Highlights from The Knitting & Stitching Show 2011

 1. Crafty Celebrity Spot: Mr XStitch

He's the UK's male role model for crafters and runs the informative contemporary embroidery and needlecraft blog Mr XStitch. If you like your crafts full of thread then check it out! Jamie (as he's also known as) was signing copies of his new book Push Stitchery.

2.Friendliest stall holder: Zeena Shah

Zeena's hand printed textiles feature cutey pie things like owls and birds and she has the warmest smile ever. I met her in July when I did the Snapfish Stamping work shop at The Make Lounge. Zeena's stall was 'nominated' by Craft Guerilla who support emerging artists to get more exposure...supporters get to choose designers they think are worthy so that's three reasons to drop by and say hello to her.

3. Most impressive installation: Woman's Weekly

As featured in the Guinness Book of World records, on display in the foyer is the longest ever knitted bunting, sent in by readers of Woman's Weekly. It looks incredible but at the same time the ceilings of Alexandra Palace are so vast that it looks quite small, but I'm guessing if it was a normal room, it would be a total woolley wonder.

4. 'Wow I want everything on that stall' award:Eternal Maker

Fabric lovers be aware, you will spend money! There are lots of tempting fabric filled stalls. This was my fave specialising in Japanese prints. I bought several cuttings including this brilliant sewing themed one which is too good to cut up!

 5. Best dressed stall holder:Akleriah

Akleriah have no description in the programme and the stall is unlike anyother. Anna Kamaniets who made this intricate bodice and wins 'best dressed stall holder' sits in the centre working away on sewing something. She and Akleriah are performance artists and bring a new level of creativity to the show.

6. Best stock: Aartij

Finding gorgeous Indian trims is really hard! When I wrote Bollywood Crafts I scoured the streets of Southall and Green Street but for the average crafter who can't get to Asian shopping areas, few haberdasheries stock decent colourful, sparkly trims. Aartji are a welcomed addition to the show. The Leicester based studio (I'm told you can make appointments to visit) had a beautiful stall with gem studded, mirror encrusted, glittery trims. Highly recommended...if you're wondering what you can do with them, check these ideas out!

7. Best break...

Just one hour of wondering around feels like five hours, it's soooo tiring and it's not like I'm one of the more mature visitors, clearly they must have more endurance than me! You can take part in paid workshops (they costs around £9 an hour and include felting, applique, beading etc) but just as appealing was the activity laid on by this company who specialise in Decoupage (and who's name I can't work out!) where for £2.50 you can decoupage a cardboard object. Hobbycraft are really promoting this craft at the minute, it's super easy and is fast! It's nice to do a crafty activity at a crafty event without breaking the bank.

8. Yummiest pocket money goody:Kniting4Fun

Felt is a common site throughout the fair and where there are beads there are always gaggles of teens. These ones by Knitting4Fun were 30p each and I bought a batch  because they looks look enough to eat.

9. Loveliest stall: Clothkits

Filled with lovely sewing kits (they still sell gorgeous Rob Ryan skirts) this stall was just so welcoming and thoughtfully merchandised.

10. Good use of time:

It looks like a historic tapestry and it is...kind of! The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry was made by just 250 Scottish volunteers in 18 months and measures a staggering 104m in length. It tells the story of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. You will need to pencil in about 1/2 hour minimum to go around and appreciate it.

YARN!!!

Of course it's not called The Knitting & Stitching Show for nothing! Yarn is everywhere, all types, shades and textures, stuff you won't find in your average knitting shop so it's well worth doing some impulse purchases of interesting balls to add to your collection.

Get your diary out!
If you can't make it this year (it's on until Sunday) there's always next year. You don't need to be a Londoner - I met visitors from Ireland, Norway and the US....people come here for a holiday and use it as an opportunity to enjoy the Big Smoke while they are down.

Tips for surviving a visit to The Knitting & Stitching Show:

1. Take lots of snacks! The food at Ally Pally isn't great AND it's surprising how wondering around can tire you out so much. Energy foods are a must!
2. Sit down! Don't wonder the whole event without stopping to catch your breath and take it all in.
3. Take cash...most stalls take cards but for smaller purchases you will need to have dough on you.
4. Try techniques at the Guild stands...whether you want to have a go at batik or lace making they all do demos and will let you have a go. It makes a great break from being on your feet too.
5. Collect cards from stalls you like so you can contact them after the show if you want to purchase (more?) things from them.
6. Get your bearings, before you do any shopping or start looking at exhibitions, have a wonder around to take in the scale of what's ahead of you and get to know where key things are....like directions to the loo!
7. If you spot something you really want, buy it immediately, it could sell out (that happened to me twice this visit!) or you just may not find the stall again because it's soo huge!
8. Get there early, as close to opening time a spossible, by lunchtime it's so packed you can barely move. 
9. Look out for freebies..things like lollies and the odd chocolate will keep you going.
10. Carry a bottle of water....shopping, crafting and looking at exhibitions is thirsty work! 

