Newsletter No 12 - send 27 January 2021

 Hi Everyone 

I would normally wish you a Happy New Year now, but maybe that’s not appropriate at the moment. I will instead send you all best wishes for 2021 and hope that it is a healthy one for you and better than 2020.

I’ve got my fingers tightly crossed and hope that we will be able to meet up in 2021 but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’s not the Autumn before we can safely do so indoors, if then. It may not seem like it now, but there is always hope that we can meet outdoors in larger numbers before we can meet indoors, especially as the year progresses towards warmer, dryer weather. I’ll continue to watch for announcements and have a few ideas of where we could meet out doors when the time comes.

It was lovely to see a few of you are our December Zoom meeting. Maybe we could arrange another one sometime. It might well need to be a limited time meeting as I can’t promise we have someone who has a suitable paid for account that allows for longer meetings and who is willing to host. To keep things easy I would suggest that any on line meeting should be on the same day and time that we would normally meet in person (i.e. first Tuesday of the month at 8 pm). But first things first - if you can host a meeting please get in touch in the usual way. If you would like to join in a zoom meeting also please get in touch in the usual way.

Some branches of the Knitting and Crochet Guild are holding virtual meetings.  Many of them welcome others from outside their area. Details such as days and times are on the KCG website as well as who to contact for the codes for the meetings.

Socks

I recently had an exchange of messages with one of our members about wool for socks, and whether or not it should include nylon/polyester/polyamide or similar for better wear and why/why not? I thought this is a subject worth exploring further and it lead on to other sock related matters. 

Sock yarn—with or without nylon?

Why wear wool socks? An article in Business Insider is helpful. Ok they are talking about commercial wool socks rather than the ones but it’s relevant information. A blog on the Nicharry website asks which material is best, polyester, cotton, wool or bamboo. (I didn’t even look at the prices!) There are other sites too if you want to delve further and search. Just these two sites alone have answered another question I was going to look into i.e. what about other fibres? 

I found the Winwick Mum website that had reviewed no-nylon sock yarns to see how they compared with commercially produced sock yarns containing nylon. The yarns reviewed are produced within the UK. There is another website called Wovember that also discusses pure wool (without nylon) for socks. The yarns that get a mention may not be current but the basic information is valid.

Those of you who are interested in looking for commercially produced sock yarn could look at The Sock Yarn Shop. They are UK based and offer an extensive range of sock yarns, including some which are 6ply and 8ply so ideal for someone who wants a thicker pair of socks for wearing inside walking boots or wellingtons. They have a range of wool mixes too, including some with either Yak, alpaca or silk. Of course these yarns aren’t just for socks, you can knit almost anything out of them! 

I’ve been wearing hand knitted socks since around 2009. All pairs have been knitted in commercially available sock yarn, mostly wool with nylon, but I have knitted a few pairs in a yarn by Wendy called Happy (now discontinued) which is bamboo as well as others in a stretch acrylic and cotton yarn who’s name is lost with the ball band! I can comfortably wear the wool socks all year round, but the other fibres are not warm enough when it is cold. I’m still wearing the original pair I knitted from Regia sock yarn but one or two pairs have gone through under the heel. The rest are all wearing well. Knowing roughly what I paid for them, I would say that the cheaper it is the less likely it is to last. Look out for the more expensive yarns when they are on offer and you will get a bargain. Having said that, Drops yarns are not expensive and wear well! They can be found at the Wool Warehouse along with other sock yarns.

You may remember that last year I knitted a couple of pairs of socks from yarn from my stash that wasn’t sock yarn (see Newsletters 2 and 3 for pictures and yarn info). Naughty me did not do a tension swatch as I’ve knitted so many pairs now I thought it would be ok. I’ve tried these socks on and whilst the length is ok, the width of the foot and leg is not. It’s far too wide and the socks fall off. Perhaps they would make better bed socks than daytime ones. It basically comes down to the yarns not having any give in them and also no negative ease.

DPN’s or circulars?

Assuming you don’t want seams in your socks and that you will be therefore be knitting in the round your options are double pointed needles (DPN’s) or circular needles.

The DPN’s can be any length and material, but I find that shorter ones are better.  There are some with bends in them which some people find nice to use. I find spreading the stitches over four needles (with a 5th to knit with) easier when it comes to shaping for heel and toe, but some people have the stitches on three needles, using a 4th to knit with. If you’ve not used DPN’s before then I suggest you look at a few YouTube videos like this one from Sapphiresnpurls or a web tutorial such as Sheep and Stitch. You’ll need to scroll down to find that one!

With circulars there are a couple of choices. Really short (9”) ones or really long ones. Some people find the really short ones cramp their hands. I find them ok so long as I don’t sit and knit for hours and regularly stop and stretch my fingers. I hold it differently to other knitting, much more delicately with finger tips rather than with my whole hand. If using long circular needles you’ll need them much longer than you think as you’ll be using a technique called magic loop as the number of stitches needed for socks won’t stretch round much more than 9” circulars. Winwick Mum has a blog about choice of needles. 

Not heard of, or tried, magic loop then see the TinCanKnits blog and also put the words into a YouTube to find plenty of videos. 

But before I finish, I’ll quickly say a bit about patterns for socks. You’ll be spoilt for choice with l00’s of free patterns on the internet as well as paid for ones. Start with something simple, just plain stocking stitch with a ribbed cuff perhaps so you get to understand the shaping and processes required. Then you can move on to more intricate patterns. There is no need to pattern under the foot; it probably wouldn’t be very comfortable or wear as well as plain stocking stitch.

Whilst I’m on about patterns, I wondered if there were any crochet sock patterns. I went first to Ravelry and did a pattern search there. Wow, spoilt for choice! I wonder how comfortable they are to wear. Do they stretch like a knitted pair? Perhaps something else to try! 

