Knitting on a rainy day in Orewa

Once again we met, we shared, we laughed and we knat!  Some amazing work being done - welcome to Heather and Helen who both returned after a break, and thanks so much to Barbara D and Mary for sharing some of their 'stash' - such excitement.
Wee Blake has been sick so was not with us this week - hopefully he'll be back on board for our class next week.  Melissa and Jonty knitted up a storm - Jonty is now vocalising and made us very aware of his opinions on our work - as any 11 week old will (!).

New generations at knitting . . .

Last week's Wednesday group hosted 3 (count them!) 3 knitting babies - lovely.
Today at Kaipatiki we were relocated due to a major flood following a burst pipe, but that didn't stop Koewyn learning some new crochet moves!

Clarifying what we're doing

Hi all - the 2 groups are going really well now and I am being asked to do demos at other sites around town.  Just to clarify - at present the Monday group - Kaipatiki knitters - is very much a creative social group with a touch more knitting than other things, but those other things now include (although are not limited to): crochet, sewing, embroidery, design, community development, gossip, eating, laughing, sharing, tea/coffee supping, saving the planet/ruling the world!  These sessions are free and include provision of some donated materials.  We meet every Monday (except public holidays) at the Community HUB on the corner of Rodney Road and Queen Street, Northcote from 10am til 12.30 or thereabouts.  I am the designated "Knitter in the room" and am usually in attendance to help if necessary, but others are also skilled and willing to assist.
Our next project is a 'Hands on knitting session' at the Birkenhead Library's outdoor area - pink couches and all - more about this later.  The Birkenhead Primary School 'Knitwits' are also interested in being involved in the upcoming Estuary art exhibition in November (see below).
Orewa's Estuary knitters are more focussed on knitting, although we are starting to branch out a bit, with some crochet, beading, etc creeping in slowly.  Sessions are $5 and are held on Wednesdays during school term times from 12.30 til 2.30pm at the Estuary Arts Centre in the Western Reserve, Hibiscus Coast Highway in Orewa.  The Cafe is open then and members of our group, which is growing all the time, are welcome to order food and drinks which may be served in the Education Room.  While I facilitate that group, and have a folder of suggestions and more formal lessons, others here are also very able and willing to help anyone who needs it.  This group is focussing on a mini-exhibition at the Estuary Arts Centre in November.  At this stage we are looking at a theme of "Recycling/transforming the square".  We also already have an installation at the Kaipara Garden Centre's Sculpture Garden just out of Kaukapakapa.

I'm back! Here's my new artwork

Hi all - sorry for the absence.  Been busy, but not  posting.  Anyway, here is my latest artwork that I've produced for the 'Made in New Zealand' exhibition opening Thursday 22 September.  I used recycled lighting materials, fibres sourced both locally and commercially and utilised techniques of various knitting and crochet styles.  I call it "Koru Bling" as it combines the organic aspects of the traditional koru while incorporating glimpses of the shiny bling within it.

And we're up and running again!

Hi all
Abject apologies to those who turned up last week - I thought I'd managed to communicate to everyone.  We are DEFINITELY starting classes this week.  I have already started down at the old war memorial hall in Northcote Point on the North Shore - Mondays 10.30am, if you want to join us.  Lots of fun and laughs.  Just starting, and we are looking to spin some new groups off from this one.

Orewa groups are raring to go.  We will be discussing the new installation for the Kaipara Sculpture Gardens, and the rest of term 3 - I will add the course outline here.  Lots of fun coming here soon!

Oh, and if you want to learn to crochet, or to take your crocheting to the next level, just let me know - there's a small group starting to meet semi-regularly on a Friday morning at the Estuary Arts Centre in Orewa.

Watch this space for news of some kids sessions through primary schools soon.  :)

Workshops for the exhibition

We have put together a programme of workshops.  These will cost $20, unless otherwise stated, and the cost will include materials.

Knitting a square

Covers casting on and off, plain and purl stitches and combinations to form different patterns, ideas for using squares to make: blankets, toys, garments.

Ideal for beginners through to experienced knitters.

Thursday 16^th June   10.30am to 12.30pm

Thursday 23^rd June  10.30am to 12.30pm

Thursday 30^th June  10.30am to 12.30pm

Knitting a picture

Choose a pattern or graph your own, then knit using 2 or 3 colours using both Fairisle and Intarsia techniques.

You will need to be able to knit and purl.

Sunday 10^th June   2pm to 4pm

Tuesday 21^st June  2pm to 4pm

Crochet for all levels

Jennifer Kipfer will teach new crochet enthusiasts the basics, including making a curlicue to add to the Seagardens Aotearoa installation, while at the same time Sharleen Greer will teach more experienced crocheters who want to take their craft to a higher level.

Friday 24^th June    10.30am to 12.30pm

Friday 01 July      10.30am to 12.30pm

 Tunisian knitting

Using a long needle with a crochet hooked end, learn basic techniques for making blankets, rugs, bags and more. 

Saturday 25^th June    10am to 12pm

High tea at the Estuary

Buy or bring your drink and join Sian Wray and Jennifer Kipfer to start to knit a cupcake, a sandwich and an asparagus roll.

