FolkEast Festival

Hello....... So last weekend I went off to FolkEast with some friends, for a weekend of fun, music and crochet.

My friends band were playing on the main stage and invited me along, yay for backstage passes and therefore the cleanest porta loos I have ever seen.

Sadly the weather was a bit changeable, which resulted in some this, not a good mix with wheels of any kind, when we got there a jcb was pulling cars out of the mud in the car park eek.  

So really not the best conditions for a wheelchair, everyone was super helpful though, from the crew at the festival to other festival goers who we only to happy to help with the chair.

The biggest thank you goes to my friend 'C' who did a amazing job hauling my wheelchair and me backward through the mud and bumpy parkland as it was not the most wheelchair friendly site.

But despite that we had a wonderful time.

After the logistics of getting onto the site, we were in need of a nice cuppa and found a fabulous tea tent.

Everything about it was just my cup of tea from the vintage tea sets to the flowery table cloth to the oh so yummy cake I shared with my sister.

and by the time the music started the sun was shining.

So we headed off to the Sunset stage to listen to some Folk music.

First up was Rum Kelter from Norfolk who played a wonderful traditional set of Irish and European Folk music there is a link to there site 'here'

Next up was my friend and 'Hatful of Rain' who play Americana roots music with a British folk twist. They are such a great live band, playing around a single mic, they released there second album 'The Morning Key' earlier in the year

Here's the video for the first single off the new album.

We also saw 'The Rails' perform who were great sorry no picture, but here's a clip I found online.

Later in the evening 'Blowzabella' played a amazing set with so many people up and dancing,to there mix of European folk music. They were followed by Bellowhead more on that later.

One of Saturdays highlights for me was seeing 'The Willows ' who played a beautiful set, another British band playing Americana, they were followed by the 'Hackney Colliery band' who blow the roof off.

Just before we left we caught some of 'Fay Hield and the Hurricane Party', 

now who's ready for some crochet!!!

The yarniness at this festival was sooo good with a designated crochet and knitting tent

running so many workshops shall we have a little peak?

Happy Happy so much yarny goodness

The crocheted wheelbarrow was suggested as a alternative transport system for me

and I couldn't resist a sitting down on the yarny bench and trying the guitar

But this bike was my favourite by far, just the pom pom wheels made my heart sing

and the fab daisy saddle

I love it so, especially the strawberry lining in the basket, I wish I had a bike just like this

plus how great is this fellow, the yarny ladies of FolkEast sure have been busy.

Here's one final look at the display inside the tent, 

there is no picture but I took my crochet along and made some flowers for my scarf while listening to the wonderful music, the perfect way to spend a weekend.

In the dark the festival site look like a wonderful fairyland

with wood carvings lit up to perfection.

These photo's are thanks to my sister who went off with her camera for a little wander

capturing the magic.

Before Bellowhead took to the stage to close the first night.

Back at the cottage we had time to fit in a little music too.

 Such a wonderful weekend, I'm paying the price for the fun now with a bit of payback from my ME/Lyme disease but it was well worth it even though my back has still not recovered from bumping around in the wheelchair, but I'd do it all again for sure.

Clare xx

Festival Star

Hello....... I'm home again after having a wonderful weekend at FolkEast even at I festival I found time for a little bit of crafting.  There were so many different crafts to try there, from felting to ceramics and they had a wonderful crochet tent, more on that another time but in the end I opted to make a ceramic star.  It really is amazing what you can make in a field.

There were lots of different clay shapes to choose from hearts to shells and leaves but I picked a cute little star, that I could hang on my blossom tree at home.

Please ignore my day three festival hair.

There were several glazes to choose from, giving various effects I selected one containing copper which would either give a metallic effect or a blue/green colour depending on how it reacted when fired.  I also added a different glaze to the decorative pattern on the star.

Then you'll never guess!! 

But yes, the Potter popped it into a microwave and heated it for about ten minutes until it was glowing bright orange, so hot at about 1000 degrees, bet you didn't know a microwave could do that.!!

After that it was popped into a tin containing sawdust which smoked and burnt for a while until it was covered over to cool.  While I waited in anticipation not knowing how it would turn out would it be green would it be metallic would it have all gone horribly wrong, it took about ten minutes to cool,  and then it came out of the sawdust all blacken but definitely still a star yippee

Then all that was needed was a bit of a wash off and a polish up with some wire wool

and Ta-Dah one metallic Star, 

I think it turned out well mostly copper with a little petrol like effect in places, I was one happy customer, and all for the price of £5.00, if I'd bought a premade one it would have been £3.50 so I think that's pretty good as it was so great to make my very own.

So if you go to a festival or craft fair and they are offering this craft I'd say go for it.

Here's my little Festival Star back home hanging on my blossom tree, such a great memento of a wonderful weekend and so great to have something I actually made.

More from the festival next time and my do I have some wonderful yarn bombing and music to share with you all.

Linking up with 'Keep Calm Craft on'

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Grey and Gloomy with a chance of Crochet

 Hello.... the weather is a bit wild today here at the Summerhouse as Ex hurricane Bertha is about to blow throw our corner of the world.

So everything is starting to look decidedly grey and gloomy for a August day, with the wind starting to blow a hoolie and the rain lashing against the windows, this is not the Summers day we were hoping for.

  out in the garden the Horse chestnut is starting to get tossed about by the winds

 but at least the Japanese wind anemones are looking a bit more optimistic brightening up all that grey as they dance about.

As for the sweet peas which are only just starting to flower, well I'm a bit worried for them.

The Summer pots on top of the wall have had to be moved in fear, they will fall onto the tomato plants and fruit trees below.

but that's about all the batoning of hatches I've had the energy to do.

