Hi Everyone
So here we are again—another Newsletter as a majority of you are still not keen to resume meetings in school. In fact you’d sooner wait till the New Year and see how things are then. I can’t say I blame you, I’m not keen either. Of course it might all have been a bit hypothetical anyway if we couldn’t get petrol! At least that crisis seems to be easing now.
As our first meeting of 2022 will be at the beginning of February we will have plenty of time to assess the situation and decide what is best for us. Mind you, the weather could still cause a closure as it wouldn’t be the first time fog, snow or ice as forced us to abandon a meeting. Now that might kill off some of the bugs! But let’s not go there yet!
I’ll be thinking nice thoughts and sending good vibes, and everything else in the hope of being able to go ahead with a meeting at long last. The February meeting falls 1st February which is also the start of the Chinese New Year in 2022 so it must be something of an auspicious coincidence. It will be the start of the year of the Tiger. (Tigers are courageous and active people who love a good challenge and adventure in life.) If you want to know more about what the year has in store for you then look here.
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Is it too early to talk Christmas? We’re all being encouraged to “go green” and be environmentally conscious. Rather than using paper which can’t be recycled perhaps we should be making our own wrapping and bags for Christmas and other gifts that can be re-used/recycled. There are lots of patterns for Christmas Stockings and bags on line as well as decorations. It’s all about the words you use especially when searching somewhere like Ravelry or Pinterest. Christmas gifts showed up an entirely different range of patterns and ideas to those that came up when searching for Christmas presents.
It’s the little bits than can work out expensive, so think about knitting or crocheting them perhaps. Start now and you’ll have quite an assortment when you come to wrapping time. It isn’t hard to find patterns for those little extras that we all like to add to gifts or for the children in the neighbourhood. I found these sweet Knubbelchen in the Ravelry pattern library as well as assorted other toys including a Dalek for older children perhaps.
No little one to knit for? I’m going to investigate to see if I can find somewhere locally that is collecting to pass on to those that can’t afford to buy much in the way of presents for the children, and maybe include some adult sizes too. Maybe a few hats, scarves and gloves would be well received. Was this through the local Food Bank perhaps or maybe another group organises this side of things? If anyone has a better memory that me and information about anything like this please let me know. If would be nice to do something for local families at this special time of year.
I had something at the back of my mind too about knitted and crocheted angels being placed around the area for people to pick up and take home with them - a little act of kindness. Deep in the memory banks I had a vague recollection of it having something to do with Living Stones in the town, so I did a search and found I was right. Now I know that I also know who I could ask to find out more information about it.
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Browsing the World Wide Web
Some of you will remember Lorna Hamilton Brown MBE. She is now a Patron of the Knitting and Crochet Guild. Lorna was invited to give a keynote talk for a Vogue Knitting on-line conference and it’s now up on Youtube for everyone to watch.
Another one to watch is from a fashion show. Vogue Scandanavia. Lots of knits interspersed between fabric designs. These are pictures of the Spring 2022 ready-to-wear collection from Frederick Anderson. Knitting and crochet it evidence. Monse is another one to look at. Many of the designers seem to be showing knitwear amongst their designs. I’d need to do a few adjustments before I could wear any of these to the supermarket (or anywhere else for that matter!).
If you’ve bought a craft book or magazine and find yourself struggling with the instructions, check the publishers website to see if they have a correction on there. GMC Craft Books errata can be found by clicking on their name. Let’s Knit and The Knitter magazines corrections and updates can be found by clicking on their names. You may need to look in the small print at the bottom of the home pages to find the link to the update page on some sites.
The UK Hand Knitting Association is collecting knitted Hats for the Homeless. Contrubutions are requested by 30th November and the address to send them to is on their website.
Susan Gaugliumi has updated her website with a new address so if you have bookmarked it, delete the old one and save this new one. Sign up for her Newsletter to be able to access lots of free stuff.
Lots to read on Vikki Haffenden’s website and blog that will be of interest to hand and machine knitters, crocheters, sewers and also those who spin and dye.
I’m never going to be as fast or as good as these ladies. But nevertheless this video from ABC Rural featuring the Country Women’s Association Knit-In which took place in Sydney in 1971 is still fun to watch for fashion and diction at that time.
On this theme (sort of), there is a Facebook group for Back to Back Wool challenges. Whoever knew!
Things I want to try!
Following on from the wind spinner in the last issue, I found a link to a tutorial for crocheted round element cord. I’m not sure what I’d use it for, but I’d just like to give it a try! Might need a cotton yarn for this so you can see the stitch definition.
I’ve never mastered short row heels for socks. Karen sent me a link to this garter stitch heel so I’m going to try that on the next pair I knit.
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Did you know that the Sailors Society Charity Shop in Camp Road, North Camp. Actually it’s two shops with one full of books, and not just fiction, all sorts of books including craft books. They welcome donations of DVD’s, CD’s and vinyl records as well as musical instruments, housewares, kitchenware, crockery, pictures and electrical items as well as other items.
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If you missed the Knitting and Crochet Guild Unconvention 2021 then you’ll find a number of the videos and talks plus links still available on the website. I’ve watched one or two of them so far and it’s important to remember that the people doing both the filming and appearing are volunteers, doing their best under what are sometimes very difficult circumstances. If any of them get to see and read this Newsletter I’d like to give them my thanks for the work they do and for making the Unconvention a successful event.
Exhibition Update
Some exhibitions are planned to go ahead. The ones I looked at were mainly advanced booking, and timeslot entry. Some were requesting proof of vaccination or negative test etc, so that’s another thing to check when booking tickets.
