Newsletter No 17 - send 28 June 2021

 Hi Everyone 

 Here we are again! The end of the month has crept up behind me and suddenly its time to put another newsletter together!  Where is the year going?

Nothing much to report as not a lot has changed really.  We’ve still got a range of restrictions placed on us, and I for one don’t feel that confident to mix with a load of people I don’t know well.  I suppose you could say I’m still feeling quite reclusive! I know some of you don’t feel quite the same as me, and that’s fine too. We must do things at our own pace, and not be pressured by others.  We also need to remember that despite having had our jabs we can still catch the virus and spread it to others.  It may not affect us quite as badly as it would if we hadn’t had the jab but it can still affect us.  There is also a growing number of people who can’t have a second jab, through no fault of their own, who remain at risk.  So stay safe and respect others. 

But enough of this - let’s quickly get on with some less contentious matters -knitting, crochet and other yarn crafts.

Sally has been able to download and save everything on our blogspot, right back to the very first post. So we are now truly in the digital age.  She will also have a copy of everything I have in due course so if my copies get corrupted or lost there will be another copy elsewhere. And it will be so much easier to pass things on to those that take over from the current committee. (Now that’s another thing I’m working on! - anyone willing to take a turn at leader??)

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.Christmas!  In the last day or so I’ve seen mention on line to the Fleet Christmas tree festival. Think back a few Newsletters to No 11 when we knitted and crocheted decorations for our virtual Christmas Tree.   If we are going to take part in the 2021 Christmas Tree Festival in Fleet now is the time to apply. The Festival is 3rd - 5th December with trees set up in the few days prior to that.  Maximum tree size is 5 ft, and it doesn’t have to be a traditional tree.  Anyway, club attendees, take a look at the page linked and let me know if you’re willing to join in with this and help Fleet Knitting Club take part.  It’s a good way to let everyone know about our club and to recruit new members.  If we are to continue we need new, and younger, members to join us.

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Sally, our Knitting and Crochet Guild branch co-ordinator, has sent us information from the Guild as well as links to other articles and programmes that may be of interest to you. 

Un-Convention September 2021 - The Guild are once again running the convention online.  Dates are 11th and 12th September 2021.  More information will be available on their website from 15th July.

The latest episode of the Sky at Night (Space Boom Britain) included a section on knitting with tungsten filament! The programme is available on BBC i-player for another 11 months. Part of the programme information is: 

"About 80 miles west of Stevenage, and at the other end of the business scale, Chris visits Oxford Space Systems, whose CEO Sean Sutcliffe explains that while microsatellites are opening up the industry to more companies, they pose challenges of their own because of their size. These satellites have tiny spaces on the rockets that launch them, but need quite sizeable antennas and receivers to communicate with people and machines on earth. This is OSS’s business – to provide novel engineering solutions in packing up and unfurling these structures. They combine the latest materials science with knitting and origami to produce antennas that extend to hundreds of times their packed length and receivers that unfurl like beautiful hi-tech flowers." 

Crochet is high fashion again! According to Glamour crochet tops and knitted vests are due to make a comeback in the summer. 

It’s too late to enter the Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship 2021, but not too late to view entries on line at the festival on 9th July. 

The Science of Knitting for Pain - Betsan Corkhill has done some pioneering work and scientists, clinicians and psychologists around the world are realizing and accepting the health benefits of knitting.  Recently Betsan gave a video talk for the My Live Well with Pain Footsteps Festival.  This talk is now available on YouTube.  Find out more on Betsan’s Stitchlinks website.

Fitbit test has revealed knitting to be the most relaxing hobby.  We don’t need tests to prove this! It’s something all knitters know.

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Exhibition Update

Southern Wool are planning for the show to go ahead on 4th & 5th September. Other organisers are also making plans for their shows to go ahead.  All will have restrictions in place which may be no tickets sold at the door (advanced booking only), as well as restrictions to the amount of time you can spend at the show/timed entry. So don’t assume anything - check before you travel.

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Which would you rather have  -  flowers or …………?

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Browsing the World Wide Web

Can garment be taken back to fibre for recycling? Of course they can! They do now, but most of it is used for insulation and mattress stuffing.  It’s not turned into more garments.  But it could be soon! Watch this video to see how.  Hopefully the technology will improve and it becomes cheaper. 

