Archive for the Scotland Category

Loop Needs You

By on March 6, 2011

At the Tramway You may remember me mentioning Loop: The Centenary of International Women’s Day – an exhibition (and celebration) taking place at Glasgow’s Tramway art gallery. You may even have knitted a square or two for the event. The event takes place on Tuesday and the Tramway is heaving with activity.

I spent most of Friday at the Tramway stitching together blanket squares. It was a hugely inspirational day.

One old lady was busy stitching together crochet squares but found time to sing us old Glasgow songs from her childhood – songs about the old Govan cinema and “oor baldy heided maister”. Women from a choir sang us Matt McGinn songs. Women from a local immigrant group came by to watch us stitch and some ended up wanting to join in despite initial shyness. Later a cellist started playing Bach.

Generations of women showed up – grandmothers with their grandchildren; mothers with their children. Many different nationalities were there. Many different parts of Scotland were represented. Even a few brave men showed up to stitch – my partner was one of them and he proved very adept with a needle and thread! I was rather proud..

At the TramwayHowever, help is still needed.

You do not have to be greatly skilled with a needle of thread. You do not even have to know how to thread a needle as plenty of of volunteers will be on hand to show you the ropes.

If you can spare thirty minutes of your day (or more!), please come down to the Tramway tomorrow between 10am and 11pm.

You won’t regret it. You will meet some truly inspirational people with wonderful stories to tell, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful art, and your help will be hugely appreciated.

I will continue to be busy these next few days, but thankfully I have a few blog posts in hand so stay tuned..

 

This entry is filed under Art, Craft, Scotland and tagged , , , , .

First Signs of Spring

By on February 25, 2011

Rock ArtI went out for a walk in the sunshine today.

Along the way I passed one of my favourite pieces of street art. Seeing this little happy seal never fails to cheer me up. Look at his wibble face!

Usually any graffiti or street art gets removed rather swiftly, but this little fellow has graced the side of the bridge for as long as I can remember. Maybe he cheers up the park wardens too?

Early Signs of SpringLeaving the footpath running through the arboretum, I entered the actual Botanical Gardens. Snowdrops, croci and this almost-in-bloom tree. The sun continued to shine. I saw students curling up on benches trying to focus on their books (and failing miserably).

I honestly felt tempted to buy myself some coffee and a croissant, and join the students on the benches but I’ve been down this road before and know the Sore Throat and Blocked Nose consequences far too well.

Sunshine BeretBesides, I had errands to run like a proper grown-up. Well, if you saw my errands you’d refuse to believe I’m a grown-up but I’ll save that for a later post..

Needless to say, I was also cheered by my lovely sunshine-yellow beret that I am wearing a lot at the moment.  My beret matches the yellow crocus flowers, I discovered, which pleases me no end.

Fabric for CrepeThen I came home to find my postie had left a parcel for me. I had ordered some African wax print cotton off eBay and it arrived today! Hooray!

My fabric is lovely and I had a very, very pleasant transaction with the eBay seller (who I recommend wholeheartedly – how often can you say that about eBay sellers?). The fabric is earmarked for the Crepe dress which I have a notion to make many, many times. I just need to find fabric for the sash (maybe do the sash out of the same fabric? It is so busy it doesn’t need to be broken up by a solid colour) and, of course, find the time..

.. because right now I’m really, really busy trying to make my piece for the Tramway exhibition work. Right now I have a bucket wallpaper paste and a bag of old newspapers lurking in my bathroom. No prizes for guessing what we’ve been up to tonight.

This entry is filed under Art, Personal, Photography, Scotland and tagged , , , , . | 1 Comment

Knit Like Fury

By on February 23, 2011

Get involved. There is still time for you to knit a square and send it in to Janssen & Jetson. If you are in Glasgow, why not volunteer? You can help stitch the blanket together, you can donate your time and ushering skills, or you can help spread the good word.

This entry is filed under Craft, Knitting, Personal, Scotland and tagged , .

Hymn To Grace

By on January 8, 2011

North Star isn’t just the name of my favourite neighbourhood café, it is also one of my favourite albums from the now long-lost 1990s. In the last couple of days I have rediscovered the album – and it is peculiarly, decidedly Glaswegian. And I obviously had no idea that I would one day end up here when I fell in love with Roddy Frame‘s album. Hmm.

This song has been in my head all day. A short, simple song and all the better for it.

This entry is filed under Music, Scotland and tagged , , , . | 2 Comments

Garterstitch 100

By on December 3, 2010

Garterstitch100 seeks to celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day – and you as a knitter can help. The artists are hoping to make a blanket consisting of 100 million stitches. They need you to knit them a square or set up a public knitting station where knitters can come and knit. There are a myriad other ways that you can help out. I’ll be lending a hand – will you?

This entry is filed under Art, Craft, Knitting, Scotland and tagged , , , , , .

It’s Only November

By on November 27, 2010

Good morning, everyone. Brrrrr...

