Jo McIntosh - Knit Weave Felt

Workshop - Upcycle Your Wardrobe - This Saturday

2012-01-19T09:10:00.000Z

I'm running a workshop - Upcycle Your Wardrobe - this Saturday (21st January 2012) from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Cost is £25.00 for the day.

Learn how to transform your old clothes into something new.

There are still places available - so if you'd like to book or want to know more - get in touch now:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

I'm running more Workshops and Craft Evenings over the coming weeks including:

Making Buttons From Fimo
Rag Rugging
Papermaking
Feltmaking

More details and dates are on my website:
St Ives Cornwall - Textile Art Workshops

Tag Tuesday

2012-01-18T15:42:00.000Z

Here is my tag, the theme this week is white, which is not a colour I use a lot so it was interesting to come up with something suitable. It's amazing what you can find in your fabric stash - silk velvet, organza and lacy fabric and add buttons and sequins. Really enjoying being part of this.

Crazy Patchwork

2012-01-15T19:40:00.000Z

Went to the first Embroiderers' Guild meeting of the new year yesterday. Had a really great day as the session was run by one of our members, Marion and she introduced me to crazy patchwork which I loved! Traditional patchwork is too precise for me so this technique suited me perfectly, I particularly like adding the stitches and embellishments, those of you who know me will not be surprised to know that shisha mirrors, sequins and sparkly thread appear in my work.

Here are two pictures, one is my tag for the Tag Tuesday blog and one is a piece of crazy patchwork I was inspired to start when I got home last night (luckily Saturday night television does not require much concentration!)

Mermaids

2012-01-13T16:41:00.002Z

Just a quick post to say thank you to my lovely friend Carolyn for providing my new background as she knows I love mermaids!

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T15:21:00.002Z

Happy New Year to everyone! Thought I would start the new year by showing you the tag I have just made and posted on Tag Tuesday in order to get my blog up and running again! I will be making changes soon so keep watching!

Craft Evening - Papier-Mâché

2011-09-08T09:06:00.000+01:00

Craft Evening - St Ives Cornwall - Papier-Mâché

I'm running another Craft Evening - Papier-Mâché
- in St Ives next Tuesday (13th September).

Transform old newspapers into a bowl which can then be painted and decorated.

It runs from 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm and the cost is just £10.00 per person.

All welcome - I'd love to see you there - so get in touch to book a place:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

I've got more evenings scheduled through September and October including Dyeing Buttons, Batik and Knitted Flowers. More details on:
Knit One Weave One - Craft Evenings

St Ives Knitting Group

2011-09-06T13:11:00.000+01:00

St Ives Knitting Group - Cafe Art

St Ives Knitting Group are back - after a summer break.

We meet tonight at Cafe Art on Royal Square in St Ives - 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

All are welcome - including beginners - lots of help available to get you started.

Come along to enjoy a stitch and a chat - plus great tea, coffee and cakes.

We will be meeting at the same place and time every other Tuesday through the year.

I'm also running a series of Craft Evenings throughout the autumn in St Ives. More info on:
St Ives Cornwall - Craft Evenings

Beach Mobile Workshop

2011-08-31T14:16:00.000+01:00

Beach Mobile Workshop - St Ives Cornwall

I recently had a lovely morning showing a family how to make a beach mobile from shells, seaglass, china etc.

There was Gran, Grandad, Mum, Dad, Poppy and Scarlet and I think everyone enjoyed themselves and went home with a very unique memento of their holiday in St. Ives.

If you'd like to book a workshop get in touch. More details of my workshops are on:
Knitweave - Textile Art and Craft Workshops

The Cornwall Design Fair at Trereife House

2011-08-19T10:23:00.000+01:00

Cornwall Design Fair - Trereife House

Looking forward to running a Feltmaking Workshop at The Cornwall Design Fair at Trereife House - this Saturday (20th August 2011) from 12.30 pm.

So if you are going - do come and see me and learn how to make felt - it's fun!

Trereife is just a few minutes drive from St Ives or Penzance and easy to find just off the A30 - details are on:
Trereife House - Directions

Misty Fuse

2011-08-18T16:05:00.000+01:00

Misty Fuse

I had a lovely morning last week trying out MistyFuse with my friend Hilary Tyreman.

This is the description on Amazon of MistyFuse:

Misty Fuse is an environmentally friendly fusible that is solvent-free and recyclable. It's been extruded to a very fine web to create a lasting bond without adding bulk. No extra adhesive to gum up your needles. It is suitable for a wide variety of fabrics from velvets and cottons to delicate tulles and silk organzas. The fusible is made from 100% thermoplastic adhesive polymer resin. Misty Fuse is a dream to work with - it handles well, is sheer and doesn't add bulk to your fused piece and bonds firmly once cooled.

