July 2018 - Charity knitting or finishing WIPs

It was a very warm evening for the last meeting of the 2017-18 club calendar. Not surprisingly, several members are on holiday at this time of year, so there was a slightly smaller turn-out than usual. There was lively discussion of the Guild of Machine Knitters AGM last month, with particular enthusiasm for Nick of Uppingham Yarns talk on the huge range of yarns currently available, and the speech by the Guild founder Frank Dineen on his recollections of the early years of the Guild.

Fleet club had a stand in the foyer of the venue displaying items created by members, and kindly laid out by Jean.

Fleet Knitting Club stand at the Guild of Machine Knitters AGM, 2018

There was also discussion of a beautifully crafted sideways-knit skirt that was seen being proudly worn at the AGM, which led into comparisons of the different techniques to achieve the pleating, including the heat-set 'boil-in-the-bag' technique.

There was a 3-for-2 offer on in Lidl's for a cotton/acrylic yarn, which may still be available in some branches (depending on stock).

There is no August meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday 4th September, 2018.

Upcoming shows

The Southern Wool Show will be held at the Newbury Racecourse on Saturday 1st September.

Charity knits

Liz brought along some charity knit patterns, as well as some of the latest crazes on the internet, including knitting finger rings, 'Flashdance' chair socks, catnip bunny toys, water bottle holders, and an aquatic trend that included fish and octopus.

Show and tell

Jean machine-knit a child's orange jacket with lace edging.

Sandra hand-knit a white garter-stitch baby cardigan to donate to the Sands Charity. A matching hat is on the needles.

Carol's pink lacy cardigan is a present for a neighbour's 70th birthday.

Liz hand-knit two pairs of socks. The blue/green pair have the 'after-thought spiral heel'.

Hand-knit wrap-around scarf for a baby in an Aran-look yarn.

A hand-knit four colour cotton yarn bag with i-cord handles.

Carol also brought along some new Addi needles for sock knitting that look very interesting. They have the name addiCraSyTrio.