December 2019 - Knit, natter and Chirstmas nibbles

It was nippy outside, but cosy and warm in the classroom. Christine brought along the mince pies, Stollen bites, shortbread and fizzy grape juice. 

Reminder that there isn't a meeting in January. The next meeting is Tuesday 4th February 2020.

Knitting from shapes (November 2019 meeting)

Last month we worked on making objects from knitted squares, such as gauge swatches. Nina finished two creatures started at the meeting. Here are the finished snowman and cat.

Charity knits

The current charity theme is hats. Sylvia knit half a dozen warm hats, half with bobbles.

Christine hand knit a mariner hat using fisherman's rib in black yarn with coloured speckles.

Sylvia had also hand knit 6 colourful and cuddly teddy bears for the local Police appeal for Bobby Bears. See the Bobby Buddies website for more details: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/news/2019/september/bobby-buddies-officers-give-teddy-bears-to-children-living-with-domestic-abuse/

Show and Tell

Sylvia hand knit a super cute and soft baby jumper and dress.

Nina completed a cardigan at the machine knitting weekend, with ribbon embellishment along the button band.

Nine also completed a self-patterning yarn v-neck jumper started at the machine knitting weekend. There was a lot of adaptation required to the original pattern as the raglan shoulders needed adjusting.

 Sally finished a top-down saddle-shoulder child's jumper at the machine knitting weekend.

Sally machine knit a purple top with silver stripes added by using a Hague Linker. The pattern is from Diane Bennett's Hague Linker book.

 Janet spotted this pair of self-patterning sock yarns currently available in Hobby Craft.

December reminder

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 3rd December at 8pm.

It's our Christmas Knit, Natter and Nibble evening.  We've got plenty of mince pies and other sweet treats, plus a few bubbles (non-alcoholic as most will be driving!). So do come along and bring take the opportunity to work on those projects that just need to be finished in the near future and have a natter whilst doing so.  If you've finished something recently do bring that along too as we'd love to see it.  Don't forget to bring your stuffed efforts started at the November meeting. We'd like to take a photo or two of them all together.

One email I've received this month has come from a local lady who says:  I am wondering any of you would it have some unused wool, which you would like to get rid of? I am working in a mental health home and we are making pompoms, dolls etc out of wool as Christmas decorations. We have no much budget, so every help would be huge help for us.   If you can help in any way, please bring it to the meeting.  It will be collected together and I'll make sure it gets there.

As the next few meetings could be affected by weather or other seasonal issues   I'll take this opportunity to remind you about our emergency closure procedure.

As soon as the decision to cancel the meeting at short notice is taken we will post a message here on our Blogspot.  The decision may have been made by the school to close (an emergency closure) but even if the school is open we could still cancel the meeting if we consider it inadvisable for you to travel.  As conditions may deteriorate rapidly this may only be an hour or so before the meeting starts so please check before you leave home if in any doubt.  We will also try to email you if you are on our email list but we cannot telephone you individually to let you know - sorry.

On that chilly note I'll sign off  best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.   No meeting in January, so the first meeting of 2020 will be in February.

November 2019 - Thinking in 3D shapes

News and updates

Two additional speakers have been confirmed. Mike Carrington will be talking to us about how to photograph our textiles at the 3rd March meeting. Valerie Thorne of the West Surrey Surrey Weavers, Spinners and Dyers will be returning on the 31st March to continue the introduction to spinning and creating hand-spun yarns.

Next month it's Christmas knit, natter and nibbles.

There won't be a Make It at Farnborough next year.

The Southern Wool Show has announced the date for next year will be 5th and 6th September 2020.

The Knitting and Crochet Guild has a list of national and international shows, conferences and events - https://kcguild.org.uk/events/

Show and Tell

Carole machine knit a pastel/rainbow cardigan using yarn from Poundland.

Carole also machine knit a jumper from self-striping yarn from Machine Knitting Live at Bournemouth.

 Carole crocheted a pink shawl

 Nina's stash buster machine knit blue fairisle jumper.

Janet crocheted a 49 square crochet blanket with 3D flowers in an autumnal colourway with brown, deep red and gold.

Thinking in 3D shapes

Jean led a workshop investigating 3D shapes that can be produced from square and rectangle gauge swatches.

