Thursday, September 19, 2013

New Traditionalists

Today was the first meeting of our new U3A group, which is for knitters who like to knit "in the old way", although as it turns out we are all very much up to date!

Janette, May, June and Jennie all came to my house where we ate apple cake and Dutch ginger cake.  Janette knitted quite a bit, June knitted a bit, I knitted hardly at all and kept losing my place because the conversation was so interesting.  So much so that I forgot to take any photographs to record the event!

So here is cake:

and here my rams and yowes blanket which was much admired - thank you ladies.  Below are old photographs of it showing the steek before cutting and being sewn down on the machine.



Today I demonstrated how to make a centre-pull ball using a porridge spurtle as a nostepinne, and how you could use that ball knit with two strands without tangling.  Here is an acrylic spoon being used in the same way:



May was wearing a gorgeous cardigan which she had adapted for herself: beautiful cotton yarn with garter stitch and cables which looked incredibly comfy.

Jennie brought along her experiences in Iceland and the Faeroes, with a really fabulous book of Faeroese pattern charts.

June was knitting socks but explained to us how to thread beads to achieve the gorgeous examples of beaded knitting she had completed.

Janette was inspired to begin knitting a Fair Isle tam in 4 colours.

We have all knitted for years, have lots of techniques in common and all have lots of experience and ideas to share over the coming meetings.  Already I am looking forward to October 3rd when we meet again.  If any of us go to Yarndale the weekend after next then there should be some good "yarns" over our next pot of tea.  (Ouch!)