The show moves to RDS, Dublin 10-13 November 2011
International Halls, Harrogate, 24-27 November 2011
www.twistedthread.com

Dance review: Desh by Akram Khan

It was a poster at Angel tube station that grabbed by attention and alerted me to this performance: the word DESH in huge letters. While others may have walked by without so much as a blink, it meant something to me. I’m Bangladeshi and have heard the term ‘Desh’ banded about many times when talking about The Homeland (a translation of Desh.) Not that it’s my homeland, like Akram Khan, I’m a Londoner and probably the only thing we have in common with one another is that both our parents would constantly talk about this place that neither of us actually have a real connection to.

There’s a poignant interview with Akram inside the shows programme by dance critic Lyndsey Winship that I read as I waited for the show to begin at Sadler's Wells. And so much of it touched me. Akram, who directs, choreographs and performs in this one man show talks about the ‘concept’. As a boy his father always tried to tell him about Bangladesh but he admits ‘I never had the right kind of headspace to listen to him when he was alive, when all he was trying to do was communicate with me.’

I can’t summarise my own feelings in a better way. So much of my childhood was spent trying to avoid my parents talking about Bangladesh, it felt really irrelevant and boring and by the time I woke up and realised that I would only truly understand who I was if I got to know my parents better it was too late. And now all I have is memories. Many of which were evoked as I watched this incredible, rare and moving performance; stories of Bangladesh, told through the eyes of several characters, including his father, all shared through the medium of dance.

I am by no means a dance critic. I love to dance but I don’t actually know anything about it other than I know what I like (this) and what I don’t (an episode of Strictly). Realising you’re watching just one performer is a strange experience as a member of the audience. Normally your eyes can take a break and wonder to the background artists, yet here you were faced with one character at a time. It was intense and vivid but unexpectedly it was not like watching one man on stage dance.

At times I thought I was watching a puppet show, flicking through a childrens story and even watching a 3D animation. There is a particularly stunning scene which starts off looking like the opening credits of In The Night Garden and turns into a chase through a forest with animals like a giant elephant and slithering snake that Akram’s character interacts with. It captures so much creativity and imagination and makes you feel utterly special to be there, witnessing something so magical.

Despite there being no interval (the performance lasts 80 minutes) there was no sign of Akram’s energy fading. He danced, spoke, moved and even hung upside down among a sea of cloth curtains. The set and lighting were remarkable. Each story/anecdote was presented in a different part of the stage and echoed different emotions. In the last scene I had tears in my eyes. In it Akram is listening to a voice message from his dad. Perhaps it was the last words his dad said to him, or they are the words he remembers the most. I’ll never know (although he is doing a Q&A after the show on Friday’s performance)…maybe I don’t want to know. All I do know is that it brought back floods of memories of my own dad calling me (he barely spoke, we’d have 10 second conversations) but his voice was ringing in my ears.

I’ve never seen such a personal and open performance. Diaries can be recorded in many ways. Mine is writing my blog and Akram’s is through devising dance. I admire him so much for that. Seeing one individual do a solo performance is inspiring on many levels but when you know the background, that the show is semi-autobiographical and that the whole artistic team flew out to Bangladesh to properly understand the land and to get ideas and inspiration, it makes you feel like anything is possible and achievable, no matter how ambitious or far-fetched your visions seem.

As Akram came on for his well deserved fourth encore, all I wanted was a giant hug but sadly there was no one there (everyone else was busy standing up and applauding), so instead I went home via Sainsbury’s and bought a pack of Highland Shortbread fingers (one of my dads favourite biscuits) and ate six of them in one go. It made me feel close to him, even if it did add half an inch to my waist!

Desh continues at Sadler’s Wells until this Saturday 8^th of October but there’s only limited ticket availability. After that it’s heading straight to Hong Kong then one night in Belgium until a more extensive European tour next year taking in Luxembourg, Austria, France and the Netherlands. 

