CONVENT AND CHAPEL

Winding Down in Winter

Published on July 21, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

We always have the fire burning in the shop - knitting and an open fire seems like a great combination. — We always have the fire burning in the shop – knitting and an open fire seems like a great combination.

Winter is well and truly here – and it’s a real Winter. Snow on the escarpments, roads closed due to ice, minus temperatures. Such a change from temperate Sydney weather of the past but so welcome in the country. And maybe some serendipity after opening a wool shop in Summer.

Whilst the garden looks like The Desolation of Smaug, it has also provided a break from gardening which has been substituted with shop work and lots and lots of knitting as the hand knits are snapped up almost before they come off the needles. Open fires, both at home and in the shop, have added to the atmosphere and a slow cooker (KitchenAid) is a welcome addition for meals, having already tackled beef spare ribs, lamb, and pea and ham soup made with a ham hock. I think it will clock up a few more meals before the Winter is out.

It’s also a popular time for guests – we always like Winter getaways – I suppose it’s a great time just to relax in front of a fire and, well, knit… So the Convent is having lots of lovely and welcome guests. It’s a chance to host old friends and make some new ones, which can only be good.

Alpaca ribbed beanie and Rib Panel Mitts.

The shop is going well and keeping us busy, making sure we have lots of hand knit beanies and mitts, our best sellers, well stocked for non-knitters. I’ve finally bitten the bullet and seriously started some non-selling knitting. This one is Eugen Beugler’s Feather and Fan Shawl from ‘A Gathering of Lace’ knitted in 50% silk/50% wool undyed in fingering weight (4 ply) from my stash. I’ve made it once before and loved it so will do it this time and put on display in the shop as a sample for lace knitters to tackle. I may manage another version in 2 ply as well. I’m also hoping this may make it to a few Shows, so it ticks a few of my ‘Knitting Category’ boxes.

In the meantime, life is surprisingly busy. We also have the Kandos Gardens Fair preparing for kick off first weekend in April 2016 – an Autumn event this time – and the Convent will need to look her best.

The latest lace project. I almost forgot how much I enjoy lace shawls.

My Knitting Categories

Published on July 12, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Beanies and mitts – great sellers for our visitors.

For many years, I’ve usually knitted for others – baby shawls, rugs … but with the shop, I’m finding this pattern changing. I’ve come to realise I have a number of categories of knitting – some with sub categories and, of course, significant cross-over between them, which helps leverage my knitting time.

Firstly, the primary category of knitting is

“Shop” Knitting – this has three sub-categories:

Rylstone Ridge scarves - shop pattern, shop yarns and for sale! - three ticks! — Rylstone Ridge scarves – shop pattern, shop yarns and for sale! – three ticks!

i) Hand Knitted Items For Sale – we are primarily a yarn shop but get lots of non-knitting tourists (yes, they do exist) popping in and would like to have items of interest for them to buy. After all, this is a business, not a hobby. So we knit simple items – predominantly fingerless mitts, beanies and scarves. Most are our own patterns (or easy to obtain ones) and mostly in our own yarn, so they double up as shop samples (although we also use some of our own stash). We struggle to keep up with demand as they sell quickly. Whilst I might prefer to spend more time on challenging knitting, it’s rewarding to see them sell quickly, are relaxing in front of the television and they provide a great additional line of revenue for the business. We obviously leverage them by using our own yarn so they more often than not help us sell shop yarn as well.

Shop samples - our patterns in our yarns. Simple projects and good examples of how the yarn knits up. — Shop samples – our patterns in our yarns. Simple projects and good examples of how the yarn knits up.

ii) Shop Samples – as mentioned above, we make up our own patterns and accompanying knits. We also knit appealing items that are readily available on the internet, primarily Ravelry, the knitter’s web hub. Whilst some can also be items for sale, more often we keep them as shop samples on display to inspire or tempt people to have a go and show them how the yarn knits up.