A fish made from a 2x2 rib gauge swatch and a button.

 Snowman make from a corner-to-corner garter stitch gauge swatch.

November meeting on Bonfire night

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!  I forgot to post the reminder message about Fleet Knitting Club November meeting.

So I'm posting it now.  Our next meeting is tomorrow evening (5th November) 8pm at the usual place.  We'll be playing with swatches, either made when you were planning a garment or knitted especially.  So along with the swatches you might need a yarn needle, some yarn, scissors and that sort of thing.

Don't worry if you haven't got any swatches to bring.  There will probably be some spares or you could work on your WIP.  I'm sure there will be time for show and tell too.

Take care when driving.  I'm guessing there will be a few bangs from fireworks.

Machine Knitting Live Bournemouth

Following our October meeting some of us went to Machine Knitting Live at Bournemouth and set up our knitting and crochet in a classroom to show others what we've made.  We had a great day and chatted to loads of people, as well as showing a few techniques on the Hague linker and knitting machine we had taken along.  Here's a few pictures of the room when we'd displayed everything.  We were too busy talking to take photos with people in!  You might spot some of the items from our previous posts if you look carefully!

October 2019 - Knitting and crochet magazines

News and events

The next Craft4Crafters (https://craft4crafters.co.uk/) is Thursday 17th - Saturday 19th October at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

For the November meeting Jean is going to lead us on a creative adventure in the use of knitted or crocheted squares. Please knit or crochet a few square in different sizes or colours to bring along. These could be old gauge swatches. Also bring along knitting needles or crochet hooks, some spare yarn, sewing pins, darning needle and scissors.

Knitting and crochet magazines

Members brought along a wide variety of knitting and crochet magazines for us to flick through, as well as a few recent new book purchases. It shows that there is a healthy market and interest in crochet and knitting. There is a wide variety in the layout and format of the magazines, as well as the style of garment that is covered in each magazine, and the method used to write out the patterns. We concluded that it is worthwhile spending time flicking through the magazines on display in a newsagent, or a friend's copy, in order to select the right magazine for your tastes and pattern preference. Reminder that Christmas is not far off and a magazine subscription is an excellent present to ask for.

If you are struggling to locate a specific magazine in your local newsagent, and they are unable to source it for you, then there are websites that can help with titles that the newsagents and supermarkets don't carry:

Newstand - https://www.newsstand.co.uk/
Magazine Heaven (store in Northamptonshire) - https://www.magazineheaven.com/

Show and tell

Susan knit a cute baby onesie and matching hat in turquoise.

Rene knit two fun fish hats in chunky yarn.

Janet has completed another beautiful and stunning crocheted flower blanket. The colourway this time is mauve, purple and lilac.

Sylvia machine-knit a lace-pattern blue top with beautiful rose-shaped buttons.

Liz knit a colourful blanket worked in squares.

October Meeting

Another month has flown by and it's almost October so this is to remind you that our meeting will be this coming Tuesday, 1st October at 8 pm.

We'll be looking at knitting and crochet magazines, so if you regularly, or occasionally, buy one please bring it along (if you don't mind others taking a look at it!) so that we can decide whether it is one we'd like to buy too.  If you have any that are a bit "unusual" please bring them along as well.   With so many now sold in plastic bags you can't just flick through to see if it is any good or not.

Also if you have any items for display at Machine Knitting Live on Saturday 5th October, please bring them with you.  It would be helpful if they could be named so that Sally and I don't have to try and remember who loaned them.  I can't promise that everything will be put out as we will be doing our best to put on a good display that represents hand and machine knitting and crochet.

(I'll also say it here in case I forget on Tuesday, in the interests of hygiene, when looking through the magazines please don't lick your finger to help turn the pages. This is not intended to offend but with the winter season upon us we don't want to spread colds etc.)

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday, 8 pm at Court Moor School.

September 2019 - AGM

First meeting of 2019-20 club year

News and Events

Machine Knitting Live is on Saturday 5th October at Bournemouth School for Girls, and Fleet Knitting Club will be displaying lots of machine knitting, hand knitting and crochet in one of the classrooms, as well as providing our usual assistance with any of your machine knitting questions. Tickets can be purchased from the Machine Knitting Monthly website (https://machineknittingmonthly.net/product-category/exhibition-tickets/) or on the door for £6. The school is approximately 15 minutes (16 stops) from Bournemouth Train Station on the M1 bus route.