I played with it in different ways, firstly just sandwiching threads etc. between two pieces of MistyFuse and then ironing between two sheets of baking parchment, then I placed threads, sequins etc., onto a piece of silk paper I had made previously to see what effect that had. I used it in the same way as Bondaweb, the difference being that there is no stickiness and I am looking forward to trying it in the sewing machine and then using it for 3d projects.

Thanks for a fun and instructive morning Hilary!

Rag-Rugging

2011-08-16T16:39:00.000+01:00

Rag Rug Workshop - St Ives Cornwall

This was the second of my craft evenings and as you can see there was a full front room!

It was nice to have some younger people attending, one of whom has been a regular at my children's workshops in the library. I am looking forward to seeing some finished rag rug pictures from people.

The next craft evening is Jewellery Making on Wednesday 24th August at 7.30 p.m.
To book a place get in touch:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

Details of my full programme of Craft Evenings and other workshops are on:
Jo McIntosh - Knit One Weave One

Handmade Dolls by Ruby Ellis

2011-08-09T11:56:00.000+01:00

Miranda - Hand Made Doll by Ruby Ellis

I would like to introduce you to three of the amazing dolls which are made by the very talented mixed media artist - Ruby Ellis.

As well as the dolls you can see on her website - StarGazey - she will also make dolls on commission and has recently made a doll in the style of Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII!

Her attention to detail is incredible and the finished results are truly beautiful. As well as the dolls she also makes a range of other products including fabric bowls and flowers and stunning lampshades.

Some of her dolls will be on display at Stitch n Craft in Shaftesbury throughout September and if you are in that area I would recommend going to see them as a photograph cannot do them justice.

Truro Library - Textile Course Exhibition

2011-08-05T09:25:00.000+01:00

Creative Textiles Course - Truro Library

Over the summer you can see work done by students attending my Creative Textile Course which is held in Truro Library.

You can see examples of several techniques including batik, feltmaking, knitting with more than wool, and embroidery, rag-rug work and more.

Some students have attended the beginner's course and some have attended both the beginner's and the advanced course.

A new course starts again in September and if you would like more information please contact me:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

Lino Relief Printmaking Workshop

2011-08-03T10:32:00.000+01:00

Mermaid Print - Jo McIntosh

I recently had a brilliant day at the St Ives Society of Artists when I attended a lino relief printmaking workshop with Lee Stevenson, one of the West Penwith Printmakers who are exhibiting at the Society's Crypt Gallery until this weekend (5th August 2011).

I originally only booked for the morning session, but enjoyed it so much I booked a place on the afternoon session as well!

Lee talked us through and demonstrated the basic techniques for cutting the design out of the lino, explaining which areas would print and also how to reverse an image before printing if necessary and then how to ink up the lino ready to print.

Thanks to Lee's excellent instruction I came away with the cut lino and several prints, onto fabric as well as paper and the desire to experiment more at home with fabrics and fabric paints.

Lee also runs one or two day workshops in relief printmaking at his studio near St Ives. For details telephone 01736 799 170 or email lee.stev@live.co.uk

Hope you like the print above. I've put more pictures in my gallery:
FaceBook - Line Relief Printmaking

Craft Workshops For Children

2011-08-02T17:55:00.000+01:00

Childrens' Workshop - Daisy Rings

I'm running two craft workshops for children in August - at GJ Beads - on St Erth Industrial Estate just off the A30 outside St Ives.

Safety Pin Jewellery - Wednesday 17th August.
Daisy Rings - Wednesday 31st August.

Both run from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm and cost £10.00 + materials.

To book a place call 01736 751 070.

More information on:
GJ Beads Website

My full programme of workshops for adults and children is on:
Knitweave - Workshops

Workshop - Sarah Drew Craft Café

2011-07-18T20:03:00.000+01:00

Feltmaking Workshop - Felt Bag

I'm really looking forward to running a feltmaking workshop at Sarah Drew's Craft Café in St Austell on Saturday (23rd July).

I will be running workshops there for adults and children over the Summer. Details and dates for all of my workshops are on:
Knit On Weave One - Workshops

Felt Making Workshop

2011-03-04T16:56:00.000Z

Felt Making Workshop - St Ives Cornwall

On Monday (7th March) I'm running a Felt Making Evening at Café Art in Royal Square St Ives.

It runs from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm.
Cost is £10.00 per person - including all materials.

Learn to make felt from first principles.
Both beginners and more experienced feltmakers are welcome.

Drinks and snacks available from the café.

Jan Tillett – Free Motion Machine Embroidery Workshop

2011-02-03T12:57:00.001Z

Free Motion Machine Embroidery Workshop

I have just had the most brilliant two days attending the above workshop, courtesy of my husband Steve, who bought me a place on it as a Christmas present.

The workshops was held in Truro in a very pleasant venue and surroundings and there were only 5 attending which made it a very friendly group and enabled Jan to give time to anyone who might be having difficulty either with their machine or the technique they were trying.

I took some photos of my work - click on any of them to enlarge.