One Norfolk knitter as been busy for the last couple of years!  The BBC reported on her recreation of the Queen’s Sandringham estate.

If you happen to be in the Bridlington area, don’t forget to go and see the Gansey Girl.  She’s been knitting working at her knitting since 2015!

Here’s one for those that crochet. Explore the largest crochet work by artist Ernesto Neto.  It’s on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston until 26th September 2021 if anyone gets that way!

Take a look at this YouTube video made for the Leicestershire Industrial History Society at the Framework Knitting Museum. It shows a Framework knitting machine in operation and explains how it worked.

Another YouTube video.  This time an explanation of merino wool production and processing by The Woolmark Company.

My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List/Chart 

More ticks on my chart at last! As the weather warmed up I was wearing a simple top that is basically two squares joined for shoulders and underarm and hems all round. I felt it was simple enough for me to copy and make up in one of those pieces of fabric in my stash, especially as I’d found more fabrics hidden away in boxes in my workroom. I’d found dressmakers pattern paper too, so I was set to go! I choose a piece of stretch fabric and in no time I had a top to try on. OK it isn’t the best in the world, but it will do nicely in the garden on a hot day. Having had success with one, I cut out a further three in different fabrics, including one in a white and blue  spot cotton which I edged with blue bias (from the stash again!) rather than turning a hem and using a stretch zig-zag stitch as I’d done on the others.

It became a production line and rather than completing one garment before starting on the next I worked the various stages on all of them at the same time. I was getting towards the end of the machining when I started getting problems. The threads kept getting tangled and breaking. So I went back to basics - changed the needle, cleaned the machine, threaded up with a different reel of thread. No, still no luck; the machine was just not stitching properly. I walked away and next day I checked everything again and still I couldn’t see anything wrong yet it was still not stitching. I decided that the bobbin was low in thread so I’d take off what was left and wind a new one.  Maybe that was causing the problem, although there was no reason why it should be.  As I did so the thread kept sticking to my fingers and I immediately had my answer - static!  It really isn’t something you expect here in the UK but it has been occurring more frequently.  Luckily I had some tumble dryer sheets handy so I wiped everything down including the garment stitching area, and tried again. It really did work! I’d been struggling for a good few hours and now within seconds the problem was solved. This is a new one for me, especially when sewing, but something I won’t forget in a hurry. I can recommend that if tumble dryer sheets aren’t something you’d normally have at home, then get a box. There’re not expensive. I put mine in a zip bag so they don’t dry out as I don’t have a dryer! 

These are the finished tops, ready to wear next time the temperature goes up a bit! The scraps have gone in the bin. And next time I find yarn clinging to my hands as I work I’ll try another sheet to see if that works—maybe pop one in the bag with the yarn too!

    

Whilst I was in a sewing phase, I took out a dress I made last year but that I hadn’t been too happy with. It was very plain and, if I’m really honest, a bit of a snug fit for a hot day and a bit shorter than I was comfortable with. I pondered how to alter it, bearing in mind that I didn’t have any more of the original fabric.  Going through my fabric stash I found a piece that I felt could be just what I needed.  I found the original pattern, and from that cut a piece to lengthen the dress by a few inches and I took the dress itself and, with nothing to loose, cut it in half, straight up the front and back. I cut a strip of fabric to stitch into the middle.  An hour or so later the dress was all back together again.  I did think about adding patch pockets, and pinned them in place on the front but decided that it was “a bit too much”.  I now have a dress to wear at home on a hot day!

I’ve also finished the weaving that was on the loom.  Both yarns from my stash.  The purple multicolour was a 100g ball of DK  and the black a cone of DK.  There was  an obvious difference in  thickness between the two yarns despite them both being marked as DK.  Of course this scarf hasn’t used all the 500g cone of yarn but I’m working on that. I found some odd balls of DK in the stash and am knitting squares to alternate with black squares. Not enough yet, but I’ll get there.  And in between knitting squares I’m crocheting a large granny square knee blanket from the bits and pieces of chunky yarn I found in the stash and playing yarn chicken with it! With any luck there will be something for you to see next time.

