Little toadstools

It probably says something about the state of our 'lawn' that we have a sprouting of small toadstools this year. They are of the 'small beige' variety, and despite knowing my general toadstools and fungi, I find these to be the most difficult to identify. Suffice to say I shall not be eating them.

I've been creating my own, more colourful toadstools. 

 

They too are unidentifiable, being made up as I go along, but they are loosely based on typical shapes and forms.

I've made a lot of toadstools in my time, and they used to be quite jolly, almost cartoon-like, such as these, from several years ago.

This year I found myself experimenting more with using more neutral colours and layering tiny amounts of fibres to create a more organic, natural effect.

It is a little like painting with wool, using the tip of the needle to tease the wool into creating light and dark areas and giving a hint of the gills without getting too forensic. After nearly ten years of needle felting, I am still learning new and interesting things. 

 

Toadstools and cake

The last two weeks have been rather full on with work. A deadline for a new needle felt pattern, which is the largest thing I've designed instructions for. And because of a workshop happening up in the middle of that, a lightening 48 hour trip back down to Bampton, to my favourite haunt, Folly Fabrics.

Sharon (lovely shop owner and my host that night) took me on a little scenic walk around the village, where I snapped the 'Downton Abbey' church. Again.

And took touristy photos of pretty cottages and houses. I still miss the Cotswolds, despite loving Shropshire. And despite the fact that I could never afford to live here. 

One of the things I miss most, is the combination of mellow light on Cotswold stone, against a darkening sky. It brings out a horribly poignant homesickness. 'The Land of Lost Content' indeed.  

The Land of Lost Content

Into my heart an air that kills

From yon far country blows:

What are those blue remembered hills,

What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,

I see it shining plain,

The happy highways where I went

And cannot come again.

A. E. Housman ('A Shopshire Lad')

I  am sure that many of us have those places. I do find it painfully ironic that this particular excerpt comes, of course, from A.E Housmans 'A Shropshire Lad' - and that one of my favourite musical collections by Ralph Vaughan Williams is 'On Wenlock Edge' - which I now find almost impossible to listen to.  

'On Wenlock Edge' is, as you may know, based around 'A Shropshire Lad'. The real Wenlock Edge - in Shropshire of course - is also close to the ancient green woodlands where Andy rests. All of these interwoven strands combine to make a tangled knot of intense sorrow and melancholia, which I try not to dwell on too much.

So let's not. Let's have a photograph of Sharon taking a photograph of wildflowers. As you do.

She was collecting autumn inspiration colours, and these 'Fox and Cubs' (as I know them) are the most gorgeous fiery blood orange.  

That night, a cake was decorated for the workshop. They are always themed to fit whatever we are making.

And there everyone was, the next day, with the usual combination of chatter and concentration. 

It's always lovely when people come back to my workshops and this time, four out of the nine places had been taken up by people I'd taught before. 

Teatime and the traditional toadstool dance around the cake. 

I never cease to feel so rewarded at the end of a session, when everyone has worked hard, ploughed through any difficulties and gone home with something they love.

I returned home to Shropshire that night (via train as usual), a little shattered, to find a box of macarons waiting for me; a present through the post from Joe. So sweet and so pretty; the only thing to do was to Instagram them. And then eat them. And feel lucky that I have a man who sends cake through the post.

The rest of the week was spent getting on with my pattern deadline, which was all business as usual; it will be published by Christmas, and it's my favourite one yet - I can't wait to show it off! 

Hope and Elvis needle felt workshop

This month saw my return to the eternally wonderful Hope and Elvis studio, run by Louise Presley,  to hold two all day workshops over one weekend. It barely seemed as if I'd been away, but it had been almost a year.

In the morning, and in keeping with the autumnal weather,  acorns were made. I accidentally got my own measurements wrong, not for the first time, so instead of bijou acorns, we had egg sized ones. but everyone enjoyed themselves. As you can see from the big beam on Louise's face.

 

And amazingly, despite my error, we had a batch of acorns by lunchtime -

And a cluster of cheerful toadstools from the afternoon's work.

On day two, I did it all over again, with another group of lovely people. But this time we kept the acorns a little smaller...

This was a gorgeous colour combination, with faint gold beige stripes on a tomato red background.

There was one very special person who came, Charlotte of  'Chest of Delights' blogspot - we've been virtual blog chums for a few years now and it was lovely beyond lovely to meet her and finally get to hug this friend I'd not met before. She also brought along some of her own beautiful work.

 There is something very pleasing about a well made toadstool.

I also launched my fourth needle felt kit, which just happens to be a decorative acorn - they went very well, which is always nice and reassuring.

Decorative acorn kits are now available from my Etsy Shop, priced at $17.00/£10.60 plus shipping.

My next workshop is at the popular Toft Alpaca Farm, Rugby, on November the 1st - this time making Christmas trees. For more details and to book a place, please visit their website, but hurry as it is almost booked out!

NEEDLE FELTING WORKSHOP AT TOFT ALPACA SHOP

Teeny Tiny Toadstools

A new line! Teeny Tiny Toadstools - they do exactly what they say on the box, as it were. Looking rather quaint against this gorgeous vintage fungi book which my friend the lovely Emma sent me last year as an unexpected birthday present.

They are teeny.

They are tiny. (Or at least, very small, but that doesn't trip off the tongue as easily).

And, they *only* take a day or so to make. So I can sell them for less than my larger toy creatures.

Two were snapped up at once. There was one left until this morning. Not any more.

I was really touched by the lovely comments left after my last pity-me blog post; what a sweet company of readers I have. I really am more thick skinned than I appear and was soon back on my feet, if a little tired. It's been a funny old year and I seem to have done a lot of organising for one thing or another. So Andy whisked me off for a reviving mini-break in gorgeous Shropshire, to look at old churches, stunning landscapes and to check out the house prices...

When it rains at cricket...

...as it did last Sunday, one retreats discreetly to the clubhouse (should there be one) to get on with other things.

Planning a new line of little needle felt toadstools -

- while in a very grim but British way, the light but persistent rain does not stop the afternoon's match. Some even choose to watch it outside.

Tea, I am sad to report was disappointing in the extreme. I was smuggled a few little things, but there were no proper sandwiches and no cake! The tea pot was not refilled and the brew was insipid. Bizarrely, there were big plates of fruit, on such a cold, wet day. In abundance. And were largely left.

Andy is Sunday Captain at the moment and had a bit of a bowl. The arm is repairing though still painful - not that you would know from this;

Just a reminder, should anyone be interested, I will be on BBC Radio Oxford with 'Jo in the Afternoon' on Friday June 10th, from 2pm (UK time) talking about my books and myself. 2pm in the UK is five hours ahead of New York/East Coast time, so about 9 in the morning for my American friends. Do check this out for yourselves though on an online site, as I get a bit foggy about teccy things like this.

A sweet bouquet given to me yesterday by visitors to my studio