Thursday 21 March 2013

Sian James at The Celtic Women Concert Series



Many thanks to Sian James for her beautiful and stunning performance as part of out Celtic Women Concert Series in March finishing our second year of Winter concerts. 



 
I'm so excited to tell you that she has very knidly agreed to come back to Celtic Womenfest 2013

Sunday 17 March 2013

Knitting Rhythms

 
Since finding out we wouldn't have a workshop space at the festival, I've been thinking about quiet workshops that can take place at the back of the music tent. We don't have a budget for any materials, we don't have workshop space, but I figured that if I put a shoutout on facebook the universe may well sort the rest out!
 

 
 
Petra Wood very kindly volunteered to be a collection point for wool & knitting or crochet needle donations at her work base, Aardvark's Wholefoods in 6 Llamas Street, Carmarthen:
 
 


Petra is a Homeopath running her own practice in Carmarthen. If you'd like to see her website, here is a link www.carmarthenhomeopath.co.uk
 
 
 
 
Thanks Petra.
 
Than Sarah Passmore contacted me to ask if she could help. She is now chasing everyone's ideas regarding materials sponsorship. She has emailed local and national businesses. In exchange for their wool and needles we will put their logo on our flier and write about them here on the blog ... so fingers crossed! Sarah will give us an update at the end of next week as to how it's going.
 
 
 
 
Thanks Sarah
 
 
 
 
Then I put a shout out to find people who would be prepared to oversee the Knitting Rhythms table at the 2 day festival: knitters and sewers who can support and give advice ... 
get other knitters started.
 
One of the people to respond was
Deputy Mayoress of Llanelli,
Ruth Ferris- Price who put me in touch with
Michelle Williams.
 
Michelle runs a business Shelbyart which aims to give: Creative Mentoring used for Personal Improvement with a holistic and inclusive approach. Mentoring through creativity  .
 
The website address is www.shelbyartmycreativelife.com
 
 
 
 
Michelle contacted me and kindly offered to organise 3 women from her groups who would come in to represent Shelbyart and share with leading the Knitting Rhythms table.
 

Thanks Michelle
 
 
 
So then I put a shout out for ideas from people as to what we would do with the knitted pieces.
 
There were lots of suggestions but we wanted it to be something intergenerational, giving, useful, woman focussed ....
 
So we have gone for the fabulous suggestion by Maj Ikle to do Baby Blankets.
 
This will be good for the starters and less experienced knitters who can knit squares that more experienced seastresses will sew together.
 
 
Thanks Maj
 
 
CW13 Baby Blankets will be donated to
The Young Mums Projects in South Wales.
 
 
CW13: Keeping our children warm




For the more experienced knitters, we will be looking at contributing to Age UK with the Innocent Smoothie Campaign THE BIG KNIT
 

 
 
 For the past nine years Big Knit supporters have knitted millions of little woolly hats for Innocent smoothies, with money from every bottle sold going towards supporting older people during the chilly winter months.

Since they started they've raised over £1 million.
             25p from every hatted bottle sold goes straight to Age UK to help older people keep warm and well for winter.
 
So stretch out those fingers, get your needles out and untangle that wool.
It's time to get your knit on.



 
 
We will also make flowers at the table, knitted, crochet'd or sewn. This will be led for us by the lovely Sam Collins who has been 'growing'

 Blodeuwedd's Cloak for us since The Story Telling Event last February, then at CW12.
 
The cloak will come to this year's Story Event in April and then through to CW13 in August ...
 
it will then carry forward to next year's events ... this way a little bit of each event is carried forward into the next ...


Thanks Sam

 
 
Thanks a million to all the people who have contacted me this week to offer to help by donating materials, to those who are excited about knitting at the festival, and those who are giving of their time to help me organise it.
 
I'm quite taken aback about how excited people are about knitting! I had no idea! Maybe we should have a knitting festival next year!!
Now, that's an idea!!
 
Meanwhile, there are other knitting events happening in Carmarthenshire. Thought I'd mention here that Lynda Lumb is organising a 'Knit Against Nuclear Weapons' Event on 31st July, This is the facebook link to the Event page if you would like more details:
 
 
And here is Lynda's email address: lynda.lumb@facebook.com
 
 
 

AMY WADGE IS COMING BACK TO CELTIC WOMENFEST

 
 
After what can only be described as a stunning and moving performance at last year's Celtic Womenfest, I am so delighted that Amy Wadge has very kindly agreed to come back and share her wondeful music with us again this year.
 
 
 
Amy has had quite a year with her own tours going strength to strength and off course, her skills as a songwriter have been taking the driving seat, having recently worked with Ed Sheeran on his platinum selling album!
 

Over the coming months, every week or so, I'll be writing up who is coming to this year's festival and nearer the time, I'll release the amazing program full of women musicians & spoken word poets based in Wales ...
 
Proud to be ...
Creating a Platform for Wales based Women Musicians and Spoken Word Poets


Saturday 16 March 2013