Next time I’ll give you a few options when it comes to the actual knitting of the sock; things like Toe up, cuff down or TAAT and also the type of heel to knit. I’ll also try and mention knitting socks on your knitting machine.

 My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List/Chart

I’ve changed it a bit as I wanted it to be more visual rather than just a list on a piece of paper. By the end of the last year I wasn’t finding my list particularly inspiring or encouraging which is what it was supposed to be. I got the idea for this version from one of the websites I visited where they called it “knitting bingo”. You make a grid and put a goal into each square. The items in the grid don’t have to be worked in any order or on any timescale. You can even work on two or more at the same time. You can also add more at any time, but you can’t delete any, only cross them off or put a tick against them as you achieve. And of course you could include any craft, not just knitting and crochet. At the end of my ideas chart I put some websites relevant to the various square so I could easily find them and didn’t need to hunt them out. I don’t see why you couldn’t also include something you want to do around the home or garden too! Search for knitting bingo for other ideas.

 The first thing I did was to look through my stash of yarn to see if there was anything that jumped out shouting “use me”. I found some (naturally!). I next decided  what could it be used for and, having done so, it went into a box on my chart or rather one for each yarn! I also looked at some of my bookmarked websites. They’d caught my eye because it was a technique or pattern I wanted to try. So into boxes they went too. The chart was filling up but I can add more boxes at any time. I added a few pictures too purely to make it look more “inviting” and to help me remember. I’m sure by now you get the idea! This is just part of my chart including a couple of things that I’ve ticked off so far.

    

You’ll see some of the cashmere wraps and scarves in the show and tell. They still need washing and blocking but I don’t want to hold this Newsletter up until it has been done. They each ticked one box and some ticked two boxes. The first is obvious, but the second was the one for using two or more cones for one object. My cashmere is lots of part cones, with some of them being the same colour and dye lot and some having less than 50g on them. I used two for the wrap so I could tick that box too!

The WIP tick is for a sewing project. It’s made using the Devoré fabric that I’ve mentioned in the past. I cut into it shortly after Issue 11 was circulated and by the time of our zoom meeting I had made a scarf from the offcut as a test to see how the fabric behaved when finishing the edges on my overlocker. I also beaded a bit of a fringe to add a little weight so that it hung nicely.

Within a few days I’d also finished the edges on the wrap, but I wanted to put a button and loop in the side seams to keep them together and to stop it flapping around too much especially if worn on a windy day. I found the buttons, sorted a loop from a black elastic mini hair band and then everything ground to a halt! There it sat, looking at me for about 6 weeks; a work in progress awaiting completion! I didn’t even put it away out of sight. There was no excuse; no reason not to finish it, and so the other morning I took the plunge, sewed on the button and loop and within half an hour it was finished! My husband was around so you’ve got a photo of me wearing it. Hopefully it will look better when I’m all dressed up to go somewhere nice. We can only dream right now!

I’ve also continued “playing” with tablet weaving. This time it was on my rigid heddle knitters loom. There was definitely more room than on my Inklette, but I need to devote more time to perfecting the technique. It requires concentration as you turn the tablets every time you pass the shuttle. If it was always in the same direction it might be easier (except that the threads would be all twisted around each other by the time you’d gone very far) but most patterns are so many turns forward and so many turns back. It needs practice to get more muscle memory so actions become automatic. I have been using acrylic crepe yarns such as Bonnies Sable Crepe and Bramwell Artistic. I have plenty of both so I’ll keep practicing!

Browsing the World Wide Web

Comments I read on an online group lead me to the Knitty website and a discussion about z and s twist yarns and why it makes a difference when knitted as stocking stitch.

The Modern Daily Knitting website writes about how our knitting style affects gauge and fabric. You pick when knitting continental style and throw when knitting English style.

Looking for something a bit different to knit for a child? Are they the sort of kid that likes wierd/gruesome things? How about a flat rat bookmark? (Scroll down the page to find the pattern.)

If that’s a bit small, then perhaps big knitting will appeal. Take a look at this 60 sec video. The link popped up in by Facebook feed.

Did you know that for the past 20 years there has been a Pantone colour of the year?  I didn’t but apparently there has. See what they have chosen for 2021 and what they are for previous years on the Pantone website.

Socks for Paramedics is a Facebook group. It’s a non profit initiative set up to provide pairs of hand knitted socks for Paramedics during the current pandemic as a way to say thank you. Donations are forwarded by them to Ambulance stations around the country, usually in batches of 10 pairs. The socks are much appreciated. It’s often the larger sizes that are most needed (sizes 9/10/11). If you can, please include the size, fibre and wash instructions with them, and maybe a personal note of appreciation too.

The Crafts Council has stories (perhaps better described as articles) on their website including one published in December 2020 entitled How crafting helps me manage my mental health. One of the people quoted is Lorna Hamilton Brown. If you’re interested generally in crafts and arts have a look around the site.

Knitting, it’s therapeutic benefits and our mental health has also been written about in Vogue.

I also spotted a yarn supplier I’ve not heard of before. Based at Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, Yarnland offer free delivery on orders over £25.00

If you’re looking for locally grown yarn, then take a look at The Little Grey Sheep Co. They are based just down the road in Well, near Hook. You may have come across them before as they have exhibited at Unravel, Farnham when exhibitions were allowed!

I’ve had a quick look at some of the exhibition websites. Many of them are either cancelled or have gone “virtual” so it doesn’t look as if we will be able to visit any of them before the summer at the earliest. I’ll keep checking and let you know when there is anything to report.

