Fleet Knitting Club

February - our first meeting of 2012

2012-01-30T23:06:00.001Z

The next meeting is on Tuesday 7th February. We have a guest speaker and I am sure
everyone will find her of interest. Her name is Kim and she designs and knits costumes for stage and film at TV. Some of you may even have seen the shows that she knits for; Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Shrek and many others.

I am looking forward to hearing all about her knitting which is both by hand and machine.

Don’t be late, 8 pm is the time we will be starting. You won’t want to miss this one!

Visitors are welcome.

Well Done everyone and thanks as well

2012-01-29T15:02:00.003Z

Just one photograph this time of the array of items brought in to give to the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital. We had to put an extra table out to fit everything on!

We took the things up to the hospital a few days after the meeting and within a short while a lovely letter of thanks arrived. All these items and more will be sold on their popular sales tables which raise valuable funds to support the good work carried out at the hospital.

Other knitted items were brought in for the show and tell part of the evening, but unfortunately the photos were not good. I'm still practicing with the new camera, but it may not be a new camera that is needed; it might be a new camera person/operator!

Apologies for being so late posting about a meeting in December. Lots of things got in the way and it is almost time for the next meeting. But more of that in a day or so.

December 2011 Charity Evening

2011-12-04T17:45:00.002Z

Our December meeting takes place on Tuesday 6th December. 8pm as usual. As it is the December meeting there will be mince pies with our coffee and tea - home made of course.

Our charity of the year is again the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton and I will be visiting there on Saturday. I do hope you can bring along to the meeting on Tuesday either something you have made or a new item (an unwanted gift perhaps) that you haven't been able to use that the Friends can sell to patients, staff and visitors. The sales tables at the Hospital are very popular and raise a lot of money every year.

At our meeting on Tuesday there will also be an opportunity to buy yarn and magazines and possibly other knitting related items - yes someone is destashing again. So don't forget to bring your purse.

I look forward to seeing you all for our festive meeting.

November 2011 sock knitting

2011-11-29T09:16:00.003Z

Oops I forgot the camera again. These pictures were taken on my mobile phone. I did try taking pictures of the show and tell items, but there were rather poor, so I'm no going to put them up. Items shown included a number of things to be given to the charity that visited last month and well as a shawl, a jumper and a cardigan/jacket plus hats and scarves. We should all be nice and warm this winter.

This month we were talking about socks and the various methods of knitting them. After showing the various pairs that had already been produced, so that others had could see how various yarns looked and felt it was down to business. Two or three of us showed how to join and get started when using three or four needles and Ann showed a group of interested knitters how to work the magic loop method of knitting socks.

Nina also showed one method of knitting socks on the knitting machine, but I didn't get chance to get a photo of that.

Don't we all look hard at work!

Since the meeting I have been to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate. Whilst I was there I got some more sock yarn, so will report back to the club members in due course and when get the socks finished I will try and post a picture.

November 2011 meeting coming up

2011-10-29T21:47:00.002Z

How quickly time is going when you have fun. And I am sure you are all busy knitting and crocheting as usual. It's been another busy month for me, with days away at an exhibition, a new beginners course starting and a couple of talks thrown in for good measure. Still I have managed to complete some knitted projects.

Our November meeting is going to be devoted to socks. With winter coming on now, we will need something to keep our feet warm, and knitted socks can be just the thing. There are some lovely sock yarns around now, and prices are coming down so they no longer need to be considered a luxury. We will be trying our hand at knitting on 4 needles, learning how to join the cast on so that we can knit in the round, turning a heel and kitchener stitch for the toe. We will also have a go at the "magic loop" so that those who prefer to use circular needles can also knit socks. Machine knitters aren't going to be left out, as Nina will be showing how to knit socks on the machine.

There will be time for show and tell and some chatting as well so bring along the things you've been working on.

Visitors are welcome. Our meeting starts at 8 pm.

October 2011 meeting

2011-10-29T21:20:00.004Z

Show and tell first this time. I didn't take pictures of everything, so apologies if you lovely items aren't included. The waistcoat has been crocheted by Gladys. It is an ideal way of adding a bit of extra warmth for the chilly days that are approaching and looks lovely took. Janet has made a lovely handknitted lacy cardy, again ideal to slip on when it is a bit chilly, but not cold enough for a woolley.

Phyllis knitted this blue shrug on her knitting machine. Easy to knit, it is just one long strip, joined to make it into the garment you see.

We had visitors this month - Sharon and Viv from The Grassroots Trust. They told us about all the fantastic work they are doing to help young people in developing countries. We knitters can help by making garments and soft toys for them to take when they visit the various countries. We like this idea as we all have yarn at home that we don't know what to knit it up to. And it is a good way of trying out a different technique or two. So we will be getting our needles out and hopefully coming up with something to pass on to them.

To see more about The Grassroots Trust go to their website: http://grassroots.org.uk/home/

The October Meeting

2011-09-27T20:53:00.003Z

Our October meeting is on Tuesday 4th October. We have invited Fleet Grass Roots to come along and tell us a bit about what they do. They have told me that amongst other things they support Third World Countries, supplying them with knitted items. Now I think we may be able to help them as we all have plenty of yarn and this is a good cause.

Please do come along and hear what they have to say. I think they are also bring a little video presentation as well.

Don't forget to bring your completed projects along to show us, and also any knitting problems you might have. I'll try to remember the camera as well. I hope also to be able to update you about the programme for the rest of the year.

Those of you that didn't come last month, please remember to pay your annual subs when you come. Many thanks.

September and our AGM

2011-09-27T20:21:00.004Z

September sees another year come round and time again for our AGM. The business as usual took very little time and then it was on to more interesting things. First there was a show and tell. It seems that quite a bit of the summer knitting had already been passed on to its recipient bu there was still a few bits left.

This scarf had been worked on my Mandy, her grandmother, her mother and her daughter - 4 generations. It's finished now, and her daughter loves it.

Carole has done all the work on this shawl herself. Here's just a close-up of it. Carole did think there was a mistake or two in it, but we couldn't spot them.

Jean finished her cushion that was for the challenge which finished in July, so she brought it along to show us. She has also been doing some crochet. A game of noughts and crosses and a little toy.

Liz had a go and knitting with wire and made this beaded bracelet from a kit she had purchased at an exhibition.

Nina had been busy. She had made a cardigan and a shrug for herself. The shrug is knitted in 2 x 2 rib and uses holding position for shaping.

Sylvia knitted the baby clothes and a shawl. The shawl was knitted on her knitting machine, and the baby clothes by hand.

Once the show and tell was over we had a very welcome cup of tea or coffee and then it was time to learn a few new tricks. Some had asked to see again the cast on that Chris had showed us for the mobious scarf. Liz had brought a circular needle and some yarn with her, so we were able to see that again.

Liz also had brought along a knitting machine as one member was having trouble knitting lace on her knitting machine and also understanding the lace punchcards. The machine was quickly set up and it all made sense once it was explained properly. Let's hope we can all remember how to do these things when we get home!

We seemed to pack a lot into the meeting.

The 2011 Challenge

2011-08-06T09:46:00.008Z

Back in September 2010 at our AGM I told members about the challenge for the year. This time I had chosen custion covers. Usual rules applied i.e. that you could not buy anything for it, everything used had to come from your stash or be given to you by someone else from their stash.

The cushion with leaves has been knitted by Sylvia. on her knitting machine, including all the leaves.

Chris knitted this blue and white cushion. Handknitted of course, knitted from the centre out. The button in the middle is a great idea. Chris hadn't had time to finish the back, so this piece is pinned to a cushion pad. I bet she finishes it soon.

Liz knitted this cushion and entered it into the Guild of Machine Knitters competition this year. It wasn't a winner, but we all thought it looked really good. She knitted it on one ofher chunky machines.

Shirley knitted this aran style cushion cover. It is another one that is a front only, but hopefully a back will get knitted as it looks really good, and would complement any decor.

This cushion has been knitted by Marcia using very very large needles and a number of strands of yarn. It is quite hard to knit like this so you can only do a few rows at a time. But it gives a lovely effect. By using larger still needles and more yarn you can even knit your own floor covering.

This round cushion is good too. It's all garter stitch and is great fun.

An unexpected treat!

