Treemendous Tree Leaves

All loaded up and ready to go!

Today Deborah and I installed the Tree Leaves Yarnstorm.  It was a lovely day for it.  We arrived at Rowntree Park with all our equipment and everybody's fab makes and set up camp...

Tree Leaves Base Camp

And look, we had an audience straight away... 

 
We definitely made progress, with Deborah concentrating on the little trees and leaves...

Deborah hangs all the little trees and leaves

while I concentrated on the big ones...

and finally it was finished...

Extreme knitting, big knitting, finger knitting and some fab knitted, stitched and crocheted leaves

So if you are wondering what this is all about, keep reading.  The installation was designed and made by Deborah New & I with the amazing help of the local community and those further afield.  We came together to celebrate craft and creativity, to put “Art in the Park” and to fundraise for charity.  This installation will be in place for about one month. (It will be coming down in late August).

The charity we are supporting with this project is the Woodland Trust. They protect and campaign on behalf of this country’s woods, plant trees, and restore ancient woodland for the benefit of wildlife and people.  Their vision is a UK rich in native woods and trees, for people and wildlife.  After the display is taken down, the trees will be sold to raise funds for the Woodland Trust.

Sale dates are as follows: 

 Saturday 21 September 2019 - RowntreePark (by the café) 10-3pm

Thursday 26 September 2019 – Trafalgar Bay Pub, York 7-9pm 

Or if you've enjoyed seeing the installation, why not pop into Rowntree Park Cafe where there is a tin (just by the till) for your Woodland Trust donation.  Alternatively you can donate directly by visiting the Woodland Trust website - click here.

What do you like best about the Tree Leaves Yarnstorm? And which tree or leaf is your favourite? Please post your pics on social media using #TreeLeaves and #urbanforest.

If you want to see more about the Tree Leaves Yarnstorm check out these  blogposts:

Tree Leaves Yarnstorm - The Details

Tree Leaves at Spark:York

Tree Leaves at Rowntree Park Cafe #1

Tree Leaves at the Trafalgar Bay

 Tree Leaves at Rowntree Park Cafe #2

Extreme Knitting the #TreeLeaves Conifer

 

 

Tree Leaves & the Fairfax Court Yarnstormers

The Tree Leaves project is sponsored by the Friends of Rowntree Park, Bettys & Taylors Group & supported by Boyes 

Brilliant Birds Fly into Rowntree Park

Who's that ready to fly into Rowntree Park, York?

The car was packed, the weather was cloudy but it looked like the rain might hold off.  I set off optimistically to meet Deborah New to install the Brilliant Birds Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York.

Base Camp

Needless to say the rain didn't hold off.  It was a horrid wet day but the Brilliant Birds Installation is now in place.  Deborah and I elicited help from Lily and Cath and together we managed to put it up. 
 

Lily & Deborah hard at work

We were also helped by hot drinks and scones from Rowntree Park Cafe - without which we would certainly have flagged!  (No scone pics - they were demolished far too quickly for that.)
 

Making a start

Progress!

And then it was up

and finished

So if you're passing don't forget to post your pics of the #BrilliantBirds - we'd love to see them.  The birds will be in place for about a month, coming down towards the end of July 2017.

and even the tree was in place

And most importantly, the Brilliant Birds are supporting St Leonard's Hospice which is an independent charity, providing specialist palliative care and support for local people with life limiting illnesses. Whilst their care is free of charge to patients and their families it is not free to provide. So, after the birds come down, they will be sold in the St Leonard's Hospice shop at 5 Scarcroft Rd, York, YO23 1ND.  The birds will go on sale on Saturday 26 August 2017.  Do go along and buy some.  Alternatively, you can donate online here and please mention Brilliant Birds in your reason for donating.

and finally!

If you want to read more about the project, the details are here.  Click on the links for information about the workshops we held at Olive's Nest, Rowntree Park Cafe, The Golden Ball and The Winning Post. Or if you want to see our mention in Craft & Design Magazine click here.  However if your interest is more craft based you may want to check out the Brilliant Bird Patterns, read about the hula hoop woven birds, the big knitted owl or even extreme knitting a tree. And finally you may be inclined to read about the exploits of the Fairfax Court Yarnstormers - they have been great supporters or our yarnstorming projects since we began! 

