The Fantabulous Traveling Steampunk Yarnbombs' third birthday

The Fantabulous Travelling Steampunk Yarnbomb is a collaborative guerilla art project featuring the work of steampunks, artists and craft people from far and wide. Some of you may have read about it in my last blog post here. It aims to inspire people to make, experiment and have their work shown together in a playful and thought provoking way, getting involved is more important than skills or expertise. 

Cassy Wilkinson

For those of you not already aware of guerrilla craft, graffitti knitting and yarnbombing they are acts of craft and art in public that take back spaces as joyful and playful places for the everyone to express themselves in visually, as opposed to the images we are used to seeing in public spaces in advertising, this project is steampunk themed but there are all sorts of projects out there you can get involved with all over the world or just go make something and put it out there.

the Fantabulous Traveling Steampunk Yarnbomb is now 3 years old and has taken on a life of its own. The yarn bomb went off travelling with the lovely people at Ornamentology and was picked up, shouted about and carted about by the fantastic Jo and Si who run Leeds Steampunk market. All these lovely people took it to lots of festivals all over the u.k

STOAT - carriages of delight - Nene railway

The Asylum Steampunk Convivial- Lincoln

Leeds Steampunk Market

Surgical spirit-Leeds

whitby goth weekend

A splendid day out- Morecambe

Haworth Steampunk Weekend

If you would like to make a piece to contribute, display the yarn bomb at a festival or event, or just follow what’s going on and watch its travels as it grows can join the facebook group the pinterest page and there’s a communal inspiration pinterest board. Please do check the criteria on the Facebook group or email me at thefrocktopus@live.co.uk before making a piece to check it’ll fit the health and safety standards, they're very simple but it will mean we can definitely show your piece.

So without further ado, here are all the pieces sent in so far, please do check out everyones links and see what else they do.

Sheena Mckinnock (aka Craft Dabbler)

Jacklyn Hyde

Sheena McKinnock (aka Craft Dabbler)

Collar Doves by Carol Parker

Zoe Cheale (aka Crafty Chealey)

Jane White

Sandi Cowles

Kim Gault

me

Patricia Cook (my Nanny)

me

Dene Woodman

Lois Frances

Danny Clark of Angel-Demon Productions

Emily Harriet Cane

Gretchen Jacobsen (aka Willhemina Frame)

Zoe Riddley (aka Scarybird stitches)

me

Bethan Lientie

Lorna Grace (aka fell from grace)

Helen Chilvers (aka Noisy Nell)

 Chris Graham of Chrono Creations

Machine mbroidered map for Lincoln A-Z exhibition

I currently have one of my pieces in an exhibition in the Collection in Lincoln if any of you would like to go and see it there’s a link to the exhibition details, the museum/gallery and(the museum itself is well worth a look, there’s a fantastic dinosaur skeleton they found under my old school)

The piece and corresponding poem are hopefully self explanatory, what people looking at the picture don’t know is how the piece ended up there. A month ago I started planning out how to make the piece and began searching around for old maps of Lincoln for reference in the embroidery. 

I think the lighting made it a little hard to photograph things so just incase you can't read all the poem it says

"Dear Tom, my dear Bear,

I want to stitch our story, sew our love on the machine,

all calico and cotton, framed for all to see.

Thin silver pin reminders

of where we've been and where we'll be."

 It was while looking around on the internet for old maps of Lincoln for reference I saw an advert calling out for a last minute piece for an exhibition by a local radio show. When I looked into it it was for A-Z Lincoln, a radio show where the presenters put a pin in a map of Lincoln and do the weekly show from that location (think more community project/ installation than cheesy radio roadshow, go check them out.)I messaged them telling them about the piece I was working on and that I’d love to surprise my partner and about his history in radio, luckily they liked the idea and said yes. 

