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PRESS RELEASES The Knit Show June 23rd- 24th 2012 Now in its third year, The Knit Show is a great opportunity to talk to suppliers, see and touch the latest yarns and view the forthcoming trends. Request your invitation today and witness the unveiling of the Autumn/Winter 2012/13 Collections for hand knitting yarns. The Knit Show takes place from 9am - 5pm on Saturday, 23rd and 9am - 4pm on Sunday, 24th June at Ashton Gate Football Stadium in Bristol. This historic city has plenty of attractions to make it an ideal destination for a weekend break. Situated at the intersection of the M4 and M5 motorways, Bristol has excellent road access from the North, West and South East regions, including London and the Home Counties. The Stadium also has ample free parking adjacent to the exhibition hall, while Bristol Temple Meads Station is just 5 minutes from the stadium, with direct trains from Birmingham, Manchester, London, Scotland and Wales. As well as seeing brand new and innovative yarn developments, visitors are also invited to join the UKHKA for a complimentary lunchtime buffet which will be served from 12 - 2pm each day. Hot and cold drinks will be available throughout the day. "This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with all the major spinners under one roof, giving you a broad selection of yarns and designs with a huge choice to suit all tastes and budgets."– Austen Ramsden of Thomas B. Ramsden. "A chance to see all the exciting new collections in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. It’s also a great place for those new to hand knitting to come and see what all the fuss is about" Emma Mychajlowskyj of Coats Crafts UK. "Yarn and patterns are now really fashionable with exciting colours and textures and more exotic fibres than ever before!" – John Frankish of Stylecraft. "A must-do event for serious retailers - we will be launching a new range of knitting accessories with great deals." Andrew Groves of Groves. Highlights from the Yarn Lounge, Seminars and Fashion Show at CHSI The UKHKA Fashion Show, Seminars and The Yarn Lounge at CHSI 19th-21st February 2012 Craft Club Hits The Big Screen With Cinema Knit-Along Events February - March 2012 The events are for families who want to learn more about knitting – a skill which has been proven to enhance cognitive development in children, and well-being in both children and adults. The events will start with a viewing of a short film on existing school Craft Clubs and a viewing of a newly commissioned short film on knitting - a playful and humorous animated tale featuring knitted babies, beards, kittens, bees and zombies which will inspire those new to knitting. These two short films will be followed by a session on how to finger knit – a technique that can be easily learned by young children. Children will be able to take home what they make in the session along with a knitting starter kit to encourage a desire to learn more about the skill. Craft Club launched in 2010 in order to provide children with the opportunity to learn craft skills from members of their community via free after-school clubs. There are now nearly 500 Craft Clubs existing in schools nationwide. In 2012 this successful scheme will be extended into a range of community settings, including libraries, museums and cinemas. Confirmed cinema events: Click here to book a free place 2012 UKHKA Knitted Textile Awards 2011 The Knitted Textile Awards (KTAs) were a great success again this year with the finalists exhibiting their work at The Knitting and Stitching Shows at Alexandra Palace, London, in October and at International Halls, Harrogate in November. The KTAs were launched in 2003 by the UKHKA, and are co-sponsored by Knitting Magazine (GMC Publications) and Twisted Thread (Creative Exhibitions). The awards are open to all university students and new graduates in knitted textiles, with work judged on originality, overall concept and the innovative use of technique, yarns, materials and colour. The awards provide an opportunity to showcase the new talent emerging from UK universities, exhibiting their forward thinking creativity in all aspects of yarn crafts and demonstrating the versatility of the knitted (or crocheted) stitch! Click here to visit Knitted Textile Awards Showcase Craft Club Expands From Schools To Connect Communities Through additional Arts Council funding and a generous donation from the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) the Crafts Council and UK Hand Knitting Association’s Craft Club initiative is expanding into a range of community settings including museums, libraries and cinemas. Following a successful first year of activity the Craft Club scheme now has 350 active clubs in schools across the UK teaching children craft skills with the help of local volunteers via lunchtime or after-school clubs. Craft Club will build on this success by setting up clubs outside of schools. It will work on the same premise with volunteers passing on their skills to others in a fun and lively environment - in this case to parents as well as children. It will strengthen bonds between local communities and between family members by enabling them to learn new skills together. Eleven volunteer training events will take place across the UK this autumn including events in