Wednesday 30 September 2015

Not just Under the Same Sky - Under the Weather!


Today is going to be a very brief post unfortunately as I am feeling rather poorly :(
I somehow never manage to come away from the changing seasons without the sniffles, and this year is no different.

Well it is different in the fact that I don't have time to be sick and I will be heading right under the covers after this post to get myself back to normal for Friday!

As you may recall I am going to the Swiss Wulle Festival on Friday and will be joining all of the lovely people selling, teaching and organizing the event for the pre-festival party and then on to the festival itself on Saturday - so I need to be better otherwise it will be a real drag, sniffing and shivering!

So let me update you on my shawl.
I was hoping to have it finished before the festival but I am guessing that is no longer really a very realistic goal. If I feel better by tomorrow who knows, fingers crossed!

I am however really on the homestretch - I have started on the wave-edging which has the least stitches involved and grows really quickly :)


I do look forward to being able to wear this gorgeous shawl and hope to show you it in it's full glory either on Friday or next week.

Reading wise: I am still busy with last week's book :)

Don't forget to enter yourself into this week's giveaways.


You can either win a yarn bowl or a great pattern
Good Luck!

I will be sharing this post with all of my creative weekly friends.
See you soon.
x


Tuesday 29 September 2015

Butzeria - Bringing You a Little Magic (With Giveaway)


Today I have the pleasure of introducing Meret of Butzeria.ch to you all :)



Welcome Meret :)

Please tell us all a little about yourself and explain to us what drew you to your craft.

I am a girl from the country side, I grew up in Eglisau and my roots are definitively in the country side traditions even I put all these "uncool" things away for many years. If you are young it’s not so cool to say you have a national costume (Tracht) at home.

Luckily for me, I learned most of the crafts in school, I never was the best student in these lessons, but today I know it helped me to develop my crafts. If I had not had this opportunity I wouldn’t have started to knit again 12 years ago.


As soon as I started to knit again, I immediately became a hardcore knitter.

I started to teach myself many different knitting technics like lace-knitting, double knitting, patchwork knitting and also reading patterns in English.

Soon after that I started to design my own patterns.

Besides my knitting I do many other crafts like papercutting and quilting (mostly art quilts) but since I met Fides and Gabi and the amazing wool of Siidegarte I am addicted to knitting again.


What does the Handmade Movement mean to you?

When I started knitting 12 years ago, there was not really a Handmade Movement and all my friends laughed at me when I unpacked my knitting and started to work on my latest project when we met at a BBQ. Sometimes it was hard to hear all the comments that were passed around, but today knitting in public has become „normal“ which is nice. I think we still have a lot of promo-work still to do but the pioneer work is done. The most important work we still have to do is to show the world that Handmade is also Art and not just a hobby! We put a lot of effort and time into improving our techniques and we should learn to be proud of our efforts and to show them off as unique pieces of art. I think we are on the best way forward and hope that in the future these learned crafts will once again be seen as the artwork which they really are.

butzeria.ch

Who or What are you inspired by and why?

I get my inspiration mostly from our Swiss traditions.

I am a national costume embroiderer (Trachtenstickerin) and a collector of antique craft books.
My knitting slogan is „
modern knit designs inspired by tradition“.
The knitting designs I will be displaying for the first time at the SwissWulle Festival have been in my mind for years. Until now it hasn't been the right time to exhibit them. They are inspired from old embroidery patterns, mostly from the alpine region.
I work them out in double knitting, but you can work them into your projects using other techniques as well.

How I became inspired to to work out these designs?

I love fairy-tales and mythical creatures and these patterns are full of them and they look amazing. I find it so sad that the amazing work of our ancestors is getting lost. So why not give them a new life?

What is the one Craft tool you couldn't be without?

I have many important tools which are necessary for each of my crafts but my most important craft tool would have to be my hands :o)

Are their designers/artists who have inspired you along the way?

Yes, of course. One is Paul Klee. I love his colour paintings, they look like patchwork blankets to me. But mostly I love his way of arranging the colour blocks/stripes together.
And his coloursheme…

The other designer would be Kaffe Fassett. I think he is one of the most popular artist/designers. Mostly inspired by his diversity he has taught me that it is absolutely okay to feel at home in different crafts, and I don’t have to limit myself to just one.

chill-out socks


If you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for to advance the Handmade Movement?

