i have had a message from Nancy the art teacher in Cape Breton who i am arranging an artistic exchange with . originally we had thought that her ancestors had travelled on the' Hector' travelling from Loch Broom...

'I was talking about this connection , with my Dad , who is 83, and how interesting it was that you are close to Loch Broom , where our ancestors came from . I also questioned him about them coming over on the Hector as that was what I had always been told. Anyway Dad then said he wasn't sure on that now.... so I 've been going back through the family records as I never really questioned it before now. And so I must set the record straight..... The Hector sailed in 1773.......my great, great grandfather Murdock MacLean, was born in Loch Broom in 1782 , his wife , Mary Innis born in Loch Broom, 1801......needless to say, they didn't quite make that boat!!Their first child, Rodrick Mclean was born in Riverdale , Nova Scotia in 1820, my great grandfather , Murdock MacLean was born 2 years later. I am not certain when the family left Scotland. My grandfather, James Murdock Maclean, was the only one in his family to live in Cape Breton. He started out as a tailor,working in the coal mining town of Inverness in the Cape Breton Highlands. '

the knitting begins again!

the spun cheviot wool is a bit thicker than the other wools i have been using so this bird should move a bit quicker! schools work is coming to a close so i will have more time to work on my knitting ! originally i had thought that i would knit all the birds in cheviot wool as this would tie in so well with the history of the area. i decided to knit them using accurate colours to the actual birds as i felt that this would make art work which could be used in some way as a learning resource and remain with the community for that purpose.. knitting solely with cheviot wool may be something to explore as a development from this project.

i am now attempting to knit an albino oystercatcher using wool spun from the cheviot sheep.
oystercatcher,gaelic names gille brighde, drilleachan, dollaid.
gille brighde servant of st bridget, onomatopoeic name,
dolaid means impatient





the call is said to resemble the gaelic ' bi glic, bi glic', ( be wise be wise ) appropriate for a bird under the protection of the patron saint of birds st bride

details of some of my previous work with knit have been uploaded to a knitting website

http://www.bhkc.co.uk/data/knitted_textile_artists.htm#Deirdre

razorbill finally finished!

i am just adding legs and feet to the razorbill and will be soon finished another bird. the feet and legs are made form black twine found on scourie beach

'Probably the most unusual bird - an albino oystercatcher with a twisted bill - now resides, stuffed, in an Edinburgh museum having died on Handa in 1967'

an albino oystercatcher may be a good bird to make next! i have been thinking i may use some of the wool spun from cheviot sheep for this . a twisted red bill and pink legs from twine and fishing line would be a good contrast.. it will also be a good odd bird to put in amongst the others.. perhaps to represent the queen of Handa.

i have been taking alot of photographs of the children working on their birds and also filming myself stitching and knitting. i am also interested in the making of fishing nets and would be interested in filming nets being made.







knitting and netting.

netting needles

at the beginning of the residency i was interested in trying to link with cape breton in some way though an artist exchange with a school . i had been thinking about ideas of migration of birds and emigration to cape breton / nova scotia . through contacts made in Canada from a visit last year i was able to get possible contacts in cape breton .. we put out some information to teachers in the area and i had a reply from a teacher whose ancestors were on the ship the Hector one of the first boats to take imigrants from this area. she is an arts teacher in the area working in different schools and an exchange with sutherland is also of personal interest to her . she is interested in working with Sydney elementary school in Sydney Cape Breton http://www.cbv.ns.ca/elemweb/sriver/

the children in this area have been working with birds (drawing and making ) and i hope to photograph these birds and create postcards. the children will then send them to Cape Breton. i hope this will provide a positive link for the future and create further links and exchanges between the two areas. as a result of the workshops we will have over 60 birds. 64 people left Handa and although some did not emigrate , it will make a good link to this.

i have been working in the local schools making birds . in one school the children have not been working with sea birds and the birds of Handa but local birds in the area. each child has chosen a bird to represent themselves depending on their characteristics. the girl who is making this red grouse plays computer games all the time so she decided to be a 'game' bird. they have been making the birds from felt and then stitching and following some of the techniques i have used to make beaks and feet.

darning eggs

darning the knitted birds will make another link to the human aspects of knitting /people on Handa

today i have been trying to finish the head of the razorbill and add the eyes. the beak and eyes are stitched with black twine collected from the beach

i have been adding the white stripe by darning silk thread into the knitting . this ties in well with ideas of making the heads of the birds by using techniques involved with turning the heel of socks .

i have eventually got the image i wanted onto the blog but the wrong way round ! this image related to my previous blog about the potatoes and the saying 'you'd think it was a famine'. the potatoes have been lazer cut with text .