Cardiff, Margate, London, South Shields, Sheffield and Walsall. The full list of confirmed training venues is listed below. These training events will result in up to 300 new volunteers knowing how to effectively and confidently pass on their knowledge and skills to others. These training host venues will then be supported to set up a regular Craft Club at their venue using the trained volunteers. They will also be supported by the online resource www.craftclub.org.uk that provides practical tips, project ideas and an online forum connecting people who are passionate about craft and learning new skills. The next phase of Craft Club Connects will be based in cinemas with four cinema based Craft Club events starting in January 2012. Click here if you are interested in attending one of these training events Craft Clubs Increasing Across The UK Craft Clubs are forming at a rapid pace across the UK and
we are getting some brilliant feedback from schools. This is just one
of many wonderful stories from teachers and volunteers about successful
Craft Clubs. "Following my knitting workshop for teachers and colleagues, I've managed to generate a knitting craze across my entire village school. The head even had to tell children to 'stop knitting' during assembly! The children are wearing metres of finger knitting around their necks and in their hair in interesting improvisations of uniform rules. We've got mums and governors in, taught knitting with needles in small groups, and the children have then taught each other. We are planning to yarn bomb a local sculpture with our results and end the festivities with a sponsored whole-school knit. We intend to get the press involved. I really want to reward this healthy addiction." Knit 1 Pass it On (January 2011) Craft Club is championing KNITTING in schools to revive craft learning in the younger generations. We believe that children and young people should have the chance to learn craft skills. So if you want to learn or pass on yarn craft skills, please get involved or even start your own Craft Club! The first element in this exciting new project is KNIT 1, PASS IT ON. Knitting gives a sense of achievement and boosts coordination, improving dexterity, maths and handwriting. The generous support of our partners and volunteers will help us to make it happen. We offer advice, resources and support to inspire teachers, pupils and volunteers to set up clubs during lunchtimes or after-hours in their school or venue. It’s easy to get involved! Simply register online at Craft Club to access the resources you need to get started, and give us a shout at knit1@craftclub.org.uk if you need any help! PRESS RELEASES 2010 Rowan And British Wool Week (July 2010) Rowan is proud to support Wool Week 2010, in association with The British Wool Marketing Board Rowan is extremely excited to present it's programme of events in conjunction with Wool Week 2010. Commencing on the 11th October 2010, Rowan will celebrate and support the British Wool Industry through a series of events held in John Lewis stores and independent retailers nationwide. We will also be working with the prestigious Liberty store in London on a special design project with The Royal College of Art. Taking centre stage will be the Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds yarns; Chunky, DK and Bouclé, which are shorn and blended from British sheep and spun into beautiful undyed yarn at mills in Rowan's heartland of Yorkshire. Now entering their third season, Rowan's British Sheep Breeds yarns are showcased in three design collections including; The British Sheep Breeds Collection, The Purelife Winter Collection and Purelife Autumn - New for Autumn/Winter 2010. As part of the week's activities, Rowan will be launching it's first exclusively online design collection; a beautiful selection of homewares using it's 100% British wool. Also exclusive to Rowan, a perfectly on trend men's union jack slipover by Martin Storey and a ladies tunic dress by Grace Melville. Both will be available to download for free from October. The Wool Project is the brain child of HRH Prince of Wales and is being spearheaded by Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Conde Nast, the global publishing company behind titles including Vogue. The week is designed to highlight the natural and sustainable aspects together with the practical benefits of wool and using this great product rather than man made fibres. The project captured the prince's attention from discussions he had had with tenants on his own estate who had told him that it is hardly worth shearing their sheep. 