The beginnings of one of the "sign" blankets. — The beginnings of one of the “sign” blankets.

iii) Shop Blankets – I currently have two underway and they are my attempt at “knitting advertising”. Basically they are the big knitted squares blankets I make, but this time have ‘Convent & Chapel Wool Shop’ knitted into them and will hang over our railings as advertisements for the shop.

The next major category is Show Knitting. These are the special projects that are entered in the local and more major shows. They can also use shop yarn (preferably) and be displayed in the shop, but not necessarily. I’ll get onto a project or two shortly. The Show season kicks off early February each year and runs mainly through to around May. Of course, I usually leave my run way too late and it’s a rush to complete something in the end. This year I’m thinking of spreading myself a little more and wandering into coloured work and Aran – no, being smashed by Gemma in lace this year has nothing to do with it – well, maybe just a tad!

Knitting For Others – in the past, this has accounted for most of my knitting – mainly lacy baby shawls, big rugs in textured and coloured squares and children and baby clothes. Again, languishing a little this year. Sorry friends and family…

And lastly, Selfish Knitting – knitting just for me. By now you’ve probably guessed that this is totally neglected, although I’ve at least chosen a pattern and put aside some beautiful Hedgehog Fibres yarn for a special treat – another Daybreak Shawl in cape proportions.

I’ll keep you posted as some of these categories make progress, but for now here in Kandos/Rylstone, it’s bitter mid Winter (not that we’re complaining), minus one today, so our efforts are best spent on shop mitts and beanies which will keep us off the streets and in business for now.

This gorgeous Hedgehog Fibres Pod and Rusty Nail in Twist Sock will one day be a Daybreak Shawl - and possibly tick some boxes as Show Knitting and Shop Sample as well as Slefish. — This gorgeous Hedgehog Fibres Pod and Rusty Nail in Twist Sock will one day be a Daybreak Shawl – and possibly tick some boxes as Show Knitting and Shop Sample as well as Selfish.

Our Fleeting Brush With Fame

Published on June 27, 2015 by conventandchapel1 Comment

This week we were ever-so-fleetingly touched by the brush of fame. One of the major lifestyle programs, Better Homes and Gardens, did a recipe road trip to our region and filmed a segment at 29 Nine 99, our legendary Yum Cha house that we share premises with at the Bridgeview Inn at Rylstone.

Unfortunately due to family commitments, I couldn’t make it, but Gemma was there in full swing and did the shop proud by displaying our blankets and knitted goodies on the front verandah in the hope we might be included in some filming. There was obvious excitement with the visit and lead-up to showing on tv and we weren’t disappointed. The segment did Na Lan and 29 Nine 99 proud and our building and shop could be glimpsed in the first couple of minutes. Whilst they didn’t film inside our Convent & Chapel Wool Shop, cast and crew visited and bought beanies and mitts for themselves.

All in all, lots of fun and some great exposure for our little town and 29 Nine 99.

Here’s the video of the segment – you can see our old sandstone building and shop around 90 seconds into the clip.

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/tv-and-video/video/watch/28572028/recipe-road-trip/

Changing Tides – June 2015

Published on June 24, 2015 by conventandchapel2 Comments

The blog has been quiet of late which reflects that I’ve also been taking things at a slower pace. Dad’s recent passing has been sad for the family and he has left a big hole. I wish he had been able to spend more time at the Convent and enjoy the garden.

When I returned home, there were some fairly drastic changes to the garden. Before leaving, the plants were slowing down but everything was still lush and the roses still (just) flowering. Upon coming home, the cruel Winter frosts had hit and the garden had turned to yellow and brown. My natural instincts are to prune and tidy, but the dead growth actually protects other plants and I don’t want to encourage new growth yet when we still have much of Winter to come. So for now I’ll just focus on building up garden beds and compost and leave the plants alone.

The Dahlias definitely don't appreciate frost. — The Dahlias definitely don’t appreciate frost.

One of the brighter moments was my first egg. The girls have done me proud and now most days I seem to find an egg or two – quite unexpected given I was told they were young and not to anticipate eggs in Winter.