Prior to attending this workshop I would have said that free motion machine embroidery was not for me as I had a few goes at it with very little success. Now I'm afraid I may bore people with tales of my success at drawing with my machine, thread painting, applying different fabrics and making cords with my sewing machine!

Jan is a very patient tutor who, as well as providing good handouts, also has a stock of tips which you would struggle to find in books and which can help someone who, like me, was not very confident to begin with.

During the first day we looked at setting up the machine for free motion embroidery, followed by exercises in taking a line for a walk, “scribbling”, circles, vermicelli (this may take a little more practice!) and spirals. We also looked at using the zigzag stitch whilst in free motion mode and how to vary the type of zigzag stitch whilst machining. We also learned why to use a hoop and why sometimes you could machine without the hoop, depending on the effect you were looking for.

Jan gave demonstrations of each technique before sending us off to our machines to try it for ourselves and was very good at repeating the instructions if necessary, so nobody felt awkward if they didn't understand the first time.

Day two started with a session on the machines just refreshing ourselves on what we had learnt the previous day (a warm up). After this the emphasis was on using fabrics to create textures and Jan demonstrated how to build up layers of fabrics onto a base of calico and then stitching over them to create colour and texture. We also used “Supermend” to adhere scraps of fabrics and threads to a base fabric then covered the piece with organza and ironed it between two sheets of baking parchment to secure the scraps.

This was then stitched over making a fabric which could be used for a number of uses from cardmaking to book covers etc., depending on the size of the piece.

At the end of the two days I came away extremely happy (and a little tired!) with the confidence to use free motion machine embroidery more in my work.

I would like to say thank you to Jan for a brilliant two days and thank you to my husband, Steve for giving me such a great Christmas present!

You can find out more about Jan's work and workshops on:
Jan Tillett Website

Exhibition - Embroiderers Guild Cornwall

2011-01-24T10:59:00.003Z

Seeds Of Inspiration

A new exhibition - Seeds Of Inspiration - Embroiderers Guild Cornwall - runs from 28th February to 28th March 2011 at:
Willoughby Gallery - The Castle - Bude.

It will feature a range of beautiful work by Cornwall members including some of mine - so please do go along to take a look. The Castle has other exhibitions to view and you can enjoy morning coffee or lunch in the restaurant.

Open every day from 11.00 to 4.00 - free entry.

Textile Art Workshops - St Ives - Winter 2011

2011-01-13T10:49:00.000Z

Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall

So it's a New Year, a good time to think about learning some new skills. So with that in mind I just thought I would let you know about my next series of workshops:

Saturday 29th January - Rag Rug.
Learn how to transform unwanted clothes and/or fabrics into textile art.

Saturday 5th February - Silk Paper.
Learn how to make silk paper and create a beautiful silk paper vase.

Saturday 26th February - Weaving Without a Loom.
Weave a unique handwoven bag using a very simple weaving technique.

Saturday 5th March - Working with Water Soluble Fabric.
Learn how to use this material and create an ususual bowl.

Saturday 26th March - Bookmaking.
Learn how to make a very simple book

Venue: 31 Bedford Road, St. Ives.
Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: £40 inc. materials.

For more information and to book please contact me:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

More info on:
Jo McIntosh - KnitWeave Website

Creative Textile Course

2011-01-05T14:18:00.000Z

Creative Textile Course - St Ives Library

Starting on Friday 14th January I will be running a 10 week course at St Ives Library covering a range of Textile Techniques including:

Feltmaking
Weaving
Hand embroidery
Machine embroidery
Fabric dyeing
Fabric printing
and more .....

It runs every Friday from 10.00 - 1.00

Cost per person is a £20 deposit covering first 2 sessions, then £10.00 per session.

If you would like more information and to book please contact me:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk.

Erosion Bundle 2011

2011-01-04T15:43:00.000Z

Erosion Bundle Project 2011

Having taken part in the Erosion Bundle project last year I decided to do another one and this is the photo of the contents.

The bundle is now in my garden and I will update you on what happens to it and will reveal the results in April.

Children's Workshops - December

2010-12-19T12:00:00.000Z

Children's Workshops With Jo

I'll be running two children's workshops at St Ives Library during the Christmas holidays.

On Wednesday 22nd - Mini Christmas Stockings.

On Wednesday 29th - Recycled Weaving Craft.

Both run from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm and cost £2.00 per child.

Please book in advance as places are limited and these workshops are very popular !

Call in at the library or call them on 0300 1234 111.

Exhibition - 12 Artists - Café Art

2010-12-17T19:34:00.000Z

Break Glass In Case Of Emergency - Jo McIntosh

One of my pieces of textile art - Break Glass In Case Of Emergency - is featured in the new exhibition at Café Art on Royal Square St Ives.

As the title indicates - the exhibition features the work of 11 other artists in a variety of media.

To see more take a look at:
12 Artists - Gallery

The opening party is this Sunday (19th) from 4.00 to 6.00 - come along to meet the artists and enjoy the exhibition over a glass of wine.

After that its open daily from 9.30 to 5.30 until Saturday 15th January.

