Ro Bruhn Workshop - Textile Journals

 A little over a week ago I spent a week in a class with Ro Bruhn, the class was one of the many on offer as part of Fibre Forum, Geelong. This event has occurred annually since 2000 and is held at Geelong Grammar School. 

The class was based around the construction of a fabric journal that also had elements of mixed media, paper and incorporated repurposed textiles, ephemera. You can see more of Ro’s work here

I did not make a textile journal instead I created a series of framed pieces or pages, loosely around the concept of flowers.

Each page is a background of many different fabric pieces secured with a large amount of free machine scribble. The flowers are a collage of shapes that are also cut from pieces of fabric and attached with free machine embroidery.

I started out with good intentions and the personal challenge to work in a lighter or more pastel colour palette. My first page took elements of the project in that it incorporated repurposed fabric, stitch and ephemera.  The plan was for it to become a page in the journal or possibly the cover. Unfortunately, it didn't make the cut for a variety of reasons.

The next page was started with the intention to keep with pastel palette and was a larger piece intended to form the centre spread of the journal. 

 

I really lost my way with this piece and despite trying to save it with lots of stitching  and lots of other little flowers it was eventually  cut up and made into this.

A vase of flowers, featuring cut out flower shapes, some coloured with acrylic paint marker pens, repurposed fabric covered buttons, wire and florist tape. These look really cute on my work table.

A card I whipped up for Ro. Very thankful to have been in a class with such a talented and generous tutor. It is great to be able to participate in an intensive workshop and have the opportunity to spend time with ‘the Fibre tribe’ 

My annual photo of the Clivea. Over the years I have watched these grow from very small plants into large well established garden beds.

 

The Viminal Sweater

 This has been finished for a little while. The Viminal sweater is a pattern from Stolen Stitches, an Irish yarn and pattern company. This company has excellent patterns, great yarn and also provides lots of clubs and knit along opportunities

The yarns used are Stolen Stitches Nua in the colour Kitten fluff (grey) and the purple variegated is a sock yarn that has been in my stash for many years. Both yarns knit with one strand of charcoal mohair.

The finished fabric of the knit is soft and has a lovely drape with a little halo from the mohair that also blends the yarns together.

The pattern features saddle shoulders, a construction technique that I have not tried before. I made a few modifications to the pattern including a ribbed neckband and ribbed cuffs and hemline as I prefer this finish. 

The Ones That Got Away

One of the things about a tidy up of the files and photos is that you discover so many things that you forgot to post. I guess we all have times when we mean to post but somehow life gets in the way and it slips your mind.  There are other smaller items and accessories scarves which will be the subject of a later post.

 These are some of the other knitting projects that have occupied my time but I didn’t get around to recording. First up, the Margila sweater, designed by Carol Feller who operates a knitting store and business,  Stolen Stitches. I have purchased many patterns and yarns from this store online, the business is in Ireland and I am in Australia. This was finished November ‘25. The yarn is a combination of dk from The Camels Yarn and kid silk haze mohair from Roman Yarns

This is a rework, it involved a form of steeking, some extensive reknitting, different bands, new faux leather buttons and a shorter length. I am really happy with the changes. Reworked November ‘25

The original, no longer how I wear my cardigans but worthy of a makeover.

A fave, the Fern Mor pattern knit in Deas yarn. Pattern and yarn from Stolen Stitches. Finished December’25

Another from my favourite designer Carol Feller . Tangential Blues pattern (adapted/modified) and Deas Yarn. Pattern and Yarn from @Stolen Stitches. Finished April ‘26

Test knit Fences Vest completed for Vera Marcu @veralovesknitting  I finished this quite recently but waiting for warmer weather to enjoy wearing a vest. Our winter has been quite cold and I am enjoying all my heavier weight knits. Finished July ‘26

Chunky Magnolia Cardigan. Pattern from Camilla Vaddk and knit in one strand Deas yarn (Stolen Stitches) combined wth one strand mohair (Berenice yarn) Finished October ‘25.

The Not So Common Snail

 My friend Helena, is a dedicated gardener, beekeeper and and a wonderful woman who has spent a lifetime creating beautiful spaces. Every Christmas she decorates her house with a collection of whimsical trees and ornaments, collected over many years  and a combination of family treasures, handmade and vintage adorn the most magnificently themed Christmas trees. 

One of her trees is dedicated to all things garden.  These giant snail sculptures are ornaments for her garden tree. 

Each snail is about ten centimetres in length. The bodies are made with air dry clay moulded over a scrunched foil slug shape and then painted with acrylic.

The shells were made with the last pieces of African fabrics from my stash. The simple shapes were lightly stuffed and rolled up, stitched to hold the structure together and then stitched onto and around the body. Once finished the snails got a coat of Estapol (polyurethane) to seal the acrylic paint and make them shiny and a hanging ribbon.

More Books - Workshop with Avril Makula

 Last January I participated in a workshop with Avril Makula. It was one of the many options on offer as part of the Summer Brushes Program organised by Grampians Arts.  Somehow I managed to forget to post about the event so it is long overdue and prompted by my enrolment in this coming January’s program.

It was a fabulous and very productive class. Many different book structures were covered, and we were kept very busy. This is a photo taken of my books taken as part of the exhibition of student work.

This is a Figure of Eight Book that is made from artworks cut from paper cups that I collected from my coffee purchased at the Little Red Caboose coffee van. I had enough cups to make it reversible. I gave it to Prue to display in her coffee van

The event is held at Longerenong Agricultural College in Horsham. My favourite spot for taking a break and enjoying my coffee.

A Test Knit - Noosa Cardigan

 From time to time I do a test knit for a pattern designer. I have quite a few conditions when I think about submitting a request to  a designer to become a test knitter as do they. My requirements are that it must be a garment that I can wear and will I be able to make it in the allocated time. Given that I am a larger size there is a lot more knitting! This garment was one such happy collision of  my requirements and the designer’s requirements.

The pattern is the Noosa Cardigan, named after Noosa in Australia. The designer is Vera Marcu, who designers her patterns under the name of veralovesknitting. When the test call came out the pattern was shown from the back, much like this image. 

The cardigan has lots of texture from the alternating bean stitch and rib rows with an interesting cable panel down the centre back.

The pattern suggested a sport weight yarn, not something that I have a lot of in my stash and then I remembered this yarn. Knit in Langs Donegal, a single ply dk tweed style yarn that was very fine and knit to gauge. Perfect for the job.

I like to block my finished knits, important process for getting the garment to size and shape, also relaxes the stitches to create a smooth fabric.

The yarn came from a friend, it is not a colour that I would usually wear but I think looks good with navy and denim. 

Some New Knits

 These are my two recently finished knits.

This is not totally my work. I was gifted this from a friend. The yarn is hand spun and dyed by her. I have extensively reworked the garment. The original version had a large collar, sleeves that were approximately fifteen centimetres longer and much wider and the body length twenty five centimetres longer. The first step was to unpick the centre front bands, then remove the collar and reduce the length. My next step was to reknit the neckline and increase the depth using German short rows. Once these alterations were completed I reknit the centre front bands and hem edge. The sleeves were unpicked back to the elbow and then reknit to a shorter length and a more tapered silhouette. I then had a hunt in my button stash and luckily found enough of the same button to use.

This cardigan is another stash buster. I had two or three skeins of each colour and not enough of any of them for a garment. A striped garment was the obvious solution. The cardigan pattern is the Jane cardigan from jessicamknits with stripes knitted into the pattern. The yarn is the rustic Dk (alpaca, silk, linen) from the Camels Yarn.