Worthing Artists Open Houses 2017

Come and say hello to me and the knitted birds at Venue 20 of the Worthing Artists Open Houses trail! This fun and friendly house is open for its third year. Find art, illustration, textiles, and printmaking by 7 artists, and enjoy a cuppa and something to eat in the garden.

The Ashdown Road artists are Anna's Drawing Room, hello DODO, John Bond, Ellie Bond, Julie Ingham, Sarah Edmonds, and me!

Venue 20 is at 39 Ashdown Road, Worthing BN11 1DF, and it's open 11am-5pm 17th/18th June, 24th/25th June and 1st/2nd July. You can see (and buy!) my knitted birds, book and knit kits every weekend, and I'll be there on 17th June (in the afternoon, time TBC), 25th June 1pm-5pm and 1st July 1pm-5pm.

Peacock on the beach

Here's another of my new designs - a knitted peacock. It's not often that you spot a peacock on Worthing beach. The seagulls didn't quite know what to make of it.

Knitted Birds book launch

I'm going to be at The Wool Bar, Worthing on Saturday 3rd October from 2-5pm, signing copies of Knitted Birds and dishing out tea and biscuits to celebrate the launch of my book.

Come along and meet me and the knitted birds, it would be lovely to see you!

Knitted Seagulls

Knitted seagulls on Worthing beach, making the most of the autumn sunshine.

Cockatoos

Knitted cockatoos! Cheerful chaps with felt crests - they enjoyed their visit to the Wool Bar, Worthing, and behaved themselves with the fat quarters.

Puffin on the beach

Beautiful, frosty morning on Worthing beach this morning. Perfect weather for a knitted puffin!

Knitted avocet

One of those mornings where the skies are bright blue with not a cloud in sight. The perfect day for a trip to the beach with latest addition to my knitted flock, the avocet.

This bird is the first one I've made which has a driftwood base. I will probably make some more like this in the future as the driftwood looks beautiful, and on a more practical note, it helps with stability when you're trying to get a long - legged wobbly wader to stand up!

Curlew

Normally sighted on bleak winter estuaries, the curlew is the largest wader you'll spot in the UK. The smaller knitted curlew can be spotted here in the more refined environment of Worthing's Wool Bar, checking out the yarn before flying over to the window to sit with the other knitted birds. They'll be in the Wool Bar all August if you fancy visiting them. Binoculars are entirely optional.

Pochard

Little knitted Pochard joins the flock of knitted birds at The Wool Bar...

Flock to Worthing

Creative Waves Flock to Worthing bird art trail starts today, July 22nd and runs until 1st September! Pick up an art trail map from one of the many venues listed on their website and then wander through Worthing town and seafront, spotting rare birds created by local artists and art groups. (Personally, I would use this as an opportunity to go to Parklife to pick up a map, coffee, and a cupcake, but then to be honest, I need very little excuse to go to Parklife).

All of my knitted birds are installed in the window of The Wool Bar, Warwick Street, so go along and say hello! I'll be adding more birds over the next few weeks as I make them.

Lapwing

A knitted lapwing, quite a rare sight on Worthing beach - or any beach, for that matter. This little chap will be appearing with all my other knitted birds in the Creative Waves Flock to Worthing art trail this summer, and then... well, I can't tell you more details at the moment, but something very exciting is going to happen later in the year. So get your binoculars out and watch this space...

Canada goose

 

And now a Canada Goose joins the ever-increasing flock of knitted birds! I used to have a proper goose-phobia, due to being chased on multiple occasions by these avian watchdogs when I was a child. Knitting this one is proof that those days are now behind me, mostly down to the good goose PR dished out by the sweet-natured Nene geese at Arundel WWT. They are tiny, and love to eat out of your hand.

I am still very much aware that a Canada Goose on a bad day can give Dennis Hopper a run for his money, but this knitted version is very well-behaved. He was offered chips at Worthing's Hut 42 seafront gallery today, and only took one.

Oystercatcher

And here's the final one of this week's knitted birds: an oystercatcher. The oystercatcher's black and white plumage always reminds me of a butler dressed in a white shirt and black tails. It's one of my favourite birds. I've never seen one in Worthing (which is why it was great to see the knitted version looking for lunch on the beach) but was lucky enough to see one at the WWT Arundel Wetlands Centre when I visited a few weeks ago. He was close enough to see his bright red eye through my not-particularly-fancy binoculars.