Saturday 25^th June     2pm to 4pm

Freeform Knitting & crochet   $50   Full day

Join award winning freeform knitter and crocheter Jennie Eade to begin your bagmaking experience.

By the end of the day you will have started your bag and will be able to finish it in your own time at home.

You will need to bring:

 size 4 knitting needles,  scissors,

small balls or hanks of complementary coloured  and textured dk weight wools,

a crochet hook, a darning needle, a bag frame (wool & bag frame available from Spotlight). 

Some other materials will be available for purchase from Jennie.

Saturday 02^nd July  9am to 12pm, then the same day 1pm - 4pm


We'll also have people available almost all the time the exhibition is running for informal and spontaneous sessions on whatever people want to learn - including hyperbolic crochet and troubleshooting - bring your item for some advice and assistance.  Or just join us with some work to sit and chat in a convivial atmosphere!

Knitting Socks and sharing ideas

Today's lesson centred round the knitting of socks.  Christine is starting to knit using 2 needles - if the pattern works out, we'll all try.  The rest of those who wanted to have started to knit a sock on 4 double pointed needles - dpns.  Much fun, awkwardness and, finally some progress.
We looked over some very old pattern books and laughed at the range of items to knit - anyone for long johns? Knee warmers?  How about a balaclava for those chilly nights?
Barbara D is making wonderful progress with the big chair - she has really struggled with a poorly-written pattern, but now has adapted it to her own version and it is growing fast.  Mary G returned again and is finished with hats - for now!  She is knitting an exquisite red cardigan.  Jennie's producing a range of children's vests and Jan M has finished her pansy-covered tea cosy.  I thought I had taken a photo of that and of Natasha's petal tea cosy tonight, but they have not appeared on my camera!  However I have a couple of great pictures - Robyn's felted handbag is gorgeous, and the second photo is of Natasha - not long ago a very inexperienced knitter and crocheter - teaching Elona how to make a starfish for one of the exhibition exhibits!  Exciting.
Dale is continuing with her little crocheted cotton 'pots' and has also made a beautiful pink, flower embellished headband.  Robyn has produced yet more quirky canvasses about knitting - we all love her take on things!
Next week's class will include a walk around of the newly installed exhibition, and a lesson in hyperbolic crochet as we will be adding pieces to Seagardens Aotearoa.

Getting exciting now!

Our exhibition is starting to create a buzz!  Estuary Art Centre's new Administration Co-ordinator, Debra, has invigorated the website and already we are starting to get new people for the classes, while I got a call from one of the Centre's volunteers today to book in for a guided look at Knitcetera towards the end of the month.  The Orewa Girl Guides are also coming through. I am compiling the calendar of workshops and we will be having some fun!  Jennie Eade will take a freeform bagmaking class, Sharleen Greer will be teaching crochet to people who want to take their work to a more advanced level, while I will do sessions on hyperbolic crochet - the Seagardens Aotearoa installation will form part of our exhibition.  Sian and I will be taking a "High tea at the Estuary" session, knitting cakes and sandwiches, and I'll also present Tunisian knitting and flowermaking workshops.  There may be more!

Knitting in the round sessions

We had some fun with this - all agreed that the 4- double pointed needle (dpns) option is the best.  The circular needles are awkward, especially if you have one of the more inflexible types.  Number one tip: ALWAYS be extremely careful not to twist the work as you join it.  Once the initial join is made, then you can do what you like, it will just push back to the right way round.
Robyn brought a whole bag of incredible additions for the exhibition.  Today's other photo is of Trudi's work-in-progress - a miniature table & chair.  Gorgeous!

Busy, busy, busy

Excellent work this week - all working well and enjoying our contributions for the exhibition.  Well done all who came out in the ghastly weather!  We've started leaving some of our finished work in the storage shed at the Arts Centre.  Some great things happening.  Keep watching for more and more updates.  Well done to Elona for persevering with the swatches to make absolutely certain the gauge is right before starting your cardigan.  It's so easy to neglect this step in our impatience to start, only to have the end result be a big disappointment.
Welcome back Edith & Gillian, from your travels.  Christine is probably our most prolific artist!  Her large birds are amazing - see the photos.  Elaine has produced a basket of exquisite sock-wool birds, and Alison's cushions are providing inspiration for many.
We need to decide on process to list for the pieces we are happy to be sold - it would be good to do that quite soon.  Carry on the GREAT work!

Lesson 10 - final for term 1

Although this is the final class for term one, we are continuing in the school holidays - I will be welcoming any and all knitters/crocheters to my home at 1/60 Riverside Road in Orewa all day and evening both Wednesdays.  Please park in the 'Students carparking' area just past the roundabout coming from the beach - we are the second house past that - with the wooden fence.
Patrick is on standby to man the coffee machine!
Today's sessions were even more inspiring, if you can believe it!  Scroll down to see the new photos.
On 11th May - the 2nd class of term 2 - we will be bringing all the work we have completed so far to do a stocktake of all the little details we need to to finish, take some photos for the booklet, and generally start the countdown in earnest.  I am not the least bit stressed ... yet!