Craft Evening - Sequin Bauble

2010-11-21T13:02:00.000Z

Sequin Bauble

I'll be running another craft evening in December at:
Café Art, Royal Square, St. Ives.

It has a Christmas theme - you can learn to make a beautiful sequin bauble for your tree.

Have fun, learn something new and enjoy a sociable evening with other crafters.

As an added bonus the café will be serving their delicious range of teas, coffees, snacks and home-made cakes.

Monday 6th December -
starts at 7.00 pm and runs until 9.30 pm.

Cost is £10.00 per person, contact me to book in advance or just turn up on the night.

Workshops - Felt Jewellery and Feltmaking

2010-10-27T13:20:00.005+01:00

Textile Art Workshop - Felt Jewellery

I'm running another Textile Art Workshop in St Ives next week - Felt Jewellery.
Wednesday 3rd November from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

During the day we will look at using feltmaking techniques to make jewellery including beads and bangles. Learn to make your own jewellery from this wonderful material.

Cost is £40.00 per person including materials.

The following Monday evening (8th November) I will be holding the first of what I hope will be regular Craft Evenings in Cafe Art in the Drill Hall, Royal Square, St. Ives. This one will be how to make felt and will be from 7 – 9.30 p.m.

Contact me for more information or to book:

01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk
http://www.knitweave.co.uk/stives-workshops.html

Workshop - Knitting With Wire

2010-10-20T14:16:00.000+01:00

Workshop - Knitting With Wire

This Saturday (23rd October) I will be running a workshop on knitting with wire, at the end of which everyone will go home with a unique bracelet made by knitting wire which has beads threaded on to it. Great fun, especially for those who tell me “I am not a very neat knitter” as this is not very neat knitting! For anyone who would like to attend please e-mail me for more details.
jo.mcintosh@onestives.co.uk

Whilst on the subject of knitting with materials that are not wool or yarn I was preparing for the next session of the textile course I am running, which happens to be “knitting with more than wool”. At the knitting group last night someone suggested using something from nature so this morning I went out and gathered a handful of ivy and had a go knitting it on size 6mm needles and below you can see the results! Maybe not a long lasting piece of knitting but certainly very “green”!

Knitting With Ivy

I would love to see examples of any knitting you have done with unusual materials.

St Ives Knitting Group

2010-10-10T11:30:00.002+01:00

St Ives Knitting Group

St Ives Knitting Group is back for the Autumn after a Summer break.

We meet every other Tuesday at St Ives Library from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm.

All are welcome including beginners - help and tuition is freely available from members.

Dates up to Christmas 2010 are:

19th October
2nd November
16th November
30th November
14th December

Please do come along to join us for a knit and a chat - we are a friendly group and its free apart from a small contribution to the tea and biscuits fund.

Feltmaking Workshop - October 2010

2010-10-05T11:16:00.000+01:00

Feltmaking Workshop - St Ives Cornwall

I've put together a new programme of Textile Art Workshops in St Ives Cornwall for Autumn 2010.

The next is Feltmaking on Wednesday 20th October. Learn to make felt from first principles, then make a seamless felt bag to your own unique design.

All workshops run from 10.00 am - 4.00 pm and cost £40.00 per person including materials.

I'd love to see you so please do come along - learn something new and have fun !

To book or for more information get in touch:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

The rest of the programme includes a great range of Textile Arts:

Knitting With Wire - Saturday 23rd October
Rag Rugwork - Saturday 30th October
Felt Jewellery - Wednesday 3rd November
Silk Paper - Wednesday 10th November
Silk Velvet To Dye For - Wednesday 17th November
Weaving Without A Loom - Saturday 20th November
Christmas Baubles - Wednesday 8th December

You can visit my website for more details. I also run dedicated workshops for groups, schools and individuals:
www.knitweave.co.uk

St Ives September Festival - Tea and Textiles

2010-09-07T10:36:00.000+01:00

Tea and Textiles - Sunday 12th September

Next Sunday (12th September) I will be hosting a “Tea and Textiles” evening at 31 Bedford Road in St Ives.

This will consist of tea and cakes (made by daughter's friend Hannah), a Rag Rug “Taster” session, run by me and there will be a selection of handmade textile crafts produced by myself and a friend, Jayde Horrod.

Starts at 7.00 pm and hopefully will be fun!

Get in touch for more information:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

Will let you know how it went in the next post.

Textile Art Workshops

2010-07-19T20:41:00.001+01:00

Workshop - Weaving Without A Loom

My next textile art workshop in St Ives is Weaving Without A Loom - this Saturday - 24th July from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

I still have a couple of places left - so get in touch if you'd like to book a place and enjoy a day learning to weave and make a beautiful bag. Cost is £40.00 including materials.

After that I'm running a Silk Painting workshop on Wednesday 28th July.

I'll be running more workshops throughout the Summer including Silk Paper, Feltmaking, Tie-Dyeing and papermaking.

