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Tag Archives: Knitters’ Guild NSW

Sometimes it’s the little things

11 Mon Jan 2016

Posted by soknitsome in Community

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

cable stitches, DPNs, Knitters' Guild NSW, knitting, Ravelry, techniques

Last Saturday was a ‘Guild Saturday’. I love Guild Saturdays although at the moment there’s  still a certain amount of trepidation and lots of adrenalin as L and I are getting accustomed to being the ones running the meeting. Fortunately, we seem to have got off to a good start. This year’s programme includes offering a technique session or short talk at every meeting. Thankfully, there are many skilled and knowledgeable members who’re willing to share their expertise with others.

The first technique of the year was “cabling without a cable needle”. Yes, I know, many people can do this already. I’ve always got scared at the pull-the-needle-out-of-your-knitting bit and left well alone. I clearly wasn’t the only one as several Guild members had put their names down for this at the information-gathering session in December. The Inner City branch* is a wonderful group of knitters and crocheters and we had three members who kindly volunteered to show small groups the wonderful trick of cabling without having to use an additional needle. So we sat around the tables, shifting stitches, holding our breath and pulling out needles and, really, once you see someone do it in real life and have a go yourself, it isn’t that hard at all!

sample of knitted cables

J, who was teaching the group I was in, did point out that she found 6-stitch cables too wide and that really slippery or splitty yarns make the technique harder too.

I know exactly where this trick will come into its own – socks! Particularly, if like me, you knit socks on DPNs, not having to manipulate another little needle is a godsend.

Please excuse me while I browse cabled socks on Ravelry…

*The Inner City branch of the Knitters’ Guild NSW meets on the second Saturday each month. You can find out more about the Guild here.

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What a su-purl-ative Saturday!

16 Wed Dec 2015

Posted by soknitsome in Community

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Christmas, friends, Knitters' Guild NSW, Ravelry, skein, Sydney, yarn

The second Saturday of the month is when the Inner City group of the Knitters’ Guild NSW meets. This month’s meeting was a little different as Lyn and I were convening the meeting for the first time. Having expressed an interest in the position prior to the AGM, we found ourselves nominated by default since many members have already done a stint and were happy for someone else to take a turn. The Inner City group has about 80 members but many are unable to attend every month so we were probably only speaking in front of about 30 odd knitters and crocheters. We don’t just get together to socialise over our knitting and crochet. The Guild’s constitution states that the object of the Guild is to

  • encourage and maintain high standards in design and techniques
  • provide a forum for the exchange and provision of information
  • provide the opportunity for education in the craft

With these aims in mind, we had a bit of a brainstorm and came up with suggestions for talks and skills/techniques development for the coming year. We also collected lots of other excellent suggestions from members and now have the task of putting together an interesting and varied programme for 2016.

After the Guild meeting the knitting fun continued…

The Thursday night knitting group traditionally goes for afternoon tea in December. So we hopped on a train and travelled down to Circular Quay to enjoy a delightful tea at the Sir Stamford Hotel.  Not having knitted enough already, we were working away on our projects before we’d even had a sip of bubbly!

red yarn skein

There were fourteen of us and we were seated around one large table in a private room which was great for chatting. Thanks to Kelly, the organiser, there was some lovely Christmas fun and games with ‘guess the yardage’ of an anonymous skein, a lucky draw, and a Secret Santa Skein Swap. Here’s the lovely yarn I came home with.

This is a hand-dyed skein from Hawthorne Cottage Yarns. It’s a 4-ply wool/nylon blend that feels sturdy enough for some great socks. But the reds are so stunning that perhaps it should be a little something for around a neck? Choices, choices!

Whilst having tea, we even came up with a more appropriate name for our Thursday group. We’re easier to find now on Ravelry – we’re the Sydney CBD Knitters. So if you’re ever in Sydney on a Thursday evening, come on by!

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KnitCamp Nurmilintu

26 Sat Sep 2015

Posted by soknitsome in Projects

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Debbie Bliss, friends, Heidi Alander, KnitCamp2015, Knitters' Guild NSW, lace, shawls, yarn

As the name suggests, this shawl uses yarn I bought at KnitCamp 2015* to make a Nurmilintu shawl like that worn by Inner City Guild friend, 1funkyknitwit, during camp. It will come as no surprise that there are, cough, cough, a couple of changes to the original pattern.

