December 2011 Charity Evening

Our December meeting takes place on Tuesday 6th December. 8pm as usual. As it is the December meeting there will be mince pies with our coffee and tea - home made of course.

Our charity of the year is again the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton and I will be visiting there on Saturday. I do hope you can bring along to the meeting on Tuesday either something you have made or a new item (an unwanted gift perhaps) that you haven't been able to use that the Friends can sell to patients, staff and visitors. The sales tables at the Hospital are very popular and raise a lot of money every year.

At our meeting on Tuesday there will also be an opportunity to buy yarn and magazines and possibly other knitting related items - yes someone is destashing again. So don't forget to bring your purse.

I look forward to seeing you all for our festive meeting.

November 2011 sock knitting

Oops I forgot the camera again. These pictures were taken on my mobile phone. I did try taking pictures of the show and tell items, but there were rather poor, so I'm no going to put them up. Items shown included a number of things to be given to the charity that visited last month and well as a shawl, a jumper and a cardigan/jacket plus hats and scarves. We should all be nice and warm this winter.

This month we were talking about socks and the various methods of knitting them. After showing the various pairs that had already been produced, so that others had could see how various yarns looked and felt it was down to business. Two or three of us showed how to join and get started when using three or four needles and Ann showed a group of interested knitters how to work the magic loop method of knitting socks.

Nina also showed one method of knitting socks on the knitting machine, but I didn't get chance to get a photo of that.

Don't we all look hard at work!

Since the meeting I have been to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate. Whilst I was there I got some more sock yarn, so will report back to the club members in due course and when get the socks finished I will try and post a picture.

November 2011 meeting coming up

How quickly time is going when you have fun. And I am sure you are all busy knitting and crocheting as usual. It's been another busy month for me, with days away at an exhibition, a new beginners course starting and a couple of talks thrown in for good measure. Still I have managed to complete some knitted projects.

Our November meeting is going to be devoted to socks. With winter coming on now, we will need something to keep our feet warm, and knitted socks can be just the thing. There are some lovely sock yarns around now, and prices are coming down so they no longer need to be considered a luxury. We will be trying our hand at knitting on 4 needles, learning how to join the cast on so that we can knit in the round, turning a heel and kitchener stitch for the toe. We will also have a go at the "magic loop" so that those who prefer to use circular needles can also knit socks. Machine knitters aren't going to be left out, as Nina will be showing how to knit socks on the machine.

There will be time for show and tell and some chatting as well so bring along the things you've been working on.

Visitors are welcome. Our meeting starts at 8 pm.

October 2011 meeting

Show and tell first this time. I didn't take pictures of everything, so apologies if you lovely items aren't included. The waistcoat has been crocheted by Gladys. It is an ideal way of adding a bit of extra warmth for the chilly days that are approaching and looks lovely took. Janet has made a lovely handknitted lacy cardy, again ideal to slip on when it is a bit chilly, but not cold enough for a woolley.

Phyllis knitted this blue shrug on her knitting machine. Easy to knit, it is just one long strip, joined to make it into the garment you see.

We had visitors this month - Sharon and Viv from The Grassroots Trust. They told us about all the fantastic work they are doing to help young people in developing countries. We knitters can help by making garments and soft toys for them to take when they visit the various countries. We like this idea as we all have yarn at home that we don't know what to knit it up to. And it is a good way of trying out a different technique or two. So we will be getting our needles out and hopefully coming up with something to pass on to them.

To see more about The Grassroots Trust go to their website: http://grassroots.org.uk/home/

The October Meeting

Our October meeting is on Tuesday 4th October. We have invited Fleet Grass Roots to come along and tell us a bit about what they do. They have told me that amongst other things they support Third World Countries, supplying them with knitted items. Now I think we may be able to help them as we all have plenty of yarn and this is a good cause.

Please do come along and hear what they have to say. I think they are also bring a little video presentation as well.

Don't forget to bring your completed projects along to show us, and also any knitting problems you might have. I'll try to remember the camera as well. I hope also to be able to update you about the programme for the rest of the year.

Those of you that didn't come last month, please remember to pay your annual subs when you come. Many thanks.

September and our AGM

September sees another year come round and time again for our AGM. The business as usual took very little time and then it was on to more interesting things. First there was a show and tell. It seems that quite a bit of the summer knitting had already been passed on to its recipient bu there was still a few bits left.

This scarf had been worked on my Mandy, her grandmother, her mother and her daughter - 4 generations. It's finished now, and her daughter loves it.