So I'm planning on a day of hunkering down with my crochet hook, with my Springtime throw being one project I have to get on with, even that is looking a tad dull in today's gloomy light, believe it or not that is cream yarn in the second round.

With so many yarn end to sew in I'm not really sure I can face them on a day like today. It really has to be the worst job in crochet.

No instead I think I need some sparkle in my life and to find the positives, even on a stormy day like today, I can still find a used for a sundress as backdrop to the crochet. Yes today I think it will be sparkle all the way.

Now even sparkle sometimes isn't worry free, I ordered some extra yarn for my scarf project and instead of the lovely icy greens, silvers, blues and purples.

  I got the above ball on the left, it put in a bit of a spin as the band code was right but it looked nothing like my beloved yarn, so I got into a bit of a yarny frenzy and started pulling at the ball, and you never guess what was inside? yep this rather dishevelled but correct coloured yarn on the right, who would have thought it!!

When I bought my beloved yarn, there was only one like this in the shop, and it was in amongst a whole load of the above green and pink ball.  Some how it must have got balled up differently at the factory a bit of a blessing for me as I would never have bought the other ball, so yay for happy accidents.

So after a bit of winding I had separated the colours off that I didn't need for this project into a cute little ball, this little ball of yarn has made me super smiley it just so cute, it's about the size of a Christmas bauble which has given me the idea to make so super sparklely yarn ball decoration for the tree. 

Simple pleasure it doesn't take much to make me happy, just a little ball of sparkly yarn a crochet hook and the ipod on shuffle and I'm all set.

I might not be around for a little while as I'm hopefully going away at the end of the week, fingers crossed on the weather improving as we have plans to go to The Folk East festival, and wheelchairs and mud are not a good combo, I'm really looking forward to it as my friends band are playing on the main stage, just need to find some energy from somewhere to get me through so it'll be a few bed rest days for me before and after the event.

Linking up with KCCO

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

Yarn love

Hello........ So when I went to the craft store last week I found myself struck down with a serious case of the wanties.  No sooner had I spotted this Rico Creative Reflection I just knew I had to have it in my life. Even though I'm on a bit of a yarn ban.

I mean just look at the wonderful colours and the sparkle, it was just to hard to resist, even though at the time I had no idea what I was going to use it for, It just had had had to be mine.

When I got home I had a little look around online for suggestions of what to make and I found several knitting patterns but nothing suitably hooky, this posed a problem as I'm not the worlds best knitter, I just find it so slow and arm aching, as regular reader will know as I've had the same Cushion on my needles since my blog began February 2013

I wanted to make a scarf for me that was kind of lacy and pretty, maybe a flower, then inspiration struck and I remembered I'd seen a gorgeous flat flower earlier in the year, that would be just perfect, thankfully I loved it so much I'd even bookmarked (phew)

and here it is, the pattern comes from 'Emma's' wonderful blog and even better there is a fab tutorial explaining how to make the flowers.

So I set to work making wonderfully sparkly, wispy, lacy flowers. I'm using a 3.5 mm hook and the yarn is a joy to work with, such wonderful colour and  a really soft a mix of virgin wool, acrylic, sparkle and in my opinion fairy dust.

Really the photo's do it no justice.

I originally planned on making a scarf although I'm not sure how I will put it all together yet, my mind is a whirl with possibilities, from 'ooh it would make a lovely shawl' to 'what about a 'flowery poncho' as you can see I'm a bit smitten with this project.

Who can blame me though, don't they look lovely nestled together.

Joining in with Ginny's 'Yarn Along'

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx

July Mosaics

Hello... well here are July Mosaics, Summer seems to be flying by and there are sign of Autumn on the Horse chestnut tree by Summerhouse, the leaves are changing in places and I noticed in the photo you can see through the tree in places too eek really must make the most of August.

With so much medical stuff going on last month my little blog was a bit neglected, but I went to my last appointment on Wednesday so hopefully things will start getting back to normal, what ever that maybe round these parts.  After all these appointment I needed a well deserved treat so we stopped off at the shops on the way back from the Hospital on Tuesday where I got a new handbag (that I can fit my blood sugar kit in)  then onto Hobbycraft where I treated myself to some crafty bits, you can never have to many too Buttons or too much yarn, so I'm told !!

I was on a bit of a new yarn ban as I have way to much already but I couldn't resist the rather gorgeous and sparkly Rico Creative Reflection, when I saw it I knew it was for me and it quickly hopped into the basket, at the time I had no idea of what to make with it but I've come up with a plan already, (more on that another time), back to July's happenings for now.

July as I mentioned was a month mostly of tests and appointments, a bit of tour de France watching while hooky up some granny squares, continuing with WIP's and starting something new too and of course a certain Merli cat celebrated his fifteenth birthday.

Out in the garden the flowers kept blooming, all that sunshine really gave them a helping hand but we really have been battling with the slugs and snails this year, who are happily munching there way through the Summerhouse border.

With everything I didn't manage any art last month either. but I did finished off this mandala from one of my colouring books, I used the elements as my colour theme for this one.

The Year in books:

July's read was Phillipa Gregory's Virgin Earth which I'm still only about half way through, I'm really enjoying it though, I'm also about half way through the above book on Diabetes, seeing as things have all gone a bit strange around here blood sugar wise, I'm still waiting on test results to see what Type of diabetes I have/had but things are getting back to normal, for a pancreas that stopped working for a few month but is now back to normal range blood sugars for the last couple of weeks, so I thought I best do a bit of reading up, so that's going to be my book for August.

Linking up with 'The Year in Books over at Circle of Pine Trees and Nicoles KCCO

In the post this morning I had a appointment come to see the Immunologist about whats been going on lately, sadly I have to wait till the end of next May to see him on the NHS as he's so busy, good job it's nothing urgent then !!

Happy Crafting 

Clare xx