7 people made it to our Christmas party on a very cold evening. Rene brought along nibbles and soft drinks, and a beautiful festive tablecloth that was handed down from her grandparents.
The was a theme in the show and tell of everyone trying to use up yarn in their stash, rather than buying more. Wonderfully colourful crocheted blanket made from leftovers from previous projects.
Reminder that it's our annual Christmas get-together on Tuesday. Please bring along any WIPs and festive knits to share in the show-and-tell, and chat about. There will be some soft drinks and nibbles available. Please consider bringing along your own non-breakable/camping mug or cup.
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The next meeting is on Tuesday 1st November.
As usual there will be 'Show and tell' where you can share your latest finished project or work in progress, and ask any questions to help with troubleshooting if you've got stuck.The meeting started with the existing committee resigning, and new committee volunteering and being voted in. There was discussion about themes for the meetings for the club year, and charity ideas.
Reminder that the next Fleet knitting club meeting is on Tuesday. It will start with our AGM which will include voting in the new committee, and discussing topics or themes for meetings this year. We will have a knit and natter, or crochet and chatter, depending on your crafting preference. Plan to try having the tables laid out this time, so people have a surface for their work in progress.
Look forward to seeing you at the meeting - Tuesday 4th October, 8pm at Fleet Methodist Church, 72 Reading Road South, Fleet GU52 7TF
First meeting of the club year. 8 people navigated the cooler damp autumnal weather to join in a post-summer knit/crochet and catch-up. Topics included issues interpreting charity patterns (some are easier to understand than others!), and comparing experiences of knitting on circular needles with straight needles.
The next Unravel show at Farnham Maltings is happening at the weekend 9-10 September https://farnhammaltings.com/artists-and-makers/craft/festivals/unravel
The Knitting and Crochet Guild collection will be open on Tuesday 13th September as part of Heritage Open Days 2022 https://kcguild.org.uk/events/heritage-open-days-2022
The Knitting and Crochet Guild convention takes place 16-18th September https://kcguild.org.uk/events/convention-2022
The Craft 4 Crafters Show is taking place at the Bath & West Showground from 20 September to 1st October https://kcguild.org.uk/events/craft-4-crafters-bath-west
The Knitting & Stitching Show takes place at Alexandra Palace 6th to 9th October 2022 https://kcguild.org.uk/events/knitting-stitching-show-london-6-9-october-2022
Most people were working on active projects during the evening. There were 2 crocheted blankets brought along for show and tell. There were several comments about the beautiful consistency of the stitches, and the vibrant colour, so there is a close-up included below.
The next Fleet Knitting Club meeting is on Tuesday 6th September 2022. We usually start the club year with the AGM, but with both the outgoing Chair and the incoming Chair on holiday, this first meeting will be a knit/crochet and natter, and a show and tell, to catch up with your crafting and creations over the summer.
We meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month (not Jan or Aug) at Fleet Methodist Church, 72 Reading Road South, Fleet GU52 7TF. 8pm -10pm.
As has been mentioned a few times over the last year the membership subs will need to go up this year to cover the cost of hiring the hall. The subs have stayed at £15 since 2003. I think the new subs will be £25 for the year (for all 10 meetings) or £4 per meeting.
In lieu of not being able to have our usual Christmas party meetings for the last 2 years, we made up for it by having a little summer party with a few slices of cakes and some non-alcoholic fizz.
It was Liz's last meeting as chair, after many years of sterling work, and we provided a small token of our great appreciation with a hand-made card made by Jean, and a National Garden gift voucher. The new committee for the next club year is shaping up nicely, with René as chair. Liz brought along the original club notebooks that contain logs of what happened in the meetings prior to starting the online blog.
Creative craft show in Farnborough. 2-4 September (Farnborough Creative Craft Show 2022 | The Creative Craft Shows). Tickets £10
Southern wool at Newbury is also on the weekend of the 3-4 September (Southern Wool Show - Home).
Included a crochet blanket using a double knit acrylic, and a child's purple cardigan using yarn from Poundland.
Our July meeting is on Tuesday (5th July, 8 pm, Methodist Church). Is this going to be the last ever one?
I have sent an email to those of you who paid a subscription pre-pandemic. Please read it and respond as it is important.We met up with knitters from around the area for the World Wide Knit in Public Day. There were more of us than in the picture as others came and went during the afternoon. It was great to sit and chat with likeminded people on a lovely sunny afternoon.