Carole has done all the work on this shawl herself. Here's just a close-up of it. Carole did think there was a mistake or two in it, but we couldn't spot them.

Jean finished her cushion that was for the challenge which finished in July, so she brought it along to show us. She has also been doing some crochet. A game of noughts and crosses and a little toy.

Liz had a go and knitting with wire and made this beaded bracelet from a kit she had purchased at an exhibition.

Nina had been busy. She had made a cardigan and a shrug for herself. The shrug is knitted in 2 x 2 rib and uses holding position for shaping.

Sylvia knitted the baby clothes and a shawl. The shawl was knitted on her knitting machine, and the baby clothes by hand.

Once the show and tell was over we had a very welcome cup of tea or coffee and then it was time to learn a few new tricks. Some had asked to see again the cast on that Chris had showed us for the mobious scarf. Liz had brought a circular needle and some yarn with her, so we were able to see that again.

Liz also had brought along a knitting machine as one member was having trouble knitting lace on her knitting machine and also understanding the lace punchcards. The machine was quickly set up and it all made sense once it was explained properly. Let's hope we can all remember how to do these things when we get home!

We seemed to pack a lot into the meeting.

The 2011 Challenge

Back in September 2010 at our AGM I told members about the challenge for the year. This time I had chosen custion covers. Usual rules applied i.e. that you could not buy anything for it, everything used had to come from your stash or be given to you by someone else from their stash.


The cushion with leaves has been knitted by Sylvia. on her knitting machine, including all the leaves.


Chris knitted this blue and white cushion. Handknitted of course, knitted from the centre out. The button in the middle is a great idea. Chris hadn't had time to finish the back, so this piece is pinned to a cushion pad. I bet she finishes it soon.







Liz knitted this cushion and entered it into the Guild of Machine Knitters competition this year. It wasn't a winner, but we all thought it looked really good. She knitted it on one ofher chunky machines.


Shirley knitted this aran style cushion cover. It is another one that is a front only, but hopefully a back will get knitted as it looks really good, and would complement any decor.

This cushion has been knitted by Marcia using very very large needles and a number of strands of yarn. It is quite hard to knit like this so you can only do a few rows at a time. But it gives a lovely effect. By using larger still needles and more yarn you can even knit your own floor covering.

This round cushion is good too. It's all garter stitch and is great fun.

An unexpected treat!

The day before our July meeting I received a phone call from a lady (whose name I didn't get, so apologies to her) asking if she could bring some yarn and magazines to the club as she wanted to get rid of them. She was giving it all away, not trying to sell it. As we were having a sales table at the July meeting I agreed that she would bring it all along to the club meeting and we would find a good home for it. Silly me didn't ask how much yarn or how many magazines!

Well, she came along to the meeting, with her husband to help unload her car (a large 4x4 SUV type), and proceeded to give us numerous black bags full of yarn for hand and machine knitting and a few magazines. There was so much yarn that it would never have fitted into my estate car which is not small. We didn't have time to sort what was there as she arrived at the same time as the members and she didn't stop for the meeting.

So we opened the bags and left them on the floor for people to rummage. Now remember that we had also had someone bring yarn along the month before so I wasn't expecting much yarn to go home with others, rather than me. Experience tells me that if I gave the yarn away not much would go as people are too polite to take much, so I told everyone that a full cone of yarn, or enough handknitting yarn to knit a garment was £1, and if it was a part cone or similar of the hand knitting yarn then it was less. The money collected would go to our charity of the year, the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton Branch.

And this is what we looked like as we rummaged in those bags! These photos were taken after the first inspection and the frenzy had died down. I almost forgot to take the photos.

By the end of the evening the bags of yarn fitted into the back of my car, with seats still up. And I had £85 in my pocket to pass on to the charity. So thank you to everyone who took some home with them. I shall be interested to see what you all knit with it.

There is still some yarn left which will eventually get used. The easy to knit 4 ply yarn will probably come with me to exhibitions and be knitted into scarves, hats etc for the homeless. The machine washable yarns may well get used for pet blankets for the animal rescue charities and anything left will be used as appropriate. None of it will go to waste.

I hope that the lady who donated the yarn will check with the blogspot to see what happened on the evening she gave us the yarn. A big, big thank you to her. None of the yarn will be wasted.

It's our July meeting next week

So it's the end of the annual challenge this month. I hope you've all made your cushion covers. If you haven't well come along anyway and see what everyone else had made.

