Sierra Sunset Cowl in Silk

In November 2010 I bought a bargain of a skein of yarn at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show. It was a delicious skein of 200m of DK weight silk singles yarn in an antique rose colour. It was from (the then new) Artisan Yarns. There doesn't seem to be any products on their ETSY shop and I don't know if that is a permanent situation but they do have stock in at Loop Knitting, so their yarn is still available somewhere.

This particular skein has been burning a hole in my stash for a while. I love the yarn and the colour is so pretty, but when I had bright red hair it didn't suit me. I decided that I would offer the resulting item to my Mum as she loves this particular shade. After making that decision I found a pattern fairly quickly, Sierra Sunset Cowl by Kristen Ashbaugh-Helmreich.

Over the last few years I have become a big fan of cowls. They stay where they are put, around your neck, and the ends don't dangle in your drink. This pattern seemed a perfect use of this gorgeous yarn. The pattern sample was knit in a wool/silk blend which meant that a drapey yarn would work well.

This cowl is a clever construction. As the cowl sits reasonably snugly around the throat the designer has created a knit flat pattern that features a button fastening at the narrow part that sits at the back of the neck. This means if you don't want to pull the snug cowl over your head you can undo and refasten the buttons.

I am fairly sure that I bought these buttons at either the same Harrogate Show or at another similar event. I got them from The Button Lady who has a stall at most big crafting events, in the UK, and there is always a crowd at her booth, because she sells such amazing buttons. These abalone shell buttons are very versatile, which is why I bought them for my button jar, as the iridescent qualities allow them to match several different colours. In this case the buttons pick up the pink from the shawl. The buttons could not have been chosen better as they fit the button holes perfectly. The buttons also help make the cowl almost like jewellery.

This simple project, involves a small amount of short row shaping and a very simple lace pattern, so it would be a good project for people wanting to practice those techniques. If you are a confident knitter, the project takes no time at all, I think I finished it in 2 days. The only downside to the pattern was the large quantities of pins I had to use to block it as the curved edges did not suit a wire blocking.

Of course once I finished my project and tried it on for photography purposes, I realised that this colour now really suits me and I would love wearing it. However, I was a good daughter and handed it over to my Mum, because I had already offered it to her. So, if this project has taught me one thing, it is to never promise away a project until you know whether you are going to fall in love with it or not! I may have to knit another one, this time for me!

Fibre East 2014 - My Haul!

I didn't tell you I went to Fibre East this year, did I? It was my very first fibre festival (I'm not counting the Knitting & Stitching Show because it's not very sheepy) and it is the closest big event to me (around an hour's drive). I thought I wasn't going to be able to go as I didn't have any yarny/fibrey friends local to me who had a car and wouldn't mind shoving me around in a wheelchair all day. I gave up my dream of going until my friend Rachael (who does not knit, spin or weave but enjoys a spot of sewing every now and again) said she would take me. I couldn't believe my luck, someone who I love spending time with was going to take me to somewhere I've always wanted to go.

We decided to make a day out of it and went down on the Sunday. We decided not to risk getting something to eat at the event because Rachael is a vegetarian, and I am really fussy about meat, don't eat fish so may as well be vegetarian! I discovered a great pub online and we decided to give it a try, without booking, and if we couldn't get in, there were lots of other places to eat in Ampthill. The place we went was The French Horn at Steppingley and I can't recommend it enough. We arrived at 12.15 and they were fully booked. However, when we said we wanted to get in and out quickly they found us a spot and served us incredibly fast, but didn't rush us at all. The food was amazing and the surroundings were lovely. I really recommend this spot, but I also recommend booking a table, especially on a Sunday, and it wasn't precisely a bargain, though worth every penny in quality!

So after we were all fueled up and ready to shop we headed off to the event. The disabled parking was quite close to the entrance but for people with mobility problems, there were till a couple of inclines that weren't easy to get up. I think the people with scooter's probably had to best idea for navigating round the show in between tents and halls, but it was easier with a wheelchair to get into the individual booths and get close to the wares.