2011-08-06T09:18:00.005Z

The day before our July meeting I received a phone call from a lady (whose name I didn't get, so apologies to her) asking if she could bring some yarn and magazines to the club as she wanted to get rid of them. She was giving it all away, not trying to sell it. As we were having a sales table at the July meeting I agreed that she would bring it all along to the club meeting and we would find a good home for it. Silly me didn't ask how much yarn or how many magazines!

Well, she came along to the meeting, with her husband to help unload her car (a large 4x4 SUV type), and proceeded to give us numerous black bags full of yarn for hand and machine knitting and a few magazines. There was so much yarn that it would never have fitted into my estate car which is not small. We didn't have time to sort what was there as she arrived at the same time as the members and she didn't stop for the meeting.

So we opened the bags and left them on the floor for people to rummage. Now remember that we had also had someone bring yarn along the month before so I wasn't expecting much yarn to go home with others, rather than me. Experience tells me that if I gave the yarn away not much would go as people are too polite to take much, so I told everyone that a full cone of yarn, or enough handknitting yarn to knit a garment was £1, and if it was a part cone or similar of the hand knitting yarn then it was less. The money collected would go to our charity of the year, the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton Branch.

And this is what we looked like as we rummaged in those bags! These photos were taken after the first inspection and the frenzy had died down. I almost forgot to take the photos.

By the end of the evening the bags of yarn fitted into the back of my car, with seats still up. And I had £85 in my pocket to pass on to the charity. So thank you to everyone who took some home with them. I shall be interested to see what you all knit with it.

There is still some yarn left which will eventually get used. The easy to knit 4 ply yarn will probably come with me to exhibitions and be knitted into scarves, hats etc for the homeless. The machine washable yarns may well get used for pet blankets for the animal rescue charities and anything left will be used as appropriate. None of it will go to waste.

I hope that the lady who donated the yarn will check with the blogspot to see what happened on the evening she gave us the yarn. A big, big thank you to her. None of the yarn will be wasted.

It's our July meeting next week

2011-06-29T20:44:00.002Z

So it's the end of the annual challenge this month. I hope you've all made your cushion covers. If you haven't well come along anyway and see what everyone else had made.

To round off our club year, we will be having a knitting related sales table. If you have something you don't use and don't want any more, bring it along and see if someone else would like to buy it. If you don't want to sell it, but give it away, consider asking for a donation for charity instead. Please mark your items with your name and how much you want for them. You might also be able to pick up a bargain or two.

I hope to see you all as this is the last meeting before our summer break.

Do we need more yarn?

2011-06-12T19:10:00.004Z

Of course we don't! But when the prices are so reasonable who can resist.

At our June meeting Diane brought along just some of the yarn that she was selling as part of an estate sale. Lovely yarn and very good prices. We couldn't resist. Diane went home with less than half the yarn she brought with her and we went home with rather more yarn than we probably should have. Will we ever knit it all?

Di and Chris kept knitting so they had an excuse to buy yet more yarn! It's surprising how much you can get done when you are listening and talking.

Diane had brought with her some pictures of her alpacas that she keeps. She also told us a bit about them and we were able to ask her questions as well. Just a few pounds of fibre comes off each animal, but what does come off is beautiful fibre and very light. Alpacas were originally bred for the fibre and that continues still today.

June 2011 show and tell

2011-06-12T15:55:00.004Z

These scarves and summer tops have all been knitted by Liz. The tops were all worked using the Garter Carriage, so whilst waiting for that to knit a few rows, she was also knitting scarves on her chunky machine. Liz says they were knitted in an attempt to de-stash, but you'd not notice the difference.

Carole knitted this beautiful shawl for her daughter to wear at her wedding. And Diane knitted and felted this bag from a Toft Aplaca kit.

Chris knitted this beautiful doily. She said it is knitted in cotton and looked awful when she first completed it. As soon as she started steaming it, the true beauty showed.

Chris also knitted this lovely shrug. It is knitted in an alpaca yarn.

Sandra knitted this little jumper for her new grandchild. She said the baby has to grow a bit first!

June 2011 meeting

2011-06-04T21:24:00.002Z

This month Diane is coming along with rather a lot of cones of yarn. She is selling it at very reasonable prices on behalf of the family of someone who has died. Yarn of all types including natural fibres such as alpaca will be on sale. So now is the time to pick up a bargain.

I'm sure there will be plenty of chatting going on as well. And don't forget to bring along your latest creations. We do like to see what you have been knitting.

See you on Tuesday, 7th June, 8 pm is the start time.

Don't Bin it, Fix it!

2011-05-31T08:35:00.004Z

Don't bin it - Fix it! That was the advice given to us by Fiona Morris at our May meeting. She had brought along a number of garments that she had "altered" rather than put in the bin.

Fiona found that this jumper was a bit too slim fitting so she knitted two panels and inserted them in the side seams. She tapered the top of the panel and took that into the top of the sleeve so that she did not need to completely reknit the sleeve.

Fiona freely offered advice and suggestions when we asked questions.

The intended recipient of this dress lost weight and asked for it to be altered. The scissors came out, the dress was cut and then re-assembled. An overlocker secured the stitches. And you now have a classic "little black dress". Very stylish.

This green summer top was knitted for a trip abroad, but back in the UK Fiona felt very exposed, so she knitted sleeves to go into it. It looked great when she had finished her alterations.

Fiona had brought along a lot of her garments and patterns. Here she is discussing techniques with club members.

It was a good evening and we learnt lots of tips so that we can "rescue" out knitting with confidence.

May Meeting Show and Tell

2011-05-31T08:18:00.003Z

This is a close-up of the fancy rib edging on the bottom of the pink cardigan that is in the pile of 3 below. All knitted by Sandra for her grandchildren.

This white scarf has been knitted in pom-pom yarn. Looks lovely and just the think for a cold winters day.

Anne knitted the short sleeve cardy below. Just what we need on a cool summer evening.

Another beautiful shawl. From Jean this time.

Phyllis knitted this baby sleeping bag. Lovely for the new arrival

May Meeting - a visit from Fiona Morris

2011-05-02T07:59:00.003Z

Another month has past and everything is growing well in the garden! I have still found time to do a little knitting and lots of talking about it.

There will be even more talking about knitting on Tuesday evening (3rd May) as it is our club meeting. Fiona Morris is coming to speak to us. She has called the title of her talk "Fix it, Don't Bin It!" I know a lot of us have just thrown things in the corner and eventually into the bin when it hasn't gone right, so I'm looking forward to hearing of things we can do to save our knitting when something goes wrong.

As usual visitors are welcome. 8pm is the start time.

At our April meeting

2011-04-26T12:11:00.002Z

Ann Brown of Posh Frocks came along and talked to us about garments knitted from a different angle. By that we mean, not knitted from welt to neckline. Ann had brought along a selection of garments that were designed and knitted using holding position for shaping and to give fullness where required. I was so absorbed with her talk that I forgot to take pictures. I did remember at the end when she was talking to some of the members, so those pictures are below.

All in all it was an excellent evening - thanks Ann.

2011-04-26T11:27:00.006Z

This beautiful shawl has been handknitted by Carol. Another fantastic effort. Knitting shawls has become really popular.

Carol has also knitted this beautiful round shawl and Ann has knitted the one that she is modelling.

This baby blanket/shawl has been hand knitted by Sylvia. Another excellent job.

Sandra hand knitted this lovely cardigan for an new arrival expected in the next few weeks.

Marcia liked the mobius scarf that Chris showed us last month. She found the pattern for this one on the internet.

Shame the weather has turned warmer so it looks like this won't be worn for a few months.

Well done everyone - another great effort. Maybe next month we will have some machine knitted items.

Spring is here! and so is our April meeting

2011-04-01T16:28:00.003Z

Yes, spring is here; the daffodils are in full bloom and it is time again for our April meeting. We have a speaker this month. I'm sure her name will be familiar to most machine knitters, but hand knitters may not have heard of her. Her name is Ann Brown. You can find out more about her on her website www.poshfrocks.com . Ann is going to be talking about asymetric garments and how they can be knitted so the subject is suitable for hand and machine knitters. Ann designs garments and accessories and some of her patterns are suitable for hand knitters as well as machine knitters. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings. The April meeting is on Tuesday 5th and it will start at 8 pm as usual.

late entries

2011-04-01T15:22:00.008Z

Oops I've been very bad. I haven't posted anything for a long time now. My excuse is that I haven't been well and that I've been busy doing things for the Guild of Machine Knitters. It's exhibition season for me and I should have been at something like 6 exhibitions since mid January. I made 5 of them which wasn't bad.

