Back in the house

Phew!!! That was fun! I've been having a jolly 6 week roller-coaster ride with orders from notonthehighstreet and just couldn't tear myself away to write about, let alone do, any crochet. Now the Christmas rush has fled to the Sales, I'm able to return to much more creative pastures. Mind you, I haven't ignored stitchy stuff and I thought, as we approach a fairly calm time for us creative types, you might enjoy a few suggestions of how to fill your time! Ha!!
With this in mind, I've come across a very nice website, Crafty Crafty. Having a variety of columnists means that it is very rich in source material and their posts are about everything from knitting and crochet to beauty products.
In my trawling through the crochet pages (well, what would you expect) I came across this post about the Woodland Cuckoo Clock. I adore this as it has the look of something out of Grimm's Fairy Tales and northern forests. Very seasonal!
I'm finding it hard to research this as the site where the pictures are taken from is in Japanese. Not my strongest language. So I appeal for help from any of my readers with a greater knowledge than me.
For a taster of what we're missing in our lack of knowledge take a look at the hyperbolic craziness of the clock and it's maker. It's as if Arthur Rackham had taken up a crochet hook instead of a pencil.

Happy Arrival of MakeDoMend

Just a quick post to urge you to pop over nextdoor to makedomend and their latest adventures, We're at last off the starting blocks and we're launched on the world, bringing creative workshops to a clamouring crowd of creativists. We've got beginners' knitting classes, corsage classes and crochetforward which is a step up for the chain gang. So off you go!

Just take a peek

I know I've been rather absent from blogging but I'm a bit inundated in orders for Christmas so...until we're past that important date, I'm going to send you off to my other home of makedomend. We're very excited about our plans at the moment as we're launching on Thursday at the gorgeous venue of 40 Winks in Stepney. I visited this wonderful hotel and was completely transported to another fantastical world. I hope that we could organise some workshops to take place in this unique location.
Anyway, please visit makedomend and maybe think of booking a workshop. There's heaps to choose from beginning with crochet, knitting and sewing to beading, customising and, I like this one, bunting making. Go on, treat yourself for 2010.

The backroom bites back

I loved this story when I read it last week in the Guardian. Carmen Colle is a supplier of fabric and crochet to, among others, Chanel and is taking the company to the courts to sue for 2.5 million euro damages for copyright infringement on a crochet pattern. Chanel is counter-sueing and the case is in appeal at the moment.
Carmen Colle is not a woman to be messed with. The fashion houses depend on such people to produce the garments and materials that will best express the designer's vision. The 'petits mains' are the mainstay of any company and are overlooked and undervalued in many cases. Many of these people have years of experience and skill which cannot be easily replaced and to know that such talent goes into couture clothes makes them the valuable artifacts they are.
Colle is unique in that she began the business after a career as a social worker in order to employ deprived and immigrant workers and offer them opportunities not often found. The company, World Tricot Designs employing women from poor neighbourhoods, is on the brink of closure if the counter-claim from Chanel is upheld. Listen to the interesting and at time's depressingly familiar story of David and Goliath at World Vision . I wish Carmen all the luck with her fight for her company and her reputation.

If you go down to the woods - Amelia's Magazine

Some love it, some hate it. Twitter. Been in the news a bit this week, what with the spat over Stephen Fry and so on. Aside from that, I like it for the occasional little pearl for chaincreative.
Today's little gem is courtesy of lovely Claire at Monty (you need to go there to see her new A/W designs anyway) and her tweet about Amelia's Magazine. As an online resource it's wonderful for paths less visited. As their editor says, ' Amelia’s Magazine online is now the place to come for exclusive articles on the best underground creative projects in the worlds of art, fashion, music, illustration, photography, craft and design.' The issue I was particularly struck by was the fashion designs of knitwear designer, Marie-Louise Vogt. I cannot perfect further on the article at Amelia's so a visit there is essential. Suffice to say, I'll give you some picture tasters to set you on your way. As you probably know by now, here at chaincreative we love crochet and fashion and to see Marie-Louise use it so effectively gives us a reason to smile. Next time you hear someone say they don't know where to go next with their crochet, tell them to visit Amelia's and Marie-Louise Vogt.

Shauna Richardson - Designer Interview

Many of you will have seen in the UK press the announcement of the awards, Artists taking the lead, which is one of the major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and is being developed by Arts Council England in partnership with London 2012 and the arts councils of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The project was launched in March 2009 with a call to artists to submit their big ideas in just 400 words. Over 2,000 artists applied, spanning a huge range of artforms and incorporating some spectacular ideas. All were competing for the award of up to £500,000 to produce their designs to be launched in 2012 in a unifying ceremony before the opening of the games.
Chaincreative's interest is in the artist, Shauna Richardson, based in the East Midlands and her plans for three 30 ft crochet lions to be encased in glass and installed in a as-yet-undisclosed location in the heart of England.
Peter Knott, director of arts and development with Arts Council England, East Midlands, said: "We considered Lionheart to be the best proposal as it is unique and on a grand scale. This monumental work will be striking and engaging. Its sheer audacity as an object of art will make it stand out and create considerable interest.

