Knitted Kittens Craft Group

Once again here is another fantastic poster by Sophie Daniel for our monthly knitting and craft group. I love this poster, it's probably one of my favourites that she's ever done. I have recently started having a think about some of the ways I will be interviewing the group to collect data for my research. The group is also an attempt to build and participate with some of the communities that I am studying.

Trip to Knit and Knatter, Walney Island

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to The Queens Arms Pub, Biggar Village on Walney Island to present my research and interview members of their local 'Knit and Knatter' group.
The pub is owned by Mary Rudkin (along with her friend Julie) who is a lecturer at my University. We met when I was presenting at the university's annual research conference, she asked if I could come and talk to her monthly knitting group and I thought it would be a good opportunity to do some interviews and get some practice. I had such an amazing time while I was there, they kept me very well fed with the lovely pub food and let me try some of the specialist real ales they served. They are still renovating some areas of the pub but they managed to make me feel very much at home, here is a picture of the pub from the outside.

I wanted to chat to her group and ask questions about how new technologies may have assisted them when being in a fairly remote location; but instead the majority of the data that I ended up getting heavily focused on the concept and benefits of community, which is also primary focus of my research. Mary wanted me to introduce the concept of guerilla knitting/yarn bombing into her group, as a suggestion of an activity they could participate in together and brighten up some parts of the Island and the neighbouring town of Barrow in Furness. I really didn't expect the suggestion that I made to be so well received but all of the ladies in the group seemed really excited and all suggested places and ways to yarn bomb.
I added these two slides to my original presentation, there isn't a lot of information on them as I merely wanted to introduce the some of the ideas and inspire them to do their own thing. I actually really enjoyed adding these slides as I got to look at some of the fabulous different ways people choose to yarn bomb.

They were all so friendly that I urge you to try and visit them at some point. Mary very kindly gave me a present for my knitting group as a thanks for coming down. These amazing knitting needles, which are size 35! I can't wait to try different types and sizes of yarn on these and experiment with all the interesting textures they might produce.

Mary also painted this card of neighbouring island of Piel and got all the group to sign it with lovely messages about how they enjoyed my talk.

Here is a picture of Mary spinning some fleece she had from some of the local alpacas that also live on the island. Thanks again so much for having me and introducing me to your fantastic group, I can't wait to hear how you all get on with your future projects and guerilla knitting, good luck! x

Connected Communities Conference

I have just come back from the Connected Communities Conference at Newcastle University, it was such a great conference as it really focused on my area of research. I was a bit too shy to speak to people there at the time but I have been contacted by a few people via twitter and will definitely email them back for a chat:

Here are a few photos that I took of some of my favourite presenters but they didn't come out too great because they were taken on my phone:

 OrsayCommons, Building a Micro-Community of Museum Hackers,

Julien Dorra.

 Seeds to Soil,

Lien Tran.

The Community Stack: Design Principles for a Community Centered Solution Stack,

Adam Hasler, Kawandeep Virdee and Benjamin Sugar.

I was driven to Newcastle by the lovely Dr. Gill Green, who is far too good to me, we stayed at one of her houses and she was my guide around the city. She took me to Durham University which was really inspiring and the Angel of the North, which was amazing:

On the way back we drove back through the Lake District and stopped off at a farm shop where we met this handsome chap:

I had such a great time, saw loads of new things and learned lots, of course it takes a few days for everything to sink in and I'm still very tired. I'm hoping to apply to present at this conference myself next year so fingers crossed.

Little Big Planet

A great way to explain some of the aspects that I am looking at in my research is by looking at the game Little Big Planet on the Playstation 3. The game allows you to create your own levels and upload them to a wider community, not to mention all of the lovely craft references too. Some of the things that it stands for has been incredibly influential to me, such as making your own culture and was even one of the reasons why I wanted to learn to knit. You can also download a pattern to knit your own sack boy if you wanted to make one yourself.

DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture

"If you can't find the cultural experience you are looking for, simply create your own alternative" (Spencer, 2008)

Summary of St. Andrews Craft Fair

I had such a nice time meeting all of these new people and hanging out at the fair, I know it sounds like a silly thing to say but I felt like a real researcher and felt that real sense of community that I've been writing about. When I told a few people that I managed to get seven amazing interviews in one day some looked doubtful, but I know that I got some real quality interviews and I'm glad I did it. I'm hoping to hit some more craft fairs over the next coming months and even if I get half of the amazing interviews I got from doing this then I will be very lucky indeed. 

I found these cute fountain pen tiles hidden around the side of the building, reminds me to get writing.

Special thanks to Faye Scott Farrington for organising the fair and letting me bug her table holders, well done for doing such a good job. I really hope she does it again sometime soon. 

Interview with Nicola Rowland

The last of my interviews from St Andrews Court Craft Fair was Nicola Rowlands, who is a designer and illustrator. I didn't initially go over to Nicola's table to ask for an interview, I went over because I was drawn to her unique products and quirky designs. I was under strict instructions from my boyfriend that I wasn't allowed to buy anything but I was tickled by this mirror so couldn't resist getting it.

 'Catula Mirror'

Nicola's interview was the perfect end to the day, her work completely represents the new craft movement which attracted me to my research topic. Her work is cute, fun and original, and if you want to see more then you should definitely visit her website: www.nicolarowlands.com

Nicola also has an etsy shop and you can use this code: COOLFORCATS to get 10% off your purchase!

Interview with Paul Capewell and Lisa Made Me

Although I interviewed both of these sellers separately, they were sharing a table so I thought it fitting that they share a blog post too.
The first of the pair of interviewees was Paul Capewell, who is a photographer based in Manchester and was selling some of his wonderful prints; sharing the table was his girlfriend Lisa Abrams who runs Lisa Made Me, who specialises in lovely handmade cushions and bags from vintage fabrics. Despite being fairly new to craft fairs both interviewees had very well formed opinions and ideas within their interviews and although Paul and Lisa shared a table they both had their own unique voices and thoughts on the subject. I very much enjoyed meeting both of them and wish them the best of luck in their pursuits.

If you would like to find out further about Paul Capewell's work then you can visit his website: www.paulcapewell.com

If you would like to have a look at some of Lisa's creations then you can visit her folksy store.

Interview with Love Umbrellas

My next interview of the day was with with Klair Lee from Love Umbrellas. She specializes in customized umbrellas and parasols for any occasion including weddings, everyday use and specialist costumes. What I particularly liked about Love Umbrellas is how they reinvent a seemingly mundane item into something very beautiful, I like how this opens the potential to appreciate special items when things have become increasingly more disposable.

I found Klair to be very professional and she gave me some excellent new perspectives within her interview. Love Umbrella's products demonstrate the real increase that is happening of niche markets and demand for bespoke items. I wish them the best of luck in their growing business.
If you would like to purchase or inquire about any of Love Umbrella's products then you can contact them through their website. 

Stay Creative

Source: http://paulzii.tumblr.com/