The Knitting & Stitching Show is at Alexandra Palace in north London from Thursday 10th to Friday 13th October (https://www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/london/).

The next Craft4Crafters (https://craft4crafters.co.uk/) is Thursday 17th - Saturday 19th October at the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

The Basingstoke College of Technology are offering crochet and machine knitting classes for adults under their Art and Design department.

Crochet https://www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/art-and-design/fpbc013/

Crochet https://www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/art-and-design/febc029/

Machine knitting – in detail https://www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/art-and-design/fpbc011/

Machine knitting – Poncho and  decorative techniques https://www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/art-and-design/febc037/

Machine knitting for beginners https://www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/art-and-design/febc030/

AGM

There was the usual AGM matters to discuss, including a few minor changes to the committee. The location and price is staying the same. The lack of available speakers is proving to be a challenge. Alternatives are being investigated, including requesting the possibility of a Knitting and Crochet Guild trunk show one month, now that the club has been registered as a Guild branch, after the merger of the Guild of Machine Knitters with the Knitting and Crochet Guild. All the branches and clubs within the Guild are listed on the Guild website (https://kcguild.org.uk/sharing-knowledge/guilds-groups-and-other-resources/kcg-branches/) and on their useful interactive map (https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=12GHgpZnRdPog03g85un94DsIB-JCKrOg).

The programme for the year is still being completed. At the October meeting there will be a look through and comparison of knitting magazines, so please bring along any unusual or interesting magazines. A few members will be bringing along magazines they have collected from overseas, including Japan. Useful to have a look through the different magazine formats to find the one that most appeals to you. A magazine subscription makes an excellent Christmas gift suggestion.

Show and tell

Sandra hand-knit a cute baby cardigan and hat in pink, with lace feature edging.

Sylvia laboriously hand-knit a turquoise matinee jacket with ribbon embellishment, following a very complicated pattern that is not to be repeated!

Nina machine-knit a blue top with a subtle all-over pattern with set-in sleeves.

Susan was wearing a beautiful hand-knit long waistcoat in shades of green, with a wooden brooch. The yarn was hand-spun by a wool shop keeper in Tallinn, Estonia.

Marie-Ann had been very busy knitting scarves and wraps ready for winter.

Sally didn't have any knitted items to share, but did bring along her completed MA History dissertation on the history of Victorian printed knitting books in the 1840s.

September and a new year

It's the start of another new year for our club.  (Our year goes by the academic calendar!)  So our first meeting will be on Tuesday 10th September.  The quick ones amongst you will notice that is the second Tuesday but the school hadn't re-opened after the summer break in time for us to meet on our usual Tuesday.

It will be our AGM, show and tell and knit and natter.  I'm sure we've all got lots to catch up on after a busy summer.  Don't let the fact that it is our AGM put you off coming.  We don't have much business to discuss and it will take up very little time.  We're all more interested in the actual knitting and crochet side of things!

So hoping to see lots of faces (new and returning) at the meeting - Tuesday 10th September, 8 pm at Court Moor School.

July 2019 - Summer knitting

News and updates

Drayton Machine Knitting Club have invited our club members to a talk by Bill King on the afternoon of Monday 7th October. There will be tea, coffee, cake and a raffle. Tickets cost £5 each. Please contact the club to book a place. https://www.draytonmkc.com/

The Southern Wool Show is at Newbury race course on the Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1st September 2019. Details on their website https://www.southernwoolshow.co.uk/

Chipmunk Crafts in Bolton contacted us about their knitted jewellery kits. You can receive a 20% discount on their kits if you quote KNITONE at the checkout. Their website is https://www.knitsandkits.co.uk/

Nina brought along a copy of the latest local Hart Voluntary Action magazine.

The school room has been booked again for 2019-20.

There is no meeting is August. The next meeting will be the AGM and knit-and-natter on Tuesday 10th September. Please note this is the SECOND Tuesday in September, as the School term doesn't start back until Wednesday 4th September, so won't be open for the usual first Tuesday.