Sally has also sent some links you may be interested to see/read. The first is about a research paper by Dr. Mariana Popescu in 2018 who used a Brother KH-970 with ribber to create a knitted fabric former for concrete structures. 2019 research upgraded to using industrial knitting machine. It may sound boring and probably would be if you read the actual paper, but watch the YouTube video. It gets more intriguing as it goes along and by the end it’s fascinating and takes knitting to a whole new level especially if you are interested in “green” issues too! If this has caught your interest I have a link to more information about Mariana and also to her research paper.

CW+ is the official charity of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. They are looking for volunteer knitters for their #ScarfUp project. You can read more about it on the charity website.

You may have missed it, but it’s not too late to view the BBC programme Inside the Factory episode about socks. It can be found on iPlayer. If watching it on your TV  it’s Series 6, Episode 2.

The Museum of Army Flying are looking for knitted and crocheted helicopters for their heroic helicopter project. Closing date is 28th February so there is still time for you to help if you would like to.

It’s not our local area, but I did spot this on one of the Facebook groups and thought you might like to see it. It’s a report on ITV East Anglia so hopefully it will still be there.

Show and Tell

Not really a show item, but it is a tell! Gaynor emailed to say that she is presently helping her sister declutter by FaceTime and phone and has found a podcast which she felt may help her and thought it might help some members of the knitting club too. We all have so much wool and sewing bits that tends to sneak up on us and maybe needs looking at in a different way. The podcast is called Declutter and Organise your sewing space. Gaynor’s sister is finding it really useful and helpful with the ideas they have and does not feel she is the only one decluttering either! The podcast can also be found as an Apple podcast.

Gaynor included a photo of crochet tree decoration that she had made.

Nina also emailed to say that she hasn’t been knitting for a few weeks as she decided it was time to get her room sorted. She’s found some things she’d forgotten about so hopefully she will get to the knitting soon. Nina said that the room is looking much better now and she’s finally got her LK150 out of it’s box where it’s been since she last used it as a knitting weekend. So it’s had a good clean along with her other machine and everything is ready to be used.

Ros has sent me a three photos. The first two are of her knitting; one hand knit and one machine knit hat plus a scarf and a mat knitted using slip stitch. 

Ros also weaves so her third photo is of a bright and cheerful table runner and mats that she made for Christmas.

Sally messaged to say her two week holiday over Christmas seems a distant memory already as she is back at work and it’s busy as usual.

For Christmas she was given a 4kg ball of "mahoosive" yarn. Sally said “It's horrible stuff to knit with, as the lack of twist means it keeps shedding everywhere! I used a couple of lengths of plastic pipe that we have left over from a DIY project, and my other-half commented that it looked like I was rowing a boat rather than knitting. It took 3 x 1hr sessions to finish the blanket, which I've boxed up to give back to the gifter next Christmas.” Did you take any photos of the finished blanket, Sally? I’m sure we’d all like to see it.

Sally concluded by saying “I am determined to finish more projects for me this year, so I've started by dusting off the knit-leader (which I keep meaning to get around to learning how to use) and I've started a cardigan. I'm still working my way through a stash of Duo Magic in a cream/aran colour. I think the "magic" is that the cone just keeps on going and going and going!”

  

Lastly—my knitting efforts. A machine knit wrap and three scarves knitted in cashmere and awaiting washing and blocking plus a hand knitted scarf that’s been a WIP for a while now. Knitted from a free Stylecraft pattern and using an unknown 4ply yarn instead of the one specified in the pattern. It’s garter stitch with a picot edge that’s worked as you go so when you’ve finished there are just two ends to sew in. It’s taken a while so I can tick off finishing a WIP on my chart!

 

I look forward to receiving photos of your knits and crochet for our next Newsletter.

 

And finally:

 

  Until we meet again

 

 

Keep Calm

and carry on

Knitting or Crocheting!

 

Hands, Face, Space

 

Keep Active, Stay Positive - We will meet again

 

Newsletter No 11 - send 25 November 2020

 Hi Everyone 

Greetings, one and all. I’m still here and as healthy as ever and trust you are too!  One good thing about staying away from everyone is that I haven’t had a cold in ages.  Maybe I shouldn’t say that as it is rather tempting fate!   I do miss seeing my daughter and grandchildren but we would rather see each other virtually than not at all, ever. The risks are too great with the virus in schools and elsewhere, especially as we are doing more for one of our aging parents.  Stay safe, and don’t take risks, no matter how much you may miss others. 

But on to more cheerful things!

We’ve now had to cancel nine meetings. I have my fingers tightly crossed that meetings can resume at some stage next year, and it would be nice to think things could start to get back to a new normal by the time Spring and the lighter evenings come around.  I never dreamt restrictions would go on for this long so starting the Newsletter as a way of communicating right at the beginning a good move.  Hopefully you are still finding them interesting.  Sally has sent us some links this time so look out for them later on.  If you’ve spotted something that might interest others please do share.

We will be having a Christmas Zoom meeting on 1st December.  If you haven’t yet contacted me to say you’d like to join in then please be quick.  I will be sending out the joining information to those taking part a couple of days before the meeting. Watch out for that email and check spam filters if you don’t appear to have received it.  I know we all like to chat about everything, but there should be one “rule” for our meeting - talk should be predominantly relevant to knitting, crochet, things we’ve made and related crafts! Don’t forget we can’t all talk at once either which is why it is important to stay “on topic” as they say.  Sally and I did think about having a quiz, but I guess you’ve all done plenty of those in the last few months!  So instead we’ll just let things take a natural course and have a few ideas up our sleeves just in case we run out of things to talk about - as if!!  Feel free to wear a Christmas hat; decorations are also  allowed and as  nobody will be driving anywhere after the meeting you could have your favourite tipple and nibbles to hand as well.