On Sunday afternoon it wasn't too packed so it was easy to get into most of the stands and there were a few deals to be had, in particular the Blacker Yarns stand had some skeins for half price and there were a couple of other stands who were discounting from their usual price. I'm glad we went on Sunday because the temperatures were a bit cooler than the day before. I was told that the heat in the sports hall was unbearable the day before, so I felt pretty sorry for the vendors in that area.

I went with a list of things I wanted to get at the show and stands I wanted to see. Sadly I didn't plan my route well enough so I didn't manage to get to a couple of the tents before my body gave out on me, but I did manage to get a few things I went for. One of the first things on my list was a basket from BasketBasket. I'd seen the store online and thought it would be nice to get one for carrying my shopping in. I didn't actually find any I liked but I've now seen the individual sizes and will be happy to buy one online when I see one in the colour I want. I also wanted to get a new spindle from IST Crafts. I was quite surprised to find all the Tibetan and Russian spindles they had left didn't really sing for me. I suppose all the best ones went on the first day! Ah well, I don't really need another spindle, but I thought it would be nice to buy one that I tried first for a change.

The next non-woolly item on my list was an Andean Plyer. I've wanted one for a while and could only find it online from one place in the UK, that ever seemed to have one in stock, Woodland Turnery. I decided to try and pick one up at the event to avoid paying postage. They call the item they sell a Peruvian Plyer but it's the same thing. I also picked up a darning mushroom because I had been thinking about getting one as well, but obviously not enough to get around to actually buy one!

I've already used the plyer on a small amount of singles and it worked really well. My technique is probably not all it could be, yet, but I think it will improve. I used this diagram because it was easier to follow than the one that came with the plyer.

After buying these tools, everything else that was purchased was squishy! In fact, Rachael got so caught up in the wool fumes at The Knitting Goddess booth that she bought some yarn too! I was, of course, generous enough to offer to knit it for her into something, so I get a total win there - pretty yarn to play with that I didn't have to pay for that will go to someone who loves it!

The yarn she got is lace weight and is 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere. This yarn is divine, I'm not surprised Rachael craved it! The colourway on the label is Greens. The picture above is a little too blue to be accurate. I just couldn't capture the colour well enough and it is more green teal than the turquoise above. It's gorgeously soft and I can't wait to get the go ahead to cast on a pattern. I've already sent some links to her to choose from.

This is what I bought.

1. Sparkle Sock in Sapling from Sara's Texture Crafts
2. Islington in Old Smoke from Kettle Yarn Co
3. Alpaca Supreme Fibre in Steel Grey from John Arbon Textiles
4. Blacker Swan Island Falkland 4ply in Earth & Stone from Blacker Yarns
5. Jumbo Twist in ooak & Hematite from Kettle Yarn Co
6. 4ply Merino Nylon Self Striping in Gothic Neon from The Knitting Goddess

I have plans for all of my purchases. The self striping yarn will, of course be socks. I was so pleased to get this yarn as it is really hard to get the self striping from The Knitting Goddess without stalking the store updates intensely, and I ALWAYS forget! I love the colours of the yarn too, so I was delighted when I saw it. The yarn from Sara's Texture Crafts will also probably be socks, but as the yarn is so lovely it may become a shawl or cowl if the right pattern crops up before it gets knit up.

The Islington yarn from Kettle Yarn Co is going to be for a Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart. I went into the booth looking for the yarn recommended in the pattern, but got drawn to this yarn instead. I loved the yarn and I think the BFL/silk blend will probably be more robust than the camel/silk blend of the Westminster.  The Jumbo Twist yarns in Hematite and in the one of a kind colourway were bought to go together in a two coloured shawl pattern. I have several of those patterns in my queue and I rarely buy two skeins of sock yarn together to work in one project, so this was one of the things I had in my list to buy. The squishy and tightly plyed BFL yarn is very springy and I think will have amazing stitch definition. I think the Jumbo skeins, as opposed to the normal 50g skeins aren't available very often. It's nice to know, however, that you can buy smaller amounts of sock yarn for those striped patterns I like so much, or for colourwork! This yarn will probably become either a Cameo or an Axis.