To book a place or for more information call or email me:
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

More details are on my website:
Knit One Weave One

Erosion Bundle

2010-07-14T21:19:00.003+01:00

Erosion Bundle - St Ives Cornwall

Well I finally unwrapped my erosion bundle! It has been sat on my garden through all sorts of weather including snow, rain and sun and risked being taken apart by my hens!

Everything I put in the bundle had a colour theme of purple and included handmade felt, calico, synthetic fabrics, beads and safety pins (which were also purple).

When I unwrapped it I discovered that fabrics such as the calico and cotton had become distressed and there were holes in parts of it, some of the purple dye from fabric in the bundle was transferred onto the calico wrapping and the safety pins had rusted.

By comparison the synthetic fabrics were pretty much untouched although one piece had lost its colour and my handmade felt was hardly changed at all. The beads I placed in the bundle had not changed but as they were plastic this was no great surprise.

One thing that pleased me was the way the silk fibres had adhered to the paper as if they had been carefully arranged and placed.

Hopefully my photos will give you a flavour of what I found when I opened my bundle and I now have to decide what to do with the contents – so watch this space!

Skirt Made From Recycled Curtains

2010-07-07T10:51:00.002+01:00

Skirt Made From Recycled Curtains

Recently I bought a pair of curtains from a charity shop (how exciting I hear you cry!) but as some people might expect from me I did not buy them to use as curtains, instead I bought them to make into a skirt.

The first thing I did was remove the rufflette tape from top, I did have one person suggest I leave this on and use it as a belt! Then, using a pattern I have for a panelled skirt I cut the required pieces out of the curtains. I also cut the pieces out of another fabric to create the skirt to go underneath.

All that remains for me to do now is to hem it and put the elastic in and hey presto I have a new skirt to wear! Photo of me modelling the skirt to follow!

Wingham WoolWork

2010-07-02T09:16:00.006+01:00

Landscapes Originals - Dyes From Australia

Just thought I would share some of the "treasures" I bought from Wingham Woolwork during their annual visit from Rotherham, South Yorkshire to Praa Sands in Cornwall, recently.

One thing I bought was a selection of wonderfully coloured merino fibres for feltmaking, this can also be used for spinning into wool. They also sell cashmere, soy, bamboo, camel and silk (to name but a few) fibres, as well as fleece made from recycled plastic bottles!

I also bought a starter pack of Landscape dyes from Australia which are used to dye wool and silk and it will come as no surprise to those of you who know me that I bought the Bright Primaries set! Having bought the dyes I also bought some undyed fleece and fibres to try them out on, I will let you see some of the results later.

One of the workshops I run is Feltmaking when I teach people how to make a flat piece of felt and then how to make a seamless felt bag but I have always wanted to have a go at making a pair of felt slippers and so I bought the polystyrene shoe moulds to have a go.

Wingham Wool Work may be in Rotherham but they do a very good mail order service and their website is well worth a look:
Wingham Wool Work Website

Acrostic Poem - Knitting

2010-06-27T12:33:00.002+01:00

Knitting Work By St Ives Knitting Group

I recently did some work using an acrostic poem, which, for those who may not have come across these is a poem where each line begins with a letter of the word and relates to the subject.

So I thought I would present you with a challenge - write an acrostic poem about any subject with a textile theme and I will put them into a hat and provide a give-away for the first three out of the hat. Deadline will be the 31st July 2010. Good luck!

Knitting

Knitting with love
Necessary as breathing
I will get this stitch right
Tactile Textures
Tension lessening with every stitch
I love this colour
Needles flying in and out
Got to get more wool

Quilt Exhibition - Victoria & Albert Museum

2010-06-25T09:33:00.004+01:00

At The End Of The Day (detail) - Natasha Kerr

Whilst I was in London earlier this month I visited the quilt exhibition at the V & A Museum. This contains around 70 quilts covering 300 years of British quilting history, some of the quilts belong to the V & A collection and some key loans and special commissions.

You can see spectacular 18th century bed hangings, beautiful and intriguing 19th century Chapman coverlet and creative reinventions of the quilt by contemporary artists such as Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Jo Budd and Pauline Burbridge.

One interesting quilt was one made by men in Wandsworth Prison, showing in stitched pictures and words how they spend their time there and some comments about how they feel about being there. You can find more information about how this quilt came about by visiting:
Fine Cell Work - Needlework In Prisons

Another quilt with a story is the Rajah Quilt. In 1841 women prisoners were sent to Australia on a convict ship. Elizabeth Fry formed the Quaker Group the British Ladies Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners who supplied the women with needlecraft supplies including fabric, needles etc and the quilt is the result of the prisoners' work. You can find more information at:
National Gallery Of Australia - Rajah Quilt

There are many more quilts that tell a story and well worth the £10 entrance fee.

The exhibition continues until the 4th July.

Whilst I was going around the exhibition I met up with Dodie Smith who had been, Programme Secretary for the Cornwall Embroiderers' Guild until her move to Winchester, just shows you never know who you might meet in London!

