This could be the start of something big…

Tags

AIWCC, blanket, charity, Knitters Guild, Lizard Ridge, Noro, Ravelry, stripes, yarn

I’ve knitted 23 pairs of socks to date. Most of these pairs have used significantly less than 100g of yarn. I’ve been saving the remains for emergency repairs and darning but I don’t really envisage using them for such (particularly as my own pairs have had the heels reinforced prior to wear). I thought it would be nice to use the leftovers in a blanket. Ravelry has hundreds of projects, ranging from rows of stripes to patchwork squares and even stuff-as-you-go hexagons.

Before browsing too much, I drew up a shortlist of criteria that would hopefully help me decide which kind of scrap blanket would work for me:

• Work in pieces to enable a good arrangement of colours
• Project should be easy to carry around
• Add in a neutral colour to balance some of the highly variegated yarns

Finally, I decided on making a Lizard Ridge blanket (pattern by Laura Aylor), using grey as one of the striping colours and all my leftovers for the contrast. Lizard Ridge is knitted in worsted-weight Noro yarn so each square is larger than one you’d get using 4-ply/fingering wool. I started off by knitting a square that was one-repeat (i.e. about a third) wider. It seemed a bit on the floppy side. I decided to knit as written and just make more squares. I was fortunate enough to sit next to Caitriona at December’s Knitters’ Guild meeting and she commented on her dislike of sewing together her Lizard Ridge blanket. It made me think. Seriously. About all the squares I would need… I recalled the fund-raising charity blanket that the Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group at the AIWCC made (I was one of the ‘lucky’ ones involved in its assembly)…

• Should I start all over again and knit bigger squares?
• Should I just bite the bullet and resign myself to a lot of sewing-up?

The solution is a compromise of sorts – my squares are now rectangles. They are still 43 stitches wide, as in the pattern, but they feature six not four sets of stripes.

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The Knitters’ Guild – serious knitting!

Tags

AIWCC, cardigan, Knitters Guild, knitting, Sydney

Yesterday morning I attended the monthly meeting of the Inner City Group of the Knitters’ Guild of New South Wales.

Here’s some information from the Guild’s website:

The Knitters’ Guild NSW Inc. was established to promote and encourage the disciplines of handknitting and crochet. It also encourages the maintenance of high standards in design and technique, provides the opportunity for the exchange and provision of information and education in the craft and encourages the exhibition of member’s work…

And

The Guild regularly arranges workshops and demonstrations in many disciplines including Aran Knitting, fine lace and Shetland lace knitting, Fair Isle, Crochet etc…

And

The Standards Committee has developed a series of Achievement Certificate Syllabuses in both knitting and crochet for those members who wish to improve or extend their skills and knowledge of techniques.

Sounds serious, doesn’t it? And it was. But ‘serious’ in a variety of ways. As soon as the tables and chairs were set up, it was down to the serious business of knitting! First up were official matters – electing committee members for the coming year. Important and serious but undertaken in a very relaxed, albeit proper manner with many members up for re-election.

Then there was morning tea (Australian for Britain’s elevenses or Germany’s second breakfast), a chance to look at books in the library boxes, and general mingling before Lyn gave a lovely talk about a knitting cruise she’d been on that took her from Copenhagen to New York by way of Norway, the Faroe Islands and many more places. She shared anecdotes, talked about the lovely yarn she’d acquired en route and showed items made during the various classes that had taken place on board. At the end she distributed fact sheets including places of interest and details of the various shops. You can see some super pictures and find out more over several posts here on her lovely blog Shades of Grey.

The serious business of knitting? Well, from where I was sitting, it appeared as if everyone continued working despite listening attentively to Lyn’s talk. Afterwards, there was a chance to take a closer look at her lovely acquisitions whilst others exchanged notes and compared patterns and yarn and… knitted. It was lovely to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable knitters. I know that M, my co-leader from the AIWCC Stitch ‘n’ Bitch would’ve enjoyed it immensely, too.

My serious knitting was this: Same Same but Different by Ankestrick (aka Fallmasche), a lightweight cardigan knitted top-down.

I was asked by more than one person if I was going for lunch. It turned out that people go off in small groups so I lunched with some I’d said yes to and not others – I guess I’ll just have to go back!

Knitting in Sydney

Tags

community, Knitters Guild, knitting, Ravelry, Sydney

Today was a wonderful knitterly day.

First of all, I knitted and had lunch with some of the North Sydney Knitters. There were four of us and we had lunch and knitted outdoors and spent a lovely hour together (lunch break for most people so time is precious).

Later on, I went along to the group that meets in York Street every Thursday. I have to admit to feeling a bit nervous beforehand. I’d met a couple of the North Sydney Knitters on my short visit in August but this group was totally new. I’d enquired about their meeting on Ravelry (the website for knitters and crocheters and other wool crafters. If you don’t now about it, you should!) so I knew I’d find some friendly crafters but I was slightly taken aback to discover I’d been checked out in the meantime. I suppose it’s a bit like mothers eyeing up other mothers at the school gates in an attempt to assess the suitability of their offspring being playmates.

Having said that, I had a wonderful time. I was made to feel most welcome and everyone took pains to fill me in on current events. I was encouraged to join the next Knitters Guild monthly meeting, which takes place this Saturday morning. I was told that the Inner City group (yes, there are several groups in Sydney and the surrounding area) is quite eclectic, hip and cool.

Now I just have to think about what I take along for show and tell!

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