All images by  Richard Haughton 

Origin Contemporary Craft Fair 2011

Lindsay Taylor

Origin is one of the most prestigious contemporary craft shows in the UK. Supported by The Crafts Council, it used to be known as the Chelsea Craft Fair, then travelled around before last year finding a new home as part of the London Design Festival held inside Old Spitalfields Market. This used to be a space where on Sunday mornings you could browse handmade arts and crafts (my sister had a stall here many years back) but these days Spitalfields is much more built up with a smaller market and plenty of chain eateries. Yet right in the middle there's a huge expanse that was converted into a craft event with over 200 of the UK's finest designers showcasing their talents.

Getting a stall here is the hard bit. It's the show everyone wants to be at but most don't make the grade...if you like handmade couture craft, it's the place to visit and shop at.

Katty Janneh Millinery

This year I was extremely happy to see that my old hat making tutor Katty Janneh made the grade and was showcasing her beautiful collection of handmade wedding fascinators and headwear. I attended Katty's class at Lewisham Community College back in 2006. We worked inside a tiny hut, but despite it being a cheap course, held at a local centre, the facilities were fantastic and I made two magnificent felt creations for winter and a bright pink fascinator.

Inside the show

The space was pretty impressive and I'm told it's the largest Origin there's been so far. I could certainly detect a difference. When I visited the Chelsea Fair some years ago, exhibitors had small stands and the type of craft on show was extremely 'professional looking' reflecting traditional disciplines like glass and ceramics. I returned to its new name of Origin in 2009 when it was held at Somerset House, along with the camera crew of the BBC show I took part in called Mastercrafts. We were shown around by my weaving tutor Margo Selby who is a regular exhibitor, to get an idea of what weaving and other professional crafts are like in the real world. At the time it was overwhelming (I also had a diva fit because I was extremely tired and hungry.....it was 5pm and I needed tea and chocolate having had a stupidly early start, long journey and lunch hours ago...so I refused to speak on camera until they got me a Mars bar!)

Anyway back to Origin...some of the same exhibitors were still here two years on but what struck me was the fair is no longer anything like its old Chelsea guise. The focus and meaning of craft has changed in contemporary culture and also at the event. Alongside the classical disciplines of metalwork, woodwork and textiles were 'handmade' crafts using more contemporary materials like paper and plastic. Birds seemed to be an (overly) popular theme and there was so much jewellery; precious and non-precious. 

A small part of me felt that the standards had dropped. It's no longer the finest example of 'craft' but a showcase of handmade things. At the same time it's good that the show is no longer as 'snobbish' that newer designers and disciplines are welcomed. But it has got me thinking alot about a project I'm working on called The Shape of Things where we are trying to answer the question 'What Is Craft?' It's certainly something that is fluid and constantly changing.

Every exhibitor had a uniqueness but some I liked more than others and so I've selected my favourites to showcase here. First up I was amazed that knitting books Best in Show (the dog and cat versions) had a whole display. I reviewed the dog book and while back and the cat one was recently featured in the Guardian. Pictured is one of the authors.

The books were on sale alongside the stars that feature inside.

Dogs Are Everywhere!

I wanted them all!

Abigail Brown

Keeping on an animal tip, as I mentioned there were many birds on display but the ones that stood out the most where the incredibly beautiful, colourful fabric birds made by Abigail Brown. They were all stunning and made from cotton fabrics. If I had lots and lots of money I would commission her to make me a whole avery.

Danielle Gori-Montanelli

Danielle's collection of felt jewellery and accessories had my name all over it but strangely this hat doesn't represent it as it's best - I find this a bit hideous, it's too much...but her necklaces and scarves were stunning.

Nawab Gebree

On a scarf tip, this one by Nawab Gebree was made for me. I have the world's most sensitive neck...I didn't used to, it happened after I suffered from a case of pneumonia a few years back. And now the slightest most gentle breeze on my neck gives me the shivers, this is why I am often found wearing scarves. This wrap is gorgeous, it doesn't look particularly comfortable but I'm sure I would look good in it!

Glass Cathedrals

Another image that doesn't do justice to the craftwork. Glass Cathedral made incredible  boxes filled with miniature people and poignant words. If I could buy just one thing from the whole exhibition it would have been one of her works, though the one I liked the most was already sold.

Adam Hussain

I have an appreciation for fused glass after I studied it at Brent Adult Education college and of all the glass designs on display Adam Hussain's work caught my eye the most. Owning a piece of art or craft should be mood enhancing and with one of these bowls around you would always feel in a good mood.