I love the drape of 1funkyknitwit’s shawl (Ravelry project link) so decided to follow her example and knit mine on 4.5mm needles, which is larger than suggested in Heidi Alander’s pattern. Blue lace scarfHowever, once I got started, I began to wonder about the tension. Is 1funkyknitwit a tight or loose knitter? Would the 379 metres of yarn be enough if I were using larger needles? I decided to play safe and start the first lace section a little earlier – when I had 9 stitches fewer than instructed, since the pattern repeat is 9 stitches wide. I then continued to knit each section so that I finished with nine stitches fewer than stated in the pattern. I knitted the final lace section and still had yarn over. A not-insubstantial amount for someone who likes to use every last inch. I knitted the first 6 rows of the lace section again. Still plenty of yarn. I knitted the middle 6 rows. Yarn left? Yes. I knitted the last five rows and realised I didn’t have enough for the picot cast-off so I just did a stretchy cast off. I cut it more than a little fine – that tail dangling down is all that was left!

Since there were no picot points I just threaded a wire through the edge and blocked the two shorter sides straight. I pulled the curvy hypotenuse side into shape and pinned it.  This meant far less back-breaking time crawling round on the floor. The result is a shawly-kind-of-scarf that works as well over your shoulders as round your neck.

Woman holding blue lace scarf Woman wearing blue lace scarf

*The yarn is Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal (95% wool, 5% cashmere). It comes in large 100g balls and has lovely tweedy flecks in it. My teal colour has flecks of blue and turquoise. KnitCamp 2015 was run by the Knitters’ Guild of NSW  and I wrote in more detail here.

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KnitCamp 2015 – the best bits

02 Wed Sep 2015

Posted by soknitsome in Community, Yarn

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Ann Budd, friends, KnitCamp2015, Knitters' Guild NSW, knitting, Ravelry, Sydney

Ann Budd’s class
Goodie bags
Knitting outdoors
Lucky draws
Mystery scarf competition
Neck massages
Presentations
Show and tell
Stash enhancement
Techniques turntables
Workshops

Last weekend the Knitters’ Guild NSW hosted KnitCamp 2015 at Stanwell Tops, just over an hour away from Sydney. There were all things knitterly from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.

On Friday evening there was a techniques turntables event.  I came away feeling more knowledgeable about German short rows, kitchener stitch and grafting. Afterwards the prizewinner for the Mystery Scarf competition was announced: a relatively new knitter made a fabulous double-knit scarf in memory of and depicting her cat!

Ann Budd held classes on fixing mistakes and we did scary things like dropping down several rows of stitches in order to reknit cables so they twisted the other way, dropping end-of-row stitches and she even cut a hole in her knitting to demonstrate fixing that too! I feel quite confident I could fix an incorrectly leaning cable without having to frog several inches of work, despite my sample here not being quite perfect. Knitted cables samples

But Ann didn’t just teach classes, she spent the whole weekend with us, hanging out with her knitting and putting up with all the fans and the adoration. And this, despite being quite poorly and losing her voice. She was wearing lovely knitted garments herself. Several of us admired a skirt she wore and she kindly lifted up her top to show us the waistband and the darts shaping the hips.

The Knitters’ Guild NSW has some new merchandise and we received lovely goody bags  with Guild merchandise, yarn, tools and retailers’ information inside.Knitters Guild NSW cotton bag

There were various workshops that we had signed up for when we registered. As well as Ann’s class I took part in a Fair-Isle/stranded knitting class. The teacher, Merrin, brought along some fantastic jumpers she’d made. As you can see from these samples, I still need more practice!

Fair Isle samples
The Christmassy-looking sample was knitted flat. Purling was hard so I was glad to be able to work in the round for the blue and grey piece. I started by holding both yarns in my left hand (I’m a continental knitter). When I got part-way through the snowflakes I switched to grey in left hand and blue in right and I think this makes the knitting more even.

