Come and Knit with ME!

Come and Knit

Forest Hill Library

Dartmouth Road, SE23
Saturday 13th June 12-2pm

· Beginners and experienced knitters welcome.
· Wool and needles provided or bring your own.
· Local crafter Jo Cooper will be on hand to show basic knitting and casting on,
· Info sheets available to take away.

I've been asked to hold this workshop by the Town Centre Manager, it should be fun, come along if you can.

Exercise some needle power

For every mum, the day her child is born should be the happiest of her life. Yet, in the world's poorest countries, many mums don't survive to look after their babies.

In the next minute, lack of access to health care will claim the life of another mum. In a year, half a million mums die because of poorly equipped hospitals, or because they can't afford to pay health care fees.

World leaders have promised to end this travesty by providing enough aid to deliver the medical services needed, but as things stand they're falling well short.

Patches to fight poverty

We cannot allow this to continue. Broken promises add up to lives lost.

Oxfam are calling on all knitters everywhere to help spell out in no uncertain terms that enough is enough, that we won't sit silently while this injustice continues.

You can take part, and turn your knitting needles into poverty fighting needles by creating a patch for a giant baby blanket – a 'visual petition' we'll hand in to world leaders in September 2008.

Oxfam are aiming for 250,000 patches - one for every mum who should have survived pregnancy in the last six months.

Play your part in a giant, knitted petition

The Knitting and Stitching Show

Counting down the day's until the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally and I'm v. excited!!!

I'm going on Sunday with my Mum and Sister, Laura for her birthday. I've never been before and I have been warned that a lot of money can be spent quickly without to much trouble. I'll report back next week and I'll try and take lot's of photos. Let me know if you are going to, here is a photo if you want to try and spot us ;-)

This is a photo of Richard (my sisters partner) me, in the middle and my sister Laura on the end. This was taken about 13 years ago, before children and knitting!! (we had just watched Priscilla Queen of the Desert and I quickly knocked up a set of rabbit ears).

I don't think we've changed much, Richard still looks suprised, my bed room is still messy, I can still fashion thing's from everyday objects and we still have a thing for interesting head gear......

my niece!

Eastend Treasures

I went to my Mum & Dads last weekend and brought back a satsh of yarns and patterns.




There is all sorts, more Sirdar Click, which is my fave for scarves, some pink pure wool which I'm going to felt and some muted green Mohair which I'm going to knit myself a scarf with.





I went through my mums knitting patterns, I love the photos on these vintage patterns, I don't know if I'll ever knit any of the patterns but I love looking at the pictures.

Finally.............Some knitting!

It was so chilly last week that I started knitting a scalf. I have had the yarn for ages, it's called Click by Sirdar and it's great for chunky scarves. I knitted quite a few last year as Christmas presents.
















Well, I had used the two balls I had and then realised it wasn't long enough so it's on hold for now.















I have been making these little pin cushions using milk bottle tops as bases and one using a beer bottle cap from Alla's collection.


















I took my friend Alla one of the Morsbags I have been making and came away with some bootle caps and the idea for mini pin cushions.














The weather has been warmer the last few days and because I was in the mood for a knit I thought I'd do something with this cotton, I don't know what it is called but I think it's Sirdar again.














So, I made a coaster in basket weave and then decided to make one in moss stitch.















Can anyone tell me why this happens?















Is it because my tension is too tight when I cast on? if you know a solution please let me know, I would be very greatful.

I'm not the only knitter in my family, my mum and sister both knit, a lot better then me it must be said, and look what my mum knitted for me....................




















Isn't it great, I'll find out from her what the pattern and yarn is.


And just for good measure...........



















Some kitten love...... ahh................



Before I forget a 'Hello' to all the 'I Knit Londoners' who might be having a look at my blog today. I blog tagged the guys at the I Knit London Shop and they have mentioned me in their weekly newsletter. Cooeeee

Bloggy knitty stuff

Sorry, changed my blog template again, quite pleased with the photo banner thingy, (doesn't always work) needs a bit of jigging though.

I have joined the London Knitters Netring - hello London Knitters! - so I'll have more blogs to read through, (hurray, any excuse) but I can't get the cool London Knitters button to work, I'll need to email someone to find out how to sort it.

ppp

free pattern from Laughing Hen's

Found out from I Knit London's e-newsletter that -

St John Ambulance seeks 5,000 knitted tea cosies to help raise vital funds for their life saving work.
They are encouraging us to - Grab your knitting needles and cosy on up by getting involved with St John Ambulance's BIG tea cosy!
The BIG tea cosy is the charity's national fundraising day on November 30 where friends and workmates will be encouraged to have a cuppa for St John Ambulance.
I'll have to see what the ladies at work think, they like a knit......and tea........and biscuits............