'The sad truth is that around the world farmers are leaving sheep production because the price they get for their wool is below the costs of actually shearing it', he said 'The future of the fibre was looking very bleak indeed.' By bringing together diverse groups from across the Wool sector including textile designers, spinners and fashion industries it is hoped that the week will raise the profile of the Wool Industry and put British Wool back on the map. Click here for details of further events Craft Club brings craft back into classrooms with the help of the WI The Crafts Council and the UK Hand Knitting Association are joining forces with the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) to help teach youngsters to knit. Craft Club, www.craftclub.org.uk, launched 8 January 2010, is a new national campaign to provide children and young people with the opportunity to learn craft skills from members of their community via free after-school clubs. The teaching of craft is widely variable in the UK with some pupils receiving minimal opportunity to work in 3D due to cost, space and staff expertise. Craft Club has been developed to ensure that craft skills still have a rightful place in the classroom. Craft Club needs the support of schools and individual teachers and also relies on the enthusiasm and skills of the broader community in order to pass on craft skills and techniques to its participants, or 'Craft Clubbers'. Volunteers will receive specialist training at workshops across the country and will then become involved in their local Craft Club. Each Craft Club can be run in its own way - either combining efforts to achieve a shared goal or working individually in the company of friends on solo projects. The first skills that Craft Club will focus on are knitting and yarn crafts, enlisting the help of local knitting groups, WI members and all other enthusiastic knitters. Knitting provides a sense of achievement, helps boost self confidence and improves dexterity, maths and handwriting. Knitting has only recently been seen as a female-only pursuit as knitting originated in the Middle East and was spread by sailors and merchants along trade routes. And men and women alike helped the WWII war effort by knitting garments for soldiers on the front line. The Craft Club website will provide volunteers with access to teaching tools, practical tips and project ideas and Craft Clubbers with a forum to share patterns, ideas for projects and contact other like-minded Craft Clubbers across the country. 'Craft Club will engage young people with craft in a fun and informal setting and introduce them to members of their own community and provides the opportunity to be creative whilst socialising.' Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director, Crafts Council The first Craft Clubs are planned to start in spring 2010 but people who are interested can register now on www.craftclub.org.uk For further information and electronic images please contact Jill Read, Press Officer, Crafts Council, Tel: 020 7806 2549 or Email: media@craftscouncil.org.uk Notes The UK Hand Knitting Association (UKHKA) is dedicated to raising the profile of yarn crafts through a variety of campaigns and initiatives including Knit1, Pass It On to encourage all knitters to pass on their skills to other people. For more information on all aspects of knitting and yarn crafts, including latest What's On news, knitting clubs across the UK, Knitted Textile graduate showcase and awards, knitting artists and celebrities, knitted projects for all to join in, fascinating facts and statistics and links to numerous knitting related organisations and individuals visit the UKHKA site; www.ukhandknitting.com The WI is the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK with more than 205,000 members in 6,500 WIs. It plays a unique role in enabling women to develop new skills, giving them opportunities to campaign on issues that matter to them and their communities, and provides wide-ranging activities for members to get involved in. For further information please visit www.theWI.org.uk Craft Club brings craft back into classrooms Craft Club, www.craftclub.org.uk, due to launch soon, is a new national campaign to provide children and young people with the opportunity to learn craft skills from members of their community via free after-school clubs. The teaching of craft is widely variable in the UK with some pupils receiving minimal opportunity to work in 3D due to cost, space and staff expertise. Craft Club has been developed to ensure that craft skills still have a rightful place in the classroom. Craft Club needs the support of schools and individual teachers and also relies on the enthusiasm and skills of the broader community in order to pass on skills and techniques to 'Craft Clubbers'. Volunteers will receive specialist training at workshops across the country and will then become involved in their local Craft Club. Each Craft Club can be run in its own way - either combining efforts to achieve a shared goal or working individually in the company of friends on solo projects. The first skills that Craft Club will focus on are knitting and yarn crafts, enlisting the help of local knitting groups, WI members and other enthusiastic knitters. Knitting provides a sense of achievement, boosting self confidence and improving dexterity, maths and handwriting. Knitting originated in the Middle East and was spread by sailors and merchants along trade routes and men and women alike helped the WWII war effort by knitting garments for soldiers on the front line. There are so many aspects of history that can be incorporated as part of a curriculum topic. The Recycled Rainforest Project at Lindens Primary School is covering ecology and dealing with creative hands-on aspects of recycling and from the whole of year 5 who are now avid knitters, the craze is spreading throughout the rest of the school. The Craft Club website will provide teachers, volunteers and Craft Clubbers with their own dedicated access to practical tips and project ideas as well as a forum to share patterns and a point of contact for like-minded Craft Clubbers across the country. 