Jo's Page On FaceBook

2010-06-24T14:17:00.003+01:00

Jo's Business Page On FaceBook

I have a new Business Page on FaceBook for Knit One Weave One.

It features my latest news and textile workshops.

I'll be adding a lot more over the coming weeks.

My husband Steve set it up - as he has for several other businesses in St Ives - so if you want help setting up your own page get in touch.

Please take a look and click on the "Like" button to join.

Jo McIntosh - Knit One Weave One - FaceBook

Some of My Favourite Blogs and Sites

2010-06-21T13:18:00.006+01:00

Friendships Are Sewn One Stitch At A Time

Here is a review of some of my favourite blogs and websites by other artists in Cornwall.

My friend Carolyn Saxby has a wonderful blog - Love Stitching Red. It features textile art work that she likes, illustrated with beautiful photos and other things of interest.

Carolyn has a second blog Mixed Media Textile Art which focusses on her own work and textile techniques.

Sea Blue Sky Abstracts is by St Ives artist Lesley Ninnes. It features samples of her work and many other interesting posts.

Back in January 2010 I attended a workshop - Recycled Beach Finds Jewellery - run by Sarah Drew. Her website is a great showcase for her work. You can buy some unique pieces of handmade jewellery online, made mostly from recyled materials.

Hope you enjoy visiting these. Any suggestions for any other good websites or blogs are welcome - please post a comment.

Textile Art Workshops In St Ives - Summer 2010

2010-06-11T10:42:00.004+01:00

Textile Workshops - St Ives Cornwall

I've added more to my schedule of workshops in St Ives , running through to September 2010.

Dates are:

Feltmaking - Wednesday 23rd June
Simple BookMaking - Saturday 3rd July
Weaving Without A Loom - Saturday 24th July
Silk Painting - Wednesday 28th July
Applique - Saturday 31st July
Silk Paper - Saturday 7th August
Feltmaking - Saturday 14th August
Tie-Dyeing Fabric - Saturday 28th August
Papermaking - Wednesday 1st September
Handprinted Gift Wrap - Saturday 4th September

Each runs from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm costs £40.00 per person including materials.

Please get in touch if you're interested. Also remember that I can run workshops for individuals and groups by arrangement.

You can call me on 01736 797 122 or visit my website:
Knitweave

2010-06-07T11:05:00.005+01:00

Isles Of Scilly - St Marys

Recently I was fortunate enough to fly over to the Isles of Scilly to work for Arts for Health as part of their Older Persons project. In the morning I visited Park House, the Residential Home for the Elderly on St. Marys where I worked with some of the residents and staff creating shell boxes – some of the staff and the daughter of one of the residents had been beachcombing and we used their “treasures” to decorate boxes.

In the afternoon I visited the Wednesday Club which is run at the Golf Club by Jane Chiverton who organises a range of activities for the people who attend, these include dominoes, memory games, simple seated exercises and also provides tea and cake! On this occasion I showed everyone how to make bracelets using memory wire and beads, which they all seemed to enjoy. The benefit of this type of jewellery for the more mature wearer is that there are no clasps to be done up and so can be worn easily.

I always enjoy my trips over to the Scilly Isles and love meeting people who may be physically getting older but have certainly not given up on life altogether!

Textile Workshops In St Ives - Spring 2010

2010-03-20T13:02:00.003Z

Bunting Workshop - Saturday 29th May

I've put together a new programme of Textile Art Workshops in St Ives for Spring:

Simple Bookmaking - Saturday 24th April
Rag Rugwork - Saturday 1st May
Simple Bookmaking - Wednesday 5th May
Silk Papermaking - Saturday 22nd May
Bunting - Saturday 29th May

Fabric Stash Sale

2010-03-08T14:13:00.004Z

Fabric Stash Sale - St Ives Cornwall

After the success of my last fabric stash sale - when I met some lovely people, downsized my stash and made some money - I have decided to hold another one

Saturday 3rd April (Easter Saturday).
10.00 a.m. To 5.00 p.m.
31 Bedford Road, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1SP

Fill a carrier for £5 and drink tea, eat biscuits and cake. I have a range of fabrics including cottons, sheer, velvet and more. Please get in touch if you are interested
01736 797 122
jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk

Tuesday Night Knitting Club

2010-02-08T18:13:00.003Z

Tuesday Night Knitting Group - St Ives Library

We are a friendly group of knitters (and crocheters) who meet in St. Ives Library every fortnight on a Tuesday evening from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m.

We welcome new members, whatever their level of expertise, all that you need is the desire to knit or crochet amongst likeminded people. There is plenty of help available for beginners.

The dates of the next meetings are as follows:

9th February
23rd February
9th March
23rd March
6th April
20th April

After that we'll continue to meet every second Tuesday throughout the year.

If you're visiting St Ives please feel free to come along - you'll be most welcome.