i have been trying to load photos today with not much luck so will try again later . i have been busy working in schools for a few weeks working with the children to create birds. each child has chosen a bird to represent themselves and is exploring drawing and making of the bird.. we hope to make an exchange with Cape Breton in the form of postcards which can be sent over to a school there with information about the children and the area . this links well with the history of emigration from Handa to that area but also provides a positive experience for young people . the teacher involved has told me that her ancestors travelled on the 'Hector' which travelled to that area from sutherland bringing the first immigrants from this area.

the razorbill is just getting some last minute adjustments and i hope to have him ready this week!

i have just been to Belfast to 'interface' a new textile research centre. http://www.interface.ulster.ac.uk/

i had been there earlier in the year to do a masterclass called contemporary souvenir. taking irish souvenirs as a subject we experimented using the equipment there ( digital printers and lazer cutting technology) we spent two days experimenting on all types of materials food in my case as i was thinking of souvenirs as memories from holidays (taste ,smell ,sounds also) i was lazer cuting lettering onto all sorts!.. potato bread, wheaten bread etc.
this visit was a continuation of the process . i started experimenting with potatoes, (a staple of irish cuisine).. i was also thinking aobut the potato famine and this ties in well with my residency here also. people left handa at a time of famine and arrived in cape breton with famine there also.

i was printing onto potatoes with aran knitted patterns and also lazer cutting text onto potatoes. we were trying to think of ways that this experimental work could be translated into 'souvenir' products .. i started to think of a saying to do with the famine.. we often say 'you'd think it was a famine' if people have over eaten at a meal or bought too much food . i started to think about the idea of shopping bags with imagery text related to this.

the theme of the potatoes could also lead to more experimental installation work .

i have been thinking again about the little penguins in knitted jumpers and how i could link that idea with the birds of Handa

these jumpers are used to help rehabilitate little penguins ( eudyptula minor) that have been oil affected. oil clogs the feathers of these tiny sea going birds and reduces their insulating and waterproofing qualities. even worse the penguins attempt to clean themselves by preening and rapidly become poisoned. www.tct.org.au/jumper#tasmanian

fishermens jumpers were knit with oiled wool so this links well with knitting history and industry of the island.. i could possibly knit a series of jumpers for the birds of Handa or representing the people of Handa in some way.

i have found a knitting pattern for one of the penguin jumpers.

How to Knit a Penguin Jumper

You will need:
8 ply wool
1 pair No 9 needles (3.75)
1 pair No 11 Needles (3.00) Method:

Cast on 36 Stitches
K1 P1 to the end of row
Repeat for 7 rows
Change to K2 P2 and increase on stitch at each end of every row 4 times (44 Stitches)
Continue until work measures 10 CM
Decrease 1 stitch at each end of every row until 28 stitches remain
Decrease 1 stitch in the middle of the next row
Leave on needle or stitch holder
Make second side the same as the first
Using the No 11 needles knit both sides onto these needles and K1 P1 for 22 rows. Cast off.
Stitch up the sides to the beginning on the decreasing to 27 stitches, this is to be left open for each flipper. Stitch up the neck.
The finished jumper should measure 4.5” (115mm) wide and 7.5” (190mm) longIf you are a loose knitter, use smaller needles.

*And remember, the knitting must be firm to prevent the penguins from getting out of them.

i found this picture of a knitted bird and really like the simplicity of it. i have been thinking again about knitting with wool spun from cheviot sheep and making birds solely from that wool.

I discovered that there was an albino bird on Handa at one time. i could make an albino oystercatcher from the cream wool spun from the cheviot sheep.

'Probably the most unusual bird - an albino oystercatcher with a twisted bill - now resides, stuffed, in an Edinburgh museum having died on Handa in 1967'

Artic tern is a small bird that takes the longest migration of any bird
It flies over 21,750 miles ( 35,000) each year roughly the circumference of the earth . They live in large groups called colonies

i have been thinking again about migration and emigration and been looking at artic terns. i discovered that 'Immediately before beginning migration a noisy colony of birds suddenly becomes quiet and they all take to the air and fly away this behaviour is called ‘the dread’ i wonder if there was the same 'dread 'before emigrating

i am still trying to knit a razorbill but am nearly there .. i just have to work out how to do the beak. i have been reading a great book called 'Scottish Birds'. culture and tradition by Robin Hull. It has some great information about the birds and on folklore related to them.



razorbill.. family alcidae, the auks

auks generally are poor walkers on land and this has given rise to the saying 'drunk as an auk'

both guillemot and razorbill have short stiff wings that double up as underwater flippers once they plunge beneath the surface. in france the name for razorbill is 'petit pingouin'

linking with ideas of local wool and cheviot sheep i am hoping to knit a bird with wool spun by a local spinner

i have been thinking of a way of presenting the birds i have made and have thought about victorian bird cases.. the era would tie in well with the dates of people leaving Handa.( 1847) there is something quirky and quite sinister about these bird cases. an additional element could be that of sound recordings associated with Handa and the birds .