We love Steve Messam's 'Sentinal', made during Wool week, up in the remote Eden Valley in Cumbria. Steve covered a barn in 200 Swaledale fleeces, on no budget with the help of four volenteers. Steve explained to the Westmoreland Gazette that barns, known as 'hogg houses' were built to shelter the year old sheep - or hoggs- overnight or during bad weather. The Swaledale sheep became so hardy that they no longer needed the shelter, hence bringing about the demise of the barns. Steve wanted to shw the relationship between the breed and the barn as points of history of agriculture and the shaping of the landscape.
Steve explained on his blog that he was delighted to make a piece of art that the farmers 'got'.
Swaledale, if you haven't knitted with it, is tough, oily, and very warm. We spin it here in DK, and it is 90p/10g. If you want a garment for walking in this kind of landscape, Swaledale, (or it's cousin Herdwick) is the yarn for you.
These lovely pictures are from Steve Messam's blog which you can find at
http://www.stevemessam.co.uk
Prick Your Finger will be proud to present
We are so grateful to Mary Burkett for showing us these beautiful watercolour paintings, made by a 10 year old girl in 1820. We don't know what became of her, but she clearly had a love of textiles. Here she illustrates a trip to the haberdashers; perhaps she was choosing fabric for a new dress.
Then she went for tea somewhere, and people wore more beautiful garments.
And we aren't too sure where she went at 11 o'clock...
and she must have loved this windy walk....
meeting her friends along the way....
and digging on the beach.
Don't worry about your Christmas shopping! Bust's Craftacular is back, for a shopping, crafting and dancing bonanza at York Hall Bethnal Green on Sunday November 28th 12-6pm.
We love Steve Messam's 'Sentinal', made during Wool week, up in the remote Eden Valley in Cumbria. Steve covered a barn in 200 Swaledale fleeces, on no budget with the help of four volenteers. Steve explained to the Westmoreland Gazette that barns, known as 'hogg houses' were built to shelter the year old sheep - or hoggs- overnight or during bad weather. The Swaledale sheep became so hardy that they no longer needed the shelter, hence bringing about the demise of the barns. Steve wanted to shw the relationship between the breed and the barn as points of history of agriculture and the shaping of the landscape.
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