For now, pace has slowed down a bit with long cold days, which suits me at present.

My girls - four rose comb bantams - in their chook tractor. — My girls – four rose comb bantams – in their chook tractor.

Reminiscing, Good Times and Facebook

Published on May 23, 2015September 16, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

This year sentimentality, along with some major family events, has tempted me to contact some old friends – as in past school friends from quite a few decades ago – I don’t think of any of them as “old” in terms of age. These are people with whom I’d been really close to at school. Good friends, buddies through the challenging teen years – but over the decades we’d grown apart, more through individual circumstances rather than by choice.

Facebook has been a great medium for finding and contacting people and I’m hopefully at the cusp of rebuilding some very valued relationships. We’ve all been through lots of life changes – many challenging – but all seem to be there for each other again. So far, most have been amazing with their genuine delight at being contacted. A few old friends are still MIA, but I understand that many may rarely look at their pages and possibly not recognise aged faces and changed names this far down the track – I’m hoping it’s not a matter of “Oh no, not her. I hoped I’d lost her decades ago!”

Anyway, for some of my old buds, it’s like we’ve just caught up a year after high school – funny how decades on they still seem exactly the same. Anyway, in a year when I’ve needed it, there have been some wry smiles at memories, the odd sentimental tear, a few choked snickers and lots of outright belly laughs at some of the memories that are coming out – all on Facebook – as we are all well scattered geographically now.

My parents had saved some old high school photos and Facebook has been a great medium for posting these, chatting and sharing. The photos themselves are just catalysts for memories and stories, which keep building and communities that keep expanding.

Next year is our 40th school reunion. I went to our 10th and find it hard to believe it could possibly have been this long ago, particularly after talking to the grils – there must be a time warp and we’re barely back to our 10th again??

Anyway, I’m having lots of fun chatting to old besties, making contact with those I liked and knew, even if not be besties, and linking in with people from school I never had a chance to know well but I’m sure were great people. Whilst difficult years, we were very supportive of each other and shared and grew so much together.

Forty years on, and we’re finding so much has changed yet so much still stays the same, even if we are mainly communicating online. Hopefully the best has remained and the changes have also been to our advantage. Anyway, I’m optimistic that many of us will now make the effort to remain in close communication and hoping we have many more laughs ahead of us. Some personal meet ups would be the icing on the cake!

Kandos – AKA ‘Pirate Town’

Published on May 22, 2015May 22, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Who would have thought of it – Kandos playing home to pirates!

Two of our intrepid locals, who always put on great events, are utilising International Talk Like a Pirate Day to hold a pirate bash in Kandos with Jon English performing, no less.

I must confess to having a soft spot for Jon English, going back to the old Jesus Christ Superstar days at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. I remember getting my Mum to take me to performances and waiting out the back of the theatre which wasn’t the best layout – the cast had to wait in the back alleyway between changes and going back on stage, so us fans had the opportunity to speak to them and get autographs. I also went to Jon English’s first solo concert at the Manly SIlver Screen and bought his album. So, YES! I was a fan and part of my is pretty excited by Mary and Sue’s choice of entertainment.

Anyway, September 19 will be a Big Kandos Day with the inaugural Kandos Pirate Festival followed up by the night Buccaneer’s Bash. I can see some pirate knitting in our future. Hoping some friends and family can make their way here for what looks to be a truly memorable experience. Aarghh, or we’ll keel haul you, me hearties!

I Knit Therefore I Am

Published on May 20, 2015May 21, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

The shop is going well. We’ve been delighted with the reception of both locals and visitors to the area (as well as the general knitting community, which also contains members of both aforementioned groups).