The lists of exhibitors seem shorter than pre-pandemic so if you’re going expecting to see a particular company or supplier there then check before you go so you won’t be disappointed.
I was shocked to see that the cost of parking at the NEC is now £16 per car and payment by card only! (£12 if you book on-line up to 23.59 the day before you go). With admission starting from £14 and fuel/rail fares on top you’d be looking at over £50 just to walk through the doors if you went alone.
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I occasionally get a phone call or email asking if I know anyone who wants to buy or sell a knitting machine and things associated with them. The for sale list currently includes a Knitmaster F370 Fine Gauge Machine and accessories including ribber, Knitmaster SK580 (electronic) with loads of accessories including ribber and an Knitmaster MK-70 folding machine. All are collection only. Get in touch if you’re interested in any of them. If you are looking for something then let me know and I’ll add you to the wanted list.
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My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List/Chart
Another month and nothing ticked off my list! But I’ve plenty of non-knitting to tell you about.
I have uncovered a couple of knitting machines and given one of them a brush off and check that all the needles, buttons and levers still move. It’s been such a long time since I used that one that one button had stuck, but a little bit of “playing” plus a new sponge bar and we’re good to go. It’s an electronic so before I use it in earnest I must slowly switch it on, stage by stage and get it used to the idea that it does like electricity running through it. It could blow a capacitor or fuse if I just jumped straight in, and it still might, so I’ll have my fingers crossed on that. I’ve also put replacement needles in the Harrison so that is all ready to go now. I just need to decide what my first project will be on both of them. Now if I ran a garter carriage on the electronic machine I could knit on the Harrison at the same time..................mmmm - food for thought!
As mentioned last time, the family wedding is getting closer with just a few weeks to go. There’s also another one next June, so I had to start thinking seriously about what I would wear. Two different sides of the family, so I should be able to wear the same outfit to both, especially as the first one is at a wedding venue and I probably won’t be going outside. Whatever I chose it had to have trousers as my legs and ankles just aren’t up to being shown off now! I knew I had some lovely scarlet fabric in my stash just crying out to be turned into the trousers, but what to wear with them and which pattern would fit? I opted to start with the easy bit—the trousers and took another piece of fabric of a similar weight and picked one of the patterns I already had to make them up to check the fit. If they fitted ok, then I could make the scarlet ones. Now that bit went to plan and I am now the proud owner of two new pairs of trousers, the second pair being a mid-weight, light grey, and suitable for spring and autumn if I ever go anywhere to wear them!
With the trousers sorted I had to decide what to wear “on top”. I have a jacket and top made from a lightweight fabric, black with a thin dark red line randomly swirling on it but I’ve worn it a lot and I was almost certain family would have seen it a number of times. It also seemed a bit dull and “unwedding” but it would do if I couldn’t come up with anything else. Then I remembered that back in 2009 I’d made an ankle length, short sleeved, shift dress, black with red swirls and circles on it. I’d worn only once or maybe twice but it was still hanging in the wardrobe as I’d never had occasion to wear it again. Would it fit? Could it be upcycled into something suitable? Time to try it on for fit, then to put the thinking cap on especially as I didn’t have any more of the fabric to use so any additional fabric needed would have to come off the length.
The dressmaking has taken up quite a bit of time but I have also supervised more work in the garden. There’s now a raised planter for herbs close to the back door so I can have fresh herbs for cooking and a number of pots have been refilled and replanted so the garden is looking neat and tidy. I must get out there again and sort out the wild bird bed in the front garden. It’s got lots of grasses in it (seeds for birds) as well as lavender and other flowers for the bees and insects. I usually cut them all down in the winter to encourage fresh growth in the spring. It will have to wait until the rain has passed. I’m not objecting as the ground needed a good soaking.
I have also finished a pair of socks that have been in progress for a long time. And made some more of the crochet wind spinners. Someone suggested they would make a good alternative to tinsel for the Christmas tree. They looked a bit big for that when knitted in DK, so I’ve done one in 4ply (with a bit of lurex) and it has turned out a much better size for a tinsel substitute. (You’ll see them in the show and tell.)
Show and Tell
Gaynor emailed with photos. She said: As promised here are the photos of my year in knitting for my window. As you may recall, it all started last November with the poppies. In view of the pandemic I thought it unlikely that poppies were going to be sold as in previous years especially as it’s the older, most vulnerable, members of the public that volunteer their time to sell them, so this was my solution. It does not stop donations being made by doing this.
From one small idea it has snowballed into something much larger. I enjoyed doing the poppies so much that I decided to do a year, one a month, of something for my window. The challenge has been knitting something small enough to fit between the window and the blind. So here are the first six…….
I look forward to seeing the rest in due course.– Liz
Top row: November 2020, December 2020, January 2021,
Bottom row: February 2021, March 2021, April 2021
Sandra sent me a photo and a bit about the two items she’s knitted. She said:1 - yellow jumper - hand knitted in double knitting yarn (had a clear out and found it at the back of a drawer (Littlewoods would you believe!!!) It is knitted in basket weave and the front raglans are left open with buttons for the closure which makes it much easier to dress a wriggling baby.
2 - Pram/buggy blanket hand knitted in Pom-Pom yarn - one ball is enough for this size. The pattern was on the back of the yarn band so no added expense for a pattern.
Thanks Sandra. How did you find knitting with the pom-pom yarn? They look really nice.
These are the socks that have, at long last been finished. Total chance that the stripes match. I just used the yarn as it came off the ball. Mostly knitted on a 9” circular needle and with afterthought toe and heel. I used DPN’s for the cuff, toe and heel.
And finally:
Until we meet again
Keep Calm
and carry on
Knitting or Crocheting!
Stay safe and keep well
We will meet again
