As part of my 2011 resolution to stop talking about things and actually do them I have started a knitting group. A new trendy coffee shop has just opened in the wasteland that can be the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. It is a place in transition as it tackles the 21st century. There are still greasy spoons to cater for the men in dirty boiler suits but some new places are opening up for the new 'creatives' moving to the new apartments in the area. We are definitely the incomers!
Anyway I wanted to start a group who could meet on a Wednesday afternoon to knit, drink tea and chat. Working freelance can be very lonely and there is a time when you have to have a good reason to put on proper clothes and some make-up (PJs are just too comfy!). Got off to a slow start as there are only two of us who are in the group but hopefully more will join. We are called the Diamond Knitters (as opposed to geezers). My first project was to have a go at knitting a pair of socks - learning to turn a heel has driven me to tears but hey, I got there in the end. And here they are...
Well, I have been threatening to join the bloggersphere and so here I am. At a crossroads. looking for a signpost. Various recent events have caused me to stop and think about families and the backstory we all have.
There has always been a strong 'making' tradition in my family. Both my Mum and Grandma taught me how to knit and sew and make things generally, which probably influenced my choice to go to Art School. It is only now, twenty-five years later that I feel I would like to explore the creative construction side of my life that once was.
I have recently been looking at some of the embroidered work done by my relatives. One of the tablecloths was worked by my Mum and was done when she was just 15 years old to go towards her bottom drawer. That makes me feel closer to a past generation now pretty much lost to the present generation. The embrodery has inspired me to revisit some work I had previously done with felt - what a wonderful material!