I really enjoyed the Blacker Yarns stall. It was lovely to be able to feel the skeins of yarn that they sell, as it is sometimes hard to choose something from their yarns online. The breeds they use are not the run of the mill sheep that you find everywhere, so it's nice to actually get a sense of the qualities and how they feel personally rather than using someone else's opinion. I really like the BFL and the Elegance Range is lovely. I liked the Classic British yarns as a good workhorse yarn too. I couldn't resist the Swan Island Falkland as it is beautifully soft. I am a bit of a Falkland fibre fan so it was a bit of a no-brainer for me, especially as the colours were lovely. The two skeins of 4 ply that I chose will be used to make Bedale from the Coop Knits Toasty book I already have.

Finally the fibre I bought from John Arbon is amazing. I was drawn to the Alpaca Supreme skeins in the stand and both Rachael and I stood coo-ing over how soft and lovely it was. I was all set to buy a skein when I spotted the enormous sacks of fibre that were on sale and I saw that one of the sacks contained the combed and blended fibre that was spun into the yarn I had in my hand. I went over to the fibre and nearly dove in because it was so soft and beautiful. I bought 200g, and with hindsight, I should have bought more because I've since sampled the fibre and it is the most wonderful fibre to spin. 200g should be enough to knit a lovely big shawl though.

I'm very happy with what I purchased at the event, as all the things I bought, were things I intended to buy. As I said, there were a few places I really wanted to visit but didn't manage to reach - Baa Ram Ewe, Fivemoons, Namolio, p/HOP to say hello to Kate's Twirl, of The Golden Skein fame, Skeins, The Knitting Swede, The Natural Dye Studio and Yarn Garden. Sadly, my body didn't wish to participate and I should simply have planned better. However, I did enjoy wandering without plan after looking at the tools, spindles and baskets, and seeing what caught my eye. I actually came home with some money still in my purse and I put more things back than bought. I am becoming much better at these events, probably because I've been looking at my stash quite a lot this Summer and I know how lovely all the stuff I already have is.

We really enjoyed our day out and we are already planning a return trip next year as Rachael enjoyed herself too, so is happy to shove me around all day in my wheelchair. I highly recommend this event as a nice day out. I only wish I was well enough to take a course AND shop! Maybe next year I'll try and plan to meet up with people too, though I was glad to meet someone who listens to the podcast and have a nice chat after she recognised my voice (it does carry a bit). As I know we will probably be going next year I'll be able to make more arrangements than this year as I didn't really know we were going until the last minute. I still enjoyed myself tremendously, even without planning. Fibre people really are very nice folks!

A Maplewing for your Delectation!

Back in the deep recesses of time, back in May 2012, I cast on a shawl.  It was the shawl.  The one that made me first start to knit lace.  The one that I aspired to completing one day.  It was glorious and perfect and one day it would be mine.  You may have thought this shawl had been cast into the WIP cupboard of dispair, when I didn't blog about it after 6th June 2012.  The crazy thing is, my shawl was finished in September!  I just didn't get the photos taken!  But now I have photos that actually show the true beauty of Maplewing by Anne Hanson.

I am so proud of myself for getting this shawl finished, because it was the most difficult lace project I have ever completed.  It was a knitted lace shawl, where every row has lace worked on it.  I am simply unused to this style of knitting and I found it very difficult to read my knitting from the back.  I have come a long way with reading my knitting, and I don't really struggle from the front anymore, but reading it from the back is another story.

This shawl was knitted from the bottom up, and as such, involved casting on about a gazillion stitches and then counting out repeats about a hundred times until I was sure I got them right.  It was a nightmare, but the edge of the shawl is very pretty because of it.