Deborah & I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made birds for us, whether in the workshops or at home.  We had over 80 people taking part, making 600 really brilliant birds!  Thanks also go to the workshop venues for having us, to the Friends of Rowntree Park for sponsoring us and to Boyes, who also supported us.  Hope you all love the #BrilliantBirds.  Go see!

 

Poppies in the Park - All Packed Up

Poppies in the Park - All packed up

The Poppies in the Park have had a bit of a spruce up and a bit of TLC after a month on display in Rowntree Park and are now bagged up ready for their new owners.

The red poppies have headed off to the York Branch of the British Legion and the white poppies to the York Friargate Quaker Meeting.

Thanks to our sponsors (Friends of Rowntree Park, Boyes and Duttons) and to everyone who stitched, knitted or crocheted poppies, did some finger or arm knitting or pompom making or who helped put it all together and to the venues that let us meet up to make them (Rowntree Park Cafe, the Golden Ball Pub, Tesco Community Room) and to City of York Council for permission to put up the installation and to Rowntree Park Tennis Club for letting us use their fence.  It has been great fun. Thank you all!

Putting Poppies in the Park Together

Gigantic red poppy under construction

Since our last workshop we've been sorting out poppies.  And including all big & small poppies - it's official - there's a thousand.  (Loud fanfare please.) How fantastic is that - and rather more than expected!  We've had to make our poppy twice as gigantic and had to enlist extra help (thanks so much Helen, Kate & Lily for attaching hundreds of poppies!)

So here's just a sneaky peek at what to expect  ...

Gigantic poppies - above and below - knitted, stitched & crocheted by the local community

Gigantic whte poppy - 190cm diameter

Giant poppies - extreme knitting

Giant red poppy - 1m diameter

Giant white poppy - 1m diameter

 
Big Poppies - big knitting

Big red poppy 57cm diameter (thanks to Fiona, Sue & Angela)

Big white poppy - 70cm diameter (thanks to Sarah, Sue & Angela)

The Poppies in the Park Yarnstorming Installation goes up in Rowntree Park on Thursday 11 June 2015 and will be up until after the Rowntree Park Birthday Party on 12 July 2015.  

Come on down - it's going to be great!

Poppies in the Park has been sponsored by the Friends of Rowntree Park, Boyes & Duttons for Buttons and wouldn't have been possible without all the fabulous poppy making plus arm and finger knitting by the local community at workshops and at home.   Poppy makers of York - you're the best!

Read more about the workshops here ... 
Poppies in the Park go to Rowntree Park Reading Cafe, York  
Poppies in the Park go to Tesco  
Poppies in the Park Workshop at the Golden Ball York

or about the Fairfax Court Yarnstormers here ...

Fairfax Court Yarnstorming Ahead

or about the extreme knit poppies here ...

Extreme Knitting Continues with a Giant White Poppy

A Giant Poppy - More Extreme Knitting

Poppies in the Park go to Tesco

Today was our first workshop in Voluntary Arts Week and we were celebrating getting creative in the Community Room at the Tesco Store, Tadcaster Road, York.
  

We had a representative join us from the Acomb Craft Group.  Remember the lovely things they did for the first yarnstorming event in Rowntree Park.  Doreen managed to get both felted and knitted poppies made! (So did Heather - how speedy is that!)

Sue took up the challenge of big knitting and now both big knit red and white poppies only have one petal to go.  Hope there will be someone to complete them at our next workshop.

Big knit poppies only need one more petal

This is the only venue where we have been able to offer felt making and it was great to see people having a go.  We had some lovely felt poppies at the end ...

Felted poppies

There were some great knitted and stitched poppies made too...

Knitted & stitched poppies

And a special thank you to Helen and Sam for the 38 poppies they brought with them for the project as well as the knitted and stitched poppies they made today...

Knitted poppies that Helen & Sam brought

All these poppies in the park are going to look great!

The final workshop is at Rowntree Park Cafe on Tuesday 2 June 2015 from 14:00 to 16:00.  Come & join in!

The Poppies in the Park yarnstorming installation goes up in Rowntree Park, York on 11 June 2015 and is sponsored by Friends of Rowntree Park, Boyes and Duttons for Buttons