I think I would only use one wish: that the handmade movement gets the value of Artwork – Craftsmanship back.


Thank you so much for popping in for a visit Meret, it has been wonderful to have you here.

Where can my Readers find you?

They can find me here:




Pssst: Do you want an insider tip?

Meret will be launching a new Pattern collection at the festival which you will be able to purchase from her on the day!

Doesn't that sound amazing?

Be sure to visit her at Stand 19 and ask her to tell you all about "Tattoo-Knitting" :)





Meret has been wonderfully kind to offer one of you out there a copy of her "Chill-Out" Socks pattern (either in German or English).

Enter yourself into this Giveaway through the Rafflecopter below.

Open Internationally :)
Ends on Thursday 1st October at Midnight!
Winner announced on Friday!

Good Luck!!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you are here, don't forget to enter yourself into the other Giveaway taking place on the blog right now! You can win yourself a handmade yarn bowl! Enter HERE


Monday 28 September 2015

And the Yarn Goes To.........



Thank you to all those of you who took part in this incredible Giveaway sponsored by Sidispinnt :)

The competition is now closed and the winner is known!

And these two gorgeous skeins of Handspun/Hand-dyed yarn go to.......



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Angelika, I am sure you will enjoy your winnings :) 
Do come back and share what you made with this amazing yarn!

The next incredible Giveaway is up and ready for you to win!

You can find today's Giveaway HERE.

Good Luck one and all!

Don't forget that time is running out for you to secure a spot in the wonderful line-up of classes available from this weekend's Festival. 
To see the class offerings available go HERE


Come and share in the experience of the ambiance of the Zug Lake in a sundowner Cruise with like-minded people - I would love to meet you there.
You can book your ticket HERE


Yarn Bowl Anyone? :) Hanna Here for a Visit (With Giveaway)

ton-topf.ch

This week's duo of interviews begins with Hanna from Ton-Topf.ch

Welcome Hanna :)


Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, my name is Hanna Frey. I am the manager of a company of six.....literally - I am a married mom of four teenagers and live in the beautiful canton of Aargau.
Since my childhood I have always appreciated working with my hands.
I have tried many things like knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning and tatting.
I also am a musician and a breeder of Greek Tortoises.

Pottery has always fascinated me and I had the opportunity once in Emmental to visit a potter at work. I knew then that at some point in my life I would give it a go!

Eight years ago I found an opportunity to visit a pottery course in my neighbour village. Since this time I have not let go of my love of clay and continue to visit various courses to enhance my design and heating techniques.

My equipment has also steadily grown over the years, from my own kiln to a electronic potter's wheel which I acquired this year.

"Practice makes Perfect" definitely also applies here, and the aching muscles that I had in my shoulders and arms in the beginning of my experiences have grown less with time :)

Many kilos of clay have since gone through my fingers and the finished products will be on display at this weekend's Swiss Wulle Festival

ton-topf potters wheel

What are you especially proud of?

I am delighted and proud of the fact that I have been able to master the turning on the potters wheel.

Who do you gain inspiration from?

Through the various courses I have visited I have met many inspirational people who willingly have shared their knowledge with me helping me to move forward in my honing my own skills.
Whether it be the local potter from my village or the internationally renowned potter and course instructor - Stefan Jakob

He especially impressed me by the quiet manner in which he shared his "Secrets" with us.

His Motto is " People have always worked with clay, thus everything has already been done at least once! Don't think you are creating something brand new! And so follow my work, and copy it!

pottery from Ton-topf

What does Handmade mean to you?

To make things by hand is in the nature of us humans. In modern day society we have lost touch with some of these skills.
We no longer need these skills for our livelihood and so they have been "degraded" as such to a form of art or a hobby.

I find making something with my hands completely relaxing and enriching.
I often withdraw myself into my studio where I can relax, reflect on difficult situations or just enjoy the process of creating something with my hands.

What other hobbies do you have?

I enjoy knitting immensely. I knit often, and enjoy simple things.
Lately though I have found myself ready to engage enthusiastically in more complicated patterns. When the finished project has impressed me then the joy has been that much greater!

For this reason I am excited to be at the Swiss Wulle Festival because I get to untie my passions of Pottery and Yarn :)

If you had three wishes what you wish for the handmade movement?