This knitted version has a red bead eye, his beak is felt, and his red legs are yarn-wrapped wire.

Hopefully another bird will be alighting here next week!

Worthing seagull

 

 

Here's my large knitted herring gull! I took him down to Worthing beach this morning for a blustery photoshoot before delivering him to his new home at The Wool Bar in Warwick Street. Pop in and say hello to him (and Caroline, who'll be naming him!). As you can see, he enjoyed exploring the shop and I left him sitting on The Wool Bar's wooden table, being eyed up by Warwick Street's real-life gulls outside.

There will be a knitting pattern for him, and his smaller version, very soon.

Cute seagull

 

My lovely local yarn shop, The Wool Bar, have asked me to knit them a life-sized Herring Gull. The street that they are on, Warwick Street, in Worthing, has a particularly large and determined gang of gulls who make rich pickings from Warwick Street's many cafes.

I'm a bit concerned that the life-sized knitted version will attract a bit too much attention from the feathered gull mafia outside, but we shall have to wait and see.

This little fellow isn't life-sized. He's a small prototype gull who I am going to scale up to large scale over the next few weeks. He's a lot cuter than the Warwick Street gulls but hopefully when he's bigger, he'll look a bit meaner. I'd particularly like to capture that look in their eye just before they steal your chips.

If you'd like to see little gull, he's currently residing with Caroline at The Wool Bar. I hope to get him, and his larger model, made up into knitting patterns soon.

Stroll for Solidarity

 The phone box in Worthing's Styne Gardens has been given a fantastic knitted makeover by Worthing and Arun Mind and Blueprint 22. It's all wrapped up in shades of blue and white in honour of the Stroll 4 Solidarity, a 5k seafront walk taking place this Sunday,  23rd September 2012.

There were people crossing over the road from the seafront and  peering through the phonebox windows at all the little knitted flowers inside. It's really worth a look if you're in Worthing town centre over the coming week.

The Stroll 4 Solidarity starts at 10.30am on Sunday. "Everyone’s invited to go along and take part, regardless of their age or physical ability. There will be markers and marshalls along the route so that you can tailor the distance as required.  Show your support by getting some exercise in the great outdoors which is good for your emotional wellbeing." It's free to join in and show your support of this vital local charity, but if you want to get sponsorship, that would be even better, and you can download a sponsorship form here.

Once the display is over, the knitted cosy will be taken down and turned in blankets for the homeless.

 Just goes to show, graffiti knitting can be fun and help good causes at the same time.

Worthing Knit and Natters

Worthing may be a small and sleepy Sussex town, but blimey, there's a lot of crafty things going on. Here's a list of groups meeting up for coffee, knitting, sewing and general socialising in Worthing at the moment. Listings are organised according to the day of the week. Contact the organisers to check events are running before packing up your needles and heading out. Have I missed out anyone? Hope not. Let me know if I have!

Hook Knit and Sip, 2nd Monday of the month, 10.30am - 12.30pm at St Paul's

"Coffee or Tea, Crochet or Knit, the choice is yours!" This small group has only recently started - mostly crochet beginners but knitters welcome too! Pop over to Facebook and say hello to Magscraft for more info.  St Paul's Centre, 55b Chapel Road, Worthing BN11 1EE.

Knit and Natter, every Tuesday evening 7pm - 9pm at The Wool Bar

A very, very popular meet-up at Worthing's spiritual home of knitting, The Wool Bar. "Bring your current project, meet others, relax and enjoy the company, as we put the world to rights!" It can get rather busy, warns Caroline. The Wool Bar, 15 Warwick Street, Worthing  BN11 3DF

Knit and Natter at Worthing Library, 1st Wednesday of the month 10 - 11.30am
"Come to the Library to meet new people and share your craft creations."
Worthing Library, Richmond Road, Worthing BN11 1HD

Seabelles Knit and Natter "This year we are meeting the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Thomas A Becket pub in Worthing 7 – 9pm. It's lots of fun and you are more than welcome to bring crochet, sewing or even just turn up for a natter, glass of wine and some inspiration." You can check the dates here on the Seabelles blog.