We talked today about a range of things - what we will do after the exhibition (!), and all sorts of great ideas for Knitcetera as an entity.  See more about this later.  I think we have enough to do at the moment - although I have a LOT of ideas up my sleeve.

The scarf most people are contributing to is growing by the week - Sian estimates we have around 30 metres to date - fantastic.  It is truly a piece of art, with many different stitches, colours, textures, embellishments - a real joy.  After the exhibition we will review what it can be made into for the future.  Some suggestions are: parts can be made into scarves for wearing.  We can sew them together to make blankets, we can display it elsewhere.  Who knows - we may come to a community centre or school near you.

We have enough leaves for the pohutukawa tree, thanks - I never thought I'd be saying that!  The main things we are concentrating on now are fishy things, and insects.  Oh, and that reminds me - have heard from Glenys - Seagardens Aotearoa is DEFINITELY going to be part of Knitcetera - so exciting!

Lesson 4 - crochet & Tunisian

What a fantastic lot you are!  We had some fun today - again.  Some people struggled, but the results have been brilliant!  Most of the people in all three classes chose to try the granny squares - despite the pattern being challenging!  I have rewritten the pattern and will post it here as well as including it with this week's email.

BASIC GRANNY SQUARE TO CROCHET

To start:    Ch4, join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1:   Ch3, 2dc in ring, ch2, (3dc in ring, ch2) 3times for corner. 

Join to top of starting chain with a sl st.

Cut yarn & tie off.

Round 2:   Join new colour at any ch2 space.

Ch3, in same space work 2dc, ch2, 3dc (this is your starting corner).

Ch1, (in next ch2 space work 3dc, ch2, 3dc, ch1) 3 times.

Join to top of starting ch with a sl st. 

Cut yarn, tie off.

Round 3:    Join new colour at any ch2 space. 

Work starting corner as before = Ch3, in same space work 2dc, ch2, 3dc .

Then *ch1, 3dc in next ch1 space, ch1. 

In next sp work 3dc, ch2, 3dc (corner). 

Repeat from * 2 times more. 

Ch1, 3dc in next ch1 space, ch1

Join to top of starting ch with a sl st. 

Cut yarn, tie off.

Round 4:   Join new colour at any ch2 sp,

Work starting corner as before = Ch3, in same space work 2dc, ch2, 3dc . 

Then *(ch1, 3dc in next ch1 sp) 2x. 

Ch1, work corner in next corner space = 3dc, 2ch, 3dc. 

Rep from * 2x more, (ch1, 3dc in next ch1 sp)2x, ch1.

Join to top of starting ch with a sl st. 

Cut yarn, fasten off.

  

For a larger square, continue to work around the piece in the established pattern, which is 3dc, 2ch, 3dc in each corner and 1ch, 3dc, in each space at the side of the square, with 1ch between the last 3dc group and the corner group.  Make one more 3dc group between corners in each round.

Some people tried the tunisian knitting - also known as tunisian crochet, afghan knitting or tricot.  It's so much fun - we must revisit it sometime.

Everyone is working away at the things for the exhibition with some great work happening - so exciting!!

The Course

Although each course is different as it is an organic thing - evolving and changing in response to the individual needs of the people who attend, this is the basic outline I have designed for term 1, 2011.

The main focus for each session is in bold. This is intended as a basic outline - session content may vary depending on individual needs of preferences.

Lesson 1: Welcome and introductions. Outline course and exhibition. Report on progress to date. Copyright. Video clips - knitting; yarnbombing; knitting as art. Floor plan of the Art Centre and overview of ideas to date for the June exhibition.

Lesson 2: Recycling. Using t-shirts, plarn (plastic yarn we will make using plastic shopping bags) and other reusable fibres. Sharing ideas for additions to the exhibition, we will fill in a table of who will do what, where and when. A guide only - this needs to be fun, not work!

Lesson 3: Intarsia & Fairisle. An explanation using examples of the difference. Making our own pictures - designs using graph paper. Trial samples, including gauge samples. Ideas for the future.

Lesson 4: Crochet & Tunisian Knitting. How to. Examples. 'Seagardens Aotearoa'. Review of progress to date. Using various tools, sizes and variations. Finding your comfort zone. Right and left-handed work.

Lesson 5: Flowers, stems, brooches. Other embellishments. i-cord. French knitting. size variations. A range of fibres and materials.

Lesson 6: Scarves. From easy to very complicated - crochet, circular needles, etc. Chevron, ribs, moebius, cables, entrelac.

Lesson 7: Joining pieces. UFOs - unfinished objects. (Everyone has them!) Various methods. Overview of progress towards exhibition. Finalised timeline.

Lesson 8: Double-up and other 'different' forms of knitting. A bit of fun. Also, yarn bombing/storming in the Western Reserve - an expedition. Also, start to record vignettes of finished work for the exhibition.

Lesson 9: Easter patterns. Because we can! Chicks, eggs, etc. Show and tell re exhibition pieces. Identify gaps.

Lesson 19: Final session for term 1. A wrap up and review of the past term's work. This session will be on 13th April.

What do you reckon? Are we having fun, or what?