Knitters are genuinely delighted to find a unique yarn shop so remote and unexpected in our little town of Rylstone. And they find yarns that have great PR and almost legendary status but are so hard to find – such as Hedgehog Fibres, Madelinetosh, JaggerSpun and Jamieson & Smith. But we also get lots of non-knitters (as hard as it is to imagine, but they do exist). They love looking around the shop and like to buy something, so the hand knits are a great shop feature. Sometimes it’s hard to balance expectations that we are not a “hand knit shop” – we don’t sell a great range – we don’t try to. We want to encourage people to create their own and buy yarn, but the hand knits do well for us as an additional line.

Elefantes in Claudia's Handpainted Yarns — Elefantes in Claudia’s Handpainted Yarns

The hand knits are very labour intensive, so where possible we try and also make them shop samples – our patterns and our yarn – to inspire people to knit and give knitters ideas on how to use our beautiful yarn. Some of our knits are just shop samples and not for sale. At present, we are working on various versions of a baby jumper using a few different options – Noro, Zauberball, Hedgehog or Opal. We’ve done the same with a Wee Willie Winkie Cap.

This week, additions include the always popular Spiral Beanie in various Noros, a Fishnet scarf – a popular seller both as a hand knit for sale and for knitters to make themselves usually made out of a Kidsilk lace weight yarn such as Debbie Bliss Angel, Rowan Kidsilk or Hedgehog Kidsilk, and hopefully another finished baby jumper. G will have her own additions for the shop this week as well.

There’s always a frenzy of knitting and it’s hard to believe that although we knit so much, there always seems to be a list a mile long of patterns we want to do and yarn we want to use that we don’t seem to get time to … Not the worst problem to have.

Anyway, the shop is open Friday to Monday, making the most of tourists in the area, which means tomorrow is another “work” day (although it seems a little unfair to call being at the shop “work”). More knits will go on display, more knits knitted, yarn sold and new yarn ordered. G and I will think of a zillion things we should be doing, have fun, meet people … and then go home and knit some more.

So far this week - going into the shop tomorrow - 3 spiral beanies and a fishnet lace scarf. Two baby jumpers are currently on the needles. — So far this week – going into the shop tomorrow – 3 spiral beanies and a fishnet lace scarf. Two baby jumpers are currently on the needles.

Of Compost and Compost Bins

Published on May 1, 2015 by conventandchapel1 Comment

The original bins – slow to decompose and a pain to empty.

Since owning the Convent, I’ve built many a garden bed. Whilst the nuns had beautiful formal gardens, between the time of them leaving in the ’70s and me purchasing the Convent, all beds had long since been removed. However, one of the great challenges is always access to good soil.

This has meant a great deal of mulching, composting and buying soil. Most of my beds have a basis of fill from leaves, lawn clippings, prunings, kitchen scraps and anything else I can get my hands on. In many areas, I’ve simply just dumped leaves and clippings and let them break down. I’ve also been using two tumbler bins for composting but they’ve been of limited use. They seem dry and the resulting compost is often not well broken down no matter how long I leave it, and the design is poor for getting the compost out.

Deconstructed compost bins - situated and movable. A joy to use. — Deconstructed compost bins – situated and movable. A joy to use.

One win with the recent Cementa Art Festival was a visitor who advised me to use mobile compost bins directly on the ground instead and with a little tweaking, my tumbler bins have been converted to just that and seem to be ideal. This way I can place them in different spots that need composting and move on when time and compost permits. Also physically much easier for me!

I now have four mobile bins and a new composting resolve. Mind you, when the maples drop their leaves, nothing is big enough to handle the abundance. I think the new bed in front of the sunroom will be the main beneficiary.

This new garden bed will be the beneficiary of all the maple leaves when they drop their abundance.

Selfish Knitting

Published on April 12, 2015May 2, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

My yarn selection - Hedgehog Fibres Copper Penny and Pod in Twosted Sock Yarn. — My yarn selection – Hedgehog Fibres Copper Penny and Pod in Twisted Sock Yarn.

And now something for me…

Cementa_15 has been great but it has been one of those epics that has for months been landmarked by “After Cementa…” for putting off activities and commitments. Now it’s over, it’s time to plan “Post Cementa”.