Once the repeats were established and the pattern become more memorised I thought I was going to be ok. Then I got to the change over from the big pattern repeats to the second lace pattern.  This was tricky to say the least.  I think I knit and ripped that section of the shawl approximately three times.  Each time I ripped it back I would swear and curse and throw my knitting to the foot of the sofa in disgust (please note I was never so despairing as to throw in on the floor).  My main problem with this area is that there were no charts to cover the transition zone.  I didn't even really have a close up photograph to look at to see what it was supposed to look like.  Here is a photo for anyone interested.

I ended up drawing out the transition chart myself because I got so stuck.  Once the new chart was established, it was much easier than the bigger pattern repeat further down. That may have been because it was a smaller repeat, or simply because there were  many fewer stitches to knit on each row.

You can see, on the above phot,o the difference in the two skeins of yarn that I used.  It may have been a pain to switch two skeins of yarn, every two rows, but it blended the variations in them much more subtly than changing skeins in the middle.

The yarn worked beautifully.  Posh Yarn Gretchen Lace is a stunning base yarn of 55% BFL and 45% silk, that I thought would be pretty tough.  I learned my mistake when I mis-treated my shawl at the Harrogate Show.  One of the reasons this shawl was un-photographed for so long is that I hurried to get it finished to wear for Harrogate and then I ended up ruining it.  I was being pushed around in a wheelchair and I thought that this shawl would be the perfect weight for the show.  It was the perfect weight, it was just it was a bit too delicate for using in a wheelchair and I ended up leaning on it and the friction between my body and the chair caused major pilling during the course of the day.

I could have cried!  All that work ruined.  It took me months to get up the courage to tease away the pills with fingers and tiny pointy scissors.  I ended up doing it because it couldn't make it any less usable.  It took several days of great care and concentration to get it finished, but I did and it looks as good as new.

Since it's repair, I've worn the shawl several times and there has been no further issue with pilling.  I just think I need to be very careful about wearing it when there will be lots of friction against a seat, such as in my wheelchair.

Whilst wearing this shawl I have fallen in love with, not only it's stunning lace and yarn, but also the shape.  The centre panel means there is no point at the back, which means less chance of the shawl being sat on.

I also adore the way there are a second set of decreases towards the top of the shawl, to take into account the shaping of the shoulders.  This means that the shawl sits in place, almost like a cape, rather than a flat piece of fabric.

I also love the border that travels all the way around the edges of the shawl that are knitted as the shawl is created, rather than knitted on later.

Whenever I wear this shawl I feel elegant, and transformed into a gorgeous butterfly.  It is also surprisingly warm!

I look at this shawl and ask myself "would I ever knit this again", and I have to answer no.  I don't think I could.  I love this shawl and the way it makes me feel, both glamorous and accomplished, but I wouldn't knit this particular pattern again.  What I would do, is knit something in this style again.  In fact, what I really want to do is knit something in this faorese shape but in 4ply or thicker yarn.  I love the idea of a warm and cosy shawl that sits on the shoulders and doesn't force you to sit on the point.  It would be practical and wearable as an every day shawl, after the tradition and origins of this style.  This dream shawl will probably pluck at my brain for a year or so before I get around to designing it, but I know I will design it at some point, and until then I shall just have to treat this gorgeous piece of silk and BFL fluff with tender loving care.

To see other finished objects, click on the button.

PS, remember there is still time to enter my birthday giveaway.

A Shopping Spree and New Skill

I have been away from home for a few days.  I've been lucky enough to be up in York visiting my family.  Well, that was a side benefit of the real reason I was there.  I was there to go to the Knitting & Stitching Show with my sister-in-law and her Mum.  Both of them are into stitching in a big way and have been my main influence in learning to stitch.  I've got to know my sister-in-law's Mum really well over the last few years through attending these types of shows, in fact she helped me choose my sewing machine, two years ago.  My sister-in-law, very kindly came to pick me up from and she drove from York to Leicester and then Leicester to York in the same day, with a 5 month old baby in the back!  She is a remarkable woman, my sister-in-law, I don't think I would want to do that.  As well as going to the show it was lovely to spend a few solid days with my family, as usually we have flying visits up North.

