Fleet Knitting Club: December 2021

Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2022. May you all stay safe, healthy and contented with your lot.

I have my fingers crossed that plans made can go ahead and that we don’t get further restriction, but somehow I think there will still be a period of time when we can’t go where we want, when we want and come back again too without having to jump through hoops! If we are asked to remain at home again then hopefully you still have plenty of yarn left and have decided what you can make with it. Or maybe it is on your Christmas list! (Thank goodness for on-line ordering and delivery!)

I must first tell you that we have found a new venue and will be meeting there from February 2022. Not long to wait, but of course it does depend on restrictions and guidance in place at the time.

So where is the venue? Actually, not far from the school and it avoids that narrow approach street with all the parked cars. There’s plenty of parking too which is good. And the venue is .... Fleet Methodist Church Hall on Reading Road South. Postcode GU52 7TF. It’s slightly set back from the road. For those of you that don’t know Fleet well, it’s opposite Heatherside school. The turning into the Church and car parking is on the zig-zag markings for the pedestrian crossing and between Socom Tactical Shop and Dad’s and Lad’s Barbers. Parking is at the rear of the Church so follow round to the left. Car park exit is to the right hand side of the Church.

The hall is large and airy. It is used for other events earlier the same day (attended by fewer people than were in and out of the classroom) but they are few hours before we arrive. The hall is well ventilated, plus we will be able to spread out more than we could in the classroom, as well as encourage other knitters to join us. Eventually we will also be able to make a cup of tea or coffee too, but not to start with or at least not at the moment. It could change between now and when we meet.

Nearer the time I’ll send out “guidelines” for attending. As I’m sure you’ll appreciate, the guidance is changing all the time so anything I give now may well not be applicable when we do meet.

It was great to see some of you at our Zoom meeting and to hear about your knitting and crochet projects, especially as some of them are for Christmas presents. There are a few pictures in the show and tell. If we can’t meet in person then we could perhaps think about having another Zoom meeting.

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During the zoom chat Karen showed us some striped socks that she was working on. They were worked using Helical knitting so had no obvious line or jog where you change colours (except at the start and finish), nor do you have to worry about a gap or a thicker line forming inside where colours change and cross.

I’d had a go at this technique on some hats a couple of years ago (pre-covid!) when I was using up part balls of yarn and you really can’t see where the colour changes are and it is simple so once you understand the principle behind it you are away.

A number of you knit in the round so you might like to give it a go. As we can’t show you in person just yet I’ve found a couple of tutorials on line. The first tutorial (link above) is for two colour stripes, and this one also from ACT Techniques explains how to work with three or more colours. It certainly makes it easy to count rows and you can still work the decreasing at the top of a hat in stripes for example.

You would need to knit stripes of one round only if you want the changeover to be invisible. It doesn’t work for two or more rounds in each colour unless you use two separate balls of yarn of the same colour (or maybe not then - sampling needed to see if it will work!) However you if you don’t mind having the yarn carried up the inside of your work then you can work stripes of two or more rounds.

When you’ve read up on the techniques and are ready to give it a go, pop over to Ravelry and search for “helix stripes”. You’ll find plenty of choice of patterns. I even saw some crochet hats there too so the technique must work for crochet too.

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News from The Knitting and Crochet Guild

Sally tells me that KCG are already planning for the next convention so keep an eye on their website for more information as it is released. The latest edition of SlipKnit has also been uploaded to the members area. Lots to read including reports on the 2021 Un-Convention, expert crochet advice from Jane Crowfoot and book reviews which might be useful if you’re looking for Christmas present ideas.

There are two new Guild branches, Weymouth and Ipswich. If you’re in those areas (or any other part of the country where there is a Branch) on a day when they are meeting I am sure you’ll be made very welcome.

If you’re not a member of the Guild, please consider joining (or ask for a membership as a gift perhaps). There is so much there for the knitter or crocheter. You will also be supporting a national educational charity dedicated to hand knitting, domestic machine knitting and crochet in the UK. It is run by volunteers and supported by subscriptions and donations.

Casting on

Are you one of those people who always uses the same cast on no matter what you are going on to knit?

I thought I knew most of the various different ways of casting on but I recently was send a link to a pin hole cast on that I hadn’t seen before. So I’ve just got to give it a go. I’ve been knitting top down socks with an afterthought heel and a spiral toe variations of them for a while so perhaps I could use a pin hole cast on to work them toe up—mmmm more thought needed!