 Recycling / Repurposing

Are you someone who turns their wardrobe out frequently because they get bored with their clothes, or do you wear things until they almost fall off you?  Perhaps you are someone who fluctuates in size and therefore has a range of sizes.  I must admit to having favourites that I wear time and again.

I recently visited the Reknit Revolution website.  The Reknit Revolution is a project by Amy Twigger Holroyd, a designer, maker and researcher who encourages us to use our knitting skills to rework the knitted garments we have in our wardrobes rather than just bin things.  We might send garments that are in a good condition to a charity shop or similar, but what do you do with things that are damaged or marked? Visit the website a suggestion chart and for ideas for doing a makeover on a garment in your wardrobe.  Some of these suggestions would work as a way to adapt a favourite garment so that it can continue to be worn.  It doesn’t have to be something you knitted yourself; it would also work on a commercially produced garment. Some of these ideas could also extend the wearability of childrens garments.  This could be especially important as the world’s resources are not going to last for ever, plus manmade fibres can be hard to recycle and will take many years to degrade naturally.

 à Hand knitters—do you have problems picking up dropped stitches?  Try using a latch needle like the ones that machine knitters use or a crochet hook. They’re not expensive and it make things easier.

 

à When knitting socks I can find that the cast on is too tight so when finished I can’t get the socks on.  I’ve tried using a larger needle size just for the cast on, and working as loosely as I can but that can look uneven.  A friend recommended I try a Norwegian cast on so I looked it up on YouTube.  Definitely going to try it on the next pair I cast on that’s cuff down.

à If you're storing your yarn in boxes and don’t want to keep opening them to see what is inside then number each box. As you put the yarn into the box wind off a length of it and make a record of what it is, how much there is and which box it is in.  Whether you record in a book, or use a card index system you will know exactly what you have, and more importantly where it is.  You could also include other information like dye lot number, where you bought it and how much it cost.  Don’t forget to keep the record up to date by crossing out or removing the relevant card when you take yarn out and use some or all of it.  

à Machine Knitters - If you are in the habit of wearing a bracelet, or watch with a safety chain, cover it with a sports wrist band (or knit one) so that it doesn’t catch in the needle bed.

à If your tension square won’t stay uncurled for measuring, lay a sheet of coarse sand paper on the table sandy side up, and gently uncurl the swatch onto it, pressing it gently onto the sandpaper as you do so. Make sure that you don’t stretch the swatch. It should then stay uncurled long enough for you to measure accurately.

à It’s been a while since I linked to any information on copyright which is always a touchy subject.  The Government information was last updated in 2015 and will change on 1st January 2021 as we leave the EU.   Here’s a  link to the Government website that leads on to other pages including copyright information for knitters and sewers. 

Browsing the World Wide Web

More about how the way you knit affects your tension and the look of the fabric can be found  on the Modern Daily Knitting website. Explore the site further to find out more about  whether our tension changes or the swatch lies. Lots of other hints and tips in the How To section of this interesting American website.

I remember how much interest was shown when Joyce Meader visited the club and showed us some of her collection of military and historic knitted items. I came across a website about someone in America who has a similar interest in history -Threadwinder.  One page that caught my attention was a collection of lyrics of WW1 songs, many of them rather tongue in cheek, which were written about the “comforts made for the soldiers and sailors.  Sister Susie does seem to have come in for quite a bit of comment.  The lyrics to many of the songs from an age when sheet music was available can be found on the website too.   

Not sure if I’ve linked to this before, but for those interested in old knitting patterns, take a look at the Antique Pattern Library.

Have you ever wanted to gain a recognised qualification in hand knitting or crochet?  The School of Stitched Textiles, based in Lancashire, offer City & Guilds accredited craft courses including hand knitting and crochet, completed by distance learning/home study/online.

What do you buy for the knitter who has everything?  Take a look at the selection of hampers available from The Knitting Gift Shop . They also have a lovely range of  items for knitters including stitch markers, yarn bowls and a yarn server.  Based in the North Pennines, they source many items locally. 

I found some interesting simple hand manipulated three-stitch patterns on Susan Guagliumi’s website.   I’m sure hand knitters will be able to follow this and work most of  the patterns too.  It’s mainly down to which direction you transfer the stitches!

Lots of free ideas and downloads on the Hobbycraft website for a handmade Christmas.  Many are suitable for children too.

Knitting History Forum

Sally joined in with the Knitting History Forum virtual Conference and AGM recently.  This is the first year that the entire event has been online and enabled delegates and speakers from around the world to join in.  Time zones didn’t seem to matter!

Rox Knits (Roxanne Richardson shared the extensive learning opportunities from knitting a 1920’s knitting pattern.  You can catch up on her experiences by watching this video and also reading her posts on Ravelry.  Roxanne has also worked on a 1904 Edwardian Sweater and posted about that too.  Explore her pages to find information and links to downloads of these and other vintage patterns

Kirk Dunn is a self-taught knitter who loves colour and knits everything from the very simple to the blow-your-mind (taken from his website) .  He is a textile artist, has knitted stained glass windows,  and is interested in code hidden in knitting. He is also an actor and writer.  He’s also knitted a covid mask.  His website is well worth exploring.

Marleen Laag shared that the company EE Exclusives made a knitting wall handing for the King, which had a lot of media coverage.

Gillian Vogelsand-Eastwood shared a link to the  Textile Research Centre, Leiden, Netherlands.  This is a site that’s well worth spending time visiting and perhaps an actual visit too once we can travel freely.