I had intended to blog about my shopping, at the show, a couple of days ago, but I caught a hideous cold when I was up North, probably at the Show!  I'm still feeling sorry for myself, but at least I can type semi-coherently.  To be honest it doesn't matter if I type drivel, you only want to see my goodies don't you ;-)

So here we are, first off I went to Twist Yarns, whom I have already bought from online.  They have a really interesting stock.  It was nice to see the gorgeous array of yarns there, and I indulged in some Skein Queen Oasis Grande, in Titanium.  It really is beautiful stuff.

Recently I have been really drawn to neutral shades.  I think because I know they can be worn with any outfit.  I have several scarves and shawls that I hardly ever use because they don't go with anything in my wardrobe, except the black or cream stuff.  I know this yarn will be wearable with everything.  It is a 4-ply/fingering weight yarn in 50% camel/50% silk and it weighs 100g with a 400m put up.  This yarn is so soft and dreamy I can't wait to get it on my needles.  I have no idea what it is going to be, but it will definitely be worn around my neck.

My only other yarn purchase was from knitting4fun, another online store, but this time it is one I've not used before.  I was sucked into the stand because of the lovely bright felting yarn they had, but the yarn I took away was a different beast altogether.

This is their own yarn and it is Baby Alpaca Chunky and it is unbelievably soft!  I love dark grey when it is a natural colour.  I only got two skeins which have 100m in each skein, but I 'm sure at the very least I can get a cowl out of that!  Again this yarn is going around my neck or on my head.

Next I bought some fabric.  I couldn't resist this pack of fat quarters.  I think it's from Michael Miller, but not all of the fabric has a selvedge with the name on it.

These are some of my favourite colours at the moment, grey, lime and aqua.  I HAD to buy the pack simply because it had all my favourites together.  Isn't it funny how you have very clear favourites for a period of time and then you move on all of a sudden.  A year or so ago I would have thought grey a very dull colour and not worthy of my attention.  Now, I love it.

The other stall I got a multiple set of fabric from was the Japanese Fabric stall (I'm not sure if that is what it is called, but it is a good a description as any).  There was a lovely little kit using some owl fabric.  I found a solitary fat quarter of the fabric and put it together with a nice contrasting shot fabric.  I will make my own bag from it.

I love the winking one the best!  From the same stall, I bought some navy fabric with bright turtles.  Again, I think this will be perfect for a project bag.

I will have to pair it with another fabric, but I think it will be easy enough to find a nice contrasting solid.  I just couldn't resist those tiny turtles.

My last fabric was another one that I wanted to get, just because it will make a fabulous project bag.

I know it's a bit twee but that naked sheep just really makes me giggle.

In a continuing sheep theme, I also scored a great button from The Button Lady, which as usual was many people deep.

It's about an inch and a half across and I couldn't resist it.  I've been thinking it would be a lovely adornment to a hat band, maybe on this pattern.

My final purchase was actually bought using my Christmas money from my Mum.  She has done this before, given me money before I go to the show so I can get something I really want for Christmas.  This year I found a doozy of a present!  I found a brand new product, to me anyway.  It is called a Bogway Handspinner.

This Dutch invention is a different method of producing yarn, one that I can actually do.  I was initially drawn to the stand by some lovely looking dyed fibre, that once again made me wish I could spin.  As I moved around the corner to see the stand properly I saw the stall holder spinning on what looked like a football rattle.  My eyes nearly popped out of my head, and when the stall holder saw my interest he came over to show me what he was doing.  He assured me that he had managed to get a lady on crutches using the device, so I should have no problem using it, given that I didn't have my arms tied up with helping me stand.  He was right, I could do it sitting down and I didn't have to lean forward, or sit really upright.  He assured me I could do it in practically any position, and I have to say he is right.  Of course I bought it, along with some of the yummy fibre that originally caught my eye.  If you are curious how it works, here is a video on YouTube of someone using it, though she is speaking Dutch.

