Grace & Jacob - Felt Making & Textile Supplies, York

 

 

Fat Quarters

If you haven’t yet ventured down Walmgate in York (just past Melton’s Too) to the Aladdin’s cave that is Grace & Jacob then I suggest you get down there right now!  It is a treasure trove of fabric, fibre, yarn and haberdashery.  There’s a really great choice of fabrics including Moda, Rowan, Hantex & Free Spirit and you don’t just have to buy it off the roll – there are fat quarters too.  But if you’re looking for something really cute - pick up some Moda Candy.  These are packs of 42 x 2½ inch squares of lovely patterned fabric for you to make something wonderful with.  

Fabulous Fabrics

Luscious Yarns

If you’re a felt maker or spinner there are merino, Shetland, Blue Faced Leicester & Icelandic tops, silk blend mixes and silk tops too including hand-dyed.  Yarns include a fabulously extensive range of Lang, Erika Knight, Aslan Trends and Grace & Jacob’ s hand-dyed yarns too (a specialty!).  And as if that wasn’t enough there are VV Rouleaux & East of India ribbons, patterned bias binding, embroidery threads, machine threads, patterns, kits, needles and so much more.

Yarns & Silk Tops

VV Rouleaux Ribbons

Fiona Hirst who owns Grace & Jacob is very knowledgeable so if you need any help or advice just ask.  There is a programme of workshops and a spinning group that are all run on the premises.  Take a look at the website for more details – or pop along in person and say hi - open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

http://www.graceandjacob.co.uk/ 

Fantastical Fruit & Flowers (Knitted?!) in Rowntree Park Café, York

If you’re a regular at Rowntree Park Café in York you may have noticed a few changes creeping in – a bowl of fruit, a vase of flowers or what about that enormous flower pot plant complete with ladybird.  Not particularly surprising you think - after all it is a café and it is in a park – but on closer inspection you’ll notice that they’re all knitted. 

 

Knitted Fruit & Real Cakes at Rowntree Park Cafe

Knitted Flowers at Rowntree Park Cafe

These are all part of the preparations for the Yarnbombing Event in Rowntree Park on Saturday 13 July 2013.  Feeling inspired?  Then get out your needles and knit, stitch something super or craft creatively!  Come on down to the café and have a look and while you’re there why not sample all the delicious goodies the café has to offer, then take a turn round the park – see the sculptures, tour the trees or take the kids to the play area to let off some steam.  

Knitted Flower Pot Plant & Ladybird

It’s a great place to go and yarnbombing is a fun event to get involved with and there are still two more yarnbombing workshops to go:

Saturday 29 June - 11:00 to 14:00

Hobbycraft (First floor)
Monks Cross Shopping Park, York, YO32 9GX

Friday 5 July – 10:00 to 12:00

Rowntree Park Café
Rowntree Park, Richardson Street, York, YO23 1JU

Art in the area, craft in the community – get involved, be part of it, it'll make a difference!

For more info click on the links below:

http://rowntreeparkblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/yarnbombing/ 

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/yarnbombing-in-rowntree-park-york.html 

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/first-yarnbombing-workshop.html 

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/second-yarnbombing-workshop-rowntree.html 

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/fairfax-court-yarnbombers.html 

Thanks to Castaway Yarns in Haxby and their customers for the knitted fruit & ladybird and to Pie Waller for the flowers in the vase.
http://www.castawayyarnsyork.co.uk/

Fairfax Court Yarnbombers

Some of the Knit & Natter Group - Fairfax Court, Acomb, York

Today I went to visit the lovely Knit & Natter Group at Fairfax Court in Acomb, York.  I had been invited along to talk to them a few weeks ago about our Yarnbombing Event in Rowntree Park.  Jose Smith had invited me and it was Jose who called me up to say they'd been on the case and their output was ready for collection.  

Crochet squares & bunting

So off I went, intrigued as to what I would find and I was bowled over by their productivity!  They had been very busy bees indeed.  Firstly, there was a fantastic umbrella done by Dot Teal with the help of other members of the group (Pauline, Maureen & Doris), some sensational crochet squares (very now!) by Edna Shilleto, a huge pompom by Doris Swallow (very reminiscent of allium, I thought  - look out for it in the Rowntree Park flower borders!) not to mention an amazing amount of bunting by Maureen Ellis, Doris Swallow, Doreen Feetenby, Pauline Featherstone & Jose Smith.  We salute you ladies and look forward to seeing it in Rowntree Park, York on Saturday 13 July 2013. Thank you very much indeed!

Second Yarnbombing Workshop - Rowntree Park Cafe

Two Yarnbombing Tables Raring to Go

Well - this time we set up in the fabulous Rowntree Park Cafe for our second Yarnbombing Workshop.  Deborah and I weren't sure how many people to expect but had reserved two tables with Danielle, the lovely manager of the RP cafe.  


 

Yarnbombing Extra Table!

Again we had more people than anticipated and had to take over a third table.  Some were return visitors after our Saturday workshop (so we must be doing something right!).  



This time we extended our reach to Hebden Bridge (not quite as far as Canada but still pretty impressive I say!)

Yarnbombing Goodies!

Here's a pic of some of the things made or brought to the workshop - it's not everything as some things are still "under construction". We can't wait to see the finished items next time! 

Thank you to everyone who came - we enjoyed it and we hope you did too!



We were so busy somehow I managed to miss out on the fantastic cakes they have at Rowntree Park Cafe.  It won't happen again - I saw how much the workshop attendees were enjoying them!

http://www.york.gov.uk/directory_record/103/rowntree_park_reading_cafe

Hope to see you at the next Yarnbombing Workshop:
Saturday 29 June - 11:00 to 14:00
Hobbycraft (First floor)
Monks Cross Shopping Park, York, YO32 9GX

Paper Trail by Deborah Bowness & Students from York College - Part 2

My last post on this subject seemed to be quite popular:
http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/paper-trail-by-deborah-bowness-students.html 
so I thought you might like to see some of the other transformations that have happened in York. 

So... let's go to the Leeman Road Tunnel (on the way to the National Railway Museum - somewhere else in York always worth a visit! http://www.nrm.org.uk/)  There is quite alot to see along the length of this rather dreary tunnel but here's my selection ...

Paper Trail - Wallpaper

And just a bit further on there were these - I've only just thrown out a collection of videos that looked just like this!

Paper Trail - Videos

Paper Trail - Wallpaper Detail

Paper Trail - Birds, Cabinet & Window

Paper Trail - Chairs & Window

Next I went to the White Swan Hotel in the City Centre.  This building has been an eyesore for years so it's transformation was a welcome change!

Paper Trail - Bookshelves

Paper Trail - Parrots & Pot Plants

The White Swan Hotel Transformed by Paper Trail

As I said before these are only temporary so go and take a look while you can!

First Yarnbombing Workshop

We had a fab first yarnbombing workshop today - had to get out an extra table and lots more chairs!  It was great to meet so many lovely & enthusiastic people.  Here's a few snaps of our morning  ...

We even had a lady from Canada, who's also going to be doing some yarnbombing over there and we can't wait to see the photos!

Everyone got a chance to have a go - lots of finger knitting, weaving, pompom making, bunting and ordinary knitting.  For some people it was their first ever go at knitting and for others they were coming back to it after a long time.

Basket of Goodies from the Yarnbombing Workshop

Lovely textures

So .. thanks to everyone who came it was great to meet you.  

Next Yarnbombing Workshop: 
Friday 17 May - 14:00 to 16:00

Rowntree Park Café 
Rowntree Park, Richardson Street, York, YO23 1JU