Due to the way the months fall next year, and the School closures, there will be 2 meetings in March 2020 (the month has 5 Tuesdays), and no meeting in April 2020. Reminder nearer the time.

The Machine Knitting Guild is merging with the Knitting and Crochet Guild. Our club has been a Machine Knitting Guild club branch for many years. We will be applying to be a Knitting and Crochet Guild club branch.

Summer knitting

Discussion about different light yarns to use for summer knitting, such as cotton and linen blends.

Discussion about crocheting blankets. Top tip: to add a name tag to a crocheted blanket, write the name on name tape and knot the tape into a corner of the blanket.

Show and tell

Jean made a leno weave scarf with a few added sparkles. Perfect for those cool summer evenings.

Sandra hand-knit a pink cardigan for a baby to donate to the special care baby unit.

Sylvia machine knit a turquoise jumper with lace feature in Robin 4 ply. The pattern is from Machine Knitting Monthly.

Liz crocheted several blanks in different colourways. 

July meeting

With the turn in the weather and a heat wave going on it's not really weather for knitting and crochet - or is it?  If you're like me and prefer shade to sun then I find a cooler shady spot, pour myself a cold drink and pick up small projects, preferably in something like cotton yarn, and relax.

Luckily the evenings are cooler too which is no bad thing and hopefully will encourage you to come along to our July meeting.  It's a knit and natter evening with a theme of knitting for summer to help conversation along and to keep us on topic.  There'll be plenty of time for show and tell too so do bring along your recently completed projects and also those unfinished ones to work on.

We look forward to seeing you at our now usual venue (details above somewhere!) at 8pm. 

There will be no meeting in August, but we have booked the school room again for September 2019 - July 2020.  We'll update the programme (see left) as soon as we've worked it out.  Have a great summer if you can't make the July meeting (and if you can too!)

June Meeting

Unfortunately neither Sally or I could make the June meeting.  But it did go ahead as usual and Nina sent me a short report about what happened.  No photos to go with it but then that's not the first time as either we've forgotten a camera (in the days before mobile phones took good pictures) or we were just so busy that we never had time.

We started the meeting with a show and tell session. There were some interesting items including an owl knitted in King Cole tinsel chunky. We then had a lively discussion trying to solve each other's problems with our current knitting projects! The evening flew passed and home time came too quickly.

Thanks for Nina and the others who kept things going in our absence.

June meeting

This reminder is a bit earlier than usual, but it may give you time to arrange to come.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 4th June.  8 pm as usual.  The location is at the top of the page.  The topic for the evening is problem solving, so if you're a bit stuck or confused come along with your knitting, or crochet and the pattern and we'll try and help.

There will also be time to show and tell about your latest finished work, or almost finished if it will be going to the recipient before the next meeting.  We do like to see what you've been doing and it will give inspiration to others too.

I'm sure there will be a lot of nattering going on too, so why not join us for a knit and natter evening.

May 2019 - Talk from Joyce Meader

News and updates

There was mention of a new Moomins knitting yarn and book, available from Wool Warehouse, but it is already out-of-stock.

Show and tell

Jean produced a beautiful woven multi-colour scarf.

Sandra hand-knit a toy duck that was more complex than expected.

And hand-knit baby jumper and trousers for the bereavement unit at Frimley Park (pattern from the Guild newsletter).

There were several jumpers and cardigans.

 And some scarfs made from super soft yarn.

Talk by Joyce Meader

Joyce brought along a selection of items from her extensive personal collection of knitting patterns, needles, accessories and garments. Joyce discussed the intricacies of knitting garments and accessories for use in the film industry. Most recently, Joyce has knit balaclavas, finger-less mittens, and garments for the World War I film '1917' that is currently being films on Salisbury Plain.

This led on to the first selection of folders of knitting patterns that had the theme of celebrities modelling the garments. This ranged from classic film stars (Roger Moore, Jean Simmons),  sports professionals (lots of cricketers) and TV stars (Susan Hampshire, Sarah Greene). There were knitting books produced for ITV, TV Times, and Emmerdale. The popstars section included Aha and a 'Smash Knits' special with the Thompson Twins.

There was a huge collection of needle knits, needle gauges (including a silver bell gauge from the 1847) and a giant 2-part Tunisian crochet needle.

For more information please see Joyce's website: http://historicknit.co.uk/