We've had a couple of meetings since I last posted. So here is a brief update on January and February and a longer update on March.

January - No meeting as it's so close to Christmas and the New Year.

February - I forgot the camera! Jenny Barker came and talked to us about decorating your knitwear in ways to make it personal and interesting. It was a really good evening and I am sure we all came away with ideas.

March - We entertained ourselves again. I brought along a couple of unusual machines. One was a Knitmaster MK-70 which when packed away looks as if it could be a sewing machine. It all folds up. It operates pretty much like any other machine, but the tensioning system on the yarn mast is different and there are a few other quirky differences.

Some of the club members had fun trying to thread up the MK-70. It is a punchcard machine with an 18 stitch repeat, so getting extra cards isn't easy. The machine has a complete set of tools and the instruction book and I won't be using it that often, but it is a talking point.

They also had a go on a shortened machine. A Knitmaster Zippy 90 recently came into my possession and I had heard about how you could shorten or lengthen it to suit. I thought it might be a good machine to take to exhibitions, especially if it is shortened. It would be ideal to knit scarves using some of the lovely handknitting yarns that you can buy now. So the Zippy 90 is now a Zippy 54 as the number refers to the number of needles in the bed. I'm now looking out for another Zippy 90 to put the spare section in. It will mean that I can knit wider fabrics with

the extra needles making it ideal for knitting blankets.

Chris also ran through some handknitting things as well and showed us how to cast on a mobius scarf. That had everyone fascinated and intrigued and I think a few people will be having a go. Here's the finished one that she brought along to show us. You can see how it is twisted. That happens automatically and the outer edges are cast off edges.

Naturally there was a bit of show and tell. Nina knitted this lovely blue jumper using her garter

carriage and Sandra knitted this pink jumper for herself. It has some lovely raglan detail.

Sandra knitted the scarf above in pom-pom yarn and Chris has knitted another of her beautiful shawls (photo above right).

This is Jeans first go at lace knitting for many years. It's worked from the instructions that Chris gave us before Christmas. She's hooked now.

Liz has been knitting scarves. The cream and the blue ones were knitted at Unravel on the Zippy 90 (shortened version of course!) and the aqua green one was knitted at the Creative Stitches show at Brighton. The are beads on the tassles, but these had to be hand-sewn on after as they were too small to knit in. The scarves will now be displayed at various shows around the country. Members of the public were able to knit a few rows of these scarves as they tried a knitting machine.

Our February Meeting

2011-01-25T21:03:00.002Z

Happy New Year - a bit late but we don't meet in January.

We have a speaker this month. Jenny Barker is coming to talk to us about surface decoration. The things she is going to show and tell us about are suitable for hand and machine knitters. Jenny is an experience speaker and has some lovely ideas to share with us.

The meeting will be at 8pm as usual. (I must remember the camera!) I hope to see lots of you there. If you've never come to one of our meetings, then please do. You will be made very welcome.

December and Time for Mince Pies

2011-01-25T20:55:00.003Z

Our December meeting is when we bring things along that we have made or new things that we wish to donate, to our chosen Charity. They filled 3 tables again and were a good effort. I took them up to the Royal Marsden Hospital a few days after our meeting and had a thank you note before Christmas.

We had mince pies with our tea and coffee. It's never too early for a mice pie! And just so that we didn't get bored, Chris showed us how she blocks her shawls to get the lovely finish she always achieves and we also had a go at "no foundation chain" crochet.

The evening went very quickly and was most enjoyable. I think we all learnt something.

December Show and Tell

2011-01-25T20:36:00.005Z

This shawl has been knitted by Chris. Not one of my better efforts at photography and it doesn't do justice to her beautiful knitting.

This beautiful shawl has been hand knitted by Carol. What a fantastic effort and something to be proud of.

Here are a few more hats and blankets ready to go off to SANDS.

Here is another jumper knitted by Sandra for her grandson. It looks really cosy and just right for all the cold weather we have been experiencing.

December Charity Evening

2010-12-05T20:07:00.003Z

The December meeting will be on Tuesday 7th December. It doesn't seem that long since I was writing almost the same thing. This year has flown by, perhaps because we have been so busy.

Anyway, December is our Charity Evening when we bring along things we have made, or new items that we don't wish to keep and are willing to donate to our Charity, The Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey. They are always grateful for anything we send to them. I will be taking them to the Hospital on Saturday, 11th December, just in time for them to sell and for people to buy for last minute Christmas presents.

I've been making some scarves to send, which I hope will sell well especially as the weather has suddenly turned so cold and wintery.

We are also hoping there will be time to do a bit of crochet, so bring a crochet hook and a bit of double knit yarn and you can have a go. We have had a request to show blocking so will try to cover that as well if there is time.

I'm hoping that the weather will be ok for our meeting, but so if you are at all doubtful check back here. (I will post a further message if the meeting is cancelled.) I'm hoping that the weather will hold enough for us all to get together for coffee and mince pies - no mulled wine as we will be driving!

I look forward to seeing you all for our pre-Christmas get together. 8pm as usual.

November meeting and show and tell

2010-12-05T19:50:00.004Z

Another busy evening so before we started our knitting we had show and tell and a bit of an update about what we'd all been up to.

I told everyone how I had got on at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. The atmosphere at this show was really exciting. The weather was good which helped and over the course of 4 days there were around 50,000 visitors to the show.

We then moved on to Show and Tell. There were 3 more beautiful blankets to go to SANDS.

Marcia has knitted herself a lovely chunky jacket to wear this winter. It will keep her lovely and warm.

Chris has knitted another beautiful scarf.....

And a bag.

When we had all finished looking at the lovely knitted items Chris introduced us to knitting using a chart instead of the usual K2,p1 sl1 psso that we usually use. The charts are especially useful when knitting shawls as you can "see" the pattern on the chart.

Chris had printed some copies of one of her charts and we were all able to have a go. She was there to help us when we got stuck.

Needless to say we also did a bit of chatting whilst we were knitting!

It was another evening that went all too quickly.

Thanks Chris showing us how to knit form a chart. I really do intend to have a go and not just knit a little sample!

Learn to Lace Knit this month

2010-10-30T17:48:00.001Z

It’s our November meeting on Tuesday (2nd November). I do hope you can come. We have got a hands-on evening planned. Chris will be showing us some more of her beautiful lace knitting and explaining how it is knitted from charts. (We will also be translating them into machine knitting terms as well.) Then it’s our turn to have a go.

Please bring some yarn with you and a pair of needles. For best results bring 4 ply or less and 3.5 mm (No 9) or 4 mm (No 8) needles. If you would prefer to work in thicker yarns and larger needles bring DK and 5.5 mm or 6 mm needles. I know instinct tells you that the needles are too big for the yarn, but when knitted lace it is knitted loosely. Choice is yours whether you bring straight or circular needles. Don’t worry if you forget, we will have some spares with us.

There will also be time for a bit of show and tell and I will have some bits and pieces for sale to raise money for the Marsden. So it will be another packed evening.

Visitors are welcome and as usual we will start the meeting at 8 pm.

October Show and Tell

2010-10-21T16:26:00.003Z

This is Liz in her waistcoat. Knitted in 2 strands of Uppinghams 2ply cotton. What doesn't show too well is the band of tuck stitch which runs round just about where her hand is and the lower section has extensions at the side which hang down.

Another beautiful lace shawl knitted by Chris. This one is designed to be worn around the neck to keep you warm in the winter and also to look decorative and fashionable. Looks even better in real life than in the photograph.

This is another sampler scarf knitted by Chris. (The photo was the right way up when I loaded it, but somehow got turned!). This is a good way to try out lace patterns and still make something useful.

Anne has knitted two wrap jackets by hand. The yarns felt really nice and I am sure they will be a great addition to any wardrobe.

More inspiration to knit from Iris Bishop

2010-10-21T15:52:00.002Z

This was the first time some of our hand knitters had heard Iris talk and they were amazed at what she talked about and showed us. The machine knitters had heard Iris talk before and had made every effort to be there as she always gives us food for thought and inspires us to go home and knit. Well, maybe not straight away as it is a bit late to start straight after club, but we can start planning and then knit next day!

