KNIT expo

We knitters know that knitting is a wonderful therapy, so Knit2tog are attempting to bring knitting right into the 21^st century and organizing a KNIT expo in Exeter on Saturday 17 April. I should say Belinda is the main organiser with Ruth next, and the rest of us are doing what and when we can.

This is the first of its kind in the UK - here in Devon! and we hope that this will be replicated throughout the UK.

It is not the ‘regular show’ of plenty of stalls and lots to buy, but it is an assortment of bringing, learning, creating, passing on, telling, laughing, sharing … and buying. And it is meant for ALL age groups, both male and female.

There will be:

• master classes: where you can learn to knit; fashion art - ways of developing your knitting into fantastical garments; where do we go from here? experimental knitting
• selling on the internet
• poetry and creative writing
• opportunity for you to tell us your experiences/stories/knowledge about knitting in your life and that of your family … and the opportunity to record it
• quiet areas where you can just sit, knit, think, chat
• representatives from various wool shops, on-line shops selling their wares
• plus lots more!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

WEBSITE: http://www.bline.plus.com/knitexpo/index.html

and here is an article published by the BBC local news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8491000/8491099.stm

REMEMBER

WHAT: KNIT expo

WHEN: Saturday 17 April 2010

WHERE: Exeter Phoenix Art and Media Centre, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, EXETER EX4 3LS

Tel: 01392 667080

www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

TIME: 2.00 pm to 8.00 pm come and go as you please)

PRICE: £6.50 (£4.50) and 12 and under free, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Knitting Classes in Sidmouth

The first series of Knitting Classes started mid-January in Sidmouth. Ruth was invited to teach some basic ‘learn to knit’ classes by ‘Caprafibre’ owner, Marjorie. Accompanied with Ruth each week was another member of Knit2tog group to provide assistance.

We met in Grant’s Brasserie in Sidmouth and sat together around some tables and had some excellent teaching from Ruth to eager ladies (with coffee, tea, hot chocolate).

Besides the basics, Ruth drew on her wealth of understanding and knowledge in knitting and pattern design, and answered problems that arose. The course consisted of:

• casting on methods
• knit stitch, purl stitch, ribs, patterns, creating a textile
• increasing and decreasing (different methods)
• cable stitch
• knitting on 2 needles, 4 /5 needles and circular needles
• casting off methods and grafting.
• and basic patterns created by Ruth to practice what was learned.

Ruth’s friendly and thorough teaching was much appreciated. The result is that another knitting group has started from these classes.

Knit2tog group - June 2009

Here we are in sunny June in Ruth's garden; the group has grown since then.

We are holding up the blanket that Joyce has knitted with wool dyed by Ruth. It is this blanket that was the inspiration for the Blanket Box scheme.

Scottie's Blanket

This blanket is named after our oldest (so far) knitting group member; you can see us all together in the knitting group blog. Scottie came to the group with a wonderful old and worn blanket that was made for him by his sister-in-law sometime around 1947 and it has great sentimental value. We suggested that we might mend and extend it, and so found matching yarn, studied the construction and set about making more squares.

This way of making squares is very old and is ideal for a casserole blanket, if you have thinner yarns, double or triple them to average the thickest. Even tiny amounts of yarn can be used, either as half squares or by knitting a few rows to make a stripe. Add new colours on the right side for a clean stripe, or on the wrong side for a shaded edge. The idea is that each square comes out the same size because it is worked to a size, diagonally, not with a standard cast on start.

We recommend starting with double knitting weight yarn and short bamboo needles, size 4mm (available from Ellas Knitting).

Cast on 3 sts. Knit every row as follows:

Slip 1, k1, M1, k to end of row.

When the side of the half square that you have made measures 6 " or 15 cm, knit two rows straight then change tack and work every row as follows:

Slip 1, k1, k2 tog, k to end.

When 3 sts remain, slip 1, k2 tog, psso.

Joining the squares is easy if you can do double crotchet, and looks splendid if there is enough of one colour to join and make a border.

Arrange the squares in the pattern that you like and, holding them wrong sides together work double crotchet to join, when one seam is done, simply pick up the next pair and carry on, and so on. Join a new row onto the first, and repeat until all the east-west seams are closed, then work across in the opposite direction and close the north-south seams. If you want a border, make a double crotchet into every ridge of the garter stitch and work around, making two into the corners.