Ultimate Knitters List of things to do

Found this list at Knitting Under the Influence via The Thrifty Knitter site.
It's the ultimate knitters checklist.

the ones in purple are the ones I can check off!

• Afghan/Blanket (baby)
• I-cord
• Garter stitch
• Knitting with metal wire
• Shawl
• Stockinette stitch
• Socks: top-down
• Socks: toe-up
• Knitting with camel yarn
• Mittens: Cuff-up
• Mittens: Tip-down
• Hat
• Knitting with silk
• Moebius band knitting
• Participating in a KAL (knit a long, this where a group of people knit the smae thing and talk about it)
• Sweater
• Drop stitch patterns
• Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
• Slip stitch patterns
• Knitting with banana fiber yarn
• Domino knitting (modular knitting)
• Twisted stitch patterns
• Knitting with bamboo yarn
• Two end knitting
• Charity knitting
• Knitting with soy yarn
• Cardigan
• Toy/doll clothing
• Knitting with circular needles
• Knitting with your own handspun yarn (watch this space!)
• Slippers (do tiny ones count?)
• Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
• Continental Knitting
• Designing knitted garments
• Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
• Lace patterns
• Publishing a knitting book (you never know…)
• Scarf
• American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
• Knitting to make money
• Button holes
• Knitting with alpaca
• Fair Isle knitting
• Norwegian knitting (?)
• Dying with plant colors
• Knitting items for a wedding
• Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
• Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
• Olympic knitting (?)
• Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
• Knitting with DPNs
• Holiday related knitting
• Teaching a male how to knit
• Bobbles
• Knitting for a living
• Knitting with cotton
• Knitting smocking
• Dying yarn
• Steeks (?)
• Knitting art
• Fulling/felting
• Knitting with wool
• Textured knitting
• Kitchener BO
• Purses/bags
• Knitting with beads
• Swatching
• Long Tail CO
• Entrelac (?)
• Knitting and purling backwards (?)
• Machine knitting
• Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
• Stuffed toys
• Baby items
• Knitting with cashmere
• Darning
• Jewelry
• Knitting with synthetic yarn
• Writing a pattern
• Gloves
• Intarsia
• Knitting with linen
• Knitting for preemies
• Tubular CO
• Freeform knitting
• Short rows Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
• Pillows
• Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
• Rug Knitting on a loom
• Thrummed knitting (?)
• Knitting a gift
• Knitting for pets
• Shrug/bolero/poncho
• Knitting with dog/cat hair (yuk & why?)
• Hair accessories
• Knitting in public

Not bad I suppose considering I have only been knitting since Nov 2005.

I must try and check off more things (once I found out what they are!)

How Green is your Craft?

How green is your wool? I try and buy food which is organic and has low air miles, I have stopped buying new clothes but what about the things I craft with?
I have come across a very interesting article on the sew green site. A lot of the stuff I use is recycled; I search charity shops for yarn and needles and I have pulled apart jumpers for the yarn (I like the idea of making something and putting a label on it saying 'I used to be a jumper') but I think I will be trying to do more crafty recyling in the future.

the green knitted chicken

(he used to be a jumper!)

Scottish Wool Centre

We had a great day out when we were in Glasgow at the Scottish Wool Centre.
There was a talk from a local shepherd about his work and the changing seasons and while he was talking there was a lady spinning.

I got a bit over excited about all the handspun wool on sale, I even brought a drop spindal and the wool on the spindal I spun myself.

This wool was spun my a lady called Jean. Most of it is from Scottish Sheep.

Ta Da!

One finished tank top.


Now, what shall I knit next?

P brought me this lovely Rowan pattern book and magazine. The book has loads of easy, chunky patterns, the ones in the magazine are a bit scary.

Felting Experiments

Had a bit of Collinette Point 5 yarn left so I thought I have a go at felting it (or fulling it as I think it's called)

This is what it looked like to begin with;

then after washing in the washing machine with a full load at 40.

I also made a flower;

before washing

after

before

and after washing.

Not sure what I am going to do with them now, I might make the rectangle into a notebook. What this space.

Wool Tidy

The whole house needs cleaning and tidying but I decided to start with my wool!

Just found more, after taking the photo, in a bag.









I am going to look on amazon for some knitting books that use up your 'yarn stash' as they say in the USA.

Adventures in Downham

You'll never guess what they sell in the Co-op in Downham- yep, Knitting Wool! I didn't have time to investigate fully as I was on my way out of the shop, but there was loads of wool, needles and patterns. I think south london needs a knitting boutique asap.

I also posted off my first swap-bot swaps today, they are winging their way to the USA as I write (hopefully!)