Annemor Sundbo, Norway, has a small hand knitting museum.  The majority of the site is not in English, but look along the menu and you’ll find a section that is. Don’t ignore the other pages as there are some beautiful pictures, or you could perhaps use a translation app to find out more.

Some members of the forum are also members of the Knitting and Crochet Guild.  They were reminded that there are free patterns that can be downloaded from the members area of the KCG website once you have signed it.

Thank you Sally, these all look really interesting

Our Christmas Tree

Here's the pictures of the decorations I was sent for our for our Christmas tree.  Not many, but at least the tree isn't bear.

   

    

Not many decorations on our Christmas tree!

Design for the bauble from 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne & Carlos

My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List

Some things I had intended to do have remained just that—intentions.  The divoré type fabric I mentioned last time is still in one piece!  Maybe I’ll look at that soon but there is no urgency at the moment.  I have done a bit of research and have more of an idea about size.  I’m also planning to do a bit of shaping so it sits better on me, and also make it easier to run round the edges with the overlocker. There will probably be a strip of fabric left over which could be suitable for a scarf. If there is I will be looking for, or making, some fringing for it.

I’ve also had a go at tablet (card) weaving.  I’d heard a lot about it, and read the suggestion to make your own cards.  We had some laminated paper that was no longer required so I made them out of that.  As the warp needed to be held taught I decided to use my inklette which meant I needed small tablets.  I found a simple pattern, threaded (warped)  up, and followed the instructions to turn the cards 4 times forward and 4 back whilst passing the shuttle back and forth for the weft.  I must admit I wasn’t overly impressed at first as all I could see was a vague pattern, but as I moved the band further on I saw the other side of it and that was so much nicer.  

Encouraged I continued and a few hours later I completed the band.  Now what am I going to do with it?

 I have also finished the band to go round the hat I crocheted earlier in the year. It looks so much better than the one I put on originally.  The colours are much more summery and the hat looks more complete.  So I’m now all ready for good weather!

I have been knitting too.  A few decorations for our virtual tree and also using a ribbon yarn from my stash.  I completed one cowl shawl (see Show and Tell) and started on a second one.  I started increasing both sides every alternate row and then decided I wanted it to be wider and not as deep as the first one, so added a central increase after about 10 rows of increasing at the edges only. I’d soon  completed it but was so surprised at the shape when it came off the needles.  Needless to say it has now been undone and reknitted with increases centre and edges right from the start.

So that’s the majority of my crafting this month.

Show and Tell

Gaynor contacted me almost as soon as the Newsletter came out asking if she could share the information about the poppies with her church knitting group.  They got their knitting needles out almost straight away and knitted poppies for family and friends.  Gaynor sent me pictures of the ones she knitted and crocheted.  The four together were hung in her window. 
Great work Gaynor and thanks for asking.

Carole said: This cardigan has been sometime in the making. I ran out of yarn during the last lockdown and then got sidetracked.  The yarn is The WI Soft and Silky 4 ply from Hobbycraft and is knitted in double moss stitch with lace panel.

Lovely.

Janet said: Finished the blanket and gave it away to the old people's home.  Finished a long waistcoat - interesting construction but it caught on everything, sat very badly over the shoulders and I frogged it before I could forget how I had sewn it together.

I have crocheted what seems like a zillion little blocks for a new blanket but cannot be bothered to sew it up at the moment.  To many ends!   Maybe doing a few every evening would be the way to go.

Thought I would get some more wool for another blanket project but discovered that the locusts had had the lot at Hobbycraft last Wednesday (the day before the lockdown) and the shelves were even more bare of wool than of toilet roll.  So I have dug out a large cone of chenille that I acquired for a fiver some time ago and am trying to work out how far it will go and what tension/needles I should be using (no information on the cone).   I shall look forward to seeing it.

Karen has been knitting and weaving recently.  I couldn’t resist  including the picture of the weaving, just because it includes a teddy!

Karen has also knitted a pair of socks. Yarns are both from West Yorkshire Spinners.

The third picture from Karen is of two scarves, one finished and one still a WIP.  Both are knitted with cashmere from her stash and probably around 40 years old!  They are knitted in two pieces, starting from the ends and grafted in the middle.  The inspiration came from a book called Something New to Learn about Lace.

And finally, my shawl cowl.  Knitted in a ribbon yarn from my stash and based on a pattern called Dream Catcher Scarf.

Don’t forget to take photos of your knitted gifts before you wrap them.  We can show after Christmas so as not to spoil any surprises.  Our next Newsletter will be sent around the end of January 2021.

 And finally:

 Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year

May 2021 be a good one with opportunities to knit, crochet and craft!

 

Until we meet again

 

 

Keep Calm

and carry on

Knitting or Crocheting!

 

Hands, Face, Space

 

Keep Active, Stay Positive - We will meet again

 

 

Newsletter No 10 - sent 27 October 2020

 Hi Everyone 

Oh dear! It looks like things are going down hill again, so do take care and stay safe.  The school hasn’t given me any indication of when we are likely to be able to meet again as, like the rest of us, they don’t know when more than six people will be able to meet indoors. I guess we will need to keep on keeping on, staying away from others and staying safe.  It is hard, but if we don’t who knows what could happen.

I’ve still got plenty to do on my keep busy list, and I’ve been going ‘off piste’ too as I come across new things to do and try!  I’ve got some “recurring” things on the list too, like writing letters and looking for things for the  newsletters! But more of that later.   My research skills have certainly had a brush up and I have once again found a few things for you to follow up if they interest you.

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I know most of us aren’t followers of fashion, but family members might like to be “on trend” at least colourwise.  The Pantone colour website shows the colours we should be wearing for Autumn/Winter 2020/2021.  The colours for Spring/Summer 2021 are available too for those that like to forward plan their knitting and crochet.

