rainbird Fine Art, as part of the exhibition organized by Islington Council. However Transport For London rejected this piece at being “a negative view of of their transport system” so they asked me for other work, i sent 3 images for them to choose from and all were put up - yeay for me!

Permanent Vacation Presents...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-02-16T23:51:02+00:00

come down to the port mahon in Oxford, see Euhedral (Lee Reily) make noise, and check out my poster!

Oxford Open

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-01-10T22:07:08+00:00

Between the 12th Jan - 17th Feb 2008, Modern Art Oxford is opening its institutional doors free to the creative peoples of Oxford. After queing for 2 hours to submit my work, I can now join Jake & Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin and Yoko Ono amongst others, to have exhibited in this fantastic space. See Below...

Shift. 2004. Pen, pencil & mascara on paper.
These drawings were executed whilst i was a gallery assistant at Modern Art Oxford. A shift from the duty of work, and the study of gallery visitors, reveals my underlying emotion at that time.

Look how amazing Matt is...

saramakesthings@me.com — 2008-12-29T16:51:14+00:00

thank you. xxxxxxxxxxx

Crochet Balaclava

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-01-18T17:28:29+00:00

I have been making a knitted balaclava - watch this space for further news why! Anyway, I got a bit inspired and went off on a colorful one to make this crocheted piece too! I was thinking that the whole idea for having a balaclava is to blend into the background, and to create a disguise - well I would love to find the place where this blends into...

Tricot Machine

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-01-21T20:17:25+00:00

i came across this animation and think this is so amazing, the Canadian band’s name Tricot Machine translates as knitting machine, they have some other really lovely tunes and videos too. This also reminds me, i have half the pieces of a knitting machine tucked away in a box waiting to be complete and to be used!!

Tricot Machine || Les peaux de lièvres from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

Taking knit out to the street

saramakesthings@me.com — 2009-01-25T10:23:52+00:00

I’ve been a bit naughty and have started a bout of graffitti...

ha ha! watch out for more to come!
If you like this, check out www.yarnbombing.com