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In Edinburgh

By on October 27, 2010

The tebirkes (teh-beer-kes) is on the left whilst the raspberry-jam filled spanduer (i.e. traditional Danish pastry) is on the right. Not pictured: the two other tebirkes I had. Hey, I don't get to eat any on a regular basis..

In Copenhagen, the Nørrebro neighbourhood is my favourite. It is bohemian, multicultural and vibrant. The streets are filled with small ‘ethnic’ eateries catering for small immigrant groups and niche culinary interests. My taste buds really came off age when I lived there. Today we went to Edinburgh and visited Jo Jo’s Danish Bakery & Cafe. As I sat there munching my tebirkes (think a croissant filled with a marzipan/butter concoction and topped with poppy seeds), it struck me: now I’m the ethnic minority with niche culinary interests.

If you are in Edinburgh or thereabouts, I thoroughly recommend Jo Jo’s place. Jo’s got the recipes just right and she’s a lovely person too.

Alasdair Gray: the real reason why we went to Edinburgh.

And then that big exhibition on Alasdair Gray and his images for his books: Gray Stuff was good stuff.

I was particular taken with the process shown in-between the works: the process of taking complete control over every little aspect of his Book.

Gray’s need to take control over the visual impact shows up early (with Lanark, of course) but he gets more and more confident about his level of control as each book is published. I was sadly sad that the exhibition was not arranged strictly chronological (and I would have loved to have known how much say Gray had), but I was fascinated.

I particularly liked the collages making up the frontispieces in Lanark with marginalia written in Gray’s distinct handwriting pointing out how the images should fit on the page. And, oh, the notes written about the colour scheme of The Book of Prefaces (or The Anthology of Prefaces – the mystery of its real title has not been solved nor has the ‘is it/isn’t it’ mystery about the comma in 1982 Janine.. forgive me, I have been geeking out all day)!!

How I wish I had had access to some of this material back when I was an aspiring academic. Oh, the joy! the rapture!

Work by Andy Goldsworthy and log boats

Just along the street from the Alasdair Gray exhibition, the National Museum of Scotland. Neither of us had ever been, cough, and we arrived too late to see more than the first two floors (we only had three hours and we like to take our time).

The basement was particularly interesting: the pre-history and early settlements in Scotland. I’m a sucker for anything relating to the Picts.

Whilst in the basement I thought fondly of Erika and Lori who both recently referenced Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is a contemporary British artist who makes .. some call it ‘land art’ because his pieces tend to be site-specific and employs exclusive natural materials .. I think of his art as being peculiarly ritualistic: fire, circles, traces and marks. The National Museum has commissioned him to create installations playing with and off archaeological finds and instead of detracting from the objects, I think his works added to them. It was a pleasant surprise.

Next time we are through, we’ll work our way through the second and the third floors. It’s a labyrinthine museum and that is awfully appealing in its own right.

Tomorrow: another trip to Edinburgh (it’s work-related) and Friday: another trip to Edinburgh (it’s flight-related). Today was all about indulgence.

This entry is filed under Alasdair Gray, Art, food, Personal, Scotland and tagged , , , , , . | 6 Comments

It’s in the Air

By on October 24, 2010

IKEA’s Christmas 2010 wrapping paper and Christmas cards include Selbu motifs. Very cute. Clearly I had to buy a roll of wrapping paper.

Other recent shopping include a trip to Granny Would Be Proud, a fairly recent addition to the Glasgow crafts fair scene. Today they had set up camp at Hillhead Book Club, an atmospheric and eclectic bar/restaurant just off Byres Road, and we could not resist going. It was a good mix, actually. I tend to be fairly critical of crafts fairs as they can easily be quite bland or veer into unfortunate handmade-irony. The craft fair seemed well curated with some lovely touches: a photo booth where you could get photographed wearing vintage gear and Vintage Spectacles which let you try on frames dating back to the early 20th century. I tried on several 1930s and 1940s frames and now know where to get my next set of glasses. I may also have succumbed to some handmade buttons whilst looking wistfully at Sylvia & Nicola‘s bespoke dresses.

Somewhere else entirely I came across tops labelled “1930s handknit” which were neither. That is the side of the vintage industry which I really do not like.

Anyway, I have been buying Christmas presents too – and sent off my own wish list to my Danish family. I managed to think of other things besides 1-ply Faroese yarn and I’m pretty proud of that. Note self: I need to start utilising various online wish list facilities, so I do not start to panic come present-buying season. I tried using Wist but it never really clicked for me. Apart from the obvious Amazon wish list feature, do you use any other wish list facilities? Any recommendations?

(I cannot believe I’m already writing about Christmas! Then again I have just been swatching for some Christmas workshops I’m doing later this year..)

Things I have liked recently:
+ I met a girl recently who wore the nicest cardigan. I nearly ripped it off her back and ran away.
+ People can be incredibly wonderful sometimes.
+ Pretty film posters. I’m not sure I’m interested in the film, though.
+ We are now spending time apart but this is pretty sweet.

Highlight of my weekend? Probably not doing the laundry but it needs to be done, so I can start packing for my holiday. Not that I’m counting the hours or anything..