'Craft Club will engage young people with craft in a fun and informal setting and introduce them to members of their own community and provides the opportunity to be creative whilst socialising.' Rosy Greenlees, Executive Director, Crafts Council The first Craft Clubs are planned to start in Spring 2010 but people who are interested can register now here Recycled Rainforest Project Update (November 09) Year 5 at Lindens Primary School, Streetly, have been working with visual artist Lindsay Chalford-Brown and a number of volunteer knitting experts to create their own ' Knitted Rainforest '. Constructed entirely from recycled materials, this project is the flagship of the 'Craft Club ' initiative launched in November 2009 by the Crafts Council and sponsored by the UK Hand Knitting Association. The project is supported by the WI who provided many of our wonderful volunteer knitters. The Head at Lindens, Simon Griffiths, has been a driving force, extending the arts right across the school curriculum and creating a truly wondrous learning environment for all the children in his care. This project has bought together children, staff, parents, community volunteers, artists, national arts organisations and industry to provide a showcase for the talents and commitment to craft skills and the recognition of their future value in education.The practical side of the project is entirely administered and managed by the children themselves, with each phase of the project having a "Group Leader". The whole process is further overseen by two "Project Leaders", who collaborate with the Group Leaders, Artists, Volunteers and Staff to administer the mechanics and logistics. So far, after an introductory afternoon knitting workshop and an intensive week in school, we have created a collaged backdrop of a Rainforest environment - waterfalls and forest - (6m long x 2.45m) which has been made of hundreds of hand knitted items cut and collaged onto a Hessian background and then painted to pick up all the textural interest. We have also created free-standing tree trunks out of donated, recycled industrial polystyrene, which will be covered in textural hand knitting produced by the children and their knitting support visitors in classroom workshops and at Craft Club. Using the same polystyrene core, the children have also made huge, knitting-covered 'rocks', which will sit under the backdrop waterfall and provide seating within the knitted 'river', which is also being produced from squares of knitting sewn together. At the weekly Craft Club our fantastic community volunteer knitters have been joining us and all sorts of recycled yarns get created and knitted! Plastic bags, fabric strips, old tights, ribbon, packaging and wire are just a few of the yarns we experiment with - and they are incorporated in the 'Rainforest' to create texture and pattern. The children's response to the project has been our inspiration. Really taking on the challenge, the boys and girls have been practicing their knitting at every available opportunity and even taking it home with them."They would rather knit than play football !", Mr Griffiths reported one lunchtime, after seeing a group of (usually sporty) boys knitting giant strips of fabric together on knitting needles made from recycled dowelling and walking-stick ferrules! As a result of this enthusiasm, all 45 children involved can now hand knit proficiently and have a wonderfully creative outlook on the application of what are still recognised as traditional crafts. We are hoping that this project will inspire many similar projects in UK schools, either as part of a themed curriculum topic or as an after-school Craft Club. Comments from the children and volunteers who took part in The Recycled Rain Forest Molly 10 Aged 10 Stephanie Aged 10 Sam Aged 9 Liam aged 10 Pavan aged 10 Harry aged 9 ½ Nikki aged 9 Daniel aged 9 WI Sheila Davies Federation Chairman, West Midlands Branch Recycled Rainforest Project (October 09) Recycled Rainforest is a collaborative pilot project to launch 'Craft Club' and will take place at Lindens Primary School in Sutton Coldfield. The Recycled Rainforest Project will be showcased at the Design + Technology Show at the NEC in November 2009. At the show, six pupils from the school who have been involved with the project will be there to talk about the skills they have learnt to anyone who visits the stand. Project Leader Lindsay Chalford-Brown explains: "Taking the topic 'Life Cycles' as a starting point and looking closely at the structure of the Rainforest, the impact that our lifestyle has on its wellbeing and the highly relevant subject of Recycling for inspiration, the aim is to produce a huge scale (4m x 2.50m) 'relief' collage frieze based on the Rainforest environment, which will serve both as an introduction to the project and provide a dramatic and colourful backdrop for the showcase stand at the NEC ICHF show in November. It will also eventually be on permanent display in the school. Working on a base of Hessian and applying a 3d collage created from 'recycled' donated hand knitted items then enhanced with paint and recycled collage materials. Working in Groups, overseen by a Y5 Project Leader and each led by a Y5 Group Leader, the children will design and make the frieze from scratch."