I’ve not yet mastered a method to cast on for toe up socks that works every time and without having loose stitches as I prefer DPN’s to magic loop. I’ve found a couple of videos which I hope might help. One is from Nancy Wynn and another is from Devious Knitter but I’m sure there are others out there. For those of you that prefer magic loop, try this video from Judy Becker or this one from We Love Knitting if you want to knit two at a time.

I’ve done a bit of a round up of some of the different methods of casting on as we should really be using different methods depending on what we are knitting. I’ll start with a page that gives a few variations. It’s the same website as the pin hole cast on and it’s a how to Cast-on Casting call. Add these to the variations:

Long Tail and German twisted method for when you’re ribbing.

Cable Cast on, and Backwards Loop Method s(croll down for the backwards loop)

Garter tab cast on ideal for when you’re knitting a shawl

When you are on this site take a look at the other how tos as well. There’s all sorts including one that matches cast-ons and cast-offs (or bind offs as they call them) and another entitled Yarn Detectives: Ballbands are liars. You could be on this site for quite a while so bookmark it so you can find it again.

Go to YouTube and put “cast on knitting” in the search box. There were so many suggestions I didn’t count them, so if you find one difficult to understand then try another. You could try Pinterest too or just do a general search for methods.

What’s on your Christmas wish list?

I found it - that little gadget I saw and thought would be useful. It’s called a needle wrangler and comes in three sizes, mini, standard and jumbo. Although this is the UK Etsy site they despatched from the USA and p&p adds around 50% to the price and maybe import tax and VAT when they get to you! I think I’ll wait till they are available from a UK supplier or I find someone who’s going to the States and can get some for me! If you do search for these yourself make sure you include the word needle in the search otherwise you’ll get sites for jeans, shorts and jeeps plus a few others!!

My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List/Chart

Well, I seem to have been busy, but not sure that I have a lot to show for it!

Like most people I have been preparing for Christmas. I like to see if I can make a few decorations to add to my collection. These trees were made from ribbon and beads with a little button thread to hold it all together. They were a bit fiddly as the larger one is only around 8cm tall (not including the hanger) but I do rather like them. If you’d like to make something similar then search for “ribbon and bead Christmas tree” and you’ll find lots similar.

Another idea I saw was for making paper baubles from circles, stars or any other shape you like, so long as you can fold it in half and both sides match. There is a YouTube video to show you how to make them. I tried decorating the green one to put a bit of sparkle on the edges, but it wasn’t very successful, so I’ll not do that again.

I think the present shopping has all been done, but not yet wrapped, cards have all been posted (except a few that will be hand delivered!) so I feel I’m getting there slowly. I do need still to do the big pre-Christmas clean and tidy and then put the decorations up. We’re not a house that puts them up early!

I have however finished two of my WIP’s and you’ll find pictures of them in the show and tell. Now that they are finished I feel I can start another project and that will probably be some toe up socks as the cast on is something I need to practice. Also working toe up means that I need to investigate alternative heels, so that’s giving me something to think about. I got a ball of Marriner Cosy Toes sock yarn from my stash to try. It’s the first time I’ve used this wool so all in all this is quite an experimental pair of socks.

At the same time as digging out the sock yarn, a pulled out some balls of yarn that I’ve had for a while. It’s some DK, white with sequins (James C Brett - Aria) that I’d like to knit something from, but I’m not sure that I want to make yet another shawl. Maybe I can find a pattern for a toddler’s cardigan and give it to my 1 yr old great niece!

As it’s coming up to the end of the year I took a look at my keep busy list/chart, and realised that I hadn’t ticked many things off it and that I had done lots of other things that weren’t on there. Maybe they’ll get done next year! Perhaps I’d better start two new lists 2022; one for the things I’d like to do and another for the things that I do! I wonder which will be longer!

Browsing the World Wide Web

This YouTube link popped up into one of my facebook feeds. It’s a jolly little song appropriately titled The Knitting Song

Are you someone who can never find their needle gauge, or looses their needle when sewing up? Take a look at this jewellery for knitters. American again, and not cheap but they are gold and silver etc!

Maybe this is a knitting machine we could fit into our homes instead of one of those enormous computer controlled machines. It still looks a bit big though!

