Pond Life Yarnstorm - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

Frog - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

 

The Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group are celebrating pond life in their yarnstorm this year. You can find it in the arbour by the tennis courts.

Water Lily - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

The Pond Life craft display was originally thought up by Rosemary Bentley who is much missed. Although she is no longer with us, the craft group wanted to continue with this theme in her memory.

Duck - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

Spider - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

Bird in Tree - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

 Pond Life - Friends of Rowntree Park Craft Group

Check it out when you're next in the park and see what you can spot!

Our Final Butterflies & Bees Sale

Lots for sale!

We had our second sale of the butterflies & bees from the Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York today.  

Sales poster

Our enthusiastic customers were ready to buy as soon as we had all the beautiful creations out on the table!  It was so lovely to hear how much people had enjoyed seeing the display but even those who hadn't seen it were happy to rummage for a special souvenir!

Rosemary helping out

Rosemary from the Friends of Rowntree Park (FoRP) was staffing the stall with me.  It was a lovely morning - thanks so much to everyone who came to support us and to all those who made all the lovely butterflies, bees and flowers.  We can't do any of it without you!

Butterfly garlands for sale

In total, from both our sales and from donations, we raised £485 for the FoRP who help maintain & improve the park and run events for the community.  We sold almost 400 butterflies, bees and flowers (including 2 snails, 2 caterpillars and the hive with all its bees).  Any remaining butterflies, bees and flowers are going to the FoRP for them to sell or reuse in other projects. Whilst all the items were popular, the knitted and crochet bees were particularly quick to fly off! 

Butterflies & Bees Buzz Off To New Homes

Pompom Bees for sale

Today was the first sale of the butterflies and bees from the Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York.  The sun was shining and we had lots of lovely things for sale, all made by the community of knitters, stitchers, crocheters and felters most of whom were local!

Deborah New & I with our stall

We were delighted with the response.  There were so many lovely customers who came along to say how much they had enjoyed the display and were keen to take home a souvenir and in doing so, support the Friends of Rowntree Park.  The Friends help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone's enjoyment and were the charity our sale was supporting.

Treasures

Here are just a few snaps of some of the fab butterflies and bees that we had to temp people and happily they were tempted.  The beehive and bees found a new home too!

Beehive & Bees and a Basket of Stitched Bees

Beautiful Butterflies

A  Basket of Bees

                                                        

Cool Crochet Butterflies

Fantastic Flowers

Novel Knitted Butterflies

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to buy today and, of course, to everyone who made them which made the sale possible.  Thanks to to Rosemary and Jan who helped us set up and take down our stall.  (I'm keeping how much we raised a secret until after our second sale!)

If you missed out on the sale today you've got another chance because we're doing it all again next Saturday:

Saturday 16 October 2021 10:30 - 12:30

Find us in Rowntree Park, just below the cafe!

If you want to find out more about this project click here.

Butterflies & Bees Fly Off

Un-Happy

 

Saturday was take down day for the Butterflies & Bees and Happy 100th Birthday yarnstorms in Rowntree Park, York.  We were sad to see them go but pleased to have been able to add to the Park's 100th birthday celebrations.  Some people made a special visit to say goodbye.

Deborah hard at work

Finally it was all down...

Taking down the last butterflies

and lots of creatures were bagged up...

The park went from this...

Yarnstorms

to this...

Empty arbour

Empty tennis court fence

We were lucky because the rain held off till it was all down and Deborah and I were safely in Rowntree Park Cafe warming up with a hot drink and a pastry.

A bee wash

Back at HQ, the butterflies and bees were destrung (is that a word?) and popped in the wash.  Some, like the pompom bees, had a gentle hand wash.  And some enjoyed basking on a teatowel while the underfloor heating dried them out...

Drying butterflies and bees

Don't be too sad though because you get a chance to come and buy your favourite butterflies and bees in the forthcoming sales:

Sunday 10 October 2021 - 10:30 to 12:30

Saturday 16 October 2021 - 10:30 to 12:30

Come and find us below the cafe.  We are fundraising for the Friends of Rowntree Park who work hard to help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone's enjoyment.  Go on, you know you want to!

Hope to see you at the sales (please bring cash if you can!).