Meet and Make, every Thursday morning, 10am - 12pm at Coast

A lovely, chilled mix of crafters of all ages. Of course I'm going to say that because I help organise this one. Come along and say hello to a friendly and supportive group of knitters, crocheters, cross stitchers and crafters. Whatever craft you can bring to Coast is most welcome! We're usually stitching away at the big table downstairs. Every Thursday apart from school holidays (we used to meet on Tuesday but have changed dates). Photo of Chi Chi Revolver by uber-blogger Ivy Arch. Coast Cafe, Beach Parade, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 2ES

Make and Munch, last Thursday of the month at Green Cuisine.

"Once a month a group called Make n' Munch gets together to be creative, learn new skills (eg knitting, crochet, pumpkin carving, drawing, card making, sewing etc), and complete various community projects. Open to "ladies of any age who like craft, art and being creative." Make and Munch is organised by Storm Ministries, the people behind that beautiful garden full of yarnbombing in Union Place. Green Cuisine, 37 Rowlands Road, Worthing, BN11 3JJ

Worthing Renaissance WI meet at the Scout Hut in Anglesea Road. "Our first aim is to create a new and exciting group for women who wish to talk, learn, share, create, help local projects, have fun... and enjoy the occasional tipple, a nice hot cuppa and of course cake!" They meet on the last Thursday of every month at 8pm.

Meet and Make at Broadwater Library, every Friday, 10.45am -12pm
"People can bring in their own craft projects, which could include knitting, quilting, painting or model making, or come and find inspiration for a new one. The sessions are a great opportunity for people to share their skills and socialise. There is also a selection of craft books available for people to browse and borrow."
Broadwater Library, Dominion Road, Broadwater, Worthing BN14 8JL

Durrington Knit and Natter at Durrington Library, 1st Friday of the month, 11am - 1pm

"Do you enjoy knitting, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery or any other kind of stitching? Would you be interested in meeting like minded people sharing knowledge, or nattering about your stitching?"

Durrington Library, Salvington Road, Worthing  BN13 2JD

Worthing Women's Institute also run monthly lunch clubs and craft groups - contact them for more details.

There's also often local groups looking for knitters to get involved with various charity projects. Caroline at The Wool Bar often organises charity knits, so get in touch with her to see what's going on. Transition Town Worthing's Reskilling group have knitted blankets for Worthing Churches Homeless Project in the past and sometimes run knit and natters and workshops.

Hope that's enough Worthing knitting to keep you busy for a while!

Meet and Make at Mooeys

Knitters, sewers, crocheters and makers - meet up in Mooeys Mocha Shop, Worthing, every Tuesday morning (starting 7th Feb) and bring along your current projects for a spot of stitching and damn fine coffee. Procrastinators - bring along those shirts that have needed buttons sewing onto them for the past 6 months! You know you've got them.

I'll be there knitting my dolls, and so will crochet Queen Chi Chi Revolver so come along and say hello!

Drop in for as little or as long as you like on Tuesday morning, 10 - 12. Free event but please buy drinkies or cakies to support our legendary local coffee shop.

Captain Jack Sparrow doll

The very talented Simon Dack came and took some photos of me and my Pirates of the Caribbean dolls yesterday. Here's a few of Captain Jack enjoying a windy day on the beach in Worthing - I think the bluster gives his hair a real action hero look.


Which is more than can be said for my hair, in most of the shots I looked like Professor Trelawney's unkempt cousin. But I like this one of me and Jack hanging out in a rusty beach shelter on the prom.

I'm working on the pattern for Captain Jack at the moment and hope it have it in my Etsy shop very soon.

Like Cake cross stitch

Like cake? Like Facebook? Then you will definitely like stitching this cross stitch sampler.

The Cake button in the photo is worked in cross stitch, with a half-cross stitch background, on 14 count aida fabric.

You can buy the pattern from my Etsy shop. And you can buy the awesome cakes in the photo from Parklife Cafe, Bath Place, Worthing, UK. If you're ever in Worthing, don't miss Parklife's cakes... very special.