We were very fortunate with the weather. People got up early to go walking and later, sat around knitting and crocheting outdoors if they didn’t have a class. I managed a bit of knitting outdoors in the sunshine at lunchtime. It was lovely early spring weather, just right for all the beautiful knitwear on show. Seen a cardigan you fancy on Ravelry? Someone was probably wearing it.

When they’re not knitting, Guild members are partial to enhancing their stash. On Saturday there was a retailers’ market. I was keen to see some Australian yarn up close and of course, once you’ve started petting and stroking, there’s no way you can just walk away. My purchases were quite modest – a skein of baby alpaca and mulberry silk (lace weight) from The House of Woolgreen yarn skein

and Ozifarmer’s Market Silky Merino Lace.

Grey and pink yarn

However, I then succumbed to the yarn that one of our local Guild branch members had used to make a beautiful Nurmilintu and so this also came home with me. teal yarn ballIt’s Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal. Several of us bought it for the same scarf. The hardest part was deciding on a colour; they were all fabulous. One knitter even cast hers on while we were there.

That isn’t the end of the yarn acquisition – I was also one of the lucky draw recipients and won this Ella Rae Lace Merino which is actually fingering/4-ply yarn.

Blue and green yarn skein

I was very happy to be sharing a room with some of the Inner City Guild branch, friends from Thursday night knitting. I really feel more like a part of things here, which is good since I’ve now been in Sydney for 10 months.

The whole weekend actually was very relaxing. On Saturday there were even two masseurs who went around giving everybody a neck and shoulder massage. It was wonderful. People knitted and crocheted everywhere and all the time – while listening to presentations (on using digital tools and Ravelry, and from a local publisher) and during show and tell, as well as when the winner of the Mystery Shawl competition was announced. In fact from early morning until the small hours of the following morning it was knit, knit, knit!

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Shawls

grey and pink triangular scarf
Lilac-coloured shawl wrapped on shoulders
Ley Lines
Woman holding blue lace scarf
KnitCamp Nurmilintu
turquoise lace shawl hanging in front of window
Gliding
purple lace shawl
Archibald
stripey shawl with ribbed ruffle
European TGV
blue lace wrap with sea in background
Magic Waves
Starry Starry Night
Starry Starry Night
Ishbel's got me smitten
Ishbel’s got me smitten
Looped
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Auf Wiedersehen
Heaven
Heaven
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Teardrop
Teardrop
Sorrow
Sorrow
Gala!
Gala!
A little piece of heaven
A little piece of heaven
Cabled
Cabled
Dancing Leaves
Dancing Leaves
Bedtime Bookworm
Bedtime Bookworm
Nightsong
Nightsong
Multnoromah
Multnoromah
Coffee Pimpelliese
Coffee Pimpelliese
Berry Wisp
Berry Wisp
Rainbow Pimpelliese
Rainbow Pimpelliese

Socks

Red striped socks
white lace socks
Sprig
blue lace socks
Le Maquis
Tonal blue socks - on feet
Blue Bark
striped handknit socks side view
These should have been Geek Socks
Stripey socks on feet and left heel
European Jeck
bright striped socks on feet - side view
Socks to Brighten the Doomiest Day
Pink Mix Possums
Pink Mix Possums
Strrripes!
Strrripes!
Stripes for a Mathematician
Stripes for a Mathematician
Munich Traveller
Munich Traveller
Green Apple Clouds
Green Apple Clouds
Upside-Down Hermione
Upside-Down Hermione
A Nice Ribbed Stripe
A Nice Ribbed Stripe
Ruffled Feathers
Ruffled Feathers
Thai Lattice
Thai Lattice
A touch of class
A touch of class
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
A bit of you stays when you go
A bit of you stays when you go
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Summer Socks
Orchids in the Garden
Orchids in the Garden
Berry Stripey
Berry Stripey
Mismatched
Mismatched
Wasabi Waves
Wasabi Waves
Travelling into the Blue
Making Merry
Whirple
Whirple
Midnight in Munich
Midnight in Munich
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Waiting for Sunrise
Waiting for Sunrise
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