The openness that Stefan Jakob inspired me with - I wish this for all people who include themselves in the Handmade Movement of Switzerland.
Be yourself, develop your talents - don't stand still!
Rejoice in your success and rejoice over other's successes too!

Thank you so much for visiting Marigolds' Loft, Hanna.

Where can my readers find you?






Hanna has been incredibly kind and has an amazing giveaway offer for all of you Swiss Residents (or from other countries but visiting the festival)

One of you lucky readers will be able to win yourself a yarn bowl of your choice!

That is right!

The winner will be able to choose their selection of bowl (worth CHF45) from her stand at the festival!
(Winner must fetch their bowl from the Swiss Wulle Festival taking part this weekend!)

All you need to do is enter yourself into the Rafflecopter below!

Good Luck!
Giveaway ends on Thursday 1st October at Midnight. Winner will be announced on Friday 2nd October!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday 27 September 2015

It is nearly Party Time!!

Swiss Wulle Festival Party!

Just under a week to go and then I will be able to meet with all the amazing people that are making the Swiss Wulle Festival the special event that it will be!

I have planned my trip and will be in Zug from Friday until Saturday evening, I would love to meet some of you there!

I can't wait!

To start off the festivities I will be attending the Pre-Festival Knit-Sip-Cruise event!

Doesn't that sound lovely!

This is the wonderful description of this cruise:

"We will meet at the "Landsgemeindeplatz" pier to board the ship from 6pm on - don't be late, we will leave the pier at 6:30 pm sharp for a nice, leisurely sundown-cruise across the lake and back. There will be Apéro and Dinner on board, lots of getting to know each other, chatting, laughing, knitting... and door prizes to be won!"

msrigi

I don't know about you but that sounds absolutely amazing! 
Dinner, wonderful company, prizes and a round of knitting?! - 
You can't top that!

There are still a couple of spots openI would love it if you managed to grab yourself one of those while you still can - it would be so great to get to know some of you over a great meal and perfect ambiance!

It is a wonderful opportunity to meet all the Swiss Wulle Team, the class tutors, as well as all the lovely vendors and get to experience the Zug Lake at sundown! 

I, for one am really excited to get my party on! 

On Saturday the fun will continue at the amazing festival!

As well as the incredibly talented vendors on site over the weekend, there is an array of super cool techniques to learn!

Have you seen the line up of great classes?

There are even two Craftsy Tutors there! Coming all the way to Zug from their various countries to teach some incredible techniques!

The first Craftsy tutor is Romi Hill!
She is well known for her Craftsy Course: New Directions in Lace


The classes she will be offering over the weekend are:


There are still a couple of spots available there so get yours now :)

The next Craftsy Tutor is Nancy Merchant!
Nancy's name is synonymous with brioche knitting which she will also be teaching over the weekend in Zug :) 

Nancy Merchant in Zug

Her classes for the weekend include:


She also has a few spots left and you can book yours HERE

I know a lot of you out there are in the beginning stages of knitting socks.

At the festival there will be another English instructor Rachel Coopey from England, who will be teaching sock knitting courses.

rachel coopey

 The courses that Rachel will be teaching are:


These are just a couple of the incredible instructors that you will be able to profit from over the weekend.
There are so many more incredible class offerings available over the entire weekend! You can find the entire class list HERE

If you are on the fence about which courses you would like to visit, I would recommend that you jump into action!
Many of the courses are already full!
The rest are filling fast!

I look forward meeting some of you there over the weekend of the 2nd - 4th October in Zug, Switzerland.

Don't forget that you still have a couple of hours to enter yourself into the Sidispinnt Yarn giveaway!


Enter Yourself below :)
Open Internationally.....
Support Handmade!
Good Luck :)



Do come back tomorrow for the next installment of fantastic interviews and giveaways before the festival!!
Have a great rest of your Weekend
x








Friday 25 September 2015

Friday FO Fun

Needle Book DIY


Felt Needlebook



Over the last couple of weeks, I have helped our clients make their own Felt Needle-Book.

This is my original design which they made :)

What have you managed to create and finish this week?
Feel Free to share your Friday FO with us below!

Don't forget to enter yourself into this week's amazing Giveaway to win some divine Hand-dyed/Handspun Yarn! You can find the giveaway HERE!