Since opening the Convent & Chapel Wool Shop, I’ve done masses of knitting but it’s all been for the shop. Now I’m about to do something for myself. Yes, it’s with shop yarn and will be worn in the shop, but it’s a pattern I’ve made before and love and with yarn I’ve fallen in love with.

The pattern is called Daybreak by Stephen West and the yarn I’ve chosen is Twist Sock by Hedgehog Fibres in Pod and Copper Penny. As usual, it will be overly generous and I’m endeavouring to make it into more of a cape size than a wrap/shawl.

Pictures will be posted as it progresses. Timing will depend greatly on beanie, mitt and scarf demand at the shop, which has been substantial over the past few weeks. Time we taught everyone to knit for themselves!

Knitted a few years ago but a well-worn favourite and due for an encore!

The Convent and the Artists

Published on April 10, 2015April 10, 2015 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Cementa_15 has kicked off with a vengeance and the Convent is playing her part as both a venue for artworks and a haven for some of the artists to rest up at night.

The first day, as anticipated, was relatively quiet but we expect crowds to build over the four days, peaking on Saturday.

The eerie and sad image of extinct birds vanishing before our eyes. — The eerie and sad image of extinct birds vanishing before our eyes in Indicatus.

I’m pleased with the exhibits at my place – all different but work in well with the building and grounds. Geometries: Kandos by Beata Geyer & James Culkin has had its share of publicity already, hitting the front page of what’s known locally as the ‘Mud Guard’. It is a site responsive sculpture described “The temporal disjunction between the modular construction of monochromatic planes and multidimensional forms, on the one hand, and the architecture and landscape, on the other, creates an exciting and speculative juxtaposition”. Another description is giant funky pick-up-sticks, which look great in the sprawling front yard with the Convent in the background.

Indicatus well situated in the Chapel is one of the hits of Cementa.

Another work attracting much media attention is Indicatus, 2014 by Kim V. Goldsmith. In this installation “Goldsmith plays with different elements of our relationship with birds, and their place in our environment, using technology to do so. Taking, often sentimental, notions of birds as identifiable decorative symbols of nature, they are deconstructed using sound, the burning of a series of charcoal drawings created specifically for the purpose, and smell”. The work was specifically created to complement the Chapel and is hauntingly beautiful.

The boxing tent looks ethereal against the backdrop of the Coomber Mountains at the rear of the Convent.

Alexander Jackson-Wyattt & Paulina Semkowicz’s Standard Boxing Tent No.1 was intended to be installed in the nearby paddock, however harsh Kandos winds put a stop to that idea. It’s now housed in my backyard but still suffering at times from the weather (although the cold snap has diminished and the days are kinder). “Kandos has not seen a boxing tent since 1971. From then, the empty field you have passed every day has stood there waiting for nothing to happen. Til finally the boxing troupe comes to town. From the nervous crowd, your hand goes up. You are pulled into the ring and what comes next is not the end but only the beginning”. It’s an appropriate location for the tent given the boxing boys practice five nights a week in the buildings attached to the Church directly behind my home.

Bit hard to photograph this but viewers get a beautifully reflected vision from inside the Grotto.

Lastly, the Grotto gets some attention with Dan Kojta’s Infinityscope. “Peering into the infinity scope’s deep velvety depths, viewers are encouraged to reflect on their spiritual state: and interior mirror returns their immediate past back to them as a future event”.

I’m looking forward to seeing more. One of the few other exhibits I’ve seen is the mural being created at the Museum by Djon Mundine which is amazingly spectacular and epic in size and cultural context. This will be a great ongoing contribution for Kandos, well past Cementa_15.

In case any readers think I’m art literate, the descriptions have all been taken from the Cementa_15 catalogue and I can’t take credit for them.

I’ll post more of some of the other works as I make my way around.

Djon Mundine's mural will be a greatly valued legacy for Kandos. — Djon Mundine’s mural will be a greatly valued legacy for Kandos.