Fantasy Fish - Sales of the Summer

Fantasy Fish proving popular

After the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm was taken down, all the fish whirled in the washer, went "online" and then got packed up ready for the #FantasyFish sales.  

All packed up and ready to go

Not only were there all the fish but we needed plenty of tables too...

Tables, chairs and a very large fish

We used the big fish as our sign. 

Rummaging for fish

The sales were fantastic with lots of people coming along to buy fish.  We had to have sealed bids for these beauties...

A catch of mackerel

...and the winning bid saw them go to live with a local artist.  The goldfish in the bowl...

Knitted goldfish, knitted pebbles & crocheted plant

...has gone to be a carefree pet in the Ocean Room at the Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy in Strensall, York. A number of other lovelies are now swimming in their own bowls at their new owners too! 
 

An inseparable pair!

A bluefish in its bowl

The hammerheads proved popular.  One is now residing in a cabinet of awesomeness...

Peopleofyorkshire's hammerhead at home

But, what I'm sure you'd really like to know is how much we raised for the York Flood Appeal?  It was an amazing £600+.  So a big THANK YOU to everyone who made or bought fish or donated to the cause - a fantastic community effort.  And it's been a blast!

Fantasy Fish Sale & what to do with your fish!

or is it?  Come along to the fish sale and find out!

If you've been following the Fantasy Fish project you'll know that the first #Fantasyfish sale is on Saturday 27 August from 10-3pm.  This will be my first time as a fantasy fishmonger and you'll find Deborah New & I in Rowntree Park by the Cafe, selling fish.  All the money we raise from the sale of fish will go to the York Flood Appeal.

In case you're wondering what you might do with your fish purchases (and I do hope the plural is appropriate!), I've put together a few suggestions.  

First of all you could display your fishy in a little dishy...

Fish themed crockery from Frankie & Johnny's Cookshop, plate stand from Pextons - both on Bishopthorpe Road, York

or you could display them like this...

Display stands from Purepallets

or you could frame them...

Blossom Street Gallery & Framing, York offer a wide range of framing options

Some of the smaller ones would make nice brooches...

just add a brooch pin - The York Makery on Gillygate, York stock them

Or you could keep them as trouble free pets...

fish and plant from the display with added knitted pebbles!

Some of the flat ones could act as table mats or coasters...

fish table mat & starfish coaster

Then there's the recycling option.  This one's very topical - a mackerel tin (standing on a bottle top!)...

Canned fish

And, of course, you could have them swimming through the air like they did when they were part of the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm - outdoors or indoors!

I'm sure you'll have your own ideas too - but that's a different kettle of fish!

a very different kettle of fish

In addition to all the lovely fish - there will be some Hippystitch items of which 50% of the proceeds will be going to the York Flood Appeal.  There are some ceramic brooches, lino print cards & a selection of postcards...

Fantasy Fish ceramic brooches

Fantasy Fish lino print cards

postcards of the installation

If you enjoyed the display you can come and drop a donation in our very fishy collection box...

Donations welcome!

or until 31 August 2016, you can donate online here.  Please come along - we look forward to seeing you.  And let's hope for sunshine too!


 

Fantasy Fish Statistics

At last - Fantasy Fish in the sunshine with the added bonus of ducks!

     
This is a quick round up of a few interesting statistics from the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm.

Lots of people made fish and other creatures, pompoms & plantlife

The installation was made by over 130 people of all ages. We held three workshops in May 2016 as part of Voluntary Arts Week & Craft & Design Month in The Winning Post, The Golden Ball and Rowntree Park Cafe.  Five groups took part - The Fairfax Court Yarnstormers, Sew Chatty, The Good Humour Ladies Club, Year 6 pupils from Hob Moor Primary School and the North Leeds Rebels Craft Collective.  Most #fantasyfish were made in and around York (#fishfromYork) but we had #fishfromafar swim in from Holme on Spalding Moor, Leeds, London, Cambridge and Berkshire to #increasetheshoal too.

