Gorgeous George!

Gorgeous George stood majestically, proudly displaying his royal red wiastcoat. Well, it had to be red as he was  knitted by Margaret. She created him from a kit and added button eyes. Such a cute little guy!

Janice had completed an amazing rainbow baby blanket using a ripple pattern. The colours are so eye-catching. I am quickliy becoming a fan of rainbow blankets. I shall add this to my list of things to try......at some point.

Ponchos are back in fashion! I had a snazzy blue tartan poncho with white fringing that my mum made for me when I was a teenager! Now where did I put? Norma has been busy creating a range of childrens' crocheted ponchos. This is the second size and has been worked in Aran yarn. Fab.

This pretty lilac child's bag was crocheted by Kathleen using crocodile stitch. Some little girl will be delighted with this.

The poncho and hat set were also made by Kathleen for a friend's granddaughter to be. I love the detail on the hat. The second poncho is for Kathleen's own granddaughter, lucky girl. Ponchos are becoming popular!

This attactrtive scarf was crocheted in half an hour by Kathleen! Now this could become a new fad!

 
 I am always amazed at the variety of crafts that our group participate in. This week Jemma had completed a necklace for a lady who normally buys her jewellery in Dubai but now commissions Jemma to create for her. Jemma has been making jewellery for a number of years now and everything she makes is for sale. I particularly love the bracelet. Very stylish.

This fabulous yarn has been hand-dyed by Lisa and is called Ocean Speckled. It is  4 ply sock weight and I want some! I need some!

These "For The Love of Yarn" keyrings are for those yarn emergency moments.........you just break the seal and .......KNIT! A very clever marketing ploy by Lisa. These should go like hot cakes!

My deepest apologies Lisa, technology has beaten me again! This pretty little sun dress and headband were crocheted by Lisa using one of her own colourways, called Rasperry Ripple. Just to compliment the garment, Lisa made a matching button! Now, how clever is that?

Paula bought some eyelash yarn in Watt Bros and made this amazing scarf. It is so soft to the touch. Ideal for those cold winter days.

Gartmore 17th and 18th May 2014

A big Thank You to Ginnie Willis who first suggested the idea of a crafting weekend, many years ago. This was our fifth visit to Gatmore Hosue and I'm delighted to say that this event is eagerly awaited by one and all. The great Scottish weather did its usual.......RAIN! But many of our group were too busy to notice or care. Elaine organised the event and we really appreciated the time and effort that she employed to make this event a success. Thanks, Elaine. We are already looking forward to 2015!

The crafting weekend is an opportunity to try out or experience new crafts that you had never considered before. Paula was kind enough to give us a taster of Origami Paper Folding. You may have seen Paula before Christmas working on her Christmas Wreath and wondered what she was doing. The completed Christmas decoration was spectacular.

Paula had kits ready for us all and she was very encouraging. As you can see in the pictures we had to really concentrate to complete the task. There were moments of anguish! However, the decorative balls were a vision to behold!

Yvonne brought a selection of hats and gave a master class on How To Wear a Hat! As you can see, Magda,  has found a new vocation in life! I wonder what style of hat she will wear to the next group meeting!

Elaine brought an emergency supply of cupcakes for us to decorate using a button mould from Lakeland and fondant icing. We are just like big kids playing with pretty colours and making buttons to personalise our cupcakes. There were more cupcakes but some of them evaporated! Elaine has very good toys!

Isabel demonstrated How To Make a Flower with some fondant icing. She saw this idea on the internet and dazzled us with her brilliance!

Magda completed her crocheted poncho during the weekend and was delighted to model this stunning garment. This could be a new fashion trend at the group. Quite a few people expressed an interest in attempting to make a poncho. Someone was willing to let Magda make one for her.......guess who!

The chat was great and we had many a laugh during our stay but everyone managed to continue with some personal crafting projects. Norma , was particularly industrious and managed to complete a very fetching hat with a pink bauble.

This child's poncho was also completed by Norma. The white edging and pompoms just finish the garment off beautifully.

 Just to prove that we were actually in the countryside, this was the view from my bedroom window on the Sunday morning.

Some brave souls participated in my Sashiko class. This was a bit more taxing and someone almost had a tantrum..... but isabel promised to finish her needle case at home. I wonder if she will rope in her husband to help her!

I was so busy watching Lyn demonstrating the Big Shot Die Cut machine that I forgot to take some photographs. Sorry, Lyn. Norma was captivated by the magic of the machine and instantly thought of many crafting projects that she could create with it. I can't wait to see some of her ideas put into practice.

Roberta caused a stir while she worked on assembling her Christmas Penguins. She plans to display them at the bottom of the Christmas tree.

Yvonne was busy with her sewing machine quilting this baby cot cover. She brought the panel back from New Zealand and always intending doing something with it. What a wonderful gift idea!

Roberta had made lots of granny squares and used her time at Gartmore to learn how to join the squares using a raised join. A beautiful baby gift.

Caroline completed this stunning rainbow baby blanket just before we left for home. She found this pattern on the internet and created this glorious blanket for a friend who is about to become a Granny. I just love this blanket! Wow!

I may have missed out incidents and laughs If you would like to join us next year start saving. Elaine is looking at possible dates for 2015. This is an event to be experienced. Pure indulgence. Crafting. Good company. Meals and no dishes to do. What more could you ask for?