 

Knitting squares

The first few squares I knitted were in brightly coloured yarn and were made by casting on three stitches and knitting one row.  Then on every following row I increased by knitting into the front and back of the second stitch on every row until one side measured 9”, my chosen length.  I then knitted one row plain, followed by knitting the second and third stitch together on every row till I was back to three stitches, knitted them together and fastened off.  Now you’d think this would result in a pretty square, square, but not quite. The decreasing edges were longer than the increasing edges but I’m hoping that it won’t notice when all joined together and blocked.

This pattern from Knit-a-Square is similar to the ones I’m knitting. Alternatives are the Any Yarn, Any Needle Afghan square or Gramma’s Discloth.  There are also similar ones with patterns on them if you search.

I decided that I wanted the black squares to be knitted differently to the coloured one so I went for a mitred square and instead of trying to work out how many stitches to cast on and decreasing I opted to start with just a couple and increase in the centre till the sides were the length I wanted.  This is sometimes called a “reverse” mitre. So for these I also cast on 3 stitches and knitted one row. Then on every alternate row I knitted into the centre stitch three times, so front, back and front again.  The alternate rows were all knit. This increase looks slightly different on opposite sides of the work. This YouTube video from Christy Hills shows the method of increase I used.

Once I’d got a straight edge that measured 9” I could cast off.  Not just any cast off, or it could be too tight and make the cast off edge shorter. I went for a really stretchy one from Arnall-Culliford Knitwear. 

These mitred squares patterns from KAS  and  Strings and Sealing Wax are similar to mine.

There are loads of free patterns on the internet, many more intricate and patterned than the simple ones I’m knitting but these will do nicely to use up the yarn from my stash. 

No matter how hard I try my knitted squares never turn out quite square! Once they have been joined I’ll decide if it needs an edging. The blanket may be finished before we can meet again.

Show and Tell

Janet has been busy knitting for various charities and organisations. Some things are donated and others sold and the money raised is passed on.  Here’s just a sample of the things she’s made over the months including some all packed up ready to pass on.  They are all lovely Janet. 

 

  

Alison has also been in touch.  She tells me that she hasn’t been too well since last August and her needles and yarn have kept her going. Alison sent photos of some of the items she’s finished knitting.  There’s a jumper for her husband, various small cardigans for baby niece, a cowl for her eldest child and a summer cardigan for her youngest.  There’s also a cushion cover for her mum who liked the one Alison knitted for her sister back in 2020. 

 

      

  

   

Alison has also been watching a podcast on YouTube by Fruity Knitting and tells us that it has become a bit of a family joke, although she has noticed they’ll quite happily watch too if they are in the same room!  I dipped into a few of the over 100 episodes which are around 90 minutes long each and will certainly be going back to look at others. I hope you’re well on the road to recovery now Alison.

Karen found Shetland yarn in her stash.  Some from Jamiesons of Shetland and some from Jamiesons & Smith.  She sorted it by manufacturer and found sufficient to knit one hat from each brand of yarn. Based on knitting patterns she had, Karen worked out colour and pattern placement. 

Both look lovely. Despite both being the same ply and using the same size needles, the yarns knitted up differently. These pictures were taken whilst the hats were being blocked (over a pudding basin supported on a jar of mayo of course!)

      

Carole has been busy.  She sent me photos of a hand knit v-neck jumper worked in WI Soft and Silky 4ply that is back in stock after almost a year.  It is a lovely soft yarn and the colour range has been improved, however, be warned, it does not knit to a standard 4ply tension and is more dense so takes more yarn.  This yarn is exclusive to Hobbycraft.  The round neck jumper is a variation on the one from last month. Carole added a bit more colour and a bit more definition to the yoke by changing the purl stitch to garter stitch.

     

Carole is going to be busy for the next few weeks.  Her nephew and his wife have just announced the are expecting twins for October so she is knitting another shawl and her daughters sister in law is expecting a baby (just the one) in September so another shawl will be required!  Carole is hoping she has enough  yarn in her stash for all this knitting as the yarn she is planning to use is currently out of stock.

That’s it for this month.  Do keep the pictures coming. They inspire others to have a go.

And finally:

Until we meet again

  

Keep Calm

and carry on

Knitting or Crocheting!

 

Hands, Face, Space

 

Keep Active, Stay Positive - We will meet again