Dates throughout the year are on:

St Ives Cornwall - What's On

Knitting Workshop - Penryn

2010-02-03T09:34:00.002Z

Knitting Workshop - Penryn - Wednesday 10th February 2010

I'll be running a knitting workshop next week.

Its at The HideAway Cafe, Higher Market Street, Penryn.

Wednesday 10th February, 10.00 am to 3.00 pm, cost is £30.00.

I can provide wool and knitting needles if you need them.

Lunch is available from the cafe for £5.00

All levels of ability welcome especially beginners.

So - do come along, learn something new, have fun !

Call me on 01736 797 122 or send me an email to book a place.

Fabric Stash Sale

2010-02-02T14:23:00.003Z

Fabric Stash Sale - 31 Bedford Road St Ives

I've decided to sell some of my fabric stash - a huge selection of fabrics including cotton, velvet, sheer and much more.

You can fill a bag with whatever you want for £5.00.

Its at 31 Bedford Road in St Ives.
Sunday 7th February, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.

If you want more information give me a call on 01736 797 122 or email me.

Look forward to seeing you here !

Sarah Drew -Recycled Beach Finds Jewellery Workshop

2010-02-01T10:13:00.003Z

Jewellery Workshop With Sarah Drew

On Saturday (30th January) I used one of my Christmas presents, a voucher to attend one of Sarah's workshops. So off I went to the Windswept Cafe on Fistral Beach, Newquay on a dry but cold day to meet Sarah and four other women who all wanted to learn techniques to turn their beachcombings into fabulous jewellery.

After tea and a delicious brownie we set off down to the beach to see what we could find and collect to be transformed later in the day. Not all of my finds were suitable for jewellery, but I just had to collect them anyway!

On returning to the cafe Sarah taught us some simple techniques for wrapping sea glass, flat pebbles and shells with wire as well as how to make loops to link beads together. She also showed us how to make your own rings with wire and beads. Just before lunch we learned how to use crochet to incorporate beads, shells etc., with wire to create very individual bracelets, necklaces etc.

Lunch was included in the price of the workshop and the choices were sandwiches or soup. Well, after the beachcombing I decided that Carrot and Ginger soup was just the thing to warm me up and this arrived with tasty crusty bread and butter.

The afternoon was spent exploring the techniques we had just learnt with Sarah on hand for help and guidance when necessary.

Sarah gave us all a very good handout to take away with us and lots of ideas for future pieces of jewellery to make at home.

I think the voucher for the workshop was one of my best Christmas presents I had the joy of receiving it on Christmas Day and the anticipation of using it in January.

Sarah is a very inspirational tutor who teaches you techniques but leaves you to decide how you want to use them. She also runs workshops on creating vintage jewellery and bridal jewellery. She also sells her own unique brand of jewellery which features recycled materials, vintage beads etc. and she has an excellent website at:

www.sarahdrew.com

Thank you Sarah for a brilliant day.

Silk Paper Workshop

2010-01-24T11:39:00.002Z

Silk Paper Workshop - Embroiderers Guild Cornwall

Last Saturday (16th January) I had a very enjoyable day teaching members of Cornwall Embroiderers Guild how to make silk paper.

During the day they learnt how to make flat silk paper and how to make a silk paper bowl.

Everbody seemed to enjoy the day and I was provided with a very tasty lunch !

Textile Art Workshops

2010-01-11T15:01:00.005Z

Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall

So, here we are January 2010 time to talk about workshops I will be running this year. So far the programme includes:

23rd January - Monoprinting on Fabric
6th February - Fabric Birds
27th February - Fabric Collage
6th March - Working with Water Soluble Fabric
17th April - Weaving Without a Loom

All the above workshops cost £40 inc materials and are run from my home at 31 Bedford Road, St. Ives from 10 a.m. To 4 p.m.

There is quite a gap between the water soluble fabric and weaving without a loom workshop because I will be running a Feltmaking Weekend on Saturday 20th March and Sunday 21st March.

This will include learning the basic flat feltmaking technique and then how to make a seamless felt bag on the Saturday and Sunday will be spent learning how to make felt beads and how to make felt using a technique similar to silk papermaking.

This is intended to be a residential weekend with people arriving on the Friday afternoon/evening and leaving on the Sunday afternoon. However, the workshop will also be available to people living locally who will only pay for the two day workshop.

The cost for the two days is £100 which will include materials.

As there is an extensive range of accommodation on offer in and around St. Ives I will supply information on accommodation when people book.

If any of the above is of interest to anyone out there please get in touch.

There is more information on my website:

Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall

Erosion Bundle Project

2010-01-07T10:31:00.003Z

Erosion Bundle - St Ives Cornwall

Having seen the erosion bundle on Carolyn's Love Stitching Red Blog I decided to do one of my own.

So last night I prepared a bundle and put it out in a snowy garden this morning.

Looking forward to seeing how it changes over time and possibly investigation by our hens!