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Here’s a quick tip for machine knitters.  When we’re working we might pick up a three prong transfer tool  and then find it has two prongs at the other end and we want one.  Why not use a permanent marker pen to put dots on the tool to signify how many prongs are at the opposite end.  Don’t forget to mark both sides of the tool!

                                          

Remembrance Day

It’s that time of year again, when we should be thinking of others and in particular our soldiers, seamen and airmen.  Remembrance Day is going to be very different this year, but we can still wear a poppy or display one in a window at home.  You can download and print a poppy (for a donation) from the Royal British Legion website.

There is still time to knit or crochet a poppy using one of the free patterns available from websites such as Gathered. Back in October 2015 we spent a club evening knitting poppies. Here’s just a few of them.

Maybe you have some scraps of red yarn in your stash. No dark yarn for the centre? Look in your button box and use a button instead. If you do knit or crochet your poppy, or wear one you knitted previously, don’t forget to drop a coin or two into a collection box when you see one or donate on line if you won’t be going out. The Royal British Legion also have an online shop with all manner of items which would make great presents at any time of the year. 

The public is being urged to take part in a two-minutes silence from their doorstep at 11 am on Sunday 8th November as well as watching events on TV. Will you be taking part?

Did you know you could also wear a purple, black or white poppy?  The purple poppy is a symbol of remembrance for animals that served during the wartime. The black poppy remembers the African, Black and Caribbean communities who contributed towards war efforts. The white poppy is for peace, and also remembers all those killed in war.  Poppies in these colours are not endorsed by the Royal British Legion and they do not benefit from the sale of them.  However they have said that they see no conflict in wearing or displaying the red poppy next to other colours.

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Knitting in the Round

I was recently asked for some tips for hand knitting in the round.  As we should be distancing even indoors I couldn’t offer any one - to - one help, so I’ve had a look for a websites and videos that show some of the techniques that should be useful.

Of course there are a number of different ways of knitting in the round but before you can start you need to decide whether you are going to use circular needles or double pointed needles.

Sheep and Stitch website gives lots of information about knitting using circular needles.  They have a link on their page to a video tutorial too.  Circular needles come in a variety of lengths and sizes as well as different materials. There are plenty of different makes that have interchangeable tips too so you change the tips rather than move all the stitches onto a different needle when the pattern calls for a different size to be used.  There have been lots of different styles and lengths of needles come onto the market recently including 9” circulars, some that have tips/cables that spin or twist so they don’t curl up as you knit. and variations of them especially designed for socks and other items with a small circumference as well as larger items.  The length of the cable is chosen for the number of stitches being knitted.  There should be enough stitches to go comfortably into a round without being stretched out so far that it affects tension or squashed in tight making it almost impossible to get into a stitche without them falling off the needles.              

You can of course use circular needles to knit back and forth, not just in the round. Some people prefer to do so as it puts less strain on your shoulders especially  when the knitting gets weighty as it grows. Good in a confined space when you don’t want to accidently poke someone with anything but an elbow. Also useful when you have more stitches than will fit comfortably on your straight needles.

Double pointed needles (DPN’s) come in many sizes, lengths and materials. There’s plenty of YouTube videos showing how to cast on and join them into the round.  Here’s one from Sheep and Stitch again and the corresponding webpage where they give further information.  Look in their knitting library for hints and tips for using DPN’s and how to switch from circulars to DPN’s.

Magic loop is a technique using long circular needles to knit small circumference items.  Here’s a YouTube video from Very Pink Knits to start you off or you may prefer this one from KnitFreedom.  As usual there are plenty more and you might find that the explanation given in one of the others is easier for you to understand.  There are other more advanced techniques using circular needles but I’ll save them for another time.

I can’t recommend one method over another as it is all down to personal preferences and what you are making. Likewise with the needles themselves.  The only thing I would say, especially for the circulars, is don’t buy cheap.  I’ve tried them and the cords keep curling and looping which doesn’t make for easy knitting. There are suggestions for how to stop this happening, like putting the cord into very hot water to soften it then keep it straight as it cools, but I haven’t found they work for long.  Maybe buy just one circular needle or set of DPN’s to start with. See how you get on and then invest in more of the same make if you like them. If it wasn’t quite right for you then try a different make.  Like everything you will need to practice before you feel confident.

And now for a few hints and tips:

Make sure that your knitting isn’t twisted when you join it into the round.  There is no way to untwist it once joined. Some people lay the work flat on a table to check it isn’t twisted and then carefully pick it up to join.

When using DPN’s check your tension when working from one needle to the next.  Too loose or too tight and it will show.  Too loose and it will look as if a stitch has been dropped, too tight and it will cause the knitting to fold slightly.

Interchangeables are within make only, not across brands, so don’t mix and match tips or cables  from Knit Pro, Addi or ChiaoGoo or other makes.          

Remember tension will vary depending on what you are using, so be prepared for a visible difference when/if you change from DPN’s to circular of the same size (or vise versa).  You may need to use a different size needles to achieve the same tension. We hold different types of needles differently and the yarn too and this is what causes the difference. I’m not sure if you can see it in
a photograph, but it is very visible.  The tension for the heel and toe is different to the tension for the foot.  The foot was knitted on a 9” circular, the afterthought heel on same size DPNs.   

(sorry formatting doesn't want to play nicely!)   

Send your hints and tips and I’ll include them next time.

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 Browsing the World Wide Web

 I’ll start this time with a few videos!

We all like to see where other people work; their workspace, studio; workroom, spare bedroom or whatever you call the space you use.  This is a video I came across that could give you some ideas and includes a few hints and tips too.  It is from The Knitting School in Seattle.  Wouldn’t you just love to have all that space!