Iris told us how fair isle patterning is coming back, but with a new and different twist. It isn't all over the garment, just in selected areas, which for a machine knitter means it is quick and easy to do. So whether you choose to put your fair isle patterning just above the welt, or as a yoke you will find yourself in fashion. She also said that 3D is fashionable as well. Take a look at the picture below. The right hand side is just normal flat fairisle whilst the centre and left has been trimmed with i-cords which give a raised 3D effect.

In the next sample Iris has made use of the patterning on the punchcard machines. By changing yarn colour and ply (thickness) she has achieved what looks to be a very complicated pattern, but one that is easy to knit. The coloured section is knitted using thicker yarns and every other needle, whilst the black/white is knitted over every needle using 4 ply yarns. The hardest part is making sure that your punchcard and needles line up as you are knitting on alternate needles for part of the pattern.

Iris has also been experimenting with cut floats again. This time she has been knitting the thicker yarn in, rather than weaving it. Because you are only knitting a few selected needles in the thicker yarn, the machine seems to accept it and the adjacent stitches make room. In the next picture there was 4 needles out of the 24 stitch repeat knitting in the thicker yarn.

In this next picture Iris has taken the technique one step further and only used 2 stitches out of the 24 stitch repeat to knit the fairisle. This creates extrememly long floats, (something you don't normally want), but on this occasion you do. Cut the floats and you have long "shaggy" pile. The look will vary depending on which yarns you use. And because they have been knitted in, rather than woven, they don't pull out.

That's just a taste of what she told us. We could have listened to her all night! And I'm sure it won't be too long before we ask her to come again.

Iris Bishop visiting in October

2010-10-02T18:53:00.002Z

Our October meeting on Tuesday 5th October will be very special. Iris Bishop will be our guest speaker for the evening.

Iris is always very entertaining and inspirational. She will be taking us along some of the avenues she has been exploring recently and showing us her recent work. No matter how often I see Iris I always learn something.

So come early, and make the most of what will be a very good evening. The meeting will be starting at 8 pm prompt.

September meeting

2010-09-29T19:52:00.005Z

Late again! Sorry. It's been another busy month. However, better late than never.

We had a lovely meeting with Bookham club members visiting us. They had to sit through our AGM first, but as previous blogs say, that only takes up 10 minutes of the meeting.

The rest of the meeting went by in a flash as well. Liz told the assembled knitters a bit about the history of the club and how we operate. She then handed over to Chris who told us about the various shawls she has knitted, and the differences between them. Some people were amazed that she had handknitted them, and more so when she said how long they took (about 3 weeks mostly). The majority of them were traditional patterns and knitted in fine yarns.

Ann came along with some machine spares and accessories she was selling in aid of Charity. There were also patterns she had written. Ann very kindly gave the money she raised to our Charity of the year - The Friends of the Royal Marsden, Sutton Branch. Thanks to Ann for swelling our donation to the charity and thanks to everyone who bought something.

After a short break for chatting, tea, coffee and delicious cakes made by Sandra, and Shirley and sausage rolls made by Gladys we gathered round the knitting machine and had a couple of techniques demonstrated, one by Liz and the other by Nina. One was a basketweave pattern, the other a decorative hem.

We then all sat down again and various members of our club showed garments and other things they had knitted, some more recently than others. (By this time I'd forgotten all about taking photographs again so I can't put up photos.) The was quite a range of garments, some fine knits, some chunky.

Jean had also brought along part of a pie chart she is knitting for display at the Florence Nightingale Museum in London. It's almost finished and is due to be installed either later this year or early next year. As soon as it is up I'll mention it in a blog so you can go and see it.

And by the time we'd done that the time was up and we drew the evening to a close. Thanks to those that stood up and did a bit and brought along the delicious eats. Evenings like this are always interesting.

We had a lovely thank you e-mail from Brenda next day.

Dear Liz,
On behalf of the seven members of our club who were so royally entertained last night by your club, I would like to thank you all for a most enjoyable and instructive evening.
We were enthralled by Chris's shawls and her expertise in designing and knitting them.
Both your demos were new to us, and we will be showing our group in due course as we feel we will be able to make good use of them.
To be able to see the pie chart under construction and all the garments made by you and your members only serves to amaze us at the endless possibilities of machine knitting .
Thank you also for the delicious refreshments.

Regards

Brenda

September - The start of another year for our Club

2010-08-29T19:57:00.002Z

Ok it's not quite September yet, but it will be on Tuesday. And I know I won't have time on Tuesday to post this message, so I'm doing it now.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 7th September. It will be our (very short) AGM, combined with a visit from the members of the Bookham Knitting Club. We will be entertaining them with a bit of history about our club, and three very short talks/demonstrations. We will also have tea, coffee and cakes and a chance to chat with them.

And whilst all that is going on Ann, who used to have a shop in Basingstoke selling yarns, and other knitting related paraphernalia, for hand and machine knitters, is coming along. She has little stock still left and now needs the space it is taking up. So come along and bag a bargain.

We welcome visitors to any of our meetings, so please do come along and see what we get up to that we don't photograph and put on our blogspot.

As soon as the programme for the next year is a bit more finalised I will post it here.

Look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 7th September, 8pm prompt as we have a very full evening.

July show and tell

2010-08-01T10:19:00.004Z

Everyone was busy knitting for the challenge, but a couple of people found time to knit other things as well.

Janet has only just returned to machine knitting so these are pictures of some of the first garments she has knitted in many years. The lovely bollero above a crochet edging. Janet only just finished knitting this so hasn't had time to do the final finishing yet. She has also knitted the three little garments below as well. Knitting things for babies and children is a good way to start when you are either learning or returning to machine knitting. You get to practice lots of techniques and have some thing to show for all your efforts. Don't worry about not knowing what to do with the things you knit - there are plenty of charities out there who would be happy to receive them.

Chris has been busy again, knitting another of her beautiful shawls. All knitted by hand and in the finest yarns. She even knits in the car on a long journey - but not when she is driving of course!

And after all the pictures, what did we do at the meeting? Well lots of talk of course. Some of us had been at the Guild of Machine Knitters AGM. So we told the others what had gone on. And there were the purchases we made to be shown off. The things we had brought for the challenge and for show and tell also generated much discussion as others wanted to know how they had been made. We also talked a bit about what we were going to do when Bookham Club come to see us in September. We came up with a few ideas. Needless to say we didn't run out of things to talk about.

There is no meeting in August but we will be having a committee meeting to discuss the plans for the next year. And I will also be trying to book a few speakers and filling the programme.

Our next meeting in September 7th.

2010-08-01T10:10:00.004Z

This little blanket is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. The single motif in the middle has been backet (with knitting) so that tiny fingers and toes don't get caught in it.

Rather than knit a blanket, one member knitted these three tiny hats. They are so small they would probably fit over a tennis ball.

Well done everyone who took up the challenge. Now I'll have to think of something to challenge you to do for next July!

July meeting and the end of another challenge

2010-08-01T09:51:00.004Z

For the last meeting before the summer break we set a challenge. This year it was to knit a

special blanket for a special baby. And those that wished could give them to SANDS which we have mentioned in earlier blogs.

This is a beautiful lace blanket. Knitted by hand in a fine, but unbranded, yarn.

This one is adapted from a stitch pattern from Womens Realm. It was part of a layette published at the time of the birth of Princess Anne's first baby. The edging is crab stitch, which the knitter learnt how to do at one of our Club meetings.

These four were all knitted by the same person. They are knitted to her own design and based on a patern from one of the baby books. They all have a garter stitch edging.

Another handknitted blanket, this time knitted from the SANDS own pattern. It is knitted in garter stitch and has a pretty lace edging.

July meeting coming soon

2010-07-05T08:12:00.002Z

The meeting is coming up very soon - tomorrow in fact, so apologies for this late post. The meeting time will be 8 pm as usual. I'll try and remember the camera this time.

This month is the end of our Challenge, so I hope that you will have found time to make a blanket for a special baby that may be donated to SANDS if you wish (not compulsory of course as you may have a baby of your own to give it to).

I am sure we will also be doing a lot of chatting as there is plenty to talk about - the Guild AGM being just one topic. I will also bring a machine along.

