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.

Apologies

Apologies for my blogs. The pictures are NOT appearing where I want them to, and the font sizes keep changing! I hope you can figure out what is what, and who is who!

If anyone knows how this thing works, please give me some tips!

I can count five generations of knitters!

Who taught you to knit? I can’t remember a time when I could not knit! My earliest memory of knitting is in my Aunt’s house in Australia as a small girl and seeing my grandmother knitting, my aunt and two cousins knitting and getting help from them. Later on one of these cousins showed me how to hold my needles and wool ‘correctly’. (Of course there were other aunts, cousins, my mother and sister who knitted as well, but they were not in my very first knitting memory.)

In turn, I have taught my daughter to knit; she has taught two of her daughters to knit; (third will do when she is older, I’m sure!)

My second son and his elder daughter (my granddaughter) were both taught by his mother-in-law and me to knit just two years ago. And here they are. Though they live in South Africa they have visited the knitting group when staying with me, and have shown us how much they have improved over the two years since their last visit. This time, Tim has knitted 2 rabbits with scarves and Keziah has knitted a mouse with a squeaker and started on a second mouse! I am expecting to see some more knitted items and may be giving help via Skype until we meet again!

The rabbits are called 'Avo' (avocado) and 'Brinjal' (which is an Indian word for aubergine)!

Spare time usefully used

These little boat-necked sweaters have been knitted by two ladies in their 90s who live in Weston-super-mare. One of them is the mother of Jackie with whom I used to work, and the other lady is nearly blind but a wonderful knitter. The sweaters are made up of squares and rectangles which Jackie has sewn together for them.

Jackie knows that I give away ‘pre-loved’ clothes (as my Australian cousin calls them) to charity or refugees. So when another friend was going to Uganda earlier this month, she took about 15 with her to give away. Here is a picture of a very happy little girl in her new sweater.

The wool comes from charity shops. I think the ladies want to knit something different now. Does anyone have any other good ideas or simple patterns to knit?

Knit 1 - Pass It On

My daughter-in-law bought me the October issue of 'Simply Knitting'. There is an article called ‘Sharing the Talent’ which writes about a new project from the UK Hand Knitting Association and the Craft Council called ‘Knit 1 – Pass It On’. This is encouraging each knitter to teach at least one other person to knit. They reckon there are between 4 and 7 million knitters in the UK, and would love to see numbers doubled; not only would this be a great achievement, but will keep the craft vibrant. On their web page you can download work sheets or find out what’s going on where you live or how you can volunteer. The web page is: www.ukhandknitting.com

Is this a record?

This is our newest member - Scotty. He is 91 years old and is learning to knit for the first time!

Chantal, one of the group, met Scotty at the allotment and during conversations Scotty said he would like to learn to knit. So Chantal invited him; he was unable to come immediately as he was putting up a shed on his allotment. But we are delighted to have him with us now. He joins a mainly female group; our other long-term male member is Bernard aged 78, who has been knitting since the age of 4 when he was taught by his mother!

I Knit Weekender

Six of us attended the third annual show put on by I Knit London. Being a Saturday, London was relaxed and quiet so we were able to enjoy the walk to and from the tube station admiring the architecture and parks.

The event was held in the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster. The hall was spacious and light, so plenty of room to amble about from stall to stall, watch a fashion show, or enjoy sitting around, eating or drinking, chatting, knitting and making new friends.

It was great to see such a colourful selection of wool from around the world and garments made up and other ingenious ideas. Other organisations were present - StitchLinks - an organisation that helps conquer addictions and loneliness through knitting and stitching, 'Knit a Poem' with the Poetry Society, Medicin San Frontiere, Dutch, Irish and Scottish knitters, local knitting groups, felters ... and more.

Four of us were there for the enjoyment of it, but Ruth and Cath (her daughter) were there 'on business'. Ruth has recently started a new on-line knitting business selling mainly knitting kits, so they were looking for new wools and other items to purchase and stock. Ella's Knitting is the name of her company; you can see the link in our links area. I am not going to say anymore about Ella's Knitting as I have asked Ruth to write something for this blog.

Introducing ourselves ...

Knit2tog – (Knit two together) – that’s the name of our knitting group. The group has been together for over two years now, meeting regularly on a Wednesday afternoon, during the school term. We meet in Ruth’s home in Exeter, Devon - neighbours and friends. Our group has both men and women of all ages and our abilities and experiences knitting-wise are as varied as our ages.

We come from all walks of life – retired teachers, a doctor's wife, Bowen/NST therapists, trainee counselor, working with Age Concern, the stage, an internet business woman and pensioners.

We don’t just knit for the enjoyment of it, but also support a children's school and day centre in a displacement camp in Northern Uganda. We contribute voluntarily each week, and this goes towards the ‘Uganda Fund’. Annually, there is a sale of knitted items and the proceeds go towards the day centre.

Recently,we were able to send a box of items for the school/day care centre when 'Tools With a Mission', (see link TWAM), gave us a cubic metre of space in a container of theirs going to East Africa. I believe the items have now arrived. When we get a picture, I shall post it on the blog.

As this blog proceeds, hopefully you will get to know more about us and what we get up to.