"It will celebrate the region's cultural, industrial and historical heritage."

Shauna, who studied art at De Montfort University in Leicester, said: "I was absolutely delighted to be selected, but I was a bit astounded really because of the calibre of the submissions alongside mine.

"This is the biggest project of my life and it is going to consume my daily life for the next two and a half years.

"I have estimated approximately two years to do the crocheting though I have built in some contingency time.

"This is something I have never done before. I am much more familiar working on a small scale. This is clearly going to be the largest piece I have ever made." (quoted with thanks to thisisnottingham.co.uk)

As soon as I heard that there was a crocheter, in fact Shauna terms herself a crochetdermist, in the short-lists, I contacted her for an interview on the blog and she kindly accepted despite being a pretty busy person at the moment. The fact that she's won is the cherry on the cake as far as chaincreative is concerned. It's a real honour. So here is the interview which I hope will give some insight into how crochet can be used as an art form. Let's have more of that, please!!

Has crochet always been a part of your artistic expression? If so, when and how did you to get to the point where you wanted to create using that medium?
I was taught to crochet at an early age, in fact I can't remember a time when I wasn't free-styling with wool and hook. It was a long time before I utilized crochet in my artwork however - I took the long route via a very enjoyable conceptual art practice

What was the first project that you first used crochet and how challenging was that? Can you just quickly describe the processes that you go through on your crochet work.

For me crochet is the most natural medium to sculpt with. The first Crochetdermy piece I made was a hare head quickly followed by a two metre brown bear. I like a big challenge.If I have a technique at all it could be described as free-style. I use a single colour and one stitch to trace the

different directions dictated by anatomy.
(The lions' bodies will be created by a professional polystyrene sculptor. Each will be positioned in a different pose – one on its rear legs, in a leaping position. As sections are produced they will receive crochet skins which will be created by Ms Richardson using wool and hook.)

Many of the animals aren't small!!! How long does a project, on average, take? How much yarn do you use and where do you source your materials? You're in 'knit' land up there in the Midlands so you must be quite a celebrity!

I estimate that the upcoming Lionheart project will take approximately 2 years to complete and will require 1 tonne of wool. The project celebrates the textile industry heritage of the East Midlands UK, and I am hoping to use the wool of local sheep in the making.It is my aim to promote and involve people from all walks of life in this project - it is an ideal opportunity to make a real crochet impact. As well as workshops across the East Midlands I would like to make this a worldwide affair and intend to utilize the internet to this end. Early days yet but in due course I will be sending a call out to crochet practitioners everywhere to join in with the fun. Watch this space...

Tell us about the paths you took to apply for the award - your decisions and inspirations etc. Can you give another brief description of the lions and how they'll look in situ in 2012?
Each Artists Taking the Lead commission relates to it's location. Both the wool and the three lions symbol are inspired by the East Midlands. Richard the Lionheart has strong connections with Nottingham not only in the Legend of Robin Hood but also in history. Richard's crest was the three lions, a widely used strong symbol to this day

The piece will be three 30ft life-like lions in different dynamic poses, housed in a walk-in taxidermy style display 'case'. I hope to start crocheting early 2010 and progress can be followed via webcam link up and studio visits.

Finally, from where do you draw inspiration and is crochet always an expression of your work or is it also something intrinsic to your artistic instincts?

Crochet is intrinsic to my work. I enjoy mixing crochet with realism and presenting it as contemporary art.Maybe anything can be art, and anything includes traditional craft.

I wish to extend my thanks to Shauna for taking time out of an already busy schedule to answer the questions. Her website is fantastic as follow up and for more images so leap like a lion over there and check out her other crochet creativity.

Wonders never cease

Whilst on my wonderful trip to California we visited the fabulous Joshua Tree National Park. I really didn't know what to expect but what we found was beyond marvellous. I'm a bit of a fan as far as 'high' deserts go - I love the nature! Joshua Tree did not disappoint and we stayed in the most delicious guest house, The Desert Lily, owned and run by Carrie and her husband.

Surrounded by mountains and, of course, joshua trees and watched over by red tail hawk, coyotes and mountain lion, this is the place to be to get away from it all.
Over a bottle of wine on our arrival, Carrie asked what I get up to and I had to confess to the crochet. Well, you've got to go to the World Famous Crochet Museum, she said. That stopped me in my tracks. But not for long.
Next day, it was down to Joshua Tree town and the extraordinary creation of Shari Elf. Despite being closed I was able to snoop about and take some pictures but couldn't delve into it's dusty depths!



I'll have to tip a nod of thanks to Cathy of California (another adorable blog) for the interior shot with poodles. The 'building' itself is a former photomat booth neatly recycled into this petite homage to all things crochet.


Shari Elf (above with her museum) is interesting in her own right and her website, Good and Sturdy Art reveals a creator of art through found things, a singer and traveller. Take time to listen to her songs which some how sum up my time in that wonderful and surprising part of the world.