I'm also hoping that some of you will come up with some suggestions for who you would like as a speaker or things to do as I will be planning the programme during the rest of the summer. Don't forget we don't have a meeting in August, but the committee will be getting together to do what committees do. In our case it's have a nice meal and a drink at the local pub and chat about next year if we're so inclined.

So back to business - hope to see you on Tuesday 6th July, 8 pm as usual and visitors are welcome. This club is for both machine and hand knitters so don't be shy. Just turn up and if you want to bring some knitting with you, please do.

Guild of Machine Knitters AGM

2010-06-24T19:20:00.004Z

We had been asked if we would like to have a table at the Guild Day and AGM to display our work. We were one of 6 clubs invited to have a table.

We were also helping with the running of the day, mainly with the tea and coffees but also with the clearning up after.

It was a fantastic day. Over 100 people turned up. The AGM part of the day is over very quickly but it's nice to hear what they have been doing and it's not boring really. There were talks by Ruth Lee and Iris Bishop. The talks were very different, but equally interesting. There was also a fashion show at the end of the day, with members showing garments they had made. It's really nice to see what everyone had made. There was time in the breaks to look at the club displays, as well as the patterns brought along by designers, Fiona Morris, Beryl Jarvis, and Ann Brown. Iris Bishop also brought her patterns along and Ruth Lee put on a display of her work. Heathercraft were there with their yarns and spares.

We were all very tired at the end of the day, but despite the hard work it was very enjoyable. Next year the AGM will be in the Staffordshire area, so I doubt many of us will be able to get to it. But if it ever comes down this way again I'm sure I'll be there.

Our 2010 Competition Entry

2010-06-24T19:07:00.003Z

The Guild of Machine Knitters run an annual competition for machine knitters. Once again we decided to have a go in the category for clubs or groups of 5 or more knitters. This category is for the Sherborne Vase.

The theme of the competition this year was "The Jewellery Box". Nina covered the box and made the tray to go inside. She also knitted some of the pieces of Jewellery. Items were also knitted by Liz, Sylvia, Sheila, Sandra and Marcia.

Unfortunately we didn't win, or get a Highly Commended, but it's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts. We were pleased with our entry.

Our June Meeting

2010-06-24T19:01:00.002Z

Oops, who forgot the camera this month! Sorry no photos.

We spent time discussing what we would be putting on our stand at the Guild of Machine Knitters AGM that was to take place on 19 June in Basingstoke. I left the meeting with lots of garments and the decision to see what looked best when we put the things out. I also took along the current blogspot book (we print out the pages of the blogspot every so often for those that haven't got internet access). More about the AGM in the next post.

After a show and tell, when Nina showed us a white jacket she had knitted for a wedding and lots more chatter, we had coffee/tea and biccies and then I set the machine up to show our beginners some of the techniques that had been described over the last few months. Hopefully it will mean they can get the knitting to stay on their machines. It was more of a refresher course really as they have all used machines before, just been away from them for a while and forgotten what they knew.

I look forward to seeing how they get on next month.

June 2010 meeting

2010-05-30T15:32:00.002Z

Plans have changed a bit for this month. The visit from Bookham club has been delayed till later in the year.

So instead I will bring a knitting machine along and we can go through some of the basics with those of you that have forgotten or have never known how. If you are having difficulties with something we can see if we can sort it out as well. If you have a handknitting query we can try and sort that out as well.

The Guild of Machine Knitters AGM is on 19th June at Basingstoke. We are going to have a table there to show some of the things we have knitted (hand and machine), so if you have made something that you are pleased with, please bring it along (doesn't have to be something you have only just made) and we can see if we can make a suitable display.

The meeting date of course is Tuesday 1st June, and the time is 8 pm as usual. Hope to see you.

May Meeting

2010-05-22T17:20:00.001Z

Brenda Bristol from Heathercraft was our Guest Speaker this month. She came along with a selection of yarns and machine accessories as well as some patterns.

Brenda talked about plating and also weaving and lace combination patterns. She had plenty of samples to show us, and gave excellent explanations of how they were knitted. It gave us all something to think about.

Show and Tell

2010-05-22T17:18:00.001Z

More beautiful hand knits from Chris!

A shaped shawl.

A square shawl.

A lacey scarf!

Exchange visit to Bookham Knitting Club

2010-05-22T17:07:00.001Z

Members of the Fleet Knitting Club were invited to attend an evening organised by the Bookham Knitting Club. Bookham is about an hours drive from Fleet.

We were warmly greeted and spend an interesting evening hearing about how a knitwear designer works and how their club is run. We were also treated to two demonstrations on a knitting machine. Thanks Margaret, Frances, April and Brenda. They also showed us some garments that club members had made.

We enjoyed the home made cakes and tea and coffee. It also gave us opportunity to chat with their club members.

Naturally we took photographs during the visit, and have promised to show them to the Bookham club when they make a return visit to us.

May meeting

2010-04-30T16:18:00.002Z

At our May meeting Heathercraft will be coming with yarn and spares and also giving us a talk which I hope you will all find interesting. The subject of the talk is plating and weaving on our knitting machines. I am sure the hand knitters amongst us will hear something of interest as well.

If there is anything specific you plan to purchase from Heathercraft, please give them a ring on 01293 851 339 and they will be sure to bring it with them.

There will be time for a show and tell, so do bring anything you have made.

I look forward to seeing you at at 8pm on Tuesday 4th May.

April Meeting

2010-04-26T20:30:00.002Z

Another month and another meeting! We didn't have a speaker this month, Liz and Nina were planning to talk about different yarns and what could be knitted with them, but somehow they never got around to it. Members had questions they wanted to ask each other about some techniques, and how they did certain things, like how does Chris block out her beautiful shawls. Seems for this task a large empty space on the carpet is needed, pin out the shawl to the right size, cover with damp towels and leave overnight to dry............simple!
There was also discussion about the club's entry for the Guild competition, questions about what to knit with some yarn brought back from Australia, and inspection of a wrap jacket brought back from New Zealand which was knitted in possum yarn!
I think this just goes to show when knitters get together there is never a lull in conversation!
We were also pleased to welcome a new member and hope she enjoyed her evening!

Show and Tell

2010-04-26T20:25:00.002Z

Here is another selection of knits, both hand and machine, from our members.

A lovely hand knitted top and hat by Ann.

A lovely chunky knit cardigan from Marcia.

A machine knit jumper(blue) and a hand knit cardigan from Sandra.

Two lovely hand knits from Liz.

And just to showcase another talent, here's a crochet short sleeve jacket from Carole.

2010-04-26T20:24:00.000Z

Our lovely members are still busy knitting items for our charity, SANDS.

April meeting so summer must be on its way

2010-03-30T15:31:00.003Z

The April meeting will be on Tuesday 6th April, just after Easter. We haven't got a speaker this month, however I will bring a selection of yarns suitable for hand and machine knitting and we will be talking about them and yarns in general. We will be discussing how these yarns should be processed, e.g. washed, pressed, no heat etc. and what tension to knit them at.

If you have some yarn and you don't know what to knit it up into, bring it along and we will give you some suggestions. Or you may find someone else has brought some yarn that you would like to knit up and they like what you have brought along so you could agree to do a swap.

I look forward to seeing you, and if you haven't been before, you are welcome to come and meet us on the 1st Tuesday of the month 8 pm - 10 pm.

March Meeting

2010-03-24T09:08:00.003Z

Tonight we had a visit from Beryl Jarvis, who talked to us about making up our knitting. This was appropriate for both hand and machine knitters.
Beryl covered all aspects of making up, from hand stitching to using the linker, and gave us many handy hints too! A very good one was about shaping the back neckline as you make up rather than while you are knitting! Anything to make life easier, and the resulting garment neater!
We all enjoyed Beryl's talk, and many questions were asked, and answered, and Beryl also demonstrated a lot of her techniques. She had also brought along some of her garments for us to see, and all her publications for those who hadn't already bought them.
Altogether a very informative and enjoyable evening!

Show and Tell

2010-03-24T09:05:00.002Z

Here is a beautiful machine knitted and woven jacket from Sue.

A lovely bright hand knitted childs cardigan from Sandra.

A collection of hats and scarves Liz and her helpers managed at the last show they attended.