If you want to read more about this project then click here.

Butterflies and Bees (Yarn)Swarm into Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & bees strung ready to be hung up

Today's the day that all the butterflies and bees swarmed into Rowntree Park, York to form a yarnstorm or perhaps more accurately a yarnswarm! This installation is part of the celebrations for Rowntree Park's 100th birthday.  We have had over 725 butterflies and bees fly in to join the display. There are almost twice as many butterflies as bees and a handful of caterpillars and snails, not to mention a whole host of lovely flowers.  People have knitted, crocheted, stitched, pompommed, felted, origamied (is that a word?) and funky foamed a fabulous swarm for us to display. 

Deborah hanging up the butterflies & bees

Here I am doing the same

Deborah New (& Polly - thanks, Polly!) and I have strung them together and hung them in the arbour at Rowntree Park, York for you to enjoy.  We hope you like them and that you have fun spotting your favourites or the ones you've made.  Why not take your own pictures of the Butterflies & Bees yarnstorm and post them on social media using #butterfliesandbees and tag me in  - @hippystitch - to be sure I get to see them!

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm - Rowntree Park, York

There's an information sign if you want to find out more about the project - or you can take a look here.

Information Sign

And don't forget to look carefully so you don't miss anything...

Don't miss spotting all the bees!

The butterflies and bees will be in place until the end of September 2021 after which they will be sold to raise money for the Friends of Rowntree Park, who work hard to help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone's enjoyment.  Sales will take place below the cafe on these dates:

Sunday 10 October 2021 10:30 - 12:30
Saturday 16 October 2021 10:30 - 12:30

If you have enjoyed seeing this installation and want to make a donation to the Friends of Rowntree Park, pop into Rowntree Park Café where there is a tin for your donation.  Alternatively, you can donate directly by visiting the Friends of Rowntree Park website here.

If you want to read more about this project and the Happy 100th Birthday Banner then take a look here.

Happy 100th Birthday Banner

Looking forward to seeing your pictures and to seeing you at the sales!

Installing the Rowntree Park 100th Birthday Banner

Happy 100th Birthday Banner with Butterflies & Bees

The Happy 100th Birthday Banner and some ginormous butterflies & bees went up in Rowntree Park, York yesterday! The car was loaded with everything we needed for the installation...

Loaded up & ready to go

Once we got organised at the park, Deborah & I installed it with the much appreciated help of Geoff, who we stole from the volunteer gardeners...

Geoff hard at work with those cable ties

and here are Deborah and I doing some finishing touches - thanks to Mary Whitehouse (@yorkstitcher) for the pic...

Deborah & I installing the birthday banner
Photo credit: Mary Whitehouse - @yorkstitcher on Instagram

Here are a few close ups of the finished piece...

Giant crochet butterfly

A trio of giant stitched bees

Slightly smaller giant crochet butterfly

Flowers, butterflies & bees

Info sign

To find out more about the making of the banner (thanks go to Edna Shilleto for all the crochet squares - what a star!) look here or for the making of the giant bees, look here.

This is the first stage of the Butterflies & Bees and a Happy 100th Birthday Yarnstorm.  You've still time to join in with the Butterflies and Bees Yarnstorm.  All the details are here and the patterns are here or use your own patterns if you prefer.  All makes have to be in by the end of July 2021.  You can leave them in the collection basket at Rowntree Park Cafe.  

Collection Basket in Rowntree Park Cafe

The butterflies and bees will go on display in time for the August Bank holiday and will be in place till the end of September after which they will be sold to raise money for the Friends of Rowntree Park, who work hard to help maintain, improve and promote the park for everyone's enjoyment. 

So, go take a look at the Happy 100th Birthday banner, & keep a lookout for the Butterflies & Bees Yarnstorm at the end of August 2021 and for the sale dates in October 2021. 

Donation tin in Rowntree Park Cafe

Donations to the Friends of Rowntree Park

The Friends of Rowntree Park have sponsored this yarnstorm.  So, if you've enjoyed this project and would like to make a donation to the Friends of Rowntree Park, click here or pop into Rowntree Park Cafe (which is now open until 6pm for the summer) and leave a donation in the Friends of Rowntree Park tin.