See you soon.
x

Thursday 24 September 2015

Tutorial Thursday Month-Long Linky Party Fun

tutorial thursday Month-Long Linky Party

Welcome back to another month of linking fun!

September is the here and this is the last week for you to link up your September Crafts!

Get creative and share your craft tutorials with us all!

I would love to see them, so share them below :)


Feel free to link up all your crafts below.
I look forward to visiting all of the links I find below.

If you want a button for your side bar - here you go:

Marigolds' Loft

See you again soon
x

P.S. Don't forget to enter yourself into this weeks amazing giveaway to win some gorgeous Handspun/Hand-dyed yarn!
You can find the Giveaway HERE

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Winter on our Doorstep!


Well, I do believe winter is just about here.
It doesn't feel like autumn at all today, rather just like winter!
The wind is howling around the house and I keep asking hubby for just another cuppa tea :)

Thinking to myself that I need to get going with socks and cuffs!

So what have I been busy with this week?

I have been busy with all the interesting interviews of the wonderful ladies that have stands at next weekend's Swiss Wulle Festival.

Don't forget to enter yourself into this week's awesome giveaway to win this amazing yarn (Open Internationally):

sidispinnt

You can find the Giveaway HERE

This week I have been working extensively on my Under the Same Sky Shawl :)

swf_underthesamesky

I am on the second last repeat of pattern and then I will start on the ripple edging :)
I can't wait to have it done and hope to manage to finish it on time (I want to take it with me to the festival on 3rd October 2015)

That said it is such a really awesome knit!

I am at just under 300 stitches already so the rows are taking a while to get through though, but it doesn't make it less interessing!

Reading Wise: I have started to read "The Bloodletter's Daughter" and so far I am enjoying the book.

What are you busy with this week?

I have a finished object to share with you on Friday, so I will see you then.
(Be sure to come by then, you will also have the opportunity to share your finished objects of the week with us too :))

I will be sharing this post with all of my weekly creative friends so drop by there for some incredible inspiration!

See you soon
x

swiss wulle festival





Tuesday 22 September 2015

TréLiz on my Virtual Sofa


Please welcome another lovely Vendor from this year's Swiss Wulle Festival - Lise from TréLiz

I had the pleasure of interviewing her and this is what she had to say:


What does the Handmade Movement mean to you?
As they say in their blog: it is a Celebration of Craftsmanship. It is a connection with history, with another area and knowledge... more importantly to keep it alive for the future

Who are you most inspired by and why?

I am inspired by a lot of things nature, a song, a book, a film, feelings. The people that inspire me are people that make me feel something: Dali, Frida Kahlo, Cole Porter, Jane Austen and many more..
If it resonates with me, sooner or later, something is going to happen.. a project, a colorway, a collaboration

What is the one Craft tool you couldn't be without?

My stove... If I did not have it, where would the magic happen? lol

Are their designers/artists who have inspired you along the way?

Of course! My fiber heroes are Suzy Brown (Wool Wench), Ashley Martineau. My dyeing hero is for sure Natalie Redding from Namaste farms that is awesome!
I am inspired by people trying new things and that does nt mean they do it the conventional way and I admire that. Just do it!



What are your inspirations right now?

I wanted for a long time to create knitting kits for my website and did not know how or where.. This summer I decided to contact a lot of designers that I like their work and collaborate together. The first kit is available as a pre-order via my website, and then we will have a KAL. And that will be the plan for all kits created: Pre-orders, time for me to dye and then a huge KAL.

Those taking part in the KAL and finishing before the date mentioned, will have the chance to win themselves the next kit in the colour of their choosing!

The first kit is named Cyclades, like the islands in the Aegean sea, and it will be available to purchase at the Swiss Wulle Festival on the 3-4 October in Zug.


If you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for to advance the Handmade Movement?

More recognition, more craftsman to share their art, and that people would feel the heart and soul of the makers in their pieces.

Thank you so much for visiting Marigolds' Loft Lise, where can my readers find you?

You can find me here:

https://www.facebook.com/TréLiz-117347528390483

http://treliz.eu/Shop

https://instagram.com/treliz_colorispower/

https://twitter.com/TreLizz





Dear Readers,
Don't forget to enter yourselves into yesterday's amazing Giveaway to win some gorgeous Yarn!

You can find it HERE - Good Luck!

See you soon.
x

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