2010-03-24T09:03:00.001Z

Here is our latest collection of blankets, hats and teddies for SANDS, knitted by our members, some by hand and some by machine.

Unravel at Farnham Maltings 27 & 28 Feb

2010-02-23T11:41:00.002Z

This is a knitting event, primarily for hand knitters, but machine knitters are creeping in! There are talks and workshops as well as exciting yarns to buy. There are displays of knitting throughout the whole of the Maltings. The pillars that support the floors in this beautiful old building have been decorated in knitting and outside there is knitted bunting, as well as knitting decorating the lamp posts and bridge leading to the Maltings. Thre is a knitting surgery as well for those of you that are having problems with your knitting. Bring your knitting along anyway and sit and knit and knatter.

If there are any hand knitters out there who want to have a look at a knitting machine, the Guild of Machine Knitters will be there. They will be displaying machine knitted items and will answer your questions about machine knitting. If you've never used a machine before you can try one out, and if you have a machine knitting problem they will help you solve it.

Full details of the event are on the Farnham Maltings website. I did try putting a link in, but not sure if it will work. Use your search engine to find Farnham Maltings, then go to Festivals and you will find Unravel. It is a two day event (Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 February).

I hope that this local event will be sell supported. Advance tickets are selling well.

March Meeting with Beryl Jarvis

2010-02-23T11:36:00.002Z

Beryl Jarvis is coming to talk to us this month (Tuesday 2nd March). It's not often we get chance to hear one of Beryls talks as she lives a fair distance away, but she has agreed to talk to us and a couple of other clubs in the area before going on to Bournemouth for Machine Knitting Live at the weekend.

Beryl will be talking about making up. Garments of course, not making friends again after a row! I feel this is a really important part of our knitting and one we do not always pay enough attention to. We may be able to knit beautifully, but if we can't assemble and finish our knitting properly it will not look good.

Visitors are always welcome. The meeting will start at 8 pm prompt so that we have plenty of time to have notices and show and tell, as well as hear what Beryl has to tell us.

February Meeting

2010-02-18T12:55:00.002Z

Jean brought along her table top loom which had been set up so that we could try it. She explained how it worked and how you could get a pattern. Jean also showed us some of the work she had done as part of her textiles degree course. She had graduated this summer from Farnham College. She also showed us the fabric she had produced much of which was woven silk. She had dyed a lot of the yarn herself as well. Lots of questions were asked and we were able to have a go at the weaving as
well. She also explained that we could weave using yarns that we probably had in our stash at home and produce really nice fabrics with them as well.

2010-02-18T12:53:00.002Z

More hand knit goodies, this one from Sandra.

Another fine shawl by Chris!

A yoke necked jumper (also from Chris) using the Elizabeth Zimmerman method to calculate the yoke.

2010-02-18T12:50:00.002Z

A crochet top from Carol.

Close up of the crochet pattern.

A chunky knit jumper from Chris.

A couple of children's jumpers from Nina.

2010-02-18T12:49:00.000Z

More blankets and hats for SANDS.

February 2010 meeting

2010-01-31T22:29:00.000Z

It’s coming up time for the February meeting. It will be on Tuesday 2nd February, 8 pm.

Jean is going to bring some of the work she did for the course she finished recently and tell us about the course. We will also have time for some show and tell about recently knitting items and a chat about some of the recent exhibitions. I’ll also be telling you about a few exhibitions that you might like to visit soon.

Do hope you can make it. Visitors are welcome.

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T10:20:00.002Z

We would like to wish everyone who reads our blog a very Happy New Year. May 2010 be a good year for you.

There is no meeting in January so no update for you. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 2nd February when Jean will be showing us her weaving and her design/workbooks. It promises to be a very informative evening. She will be bringing her tabletop loom so if you have ever wanted to have a go, put the date in your diary.

We're hoping all the snow and ice will have gone by the time we next meet, but just in case it is still around, do check back here as I will put a message up if the meeting is cancelled.

Take care.

December Meeting

2009-12-08T20:39:00.002Z

Our December meeting was a social occassion, with plenty of chat, show and tell, and of course, mince pies!

Our members were, as usual, very supportive of our charity and the table groaned with their contributions to be sent up to the Royal Marsden Hospital! Lots of handmade goodies mixed in with a variety of other things. Hopefully these will all raise a lot of money for the patient amenities at the hospital.

This past year has been very succesful for our club, and we have attracted a few new members, both for hand and machine knitting.

We would like to wish all who read this blog a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

There will be no meeting in January, but we'll be raring to go by February!

2009-12-08T20:38:00.000Z

Anne knitted this lovely jumper!

Show and Tell

2009-12-08T20:36:00.002Z

Nina and her machine have been very busy again this last month!

2009-12-08T20:34:00.002Z

Stephanie was busy knitting these pull through scarves that Liz showed us last month.

Stephanie also hand knitted this beautiful doll!

Another blanket for SANDS.

December Meeting

2009-11-27T21:36:00.002Z

Our December Charity Evening is almost upon us. Tuesday will be 1st December. We might be a bit early for Father Christmas to visit however we can still get into the Christmas spirit and do a little giving of our own.

Please bring along anything that you have made or found to donate to the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton Branch. They do stirling work, helping to provide a few extra comforts and some much needed equipment for patients at this amazing hospital. We may live too far away to offer assistance within the hospital, but we can still help raise a few pounds to swell the kitty.

Also this month Sandra will be bringing along some things to sell in aid of another charity, this time one that helps people in less fortunate areas of Africa to become self sufficient. They raise money in the UK, which is then spent in Africa, as items we send attract huge import duties and often don't reach the end destination.

As for what else we will be doing, well mince pies will be eaten, tea and coffee will be drunk and lots of seasonal chatter will be going on as well. If you have completed any knitting projects, please bring them along to show and we will see what else we can find to do.

To remind you again, the December meeting is on Tuesday 1st December. 8pm. Visitors are welcome.

November Meeting

2009-11-10T17:31:00.004Z

At tonight's meeting we had a talk from Jill Brownjohn about the Horst Schulz method of knitting. This is a way to construct knitted forms eliminating sewing up seams wherever possible. The secret is in how you knit the edges!
Jill had many samples for us to see, in all colours of the rainbow! The main techniques used are knitted strips, and mitred squares, which can all be joined by knitting together, so no sewing!

Jill was a very interesting speaker and we thank her for sharing her knowledge!

Horst Shulz published two books about his knitting method, but apparently they are very hard to get hold of now.

An example of knitted strips and mitred squares joined together.

An example of knitted strips where instead of stocking stitch, the strips have been knitted in bands of plain and purl.

Example of mitred squares, joined together as they are knitted.

This is the end of a scarf where mitred squares have been used as decoration and the main body of the scarf is knitted in strips and joined.

2009-11-10T17:29:00.001Z

Here are some more blankets and hats knitted by members and friends for SANDS

2009-11-10T17:27:00.001Z

Sheila has been busy making herself new sweaters for the winter. These are all knitted by machine!

2009-11-10T17:25:00.001Z

Liz was challenged to work out a pattern for this thread through type scarf popular in the shops!

Here is her finished scarf!

2009-11-10T17:20:00.002Z

This cute little bunny was knitted by Sue!

Finished baby surprise jackets, hand knitted by Chris. The only seams to sew up when the knitting is finished are the shoulders! Sounds good!

Another fine hand knitted shawl from Chris!

Ann hand knitted this lovely shawl, her first attempt at a lacy shawl!

Jumper machine knitted by Jean.

Our November meeting

2009-10-27T21:23:00.002Z

Jill Brownjohn is coming this month to show us some techniques by Horst Schulz. Club members will have received by e-mail or letter through their door some "homework" to do before the meeting. If you haven't received it let me know and I'll send it to you again. If there is anyone else out there that would like to join us for the evening, please contact me via the comments. Leave your e-mail address and I will send you the instructions.

Horst Schulz techniques are for hand knitting, but they can be combined with machine knitting. He has worked out ways of knitting garments whereby there is very little making up to do when the knitting is finished. No long seams to join, and only a few ends to sew in.

The meeting is on Tuesday 3rd November at 8pm. There will be time for show and tell as well, so if you've had chance to make anything do bring it along.

