The Knitting and Stitching Show 10-13 November, 2011 – RDS, Dublin

Posted on November 21, 2011 by meli_b

… from knitting and stitching to felt-making, card-making, mixed media, jewellery-making! Great show for everybody who loves textiles and not only. There were hundreds of exhibitors selling their products and supplies, there were leading galleries and artists, plus workshops on patch-working, felt-making and quilting.  

The Upcycling Academy offered help to remodel and embellish a T-shirt and make into a new favourite fashion piece which later to model it on a Virtual Catwalk. Great fun for the teenagers that visited the show!

I visited the show on Friday at lunchtime. The place was full of people, despite the terrible weather outside. Nice and warm athmosphere, people smiling and looking happy! Great place to be indeed. I had only an hour and a half to spend, so I made my way in, strolling and taking in colours, faces, taglines. My friend Kate Ramsay from Fabulous Felt took a stand, so I visited her felt emporium. If you’re looking for a beautiful scarf, you’re in the right place. Kate Ramsay

Too packed with buyers to waste much of her time, I made my way to see another felt-maker, Nicola Brown. Nicola shared a stand with Nessa and other feltmakers from Feltmakers Ireland association. I arrived just in time to assist to one of their brooch making workshops, and I’ll share with you some photos taken during the felt-making process.

After selecting colourful merino batts and rubbing them between bubble wrap (of course not to forget about the water and soap), Nessa is rubbing the brooch directly with her fingers.

… the finished product: a lovely flower brooch

Nicola has written a full tutorial on how to create these cute felt brooches, so please visit Nicola’s blog, where you can get her professional advice.

Quite impressed with the Knitting and Stitching Show this year, I must say. Great exhibitors, great turnout… and lots of happy people leaving the venue with a bagfull of colourful wool, a cosy scarf or a load of new craft skills. …til next year…

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Designing an Aran Sweater – part 2

Posted on March 28, 2011 by meli_b

Choosing the Aran Stitch Patterns

The design below contains:

  • central panel in a lattice-cable type pattern surrounded by reverse plain-knit,
  • side panels: cable and zig-zag panels with bobbles positioned symmetrical to each side of the central panel
  • textured stitch: moss stitch.

The cable panel on the right hand side is crossing to the right, while the one on the left hand side is crossing to the left. In a similar way, the zig-zag panels are mirrored to each other. The sweater has a 2×2 ribbed edging on the front & back borders, sleeves cuffs and neckband.

Traditional Aran Jumper

Positioning the Stitch Patterns

  1. Knit a gauge swatch in your chosen yarn and your chosen background stitch; pin it and make a note of the gauge: i.e. number of rows and wales in a 10x10cm swatch
  2. knit a sample of each type of panel, pin and measure it
  3. take a sheet of paper and draw a horizontal line that would represent the width of the garment; arrange the panels along this line and calculate the number of stitches required
  4. add the width of the panels used and take it away from the total width of the garment; then calculate the number of spacing and background stitches required
  5. knit a sample of the rib pattern using a needle a size or two smaller; pin it and measure; calculate the number of stitches required to cast on for a snug fit; make the difference between the number of stitches required for the main piece and the number of stitches required for the rib; this difference represents the number of stitches required to be increased right after the rib.

In part 3 will choose the yarn and knit the gauge swatch and the sample panels. Then, we’ll calculate the number of stitches required and get ready for the actual knitting of the garment.

Part 3 coming soon…

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Designing an Aran Sweater – part 1

Posted on March 26, 2011 by meli_b

St. Patrick’ s celebrations are all gone by now. I’ve been thinking for the last week how can I bring my share to celebrating Ireland’s patron saint. Well, this is it.  I’m going to create a few posts on the Aran Knitting Theme and share them with you.

St. Patrick's Day shamrocks

shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day

After decades since they were invented, Aran sweaters haven’t lost their appeal. You can find them these days in the tourist shops all over Ireland, from Galway to Kilkenny, from Dublin to Cork. If you are looking for a trendy version, why not check out River Island’s knitwear at asos: http://www.asos.com/River-Island/River-Island-Aran-Knit-Jumper/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1509566

While in the past, the Aran garments were hand knitted, today they are either machine knit or hand-loomed. There are very few people making a business from knitting them by hand. The skills are dying, traditions are lost.

My intention is to provide you with a set of tutorials that will help you design and hand knit a traditional aran sweater. The first post will introduce you to the history of the aran technique, then a few traditional aran structures and finally the steps to design and knit an aran jumper. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride, and please let me know of any questions you might have…

The Aran Sweater

The Aran knitting technique, which has taken its name from the three Aran Island situated on the west coast of Ireland, was invented by a group of island women in the early 1900s. The Aran sweater or fisherman’s jumper was created not just for their husbands and children, but was also sold to provide a source of income for their families.

Knitted in thick wool, traditionally un-dyed and un-washed, its main feature is the panels: cables and other textured stitches positioned on both front and back of the garment. Other features include a ribbed edging and some background structure.

Traditional Designs

Traditional sweaters have a large central panel surrounded by a number of side panels with textured stitches and background stitches. The design is usually symmetrical to each side of the central panel. Honeycomb and lattice type patterns are particularly suitable for the central panel, while for the side panels should be used patterns with smaller stitch repeats.

The panels are spaced by a few stitches of reverse stockinette or reverse plain-knit while the side edges are usually worked in a textured stitch. For the sleeves, a smaller central panel and lesser number of side panels is used.

Part 2 coming soon…

 

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Meli Bondre – Aran Collection launched at Showcase 2011

Posted on February 11, 2011 by meli_b

Hello to all knitters and crochetiers!

I am proud to announce the launch of my first collection of crochet bags and scarves, a range of unique, beautifully hand crafted accessories. It was revealed at the Showcase Ireland Creative Expo earlier this year.

Meli Bondre Showcase Expo 2011

The event features work from  top designers and craft makers in gifts, crafts, fashion, accessories and interiors. It was pretty busy this year, attracting over 5000 visitors.

A big “Thank you!” to all who visited my stand for the amazing feedback and encouragement I’ve received.

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