To round off our club year, we will be having a knitting related sales table. If you have something you don't use and don't want any more, bring it along and see if someone else would like to buy it. If you don't want to sell it, but give it away, consider asking for a donation for charity instead. Please mark your items with your name and how much you want for them. You might also be able to pick up a bargain or two.

I hope to see you all as this is the last meeting before our summer break.

Do we need more yarn?

Of course we don't! But when the prices are so reasonable who can resist.

At our June meeting Diane brought along just some of the yarn that she was selling as part of an estate sale. Lovely yarn and very good prices. We couldn't resist. Diane went home with less than half the yarn she brought with her and we went home with rather more yarn than we probably should have. Will we ever knit it all?

!

Di and Chris kept knitting so they had an excuse to buy yet more yarn! It's surprising how much you can get done when you are listening and talking.

Diane had brought with her some pictures of her alpacas that she keeps. She also told us a bit about them and we were able to ask her questions as well. Just a few pounds of fibre comes off each animal, but what does come off is beautiful fibre and very light. Alpacas were originally bred for the fibre and that continues still today.

June 2011 show and tell

These scarves and summer tops have all been knitted by Liz. The tops were all worked using the Garter Carriage, so whilst waiting for that to knit a few rows, she was also knitting scarves on her chunky machine. Liz says they were knitted in an attempt to de-stash, but you'd not notice the difference.

Carole knitted this beautiful shawl for her daughter to wear at her wedding. And Diane knitted and felted this bag from a Toft Aplaca kit.

Chris knitted this beautiful doily. She said it is knitted in cotton and looked awful when she first completed it. As soon as she started steaming it, the true beauty showed.

Chris also knitted this lovely shrug. It is knitted in an alpaca yarn.

Sandra knitted this little jumper for her new grandchild. She said the baby has to grow a bit first!

June 2011 meeting

This month Diane is coming along with rather a lot of cones of yarn. She is selling it at very reasonable prices on behalf of the family of someone who has died. Yarn of all types including natural fibres such as alpaca will be on sale. So now is the time to pick up a bargain.

I'm sure there will be plenty of chatting going on as well. And don't forget to bring along your latest creations. We do like to see what you have been knitting.

See you on Tuesday, 7th June, 8 pm is the start time.

Don't Bin it, Fix it!

Don't bin it - Fix it! That was the advice given to us by Fiona Morris at our May meeting. She had brought along a number of garments that she had "altered" rather than put in the bin.

Fiona found that this jumper was a bit too slim fitting so she knitted two panels and inserted them in the side seams. She tapered the top of the panel and took that into the top of the sleeve so that she did not need to completely reknit the sleeve.

Fiona freely offered advice and suggestions when we asked questions.

The intended recipient of this dress lost weight and asked for it to be altered. The scissors came out, the dress was cut and then re-assembled. An overlocker secured the stitches. And you now have a classic "little black dress". Very stylish.

This green summer top was knitted for a trip abroad, but back in the UK Fiona felt very exposed, so she knitted sleeves to go into it. It looked great when she had finished her alterations.

Fiona had brought along a lot of her garments and patterns. Here she is discussing techniques with club members.

It was a good evening and we learnt lots of tips so that we can "rescue" out knitting with confidence.

May Meeting Show and Tell

This is a close-up of the fancy rib edging on the bottom of the pink cardigan that is in the pile of 3 below. All knitted by Sandra for her grandchildren.

This white scarf has been knitted in pom-pom yarn. Looks lovely and just the think for a cold winters day.


Anne knitted the short sleeve cardy below. Just what we need on a cool summer evening.

Another beautiful shawl. From Jean this time.


Phyllis knitted this baby sleeping bag. Lovely for the new arrival

May Meeting - a visit from Fiona Morris

Another month has past and everything is growing well in the garden! I have still found time to do a little knitting and lots of talking about it.

There will be even more talking about knitting on Tuesday evening (3rd May) as it is our club meeting. Fiona Morris is coming to speak to us. She has called the title of her talk "Fix it, Don't Bin It!" I know a lot of us have just thrown things in the corner and eventually into the bin when it hasn't gone right, so I'm looking forward to hearing of things we can do to save our knitting when something goes wrong.

As usual visitors are welcome. 8pm is the start time.

At our April meeting

Ann Brown of Posh Frocks came along and talked to us about garments knitted from a different angle. By that we mean, not knitted from welt to neckline. Ann had brought along a selection of garments that were designed and knitted using holding position for shaping and to give fullness where required. I was so absorbed with her talk that I forgot to take pictures. I did remember at the end when she was talking to some of the members, so those pictures are below.

All in all it was an excellent evening - thanks Ann.