The project is supported by the UK Hand Knitting Association and The Crafts Council and resources will be made available and volunteers encouraged to come into the school to pass on skills and help with the project. The project will benefit from an ongoing after school club across all year groups where yarn crafts could be learnt from parents and volunteers. The children will be encouraged to make basic yarns from recycled carrier bags, string, raffia, fabric strips, theads, yarns and other exciting materials. Skills will include finger knitting, crochet, French knitting and knitting. Giant knitting needles, a giant knitting frame and other novel things to knit with as well as traditional equipment will be supplied. We would also like to encourage the children to keep a record and monitor their progress and mood using the 'mood thermometer'. This is to support the research being carried out by Stitchlinks on the benefits of yarn crafts in terms of educational development and self esteem as well as the calming, de-stressing effect of engaging in the creative process. The children will be using their own initiative to work independently and well as in teams. Other local schools and interested parties are welcome to join in where appropriate Lindens School is blazing a trail for the Craft Club project. Craft Club is a new initiative to get yarn crafts into schools and has been set up by the Crafts Council and the UK Hand Knitting Association with the support of other organizations. Using our Craft Action Network we will set up regional steering groups of professionals who will be able to link with schools all over the UK, introducing yarncrafts into lunchtime and after-school clubs as well as integrating it into the curriculum. A dedicated Craft Club website will be launched during the early autumn and this has been designed to appeal to children participating in the craft, as well as including resources and information for teachers and volunteers, educational material, project sheets, lesson plans, branding and logos and a forum for project leaders. The site will develop organically as the project spreads to schools across the UK. In conjunction with the launch of the Craft Club, Knit 1 Pass It is a new initiative to encourage all UK knitters to pass on skills to at least one child/adult and will be launched in the autumn in all the specialist craft magazines. Knit1-Pass It On is a new national campaign
launched by the UK Hand Knitting Association. The aim is simple: to support
at least one other person (child or adult) to learn to knit or crochet.
All you need to do is pass on your knitting skills! To kick start this exciting new programme we need your help. All you will need is a willing student who has so far slipped through the knitting net (yes, apparently they do exist!) and pass on your skills. Knit1-Pass It On is the start up project
to herald an exciting new initiative from the Crafts Council in partnership
with the UK Hand Knitting Association to introduce knitting and related
yarn crafts into the school curriculum and school clubs across the UK.