The fibre I bought is German Romney dyed with Wilton Food Dyes.  It has lovely long sticky fibres that are making the spinning a breeze.  My new toy is wildly addictive, especially for a cold addled fool like myself.  I wouldn't trust myself to knit anything other than stocking stitch at the moment, so this is a great replacement activity for knitting.  I've nearly finished off all this fibre.

The spinning got faster as I went along and also thicker as I got a nice even draft going.  I have no idea what it is going to ply up like because the first ply is all over the place and the second one is more consistent.  Hopefully by Friday I will have my first Bogway yarn to show you!

Now I need to ask for advice.  I want to carry on hand spinning, so if you are spinners, please can you  recommend the sort of fibre I should try next?  I probably don't want anything too esoteric because I want to be able to buy enough to become more consistent in what I do, and I can't afford lots of money for yarn that may not be that usable when finished.  Oh, and remember I haven't got any carding equipment, nor would I have the strength or energy to prepare fibre even if I had the equipment, so I can't save money that way.

It is lovely to finally find a way to spin my own yarn.  I enjoyed using a drop spindle, but it was simply too uncomfortable for me to use.  The Bogway is just perfect for me.  Strangely enough, after getting home on Saturday, one of the magazines I subscribe to was waiting for me, with a picture and description of the Bogway in it!

I'm actually quite impressed with this little haul, because I stuck within my budget and didn't go overboard on all the lovely things at the show.  I could easily have spent an awful lot of money there, but I didn't.

So I hope you will excuse me whilst I go and ply my yarn, and if you want to look at some actual knitting, I recommend clicking on the button and taking a look there!

Another Monster Make

I'm making another monster from my book by Rebecca Danger, Big Book of Knitted Monsters.  This one is Baldwin the Bathroom Monster.  He is going to a be a Christmas present for another nephew, one who didn't get the last monster I made, Hugo the Couch Potato Monster.  This book is so full of fabulous characters it is hard to choose which monster to make, but this one, while similar is some respects to the first one, has lovely long arms.  I'm hoping that a 10 (nearly 11) year old won't be too old for a bathroom monster!

With this monster I have used the disappearing magic loop technique explained by TECHKnitting.  I have used the crochet version of this and like how it works, so I thought I'd give the knitting version a go.  It seems to work pretty well, and this is what it looks like.

It's pretty neat and I think once I've done it a few times more, I won't need to refer to the instructions anymore.

I'm using Cascade 220 Superwash, which is the same yarn I used for the previous monster, just in a different colourway, number 810 which is supposed to be teal, but I think looks more jade in colour.

It may be that it just looks jade to me because the light is so shocking at the moment.  We seem to have been covered in a grey blanket in the UK.  It's pretty normal for this time of year, but I think I blot it out to escape the trauma!  As you can see, I'm not very far on, but I don't think it will take that long to finish, but it will have to go on hold for a while.  I'm not taking it with me when I go away later on today, as I want something easy and mindless, so I think I will take the Nuvem.  The Nuvem doesn't look much different from the photos I've already shown you, so I'll leave it until I've motored on a bit more, probably when I'm back home.

My trip away is to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate and my sister- in-law is coming to pick me up for an extended visit up North.  Picking me up a couple of days before we go means I can recover from the journey and still go to the show with her and her Mum on Friday.  I'm really excited about my trip as I love the Show and I love seeing my family even more.  So if you see me being pushed around in a wheelchair at the Harrogate Show on Friday, stop me and say hello!

I'm linking this little update to WIP Wednesday at Tami's Ami's, so click the button to find some new and interesting blogs.

