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.