Click here for Craft Club website Stitches on the Bridge / Lùban air an Drochaid Stitches on the Bridge, Lùban air an Drochaid, in
the West Highlands of Scotland, will be hanging pieces of knitting and
crochet on the Skye Bridge from Friday 23 to Monday 26 October 2009. "Knitters Forge New 'Thai's' In The Far East" A Knitted Gingerbread House measuring 140 square feet and weighing 790 kilos is leaving North Devon today on a container bound for Thailand. The unique knitted wonder house which was the brainchild of Alison Murray, 46 year old international textile designer, and the house, complete with knitted garden is heading to Thailand to help promote a Thai community project, 'Let's Knit for the Needy'. In 2005 Alison came up with an idea to knit the World's
Largest Knitted Christmas Tree. 'I wanted to organise a community project
to promote knitting and I was overwhelmed with the response. What had
started out as a local project saw knitters clicking in unison around
the world and we ended up with a 37 foot Christmas Tree which went on
tour across the UK '. The success of the knitted tree was the impetus
Alison needed to come up with another wacky knitting project and as a
result a full size ginger-bread house, complete with a knitted garden
was created. 'Millions of stitches were knitted by hundreds of women across
the world to create a single storey house with 10 inch squares sewn together
in a complex jigsaw'. Alison's obsession with the house grew and she encouraged
people to get more creative with their knitting. 'We also furnished the
house with bed, The Knitted Gingerbread House will remain on display for five days in the Central World Centre with knitting workshops located next to it and will then move to the lobby of the BNH Hospital where it will remain on display until the end of September. A display taken from the knitted house will be presented to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at a seminar as part of the BHN Hospital 's Corporate Social Responsibility presentation. Alison will travel to Bangkok with her uncle, John Murray, courtesy of the BNH Hospital and is keeping her fingers crossed that the Gingerbread House arrives in Bangkok ahead of her. 'I have brought my brother John to help with the erection of the house as it is fitted on to a special metal frame which he himself designed! This is a great accolade for everyone who contributed to the knitting of the Gingerbread House, particularly those in North Devon who supported my crazy idea when I first decided to knit the World's Largest Knitted Christmas Tree'. North Devon+, an organisation in North Devon who promote community regeneration admire the creative angle the Thai are taking in promoting social responsibility and are thrilled that the world is sourcing its creative flair from North Devon. About the UK Hand Knitting Association The UK Hand Knitting Association is a charitable organisation dedicated to promoting the crafts of knitting and crochet through a variety of initiatives;
Information and Statistics from www.ukhandknitting.com Over 350 groups listed in the UK on this website (2011) Estimated number of knitters in the UK No official statistics, but it is estimated there are between 4 and 7 million knitters in the UK but the number is increasing rapidly as school clubs and knitting groups flourish. Celebrity Knitters Diva Zappa Scarlett Johannson Debra Messing (Will and Grace) Jimmy Hill Muslim Shabaz (Big Brother) Kimberley Stewart (Rod's daughter) Tracey Ullman Kate Holmes Laurence Fishburne David Arquette Uma Thurman Kate Moss Hilary Swank Cameron Diaz Catherine Zeta-Jones Sarah Jessica Parker Kate Moss Winona Ryder Uma Thurman Brooke Shields Lily Allen Madonna Julia Roberts is starring in The Friday Night Knitting Club due out in 2010 Knitting Magazines There are currently eight magazines dedicated to knitting and crochet. Knitting - circulation 32,000 Simply Knitting - circulation 45,459 Let's Knit - circulation 50,000 Knit Today - circulation 20,000 Yarn Forward- circulation 15,000 The Knitter (new from late 2008) Inside Crochet - new launch Contemporary Crochet - new launch The Guardian Daily Mail The Telegraph The Scotsman The Independent The Daily Telegraph The Mail on Sunday The Sunday Telegraph BBC News website Sunday Sun Irish Independent Marie Claire Magazine Prima Financial Times Knitting has shown to be beneficial for;
Studies have shown that knitting provides relief for:
Aims
What does Stitchlinks do? When the seeds of Stitchlinks were sown the idea was to support those who felt isolated or lonely by circumstance or illness. But it has blossomed from there to include people who believe in preventative healthcare, carers and healthcare workers. The benefits can help everyone to find balance in life, to take control, as well as better manage illness. The tools we use are knitting, crochet and stitching and a large number of people already use these to manage a range of medical conditions that you can read about. The UKHKA offers retailers the chance to feature their shop on the site. All around the UK there are many life-size community knitting projects taking place - the most prominent one this year is Above and Below the Waves. Having raised thousands of pounds through The World's Largest Knitted Christmas Tree project and more recentlyThe Gingerbread House in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, Alison Murray has set her sights on raising money for the RNLI to train a person to man a Lifeboat for a year. Aptly namedAbove and Below the Waves, we are calling on all knitters to help knit items for this project.World's Fastest Hand Knitter - Miriam Tegels - 118 stitches in 