Luckily Bear loved it and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying that he welled up when he saw it, he even seems ok with the fact that he can’t have his christmas present here in the house until the end of January. I felt like I botched proposing to my bear a bit last year (something he assures me wouldn’t have been very us without 2 engagement rings disappearing in the post, running across castle square in full steampunk getup to get a stand-in ring on the day and having to rip open the organza bag with my teeth to get the ring out while on one knee) so this was my big romantic gesture. 

All photos are by my good friend Spy Mistress General

Cake and hugs
Frocktopus
xxx

The fantabulous travelling steampunk yarnbomb

Hello lovelies, as some of you may know I am the very proud curator of the Fabulous Travelling Steampunk yarn bomb, a fun project I set up last year for creative steampunks (and those creative types who fancy dabbling in it) from all over the world to make art together.

 I love the steampunk scene, so much going on and amazing making, so many people helping each other with how to make things and passing on great information and interesting things, but I thought a lot of the chances to display artwork at the events, aside from selling or wearing it,  centred around competitions, which isn't always conductive with the idea of community that's at the heart of steampunk, so I thought I'd try and get a few people together to collaborate and make some public art that anyone can get involved with, even if it's your first piece (we even have some schools getting involved), and have it displayed alongside some really fantastic artists and makers.

Photography by Tom Hardman (my bear)

In the last year we've visited three events, we ran a workshop at the Lincoln Hackspace fundraiser.

Photography by Neil Quincey

The yarnbomb travelled to the Steampunk Stamford event (and possibly will be again this year) at STOAT Steampunks on a train

Photo by Spy Mistress General

We went to The Asylum Convivial in Lincoln

photo by felishumanus

So far this year the yarnbomb is planned to visit

Bristols "Brass Brunel" festival

The Asylum Convivial in Lincoln

and we hope to be at many more as well.

How to get involved

 It would be amazing to send it travelling all over the globe so if you're heading to a steampunk event and will be travelling through Lincolnshire and would be willing to take the yarnbomb with them, please get in contact.

If you or your community group, knitting circle, school or an other group that would like to be involved please do have a go, we have a facebook group and two pinterest boards you can join, one which has pictures of the yarn bomb and one full of inspiration and how to's If you're inspired but not sure what to make, or what steampunk is there's loads of interesting reading on the web to find out more about steampunk/yarnbombing. If you'd like the postal address, to host the yarnbomb at your event or want more information please do email me at thefrocktopus@live.co.uk or say hello and ask any questions you may have in the comments below.

Love and knitting

Frocktopus

xxx

Re-Fashioned studio tour

Eco-fashion designer Eleanor Bland let me have a poke around her gorgeous studio and take my camera along with me, I do get so inspired whenever I’m there so thought I’d share the photos.

I love this waistcoat so much, she used it for an amazing wedding shoot which she used two women in in bride and groom outfits to highlight the issue of gay marriage becoming legal

I’m really gutted I only got one photo of her lovely clothes but luckily you can see what she’s making on her blog. You can find her on Facebook here and you can see her process and what she's making at the moment on her blog here.

Hugs and cake

Frocktopus

xxx

Imbolc Yarnbombing at Plank festival

Last Saturday was Imbolc, celebration of Brigit, goddess of spring and making,a festival of new beginnings. So what better time to brush off the snowy cobwebs and cover a village in crocus coloured crochet.

I'm so happy with my poms (half pompoms) I can't bear to throw away my scraps of wool and they look like tiny anemones growing out of the wool.

Bear had the brilliant idea of filling the pocket with sweeties, we also managed to limit ourselves to nicking one packet of parma violets.

Ta-dah

I can't take credit for the last picture, a fantastic textile artist called Carol Parker turned Market Rasen into a yarn bomb Hiroshima, there were so many fuzzy stripes in that village I had a hard time finding where to home mine. You can see the rest of her pieces for plank here and what else is going on during the festival which continues until the 2nd of march here.

We had a wonderful day out and are planning more,  but now my patchwork has been set free I'm still working up rainbow and fluorescent granny squares, any ideas on what to make with them? I'm thinking a mini skirt.

Hugs and crochet

Frocktopus

xxx