About the Blanket Box

The knitting group said, " how do we reproduce what we have here? " In the early days of our group we had decided that eight people was the right size, partly because we meet round my kitchen table, and partly because that seemed a good way to make sure that the quietest voice is still heard.

Soon we had overflowed and group members were being asked to take knitting into the community so, how to do it? Our great elder-stateswoman "J" had made a beautiful blanket for us to sell around this time and it occurred to me that blanket squares were an ideal model around which to build this scheme.

New knitters get overwhelmed at the thought of large projects and need to learn skills to gain confidence. The more experienced knitters that a group needs would be frustrated and need challenge.

The idea of a group project overcomes the inevitable problem of new knitters coming with unsuitable yarn, patterns or equipment and is designed to encourage independent knitting. Dear "B" told me about UnLtd, and, amazingly we were given enough money to make up 10 boxes and train knitters as group facilitators. Each box contains 30 ball of pure new wool in natural shades, 8 sets of needles, 8 row counters and a fantastic book called "Knit Your Own Afghan " The book shows a range of knitting skills well and 63 different squares to make, all worked out to end up the same size, so that every skill level can be attempted and the resulting squares can make a blanket.

We are also building a set of instruction sheets to help new knitters. (This has nothing to do with the country of that name, but refers to the generic name given by American knitters to the knitted blanket.)

Part of the funding is for 10 knitters to take a day's training, this will be provided by a local counselling college and will help us to make the groups work without anyone leading. The Box can also go unsupported to any group or organization, such as an O.T. department.

We have two ways of funding this scheme.

The box can be bought outright, or a deposit paid, returnable at the end of an agreed time minus the cost of yarn used. This can be covered by the knitters who attend the group as subs, or bought outright for an individual project, say a cushion cover.

We hope to develop the scheme to include the Hat Box, the Sock Box, etc. To find out more about the Blanket Box and how you or your group can be involved email me at mamaruth@hotmail.co,uk

Or ring 01392 411700.

Poem by Ruth

I knit, you knit,

we all knit together

would it be the same if we were empty handed

(politely) staring?

(Poem written just before first visit to Twisting Yarns knitting group earlier in the year. Twisting Yarns is a group for knitters and writers that meets monthly.)

Ruth's Reflections

Many years have passed since I tried out knitting, armed only with some stringy red wool and a couple of old mint stalks, stripped of their leaves. The lumpy results smelled really fresh, but didn't look too good.

Does anyone remember the prediction, about 1972, that we were definitely heading towards another ice age? I do, and the thought that we shall all freeze in nothing but lycra jumpsuits has haunted me to this day, and I have been knitting ever since.

If you work it out, all the knitters before the SPE, (shiny pattern era) knew how to do it themselves.

Ok, so the yarn they had to play with was not FASHION YARN but, in the ethical '70's I wanted stuff to knit with that would still look ok and cool man twenty years down the line, and actually, still do.

Then there were the terrible years of knitting decline, when I really thought that all the knitting generations behind us, male and female, would collectively turn in their graves as they watched the final sock, lace shawl, gusset or bonnet being made. It seemed that knitting had fallen into a collection of funky wool, not real wool, made into nursery shapes and sewn up, suitable only for draping tall thin models with moody looks and bare legs.

The real knitters just made it through, and the sheep and some of the small woolen mills that supplied them did too.

When, with a dear neighbour and true craftswoman, I went to a local exhibition and saw a wonderful array of knitted vegetables, mainly in nylon, I thought that we should have a knitting group. Even I, I hoped could share a sock heel or an underarm gusset before it was too late.

Amazingly, people came along, not all stayed, but those that did are a huge inspiration, as knitters and as survivors in the great human race.

It is the group that has taught me so much about the great comfort of being with others, of sharing ideas and skills, of receiving praise and acknowledgement for our work and invention.

It is the work that has come out of knitting group that has become Ellasknitting, and it is Joyce's beautiful big wool blanket that has been the start of the Blanket Box Scheme, more about this later.

So, thanks to the knitting forebears, we still have a craft that keeps us warm and noticed.

I like to send my husband out to work in a jumper that shouts " someone looks after this man".

I like the fact that knitting has transported so well, did you know that China has a huge home knitting industry? Perhaps knitting is one of the better things that travelled with trade and colonisation?

Ruth, who makes things for Ellasknitting.