1 minute UK's Fastest Hand Knitter - Hazel Tindall -255 stitches in 3 minutes World's Fast Crocheter - Lisa Gentry - 5,113 stitches in 30 minutes Celebrating The Life Of Tom Paine: Let's Knit and Knatter at Ancient House In preparation for the Thomas Paine bicentenary celebrations in Thetford, Norfolk, the team at Ancient House embarked on the latest community project - knitting. One of the lesser-known facts about Tom Paine, Thetford's revolutionary son is that he donated the proceeds from his pamphlet 'Common Sense' to provide mittens for the troops engaged in the revolutionary cause in America. Looking for a fun way to join in the Tom Paine 200 Festival, Melissa Hawker, Learning Officer, came up with the idea of having 200 pairs of mittens - 1 for each year since Thomas Paine's death, knitted in the patriotic colours of red, white and blue. These colours form a link between the Union Jack, the Stars and Stripes and the French flags. In October 2008, the 'Knit and Knatter' group began with many eager ladies joining Melissa and Sue in a mitten knitting session. Our bi-monthly Knit and Knatter sessions have continued to be successful. We have already knitted 448 pairs of mittens! During the Tom Paine Celebration Weekend (6th and 7th June) the mittens will be displayed in the Ancient House before being donated to the Seaman's Mission, the Salvation Army and the West Suffolk Hospital Special Care Baby Unit. The 'Knit and Knatter' group has been so successful that the ladies have chosen to continue after the Tom Paine Celebration, and are currently considering their next project. One idea is to re-produce some historical knitting for use in the museum. As the mitten project was a charitable endeavour, the group would like to continue this good work. Click here for details of forthcoming events The Knitting Noras - Naked Knitting 2010 The Knitting Noras are a group of dedicated (mostly female!) knittersfrom Bolton who have decided to follow in the footsteps of thewonderful WI ladies, and get their kit off for charity!The group, which meets twice monthly and who have been involved inprevious knitting-related charity events, decided it was time to dosomething special to raise money for a charity close to their hearts -Christie Hospital. Sarah Richards, co-founder of The Knitting Noras,was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2008, and very recentlydied. The project was already in the offing, but this recent eventmakes it ever more poignant.On Monday 2 March Vicky Jeffery and Lisa Brooks, the ladies who cameup with the idea, got together at Rivington Park Creative Centre forthe first photo shoot, along with Francesca Marsh, novice knitter andLisa's daughter. Laurie Jeffery, a renowned photographer (and Vicky'shusband) lent his talents behind the camera and attached is the firstpublicity shot. Peruse it at your pleasure!More Knitting Noras will be on the receiving end of the camerasattention very soon, and there may even be a naked knit out in a localcafe!If you're a shy type and don't fancy letting it all hang out, feelfree to come along to one of our friendly knitouts at Costa Coffee onthe Town Hall Square, Bolton (last Sunday of every month) and theBlundell Arms, Chorley Old Road, Horwich, Bolton (second Tuesday ofevery month). No previous knitting experience is essential and we'rehappy to teach (and learn from) new members. To contact the Noras, please email: info@theknittingnoras.co.uk. Saturday 6 June 2009 UK Ravelry day will be held on Saturday 6 June 2009 at the Central Hall, Coventry. It promises to be an exciting day and will include a market (outside building in the Bull Yard square), demonstrations, workshops, talks. The event is being headlined by Meg Swansen, daughter of Elizabeth Zimmermann. Other well known teachers include Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed), Ruth Paisley (Woolly Wormhead), Elizabeth Lovick & Debbie Bamford (Mulberry Dyer). There will also be collections for charities such as Knit in Gambia (baby clothes and shawls for older people) which is run by a Raveller and Liverpool NHS (knitted breasts which are used to teach new mothers how to breastfeed). The theme of this year's event is British yarn. Says organiser Jo Watson: 'Last year I was growing increasingly interested in finding out why it is that a lot of the yarns I use are made abroad. We have over 60 different breeds of native sheep in the UK and although quite a lot of our wool is coarse and suitable for carpets, a good proportion could be used to make handknitting yarns. It is shocking that farmers have to burn fleeces. After reading some information on the British Wool Marketing Board's website about how much wool is exported each year, I decided that I would try and do something on a small scale to support British sheep farmers during these tough economic times, by increading demand for British- made handknitting wools. It's amazing how everyone who's having a stall in the marketplace has risen to the challenge of sourcing British wool from British sheep.' She continues: 'I had an idea in the car at the beginning of January about how great it would be if Ravelry could sort of come into being for a day. So I could meet all the people I've met virtually on the forums, where we could all do in person what we do on Ravelry. I think Ravelry is the best contribution of the world of knitting there has been in recent times. ' Another theme of this year's event is to support the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres www.naturalfibres2009.org). UK Ravelry day is the only non-academic event being held in the UK this year which has received accreditation from the United Nations.