This entry is filed under Craft, Personal, Scotland and tagged , , , , , . | 4 Comments

Idunn

By on September 16, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Scotland and England over the next few days. I have never lived anywhere with a big Catholic community and it is interesting to see how Glasgow is reacting. I do not know if it is the result of the Glasgow Airport terrorist attack, but the amount of security is quite surprising; The main motorway is being shut down for an entire day, several areas surrounding the park where the Pope will address pilgrims have been shut off and certain trains are designated pilgrims-only. This reminds me of when George W. Bush visited Denmark at his height of his unpopularity – boy, it was fun to navigate Copenhagen that day – but mainly it strikes me as odd that a religious leader can generate so much fuss.

Then again I identify as a secular humanist. One of these days I need to make myself a “Humanist; Not a Dawkins Fan”, though. One of the Pope’s aides have pulled out of the UK visit following an interview wherein he criticises the UK for “a new and aggressive atheism”. The media have reacted strongly to this, of course, but I think I know which brand of atheism the aide is referring to and, honestly, it is a form of atheism that makes me uncomfortable too. I need to write more about this, but suffice to say that a) I’m puzzled by the Pope’s visit and b) I hope all my Catholic friends in Glasgow will have a memorable and good day.

If course there is one religious belief with which I do feel connected: Forn Sidr or Asatru, the belief in the old Norse gods. I grew up with the stories and while I do not believe, there is definitely a connection. I think it is about growing up in a landscape where you see remnants of the ancient past everywhere and seeing the forces of nature unfold before your eyes. Again, I need to write more about this.

And there is a knitting aspect, of course.

Last night I cast on for Idunn. I assumed this would be a commuter project: The February Beret by sockpixie. I made this hat in orange last year and it turned out to be the most flattering hat I have ever owned – well, apart from the rusty orange hue. As soon as I finished it last year, I  began thinking about those two precious balls of Scottish Tweed DK in “Apple Green” from my stash. Ever since Rowan discontinued Scottish Tweed due to supply issues, I have been acting all dragon-like what with the hoarding and jealous guarding.. but yarn is really meant to be knitted up and so here we are.

And Idunn was a Norse goddess associated with apples.

I don’t think it’ll be much of a commuter project because I’m halfway done. Just in time for the first autumnal winds and heavy rainfall. I love being a knitter.

PPS. I shall be in Copenhagen November 4 until November 8, so get in touch if you know of any knit night/knit event/yarn sale.

This entry is filed under Knitting, News, Philosophy, Purls, Scotland and tagged , , , , , . | 1 Comment

Sunday Sunday

By on August 29, 2010

Sunday, Sunday here again a walk in the park..

The day started with me drinking my morning tea whilst listening to BBC Radio 4′s Women’s Hour where I was informed that knitting was a “post-modern, ultra-chic habit adopted by the very, very cool.” So now we know.

Then I began preparing for the Barcelona skirt sewing demonstration I’m doing Wednesday. I cut out the pattern pieces, read the instructions, and then laughed with relief. The skirt is very easy – just three pieces plus zipper and lining – and although I’ve not done much dress-making in the last fifteen years, I am confident I am not going to mess this up. Famous last words, of course.

The afternoon was spent in the communal garden. We live in a Victorian tenement flat and we share our garden with four other blocks. The plan is to make our communal garden sustainable and organic – today we attended a workshop on turning a tenement garden into a place to grow food (alongside all the other needs it has to fulfil: drying space, bicycle sheds, bin sheds, recreational space etc). A lot of the residents realised that edible plants were already growing in the garden – some planned (like potatoes, various herbs and strawberries) and some rather unplanned (St. John’s Wort, barley and gentian). We discussed getting some fruit trees whilst having herbal tea and cake under the existing Cypress trees.

At this point I felt very middle-class.

Then D & I meant to go blackberry picking. Well, bramble picking since they call blackberries brambles here in Scotland. As you can see, though, the berries are not quite ripe yet (neither are the elderberries). So I went for a little walk through our neighbourhood instead.

The North Kelvin Meadow is just around the corner from our flat. There is a short video posted on its site which lets you see the beautiful space for itself – it is basically a waste ground between tenements which has been “adopted” by local people. There are tiny allotments on the site now but mostly it functions as breathing space for local wildlife and as a “wild” natural habitat in the middle of a busy city. I like looking at the ex-whiskey barrels that have become micro-allotments. Actually, I like spending time there, full stop. The Meadow is very peaceful.

(As you can imagine, though, developers are quite keen on getting their hands on the Meadow (it is right in Glasgow’s prime property area), so there is an ongoing campaign to let the Meadow remain a meadow.)

On a personal note, I went for a walk (and a good cry) because I had some very sad news from Denmark. Sometimes I feel very far away from family & friends, and I am unable to travel back right now (for various reasons). It makes me feel powerless and downright awful. I love Glasgow – it feels more like home than anywhere else I have ever lived – but sometimes I do wish I still lived in Denmark. It would make moments like this one a bit easier to handle.

This entry is filed under Personal, Photography, Scotland and tagged , , , . | 1 Comment

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