October Meeting

2009-10-07T14:37:00.002Z

Another new month and another meeting for the members of our club, and a couple of new faces to welcome!
Tonight we didn't have a speaker, but split into several groups for different things.
One group discovered more about Designaknit, the computer programme for designing knitwear and patterning, not just for machine knitting but for hand knitting too! Thanks to Carol for bringing in her laptop and showing us!

Another group tackled Tunisian crochet, and were surprised to find it is quite easy and fun!

Chris kindly taught a new member how to hand knit, and had a brilliant pupil, who could cast on and off, knit, purl and garter stitch by the end of the evening, and it was all so neat. The ideal pupil!

There was a lot of chatter, about the shows, where to buy knitting supplies, and other assorted subjects.

2009-10-07T14:34:00.002Z

These little blankets and hats are this month's donation to the charity SANDS. Thank you to the members who have kindly donated yarn and time to knit these.

Not many garments for show and tell this month, but here is a lovley saddle shoulder jumper knitted by Jean. Also in the photograph is a novel use for swatches, turn them into bean bags!

October meeting

2009-10-02T11:49:00.002Z

October already! Where has the year gone?

It's our meeting on Tuesday 6th October, 8pm as usual. We are having hands-on evening when you can try something new. One new member, who as yet doesn't know how to knit will be shown the basics, someone else whats to learn tunisian crochet and a few others have asked to a bit of help with DesignerKnit. We are going to try and fit them all in.

So if you have a knitting problem, hand or machine, this meeting will be a good opportunity to try and get it sorted. We will also have a knitting machine there as well. Bring your knitting problem with your pattern along and the experts will show you where you are going wrong (we hope!).

We have also been given 7 sacks full of coned yarns to sell or knit up for charity. With Christmas just around the corner you may find just what you are looking for. There may also be a few accessories and other bits and pieces as well. Now the weather is cooling off and there is less to do in the garden take the opportunity to bag yourself a bargin and knit it up straight away. Don't forget I will be asking for donations our Charity for the December meeting, so you may see something there that you can use.

Hope to see you on Tuesday. 8pm for a fun packed evening.

September Meeting

2009-09-16T09:34:00.003Z

Tonight was the start of our new knitting year at club, so it had to be the AGM. All matters were dealt with in a timely manner, and we decided to support two charities this year, the Friends of the Royal Marsden, which we do each year, and also SANDS, by knitting small blankets, hats, jackets.

This evening we had a visit and very interesting talk from Kathy M, who told us about SANDS, the Still born and Neonatal Death Society, who support families at these sad times. We learnt a lot about what they do, and how they need help from the public. They have just started a campaign called Why 17, to raise awareness and get funding for research, into the fact that 17 babies a day die in this country either before, at or within 28 days of birth. A very shocking statistic! As knitters we can support them by making small blankets, hats, jackets which will be donated to the parents for their babies, and then kept in a memory box. It does not take long to make these small items which will mean so much to some, so we are hoping to donate generously.

For our challenge this year we decided to make blankets, which will then be donated to SANDS. So get knitting ladies!

Show and Tell

2009-09-16T09:32:00.003Z

These socks and fingerless gloves were hand knitted by Liz. Also there is a mini sock key ring, very cute gift idea!

These two pretty cardigans were knitted by Sandra for her grandchildren.

2009-09-16T09:28:00.001Z

Here is a selection of the blankets and clothes knitted by members so far collected for SANDS.

AGM Reminder

2009-08-30T14:44:00.002Z

As our meeting is on the 1st Tuesday of the month, it falls on the 1st of September so I hope you will remember to come. It's also Bank Holiday week and some poeple will still be on holiday, but I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Members will also have received an e-mail if we have your correct e-mail address telling you about the meeting. If you didn't received your summer message, please let me know.

Don't forget to bring the baby blankets and hats for SANDS (see the blog on 16 August for details of sizes etc.) I've knitted only one so far, but then I hope to do a couple more tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you all again after the summer break.

Our Guild Competition Entry

2009-08-16T15:08:00.002Z

This year the theme for the Guild of Machine Knitters competition was Childrens Books. We thought long and hard about what to do and in the end choose The Wizard of Oz. Nina was overall co-ordinator as Liz didn’t have time to chase everyone up. We met a few times to discuss what each of us was going to do and also to do some of the handwork and decide what else needed to be done. These meetings really helped when we got stuck for ideas about how to achieve the desired effect. Those doing the knitting this year were Nina, Sandra, Sheila, Sylvia and Liz. Sadly we didn’t win or even get a place this time. So we will just have to try again next year!

Knit for our AGM

2009-08-16T14:39:00.002Z

At our AGM on September 1st, we will be having a Guest speaker. Kathy M will be telling us about the work that SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) does in our area.

SANDS supports parents by amongst other things giving them blankets and hats for their child during a very difficult time. The parents then keep the blankets and hats if they wish so unfortunately there is a constant need for more.

During the next few weeks and longer, please could you spare a bit of yarn and knit a blanket or baby hat for us to give to Kathy. The blankets can be any size from A4 upwards and the hats from doll size to first size baby. They don't have to be white either, they can be any colour, hand or machine knitted or crochet if you prefer. Whatever you can make they will be pleased to receive so bring it to the September meeting. Thank you.

If you would like to know more about what SANDS does visit either the local website at www.farnboroughsands.co.uk or the national website at www.uk-sands.org.

July Meeting

2009-08-05T06:38:00.002Z

At this meeting we all produced our knitted items for the challenge, which was something to wear on your hands. The photo shows

Gloves, by Sandra

Lacy fingerless gloves, by Chris

Pink mittens, by Sylvia

Mittens, by Sheila

Black fingerless gloves, by Margaret

Teddy mittens, by Nina.

Thank you ladies for your efforts!

Liz will be there in September for another challenge for the next year so watch out for it!

We wish you happy summer holidays, hoping the weather improves, and look forward to seeing you all in September for our AGM and meeting, please be there!

July meeting - the end of the challenge

2009-06-30T19:31:00.002Z

Our July meeting has become the traditional meeting to end our annual challenge. Back in September last year, I challenged the club members to knit something to wear on their hands or lower arm and I will be interested to see just what they come up with. Nina will be running the meeting as I will be away unfortunately. I have completed my item to wear on my hands or lower arm and passed it to Nina for her to show you all so it isn't a way of me getting out of making something.

Nina will also be bringing our club entry into the Sherborne Vase Competition run by the Guild of Machine Knitters. We haven't won unfortunately, but it's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts. And it has meant that 5 of us have been working together and getting to know each other better whilst we did so. We will be posting a picture of the entry here once the club members have seen it as there wasn't time to show them before the closing date for the competition.

(There will be no meeting in August, but we will be back again in September for our AGM.)

The date for the July meeting is Tuesday 7th July. I do hope as many of you as possible can make it. 8pm as usual and visitors are welcome to join us.

June show and tell

2009-06-14T15:59:00.006Z

Two beauiful hand knitted shawls from Chris this month. The first is in a fine random dyed yarn.

The second is in a slightly thicker yarn. Both are beautifully soft and use traditional patterns.

This little garment was knitted by Sandra.

Nina has had a go at knitting a top based on the techniques explained to us last month by Bill King.

Hands-on evening - Crochet an edge

2009-06-14T15:45:00.003Z

At our June meeting we learnt how to work a crochet crab stitch edging that is suitable to go round the edge of something we have knitted, either by hand or machine. Crab stitch gives a very neat edge with a little bump in it. It's worked in the opposite direction to most crochet stitches. If you have never tried it, there are some good sites on the web showing you how to do the stitch. Some of us found it easier than others to start with. Clover make a set of crochet hooks that have an enlarged handle which some members found more comfortable to use than others, especially those that had problems holding the finer crochet hooks due to arthritis. Everyone joined in and had a go and once they got the hang of it were surprised how easy it was.

June Meeting

2009-05-29T06:33:00.003Z

Another month has rushed by and it's almost June. Our meeting will be next Tuesday (2nd June) at the usual time of 8 pm. What a difference it makes being about to get there and back in day light.

No speaker this month as I know some of you will be on holiday. Instead, those of us that are there will be learning a bit about crochet and how to use it in conjunction with our knitting. We will be showing you how to do crab stitch which is a great edging to use when putting a zip into our knitwear. Of course it also has other uses as well.