The next one is around 20 minutes long and was produced in 1969.  It’s a trip behind the scenes at Sirdar.  So grab a coffee and enjoy a look back in time.

I wonder how many of you remember Pingu and the knitting machine first time round?  If only it was so easy!

And now a bit of reading. 

Long Buckby Knitting Club have also been producing a monthly Newsletter that can be downloaded as a pdf from their website.  Each issue has a main topic as well as other articles of interest to those that knit and crochet.  They often include a pattern written by a club member.  There is lots of other free patterns written by club members that can be downloaded from their website.

Here’s one to make you smile and perhaps wish you had more confidence!  A report on the Spring/Summer Fashion week in the Daily Mail on Line pictured some of those in attendance.  Brings a whole new image to granny squares!

 It’s time to start work again - well crafting anyway!

We all know that kids like gruesome things especially at Halloween, so how about a knitted brain hat?  Pick your colour and give it to a little horror! Lots of other pages on this site too that I’m sure you’ll find interesting and you can join their email list and get knitting freebies.

I came across a website called Start Knitting.  It has lots of free patterns and links to other plus some that need to be paid for.  There’s Christmas knits there in the Themes section.

And finally, following on from the crochet last time I found another site that looks good.  It’s Goddess Crochet.  It is an American site so some translation may be necessary but there are loads of links to patterns, many of them free.

Introductions

I’ve recently been contacted by three people who are hoping to be able to come to club when we can meet again.  They have sent a little bit about themselves by way of introduction.

 Ayesha : I learned to knit from my mother, who has machine knitted for as long as I can remember.  I had a second hand Brother, but recently splashed out on a new Silver Reed punchcard machine.  I have some experience but I’m not very technically advanced (I subscribe to MKM, and I have to work hard to understand the Bill King articles at the back - often without success, but perhaps that is also because I don’t try to do the techniques, so I can’t see how it works for myself…).  I have a 1 year old daughter so time for knitting is pretty tight!  I also enjoy many other crafts, particularly sewing and hand knitting (but it is so slow!!)   

Gemma : I joined the Knitting and Crochet Guild during lockdown (I really should have joined way sooner!) and Fleet is my nearest branch. I have been reading your newsletters and meaning to send you something for the 'Show and Tell' section as a sort of introduction as I obviously haven't attended any physical meetings. I've finally got around to doing this and have included below a little bit about myself and the pieces of work I have sent pictures of - I hope you and other members of Fleet branch enjoy them. (I’ve put the pictures Gemma sent in the show and tell section.)

I learned to crochet at the West End Centre in Aldershot about fifteen years ago and now teach crochet to others through workshops at libraries and elsewhere. I also make my own freeform crocheted textile art pieces and have been 'yarnbombing' various locations (with permission!) in recent years to bring crochet and textiles out in the open for all to enjoy.

Candida : I was a labour ward matron in a major London unit so retirement is quite a big change and has taken some getting used to. I’m sure many people can relate to this. My husband is still working and can’t see the problem.

My Gran in Edinburgh made all her own clothes and lots for her grandchildren. She also made my mother’s wedding dress from a Vogue pattern with no instructions! She was a very accomplished knitter as well but preferred sewing and taught me more of that which I now very much regret. I knitted a lot when I was young but my children began to refuse to wear what I made so it ground to a halt. I took it up again during lockdown and started with a beautiful fairisle pattern which took ages. I then knitted an Aran jumper and you can see where I went wrong if you look closely. After that I chose a simple cardigan pattern which I am doing for the 4th time now. I can finish one of these cardigans in a week if I really go at it. Next I’ve got a simple jumper pattern lined up. I never learned to sew my knitting properly. I’ve tried to get it from u tube and it’s better but not perfect. Blocking was also a mystery to me as was a “steek”. I look forward to being part of the group when you can reconvene. (I’ve never tried steeking either!)

Welcome Ayesha, Gemma and Candida.  We are all looking forward to a time when we can meet again and meet you in person. I’m sure we will all be learning from each other once our meetings start up again.

 Latvian Braid

Maybe something you’ve heard of. I certainly have, and admired it too, so felt it was time to investigate. I know Karen has put it round the cuff of a number of pairs of mittens she’s knitted so I asked for a photo. It looks a great alternative to rib. It must be knitted in two colours but of course you could then knit the rest of your whatever in just one colour if you don’t want fairisle.  I can quite imagine this at the welts of a jacket or a pocket top, not just on mittens or gloves.  Maybe use it as an alternative to garter stitch as it has a firmness that garter stitch doesn’t have.

Latvian Braid can be worked flat or in the round on the edge or in the middle of your work. Choose your cast on carefully so that it is appropriate especially if you are working the braid close to the start of your knitting.  There are quite a few free patterns on Ravelry (put Latvian Braid in the pattern search box) to get you started. I did find that there were lots of very similar braids, plus cast on and cast off’s mainly originating in Scandinavian Countries so if you don’t get on with this one then there will be one to suit you.  It’s now on my “list” to have a go at, when I have time amongst all the other things I plan to do!

My Stay and Home and Keep Busy List

It’s not got any shorter!  I’m not sure where time has gone since the last Newsletter but I’ve certainly not been bored or sat with nothing to do!  Works in progress have progressed but not all have been completed - yet! More cards have been made as well as my writing. We decided it’s time to do a bit of redecoration around the house which has required some sorting out of possessions, so all in all I’ve found plenty to keep me busy!