Click here for Workshops at UK Ravelry day (correct as of 15 March 2009) The Moray Firth Partnership have recently been awarded the
maximum £50,000 Heritage Lottery funding for a 'Hand knitting of
traditional fishing ganseys and associated fishing lore' project. Preparatory
work is now well underway, although we still need to raise match funding
before the project can officially commence. Click here for further information
PRESS RELEASES 2008 Hazel Tindall: New International Speed Knitting Champion 2008"I am delighted to have won the 2008 competition and grateful for the sponsorship of UK Hand Knitting Association. After hearing about the competition some people have been inspired to pick up their needles again. The best way to learn about knitting is to meet more experienced knitters so I'm pleased to see so much useful information about knitting groups/clubs listed on www.ukhandknitting.com website where such help can be found. I'd like to dedicate my success to all the speedy Shetland knitters whose work had to be top quality and quickly produced in order to keep their families from starvation." Hazel's Report About The Event: At the Mall of America on 16 February 2008 five knitters representing Canada, France, Netherlands, UK and USA took part in an International Fastest Knitter Competition. Knitters used size 5mm knitting needles and 100% wool supplied by the Craft Yarn Council of America, with 60 stitches on each row. Each knitted as many stitches as she could in three minutes, three times. The best score from their three trials was used to decide the winner. Hazel Tindall, representing the UK and sponsored by UK Hand Knitting Association, was the winner. She knitted 241, 247 and 262 stitches in the three minute trials. The best score for the runner up, Miriam Tegels from the Netherlands, was 243. The UKHKA Press Office Response: The UKHKA are keen to promote the craft which is currently
thriving. Young 20 somethings are joining the 100's of knitting groups
around the UK (some in London have 700+ members!) They are all enthusiastic
knitters who love the craft. "The UK Hand Knitting Association is dedicated to passing on knitting and crochet skills to the next generation." Click here for more details about the other competitors Knit-Out & Fastest Knitter/Crocheter Schedule For 'Knit Out' Minneapolis 2008 Competition Crocheting: Crochet: Size 6 mm/J
hook Knit1-Pass It On is a new national campaign launched by the UK Hand Knitting Association. The aim is simple: to support at least one other person (child or adult) to learn to knit or crochet. All you need to do is pass on your knitting skills! Depending on the age and ability of the person you are teaching, this could be finger knitting or the basic knitting or crochet stitch progressing to casting on and plain or purl knitting. The main thing is conveying the pleasures of yarn crafting and having some fun! To kick start this exciting new programme we need your help.
All you will need is a willing student who has so far slipped through the knitting net (yes, apparently they do exist!) and pass on your skills. Knit1-Pass It On is the start up project
to herald an exciting new initiative from the Crafts Council in partnership
with the UK Hand Knitting Association to introduce knitting and related
yarn crafts into the school curriculum and school clubs across the UK.
Click here for Craft Club website
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