Jellyfish

The fish range in size from around 7 centimetres to over 2 metres and there are about 530 of them.  And there's also over 30 other creatures including hammerhead sharks, jellyfish, starfish, octopuses, a whale and a seahorse.  Then there's the plantlife on show together with more than 50 pompoms on display.

Fish, seahorse, hammerhead, octopus and starfish

We used about 200 metres of fishing line to hang the fish, and about 30 metres of finger knitting for the text, arrow and plantlife.

Just taking a coffee break

Deborah hard at work hanging fish

It took 18 hours to put up and that's after most of the fish had been strung together (which took a couple of days and was finished to the sound of Coldplay at Glastonbury - but fortunately didn't involve squelching in mud).

And it's all still there to be enjoyed if only for a few more days.  If you pop along on Sunday 17 July between 1-4pm you can see them and enjoy the Rowntree Park 95th Birthday Party at the same time.

But please don't forget to come along to the fish sales which aim to raise funds for the York Flood Appeal.  From 10am to 3pm on:

Saturday 27 August &

Friday 2 September 

you'll find us near the cafe, selling fish.  Do come and buy or you can donate now here (please mention fantasy fish in the message box).  We need your support!

Fantasy Fish Swim into Rowntree Park, York

A clue to where you can find the Fantasy Fish (& more Fantasy Fish here too, of course)

   
I was hoping for a dry day as I loaded up the car yesterday and headed for Rowntree Park, York where we were installing our Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm.

All packed up & ready to go

On arrival, I called in at the RP Reading Cafe to let Emma and the crew know what we were doing and found a delivery of #fantasyfish #fishfromafar - all the way from Cambridge! Thanks Lisa, they're lovely.  
 

Thanks to Lisa for these fish from Cambridge

Next we set up base camp, deciding to start on the tennis court fence.

Base Camp

We made a start with the big fish and the writing ...

Excellent progress & Deborah takes a well earned coffee break

I was wearing my fish necklace that Heather Chalkley (another textile artist) had made for me - isn't it fab!

Coffee from RP Cafe, fish necklace from Heather

Time to switch to some little fish - follow the arrow!

After a while we started hanging the little fish too.  And then we had a final delivery of fish from Dev to #increasetheshoal  ...

Final delivery arrived just as we were stringing up the fish - thanks Dev!

Deborah gets to work

There was quite a shoal which took up more space than we had thought it would ...

Not just fish, there were other creatures too ...

Today's catch surrounded by jellyfish

We finally finished at 7.15pm by which time my camera had run out of juice so I had to wait till today to snap a pic of the whole installation ...

Already it's proving to be a photo opportunity ...

and popular with families ...

and there's quite a big sign!

     
In case you're wondering what it's all about you can take a look here.  And that's not the end of it - the installation is up until after the Rowntree Park Birthday Party on Sunday 17 July.  Then we will take it down and sell the fish to fundraise for the York Flood Appeal - the fish sale dates are: 

Saturday 27 August 2016
Friday 2 September 2016

You will find our fish stall in or near the cafe from 10am to 3pm.  Come & buy fish!

If you have loved seeing the Fantasy Fish Installation and would like to support the York Flood Appeal directly with a donation, click here and please mention Fantasy Fish in the message box.  Our fundraising success depends on you - we can only succeed together.
 
Deborah New & I would like to say thank you to everyone, near & far, who have made fish, other creatures, pompoms or finger knitting for this project, the venues where we have held our workshops - The Winning Post, The Golden Ball, RP Reading Cafe,  City of York Council for permission to go ahead, Rowntree Park Tennis Club for letting us use their fence (again!) and to our sponsor - the Friends of Rowntree Park and the other businesses (*) who have supported us through donations of supplies/materials. Thank you all!
 
So do go and take a look!

* The Fantasy Fish Project is sponsored by the Friends of Rowntree Park and has been supported by Hobbycraft, York, Knit & Stitch, York and York School of Sewing.