Knitting and Stitching show

On Thursday I was at the Knitting and Stitching Show all day. This was a new venue for SAQA to try out, so the organisers showed the Food For Thought exhibition which had been in Birmingham in August at the Festival of Quilts.

A few photos.

The work looked different when it was in a different arrangement. Some of the work that was hardly noticed at the Festival of Quilts had a great deal of interest when it was hanging next to different companions.

I had a great time talking to people about the work. A very large number of people had not seen work like that before, being knitters or embroiderers. (Britain, and especially the K+S show, is known for their unique approach to embroidery and stitch.) I love the times when I can encourage someone to begin taking steps...you have to start somewhere. You don't get to the middle if you haven't done the beginning! And they go away with a new perspective at what they might be able to achieve. one step at a time.

I am still pretty exhausted. (Got the 7am train and finally returned at 10pm!) So, yesterday was a recovery day.
But today I am catching up with things like sorting out the new beads! K+S is one of the best places for me to source beads. Not that I don't have enough beads...but I wanted a larger range of the 'faceted' type - shapes like triangle and hexagon. And I know I have a limited number of the ones I refer to as 'glistening' - with a metal lining. I think I will use them for something in the run up to Christmas.

I didn't get much chance to see the rest of the show. The one exhibit that impressed me the most was Entwined Memories. Work by members of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. But although I took photos, they asked for them to be for personal use.
Click on the link to see photos from K+S which are on their facebook page.

I also stopped in to see the work by Helen Pailing.

Doing some exiting things with waste glass and heddle wire!

I had a little chat with her just at the end of the day.

And came home with one of these! Heddle wire and used blinds material.

I just liked the look of them. To add to my eclectic mess that makes up my studio.

Just need to work out where to hang it!

And at one point, I had a quick wiz round the students. The one who interested me most was Susana Borobia. But I didn't have time to chat like I normally would. I was taking a quick break while a friend looked after things when I went for a cup of tea. You can see some of her work at the link on her name. I liked the extreme lace look.