I often link to websites for knitters, but not so much for crocheters. So here’s one for them. It is a German company called Rico and I saw some rather nice crocheted Christmas tree decorations as well as some Christmas stuffed toy decorations. Look around the site too for their Crochet-a-long and the 9 lovely figures.

Exhibition update

From checking around the various websites, the show organisers have either decided to go ahead, get dates on the calendar and plan for shows assuming that, with precautions, they will go ahead unless........ or still have things on hold and aren’t making plans yet. Restrictions are changing almost monthly (sometimes weekly) so the best I can suggest is that we’ll just have to wait and see.

I was however very pleased to read an email that came in recently. Those of you who are visitors to the Creative Craft Shows organised by ICHF and that take place at the NEC [Birmingham], Excel [London], and Westpoint [Exeter] (as well as other places) will be pleased to hear that they are coming to Farnborough International from 2-4 September 2022.

The only downside is that it will clash with the Southern Wool Show at Newbury Racecourse on 3-4 September 2022. We’ll be busy that weekend and our purses will be emptier but bags fuller!

Unravel/Farnham Maltings have updated their website with details of exhibitors and workshops. The show runs from 11-13 February 2022. I don’t know who curated the marketplace, but I feel there are big gaps amongst the in-person exhibitors. There is absolutely nothing there for machine knitters who have previously been well looked after by Uppingham Yarns, not just with coned yarns, but also with vital spares for our knitting machines and more unusual fibres as well as advance orders being taken so they can bring just what I want. I also feel they have missed a trick by having so many exhibitors who sell high end priced yarns. There is little at the less expensive end of the prices for those just beginning to their journey into knitting and crochet and anyone who can’t afford to spend mega-bucks on yarn for a warm jumper. I also had to look hard to find anyone that is likely to be selling hand knit needles. I shall watch for ticket prices and then decide whether to visit or not, but at the moment the balance is towards not as I doubt I will want to pay a high entry price when the main reason for my visit is missing! Was last year my final visit after 10 years of coming to this show?

Show and Tell

Carole sent me photos soon after the last Newsletter went out. First was a crocheted blanket made in Deramores anti-pill DK. It’s a lovely soft yarn, but there were some issues with quality. She said it was a real pain to make, but she’s pleased with the result. The colours are somewhat brighter than the photo.

Of course there was yarn left over! So the first thing Carole made was a cardigan with a special design feature of introducing a third colour which made sure there was enough yarn to finish it. As Carole knitted the sleeves and body together it was easy to make last minute changes!

The next email to arrive from Carole included a picture of another cardigan. She told me that she had a fair bit of pink left from the “parrot” blanket so thought she would add a bit of colour and knit a cardigan for the newest little girl of the family. Needless to say she had ran out of yarn and had to order more!

There’s also two more cardigans that she will have delivered to the recipients in the last few days. These are for twins. The yarn is from Deramores again. The jade jumper is from an old pattern, adapted to knit in one piece and the blue one was made up as she went along.

There are some lucky children in that family!

I also received photographs from Janet O of her Christmas knits, including one of the extra special reverse side of the jumper bottom right in the picture below! I’m sure any child is going to love wearing it. The Mary Jane booties are cute too.

Thanks Janet - they all look lovely.

During our Zoom chat we asked Gaynor if she was going to continue to knit little items to hang in her window. Yes she is. And they will be themed again. Unless she changes her mind they will be TV programmes. She’s not going to tell us which one it is, we’re going to try and guess! I look forward to seeing them.

And last but not least, here’s the two items I’ve finished since the last Newsletter. A cream coloured cushion cover and a shawl. Both from yarn in my stash and I have no idea what they are. The cream is probably a DK and it is wool rather than acrylic. I had intended it to be for a 16” cushion pad, but it has turned out bigger than that so will fit an 18” pad or maybe even a 20” pad. I might even cover the pad in a dark fabric to show through the pattern. The stitch pattern was one that I saw on a Facebook group and is three rows per repeat with two of them being either all knit or all purl!

The shawl is similar to one I finished about a year ago. The pattern was all garter stitch, but I tried to knit in in moss stitch instead. I got a bit tied up, so changed to garter stitch. You can find the pattern as a free download on the Stylecraft website.

Maybe soon we will be able to see these actual knits rather than just photos. (Fingers crossed!)

I found this on the internet - can’t remember where but I hope whoever came up with it doesn’t mind me including it here. If anyone knows where it came from, or the originator, I will add a credit to the blog or remove it if they wish, and let the club members know too.