As for yarn crafting, some time ago I was sent a link to a cowl on a weaving website.  Whilst wondering how it was worked I got to thinking that I could knit something similar (well as similar as knitting is to weaving!) You’ll find my version of the cowl in the show and tell.  I had a bit of yarn left so when I saw a picture, just a week or so ago, of a pair of fingerless mittens that were unusual I knew I had to see if I could work out how to knit a pair.  (They weren’t on my list hence my “off piste” comment earlier!)  You knit the thumb first and then increase out from there.  The  pattern was for 4ply and I had DK, it was fairisle and I had a multicolour yarn!  My only option was to play and see if I could work it out for myself. Results again in show and tell! 

Earlier in the year I went through my stash of fabrics and put those I was sure I would never use in a bag to go to recycling, or otherwise disposed of, but I didn’t get the opportunity to pass it on before lockdown.  It’s still here, but there’s not quite so much in it now!  I’ve dipped into it more than once because I’ve either been asked  “have I got....”, “can you make....” or because I want to use the fabric myself!  There was a piece of divoré type fabric in there.  We’ve been invited to a couple of weddings next year and I can now quite see it made into a wrap.  So it’s come out of the bag and I’m looking at it again and trying to work out the best way to proceed.

 Show and Tell

Nina has sent a couple of photos of her knitting.  The first is of a jumper she knitted for one of her daughters. The navy yarn is Kiwi 4ply acrylic. The blue yarn is Worth knitting 4ply acrylic. It's knitted in 2x2 rib on her Knitmaster 700. The neckline is cut and sew.

The second photo is of some hats and scarves knitted for a children's home in Romania that is supported by Nina’s church. They are all knitted in oddments of various 4ply acrylic in 2x2 rib.

 You have been busy Nina!

Remember in the introductions I said I’d put pictures of Gemma’s work in Show and Tell?  Well here they are.

Gemma said:  I made this Goldfinch during lockdown using freeform crochet and some embroidery for the flowers. You may have seen some of my other freeform bird creations featured in the Guild's 'Slip Knot' magazine last year as they featured in an exhibition at The Old Chapel Textile Centre in Newbury. I've been wanting to make a Goldfinch for ages so the time during lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity to do it and kept me calm when the world seemed to be getting stranger every day.

 

The other two pictures show a dress I recently crocheted for a friend,

using a vintage 1960s pattern and the Persian Tiles 'Eastern Jewels' blanket by Janie Crow. I was quite nervous making the dress as I don't usually make clothes but was really pleased with how it turned out. Its taken me a year, on and off, to make the blanket but it is without doubt the loveliest thing I have made in my 15 years as a crocheter! I love Janie Crow patterns and think her designs are just genius. 

 

 Sally has been in touch to say that she’s still busy with work.  When she is not working her crafting activities are on hold as she sprained her wrist gardening!  Instead she is keeping occupied with on-line activities and helping to plan the annual Knitting History Forum conference day in November. Sally told me “Usually it's a low-key affair with 30-40 people meeting up in a classroom at the London College of Fashion. With the lock-down, and switching to hosting the day online, we've managed to get speakers from across the UK, Europe and the US, and we've had over 150 people sign up for the event already! A lot more planning has been needed, and practise sessions on how to manage crowds on Zoom.”  Don’t work too hard Sally, and take care of your wrist.

Jean has been in touch too. She is taking the opportunity to check out and reorganise her stash room(s)! Jean said that she was appalled at the amount of yarn and material she’s got 'tidied' away! She added that she won't need to buy any more for ages! (I wonder how many of us have sorted out a stash as well?)  Jean has found garments half-knitted and bundled away because 'Christmas is coming' or  'someone is coming to stay' or 'a holiday is looming' or-------'it's gone wrong so I'll try again”.  I’ve probably got some of those too. It’s definitely time that some UFO’s got finished but maybe I’ll concentrate on cone ends first!

Last of all, here’s my version of the cowl. I started off with a few rows of garter stitch then continued in garter stitch over just six stitches. Once I estimated it long enough those six stitches went onto a stitch holder and I moved on to the next six stitches.  When all the stitches had been knitted and I had a number of long fingers I did a few more rows of garter stitch before changing to stocking stitch with garter stitch edge till I judged the piece long enough and then I repeated what I’d done at the other end.  But before the final few rows of garter stitch I threaded the fingers in and out (wove them) through the ones at the other end.  

The same yarn was used for the mittens which were intended to be fingerless, but by the time I got to the end there was just a fingertip visible and it was too wide.  (I do have rather short square-ish hands!).  So I undid the rib at the finger end and shaped the end instead.  I tried to graft the top rather unsuccessfully, but I did graft the sides together with more success. How were they knitted?  In the round, started with the thumb then increasing in four places.  Once it went round my hand I ribbed two opposite ends and grafted together the other two together!

If  you’re having trouble seeing detail in any photos in this or earlier blogs click on it —it gets larger!

And now for a bit of fun!  I’ve found us a virtual Christmas Tree but it needs decorating. Club members and those on our email list please knit or crochet some decorations and send me a photo of them  (if possible on a plain white or light background).  There’s lots of free patterns on line including Borroco, Black Sheep Wools,  Little Cotton Rabbits, and Yarnspirations. You’ll find instructions on YouTube for making mini hangers for jumpers. Then put them on your Christmas tree or give them away to someone who might be on their own this Christmas to show you’re thinking of them.

Maybe next year we can take part in the local Christmas Tree Festival and display many of our knitted and crocheted decorations for all to see.

I also spotted this decoration on-line at Hobbycraft .  It should be simple to do something similar and give a makeover to some of those tired baubles that you just can’t throw away!

 And finally:

Knitting and Crochet

are my

happy  places

  

Until we meet again

 

 Keep Calm

and carry on

Knitting or Crocheting!

  

Hands, Face, Space

 

Keep Active, Stay Positive - We will meet again