At the meeting last night we talked about and agreed to take part in the World Wide Knit in Public Day which is on Saturday 11th June. We talked about meeting either in The Views or Calthorpe Park.
With all the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations plus a family wedding this weekend, I almost forgot to post about our upcoming meeting!
We will be taking a more in-depth look at the items that have been loaned to us by the Knitting and Crochet Guild (https://kcguild.org.uk/). There will be some that we can touch, but other items need extra care and we can only look at them as Sally shows them to us.
Looking forward to seeing lots of you on Tuesday, 7th June, 8pm.
p.s. no volunteers yet to take over running the club. Unless someone steps forward the July meeting will be our last. Such a shame after over 40 years.
The trunk show from the Knitting and Crochet Guild's collection had arrived. Sally laid out some of the items from the trunk show on a table, covered by a clear plastic sheet, so everyone could take turns during the evening to have a sneak preview of the trunk show talk/presentation next month.
We continued the discussion about socks, mostly focusing on heals and cuffs. Liz shared some interesting spiral-bound books that had each page split into 3 sections, so the reader can choose a different cuff, heel and toe for their desired sock.
We are still looking for new volunteers for the committee, and a new chairperson. Only 2 people have volunteered for the committee so far. If there are no volunteers soon then the club's last meeting will be in July. If you are willing to volunteer, please contact Liz or Sally.
Don't forget it will be Fleet Knitting Club meeting on Tuesday, 3rd May. It will be easy to overlook it, coming straight after the bank holiday weekend.
From Newsletter No 22 - sent 18 December 2021
Knitting 2 colour stripes in the round
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXsItKHmmNk
Top-down sock knitting discussions and tutorials
https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/2014/05/basic-sock-pattern-and-tutorial.html
https://curioushandmade.com/the-sock-series-stretchy-cast-ons-for-handmade-socks/
Which yarn for knitting socks?
What is the best yarn for knitting socks? – Wool n Stuff
There was a long discussion around the different needles suitable to sock knitting, and personal preferences. Each material has it's own strengths and weaknesses. Each brand of circular needles has their own technique for joining the flexible cord to the needle tip, so try several until you find the one that works best for you.
KnitPro - Knitting Needles, Crochet hook & Accessories
LYKKE Crafts - Make Happy! - Knitting Needles and other Crafting Tools
Knitter's Pride - Knitting Needles, Crochet hook & Accessories (knitterspride.com)
It's the start of April so we will be meeting on Tuesday 5th. 8pm at Fleet Methodist Church.
Machine Knitting Monthly provided us with a club copy of the March issue of the magazine, which contains a spotlight on designer Alison Dupernex, racking skills with Bill King, and 10 knitting patterns. Machine Knitting Monthly - The hand-knitted look in a fraction of the time
The Knitting and Crochet Guild now has PDF copies of Guild of Machine Knitters magazines available on the website for Guild members. Guild of Machine Knitters Publications | Knitting & Crochet Guild (kcguild.org.uk)
All copies of the 'Across the Needlebed' online newsletter for Machine Knitters is also available on the Guild website for members. 'Across the Needlebed' Machine Knitting Publication | Knitting & Crochet Guild (kcguild.org.uk)
The Fleece to Fashion: Economies and Cultures of Knitting in Modern Scotland Project is recruiting Research Volunteers from the knitting community initially to knit up samples and small garments using Margaret Klein's pattern instructions held in National Museums Scotland. Knit a Margaret Klein – Fleece To Fashion (gla.ac.uk)
Fabric and Craft Sale, Whether you want to sell or buy, Patchwork, dressmaking textiles and notions, knitting, embroidery or craft supplies,patterns and craft books Saturday 9th April, 10am to 4pm. Events | All Hallows Church (hantswhit.church)
Several knitting skills are unfortunately now listed on the Heritage Crafts red list of endangered crafts. Frame knitting and Shetland lace knitting are critically endangered. Gansey knitting and nalbinding are endangered. Categories of risk | Heritage Crafts
Yarn too fluffy? Run the yarn over a plain candle.
Yarn too old and brittle? Put in the freezer with the bag open for a couple of days to absorb moisture.
Yarn too hairy? Yarns like angora will flatten when cold, so place the yarn in a sealed bag in the freezer overnight before using to calm down the hairs.
Christine had knit an amazing shawl.