Festival of Quilts 2011

I have been very lax in not sharing my photos from the Festival of Quilts, held at the NEC in Birmingham, this year.  This is my second year of attending, and THIS time I remembered not only my camera, but spare batteries AND a memory card - WOOOHOOOOO!  I was also well prepared because I bought the catalogue this year, so when I took a photo of a quilt, I also took a photo of the number of the quilt - well call me clever!  I actually know what each quilt I photographed this year is called.  (I'd just like to state that last year I took a camera without a memory card, took about 3 photos and my batteries died, I also had no clue what the quilts were that I photographed - so no one can say I don't learn my lessons the hard way).

So now we have a looong post full of photos that are, at the very least credited. I apologise that the photographs are not great, but it is really hard to take photographs of large quilts when people stand in front of them and you also can't get far enough back.  To be honest I'm amazed I have as many in focus as I have! 

Winner of Art Quilts 101 - First Amateur Award
Octopussy, by Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga, Kollumerzwaag, The Netherlands

444 - Highly Commended
Homage to Henri by Liz Howlett, Lewes, UK

423
La Grande Perspective by Susan Short, Fleet, UK

358
Interference 1 by Leah Higgins, Eccles, UK

365
Enchanted Forest by Helen Howes, Ravingham, UK

777 - Winner Pictoral Quilts - Judges Choice
Hot Africa, Janneke de Vries-Bodzinga, Kollumerzwaag, The Netherlands

901
Enchanted Divocean by Margaret Taylor, Durham, UK

These sea horses were a good metre high and were suspended away from the wall.  They were just so engaging and endearing, I had to get a snap.

953
Velvet Cushion by Ruth Singer, Leicester, UK

I knew this cushion was by Ruth the minute I saw it.  For those of you who haven't heard of her, she wrote Sew It Up and the pattern for this is in the current issue of Stitch Magazine (It's a US based mag I'm afraid, but it is well worth looking at).

924 - 3rd Prize Quilt Creations
Secret Garden in the Starry Night, by Rami Kim, Rocklin, USA

Ostrava Quilting Bee Pieced Together 178 Blocks from All Over Czech Republic

Stitch Your Soul did an in depth post about this quilt, which gives all the information that I couldn't find!

Marina Mamanova

These works were part of a display by one artist and they were stunning.

708
Inside Noah's Ark-All Safe Aboard by Louise Jessup, Ashford, UK

I loved this quilt.  Apparently it is from a drawing in a child's book.  We stood in front of it for ages, looking for the different animals hidden in plain view.

711 - Highly Commended - Judges Choice
Dassehra by Bente Kultorp Andresen, Hafslundsøy, Norway

This quilt has been so widely discussed in blogland, I'm not going to bother going in to great details.  Needless to say, it was breath taking and looked more like a painting that textile art.

662 - Highly Commended
Hexagons & Stars by Lucie Summers & Jenny Spencer, Worlington, UK

Despite my many selections of quilts with bright colours, I still love a clean looking and muted quilt now and again.  I just loved the embroidery and quilting on this one.

665
L'Arcobaleno Sul Mare (Rainbow on the Sea) by Rossana Ramani & Graziella Cini, S Dorugo Della Valle, Italy

668 - Highly Commended
Connected by Linzi Upton & Mo Fettes (Longarm), Banchory, UK,

I cannot convey how much more appealing this quilt was in real life.  My photos do not do it justice.  In the album there is a close up of the quilting.  I just love the artistry.

673 - 2nd Prize - Two Person Quilt
Mexican Sunset by Margit Schommers & Claudio Pfeil (Longarm) Erfstadt, Germany

7
Festival, by Yvonne Kervinen, Osthammar, Sweden

I did take more photos, but these are the ones that really appealed to me and were mostly in focus.  If you want to look at some of the other stuff I took, you can see the Picasa Album below.

2011 Festival of Quilts

I hope that the length of these post explains why it has taken me so long to put it together.  Maybe next year I'll get even better photos, and I'll be able to report much quicker!