So whether you have never mastered crochet, can do a little bit or are an expert at crochet, do come and join us. If you are an expert, you can pass some of your skills on, or if you haven't every mastered crochet you may have by the end of the evening.

Bring a crochet hook, a tension swatch and a little yarn can. Don't worry if you can't, there will be some there for you.

Visitors welcome.

2009-05-26T08:04:00.002Z

Bill was quite happy to model his creations!

Weaving, using wool and cutting the floats.

Bill demonstrating at his machine, so quick using his thumb to push needles in and out of hold!

Another beautiful garment!

2009-05-26T08:00:00.002Z

A beautiful sample combining texture and lace.

Now this is colourful!

Holding position used to make chevrons.

More patterns made using holding position.

And again, more intricate this time!

2009-05-26T07:56:00.002Z

Cleverly shaped garment using holding position and ribbing.

An attractive pattern using a tuck and rib stitch.

More tuck and ribbing.

This pattern is reminiscent of a spiders web, all done using holding position to achieve the shape.

May Meeting

2009-05-26T07:50:00.004Z

Tonight we had a very special, and interesting guest speaker, Bill King, who is a knitwear fabric designer. Bill doesn't design the garments, just the fabric and patterns which will be used in production. His samples are taken to the fashion houses and shows and hopefully bought and eventually end up as garments in our shops! He explained that to show these fabrics at their best he has to knit his samples as mini garments, consisting of the front and maybe one sleeve, with relevant edges and trims. He does not work from charts or patterns, just straight from ideas in his head! On average Bill will produce at least two samples a day.

We all found Bill to be an entertaining speaker, full of ideas which he was willing to share, and he was more than willing to sit at his machine and show us some of the techniques he uses! It was a bit like a magic show to watch as the intricate patterns appeared, sometimes using the most simple of techniques! We do not realise what wonders our little machines are capable of producing. If only we had the time to sit and play and explore all the possibilities, but for now I for one, am quite happy to admire Bill's creations!

This was one evening to remember, and if anyone has the chance to see Bill in action, it is well worth it!

May meeting with Bill King

2009-05-05T07:18:00.003Z

OK this post is very late, my excuse is I've been away for a few days and didn't have time to do it before I went.

However I do hope you find this in time to come to our meeting tonight. Bill King is coming to speak to us, all the way from Derbyshire. You may have heard of him. He has been writing recently for Machine Knitting Monthly.

I've also spoken to some members of the Guild of Machine Knitters that have attended one of his workshops. They have all thoroughly enjoyed the day, learnt lots and come away with heads full of different things to do on their machines.

I am really looking forward to hearing Bill speak. Visitors are welcome. We will be starting at 8 pm as usual.

April Meeting

2009-04-23T16:27:00.004Z

This month we had a return visit from the ladies of the Woodley Knitting club. We visited them earlier this year, taking some of our knitting to show, so it was time for them to bring their knitting to us!

This selection of photos shows some of the lovely ladies, and the beautiful knitting they brought with them.

Each lady showed her garments, and explained how it was done, using any special techniques. There were examples of cut and sew too!

And one lady even brought her hand knitting to show us!

We had a fun, lively evening, and think we might all have learnt something. It is so amazing how friendly and willing to share machine knitters are.
Thank you to the ladies from Woodley!

Show and Tell

2009-04-23T16:23:00.002Z

Two baby cardigans knitted by Sandra.

Two baby jackets machine knitted by Sue.

A jumper machine knitted by Sandra.

No shawls from Chris this month, instead this beautiful hand knitted top.

April Meeting

2009-04-02T12:28:00.003Z

This month Woodley Knitting Club are coming to visit us and tell us about what they get up to and what they have been knitting. (We visited them in February). You'd think that there wouldn't be much to tell about what you do at a club, but every club is different. People like different things, use different yarns and work in different ways. And most knitters like to see what other people have made. So these exchange meetings are usually very interesting and a good way to pick up a tip or two.

I look forward to a good turn our of our club members to help make the members of Woodley Machine Knitting Club welcome. As usual visitors are welcome to come and join us as well.

March Meeting

2009-03-09T12:31:00.003Z

Tonight we had a lively meeting with lots of practical demonstrations. Our speaker was Clair Crowston, a long time machine knitter and designer.

Two machines were set up, a Brother and a Knitmaster, so the techniques could be shown on both as we all have different machines. Liz manned the Brother, and Clair the Knitmaster. All the techniques are used in Clair's patterns.

We were shown a weaving pattern with pick up, magic fairisle, godets as worked in a skirt, and the latch tool cast on. One example of the magic fairisle used a lurex yarn and the resulting diamond pattern looked as if diamantes had been sewn on the garment, very fashionable at the moment!

A selection of Clair's patterns. All may be obtained through her website (link in previous post).

We all had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and either learnt something new or had our memories refreshed!

Show and Tell

2009-03-09T12:28:00.001Z

These little Easter treats have been hand knitted by Pauline for charity. Each contains a small egg.

Close up of baby girl complete with dummy in her mouth!

2009-03-09T12:25:00.001Z

More of Chris's beautiful handknitted shawls and wraps, showing the stitch pattern details. Some of these are in very fine yarns.

2009-03-09T12:24:00.002Z

Here's Sandra's top made with one of Clair's patterns!

March meeting

2009-02-28T21:04:00.003Z

This Month Clair Crowston is our Speaker. She is coming down from her home in Scunthorpe for the Machine Knitting Live show in Bournemouth on March 7th and stopping off for a few days with us first. It's not very often we get the chance to hear and see Clair demonstrating as she lives so far away. Clair will be showing us some of the techniques she uses on the garments she designs. There is a link to her website http://www.machineknittingdesigns-by-clair.co.uk, so if you have time do take a look. I am sure she will have a selection of her patterns available for us to buy.

We have invited members of other knitting clubs to join us for the evening, so we expect a good turnout. Visitors are always welcome at our Club.

Looking forward to seeing lots of you on Tuesday 3rd March. 8 pm prompt please.

If you would like details of the Machine Knitting Live show at Bournemouth, please visit the Machine Knitting Monthly website: http://www.machineknittingmonthly.net/

visit to Woodley Club

2009-02-28T20:50:00.004Z

Last week some of the members of Fleet Knitting Club visited Woodley Machine Knitting Club to tell them a bit about our club and to show them some of the things we had knitted.

They listened very closely to the things we told them and afterwards had a chance to inspect the garments and other things we'd taken along. We also took along some folders that we had of the printouts of pages of the blogspot.

We were made very welcome and had a lovely evening. Woodley are coming to visit us in April.

Febrary meeting cancelled

2009-02-03T14:08:00.002Z

Due to the adverse weather conditions it has been decided to cancel the February meeting.

Although the main roads have been gritted and a thaw has begun, many back roads and pavements are still very icy. It is also set to freeze again tonight.

See you on 3rd March when Clair Crowston is coming to speak to us. Clair is stopping off on her way to Machine Knitting Live in Bournemouth (7th March). She comes from Scunthorpe and normally only travels about 70 miles to speak at a club, so this is a rare opportunity to hear her. Her website address is http://www.machineknittingdesigns-by-clair.co.uk/

February meeting

2009-01-31T16:47:00.003Z

Our February meeting will be on Tuesday 3rd February. 8pm as usual and weather permitting. If the forecast snow settles and the freezing weather continues then do check that the meeting is going ahead as there is little point in putting lives at risk driving to a club meeting. I will put a message up as soon as the decision to cancel is made - no message and the meeting will go ahead.

The plan for the evening is to learn to crochet an edging (crab stitch). Lots of you were asking how I did the crochet edge on the blue/grey jacket with the zip (see October meeting blog) and this is your chance to learn. Bring a tension swatch and some yarn with you, and a crochet hook if you have one. Don't worry if you don't as I will have plenty with me.

I also have exciting news. I have now booked two speakers, one for our March meeting and the other for the May meeting. Clair Crowston is coming in March and Bill King is coming in June.
Both speakers are coming a long distance to talk to us, and it isn't often that they come down this way, so I am really looking forward to those meetings. Don't just pencil it in your diary, put it in in pen and underline it. You don't get the chance to see either of these speakers very often.

Hopefully the meeting on Tuesday will go ahead, and if you can make it, don't forget to bring the things you have made to show everyone.