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!

Worldwide Knit in Public - KIP

Click here to find a KIP near you on the worldwide website.  We are there for Saturday 18th June this year.  :)

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!

Back with a hiss and a roar!!

What an amazing lot of talent!  We brought together quite a few of the items we have crafted towards the exhibition today.  WOW!!!  Check out the new photos here.  It's a great big countdown now, looking at the publicity as well...  More here soon.
Elaine's wee sock birds are exquisite and we now have a basketful.  Edith is back with a vengeance, bringing shells, sea creatures and veges!  I need to take a lot more photos - will do that later in the week.

Holidays

Well, a few people turned up at my house last week and I'm expecting more tomorrow.  We are busy, busy, busy.  We need more insects please, and perhaps some more leaves, using Sian's wool - she is keeping the pohutukawa tree the same colours.
I have been given another big box of yarn - have spent most of Easter weekend knitting, naturally.  One of the bundles was for a jersey this person (thanks Sue!) gave me - she had started knitting a mohair jersey for a small adult/large child.  Had knitted half the back.  I have finished it!  Felt it was the least I could do to say thanks for the rest of the wool.  I hope she has a niece, friend, etc she can give it to - I suspect she started it years ago when her daughters were kids - they are all grown up now.  (Sound familiar?)
Anyway, I've also worked on my 'poppies' piece - it's almost finished, and I have a few butterflies on the go - a bit fiddly, but next I want to make a huge one, using about 8 strands of dk - will post a photo when I do it.
Counting down now to the exhibition.  I've just started to feel a bit of urgency!
Keep up the good work!  :)  And check out what our knitting friends in the north got up to this ANZAC day!  Go to matayarnas.wordpress.com

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 8 - continuing

Once again, I am amazed at the diligence and ability in these classes.  We are well on our way to having a wonderful exhibition.  Counting down now - I am putting together a list of workshops to advertise for the daytimes during the exhibition, and we are all purposefully working towards our 'to do' list.
Keep those flowers coming - remember now, if you are making i-cord stems to have wire inserted so they can stand up in the 'garden' you need to cast on 5 stitches, so the opening is wide enough.
We are STILL waiting delivery of the bugs and insects book from Amazon, as is the library!  In the meantime, keep up the leaves, flowers and other things.  Sian's praying mantis is looking amazing, and we have ladybird, butterfly, caterpillar and bee patterns if you want them.
A couple of new photos today - we did a little bit of yarnbombing outside the education room.  A lovely scene, with the Estuary, the Tai Chi class and the 'dressed' trees - (just a pity about the ugly prefabs next door).

More connections discovered tonight - we all know someone...  scarey.  Lovely fun and laughter - keep it up.