All in all it was an interesting morning, not at all what I was expecting but it's given me lots of crafty food for thought. Craft now is very different to what it was a mere 12 months ago let alone, centuries ago and I'm keen to see how it continues to develop. I still haven't had a chance to see The Power of Making at the V&A which is a major new craft exhibition (it was closed for a private function the day I was there and it's quite a trek from my flat!) but I'm sure that too will change my perception again of what British craft is all about.

Community crafting: How to create a Rangoli

Rangoli in a traditional Indian art form that is absolutely beautiful. It is temporary floor art where intricate, geometric designs are drawn on the ground with chalk, and then filled in with colourful flour. The results are spectacular but of course planning is essential and the application process is painstaking!

This year as part of the annual Big Draw campaign the newly refurbished and re-opened Brixton Windmill had an open day for the public to explore the windmill and take part in a creative challenge to help create a rangoli floor design. For those of you who don't know Brixton, it's about as urban as you can get in London! It's an area built up with shops, a market, a popular music venue, independent cinema and a vibrant, ethnic community, most of whom are probably unaware that a windmill exists on their doorstep. It's not surprising as the architectural wonder is hidden away inside a tiny park and obscured by a tree so it's pretty much a secret.

Although rangoli is traditionally applied directly to the ground we couldn't do that in a public park so I started by taping a roll of sugar paper to the floor as a base and then inside, created a main surface for our rangoli. I didn't measure it but it was the width of three roll of paper and a good couple of metres in length.

While I prepared the rangoli, Lisa the Education Officer at the windmill got to work dying the flour using a mixture of edible food colouring including liquid, paste and powder forms. She did this by blending it using her fingers as this enables the flour to stay lump free. If you stir it with a spoon you'll get an uneven distribution, though it's worth wearing gloves as your fingers will stain.

I created paper templates of simple geometric shapes, based on the windmill and drew around them to get the design started. I kept the chalk lines thick so that they would show up after they had been filled, in traditional rangli these lines are often filled in again at the end so the borders are neat.

Then it was time to get the event started!

Lisa's rainbow of flours were placed inside cups with a spoon. Participants chose their shade and then got to work.

We also had a huge sack of  wheat and lentils.

First to get stuck in were two friends. One of their dads used to visit the windmill when he was a boy, and this was the first time he had showed it to his son. Both of them took to it immediately and were extremely neat! One of the worries of rangoli is that someone will mess it up but actually by working together you realise no one is out to do that! There was only two 'mishaps' but these were discreetly swept up with a dust pan and brush and the chalk design remained underneath.

If you look up descriptions of how to do rangoli, you'll discover it says to use your fingers to sprinkle the flour in place. Lisa and I tested this and it took forever, using a small teaspoon is much better! We also used small rectangles of card to keep the flour within the chalk boundaries just by pushing it into place.

Before we knew it we had helping hands around the whole design.

The initial drawing was based on elements of the windmill, taking inspiration from shapes and motifs such as this millstone.

But as the event was part of The Big Draw we encouraged participants to draw their own motifs to help grow the rangoli and most of them took to the challenge. One gentleman created a magnificent multicoloured wheat emblem:

While another woman freehand drew her own design which blended in so naturally. She had not done any rangoli before but she had a definate knack for it!

Some people took direct inspiration from the windmill, such as this large cog.

Which looked great when recreated with lentils and wheat.

Some areas of the design were filled in completely but as the session only lasted two hours we weren't able to finish the whole pattern. It grew much quicker than we expected and would only have taken another hour or two with our helpers to get a really authentic finish.

Knowing our installation was temporary and would be coming to and end at the close of the session was sad but we couldn't have kept it in the park...just think what a feast the local rodents would have had! So as the visitors left we peeled up the sides and said good bye to the masterpiece, which far surpassed both our expectations.

Rangoli is a great group/community activity. I've heard of rangoli horror stories where the floor (and carpets!) have ended up a total mess with seeds and beans everywhere. The trick to managing it is to have the sheet underneath, keep a dustpan and brush to hand and by supervising and encouraging participants so they feel properly involved and appreciated. 

Test it out first too.

I did some sampling at home beforehand and found that 'wet rangoli' where you make a flour paste didn't work particularly well. It was heavy, gloopy and not very user friendly. I also tried dying rice but it was far too messy. Dry flour seems to work the best - particularly wholemeal.

The Friends of Windmill Gardens give guided tours of the windmill on specific dates throughout the year, which need to be booked in advance. To visit, check out the main website.The Big Draw continues throughout October with events all over the UK. There's activities for everyone (even people who claim they can't draw!) Check out the site for more information and if anyone reading this does decide to create their own rangoli, make sure you send me the results, I'd love to see how you got on!