More information here:
Erosion Bundle Project

Happy New Year From Jo

2010-01-01T14:13:00.003Z

Page After Page by Frances Pickering

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to share one of my Christmas presents with you. This wonderful book is by Frances Pickering who makes the most exquisite books.

This book shows you some of her techniques and tips as well as some of the things that inspire her. What I particularly like is the fact that it is all handwritten by her and full of wonderful photographs.

Frances came to the Cornwall Embroiderers' Guild and gave us a superb two day workshop, teaching us how to create our own books. I think it is the only workshop I have been to when I have arrived before the building was opened up!

You can see more on:
Frances Pickering Website

Tuesday Night Knitting Club

2009-06-25T22:16:00.001+01:00

Just thought I would introduce you to my knitting group - The Tuesday Night Knitting Club (the name came after reading the book by Kate Jacobs called "The Friday Night Knitting Club").

In the summer of 2007 Christina, the Manager of St. Ives Library, asked me if I would set up a knitting group in the library. We decided that September would be a good time as autumn is when most people think of knitting. So one Tuesday evening at the beginning of September our group was born.

We meet once a fortnight, 7 - 9 p.m. (the library is open until 9.30 p.m. on a Tuesday) to chat, drink tea and coffee, eat biscuits and, oh yes, knit! The group is very friendly and has members of different ages.

Regular attendees include me, Brenda, Ireen, Maureen, Carol, Pat, Magda, Yvette and relatively new members include Jo, Catherine, Dee and Janet. At our last meeting we had a visitor, Olive, who was on holiday from Hertfordshire. She saw the article in Simply Knitting, when we were the Knitting Club of the month and rang me to ask if our group was meeting while she was down here. She has also had an article in Simply Knitting as she knits scarves on very short 4 1/2mm needles, and joins them up to make jackets.

Our group meets all year round as we are not just winter knitters and new members are always welcome, together with knitters who are visiting St. Ives on holiday.

This is a photo of us with the wool we received from Simply Knitting magazine when we were put into their draw of featured knitting clubs and we emerged the winner!

Our members have a range of knitting abilities, from relatively new knitters to those who do not need a pattern to create an amazing garment.

Cloth Paper Scissors Charm Swap

2009-06-11T21:38:00.005+01:00

I entered the Cloth Paper Scissors Charm Swap (didn't unfortunately photograph my charms before I sent them off!) Here are photos of the charms I received, sorry if the quality is not too good. I was really pleased to receive them and look forward to making something with them.

My thanks to the artist who made these and I hope everyone who received mine enjoyed them too!

2009-06-10T23:00:00.015+01:00

Ayr Field Create a Butterfly Garden

On Saturday 6th June I had a lovely time with the children helping to create a Butterfly Garden in Ayr Field , St. Ives Cornwall.

We made butterflies from felt and decorated them with sequins, ribbons etc., and put them on sticks to be put into plant pots which the children had sprinkled wildflower seeds into to create their own butterfly garden at home.

This is daisy's plant pot ready for her butterfly:-

Meanwhile outside:-

The weather may not have been as good as earlier in the week, but nevertheless everyone had a great time improving this area. I think the hot drinks and bacon rolls supplied by the St. Ives Scouts probably helped!

The next event at Ayr Field will be Ayr Field Day on 5th July - a great day and I will be there making bunting for people to leave messages on.

Website

2009-05-28T18:49:00.003+01:00

Just to let you know my updated website is now up and running and is even better than it was! Many thanks to my web designer, my husband Steve, for doing such a great job. You can find it at:
www.knitweave.co.uk

Open Studios

2009-05-23T18:05:00.002+01:00

Today was the first day of the Creative Skills Open Studios. This is the week when artists throughout Cornwall invite people to visit their studios and see their work.

Despite not having many visitors I have had a great day! Open Studios gave me the incentive to get my workshop sorted out and ready to work in after leaving it rather messy (to say the least!) over the winter.

During the course of the day I have managed to come up with an idea for a range of cards and have started making some as well as just enjoying having a whole day in my workshop, listening to the birds in the garden and thinking of ideas for future pieces of work.

I am open again on Monday and look forward to even more creativity (and hopefully visitors!).

Frances Pickering

2009-05-13T15:54:00.002+01:00

Thought I would start my blog by telling you what a brilliant workshop I went to last weekend. It was organised through the Cornwall Embroiderers' Guild at Truro and run by Frances Pickering who creates the most beautiful little books.

She was extremely good at sharing her knowledge and techniques, as well as the Transfer Dyes and Brusho!

Most of her books have a theme such as flowers, hearts etc. At the start of the weekend I didn't have a theme for my book but was more interested in how to make the book. Having created the cover and painted the pages it became clear to me that my theme was going to be mermaids, something I love anyway so that wasn't a problem!

By the end of the weekend I had a book ready to fill with mermaid pictures, poems etc., which I was extremely happy with. I also have a list of ideas for future books!

Photos will follow shortly of my work and some of the members of the Guild who attended the weekend.