Tag: charity

The Sweat Shop For Knit Happens

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Dina my daughter said to me on Saturday “to be fair mum you never do things by half” and whilst I’m loathed to admit it, she could be right.

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The best thing about taking on a big project like the Knit Happens Knit a Stocking for the East Cork Rapid Response Campaign and the blankets before, is the laugh we manage to have as the countdown begins.  This Saturday was no exception, as my lovely knitting ladies turned up in force to help with the ‘quality control’ aspect of the campaign.

Every stocking that has been handed in so far had to be checked to ensure it was complete.  I’d noticed as they were handed in, that some of the little socks were without hanging loops, or had ones to small to successfully hang on a tree.  We also wanted to separate the novelty stockings, as we’re hoping to try and sell these for €5 each on a ‘Lucky Dip’ basis.

I need to say a big thank you to the following friends, for generously giving up their time on Saturday afternoon only to find themselves squashed into the kitchen with bags and crates of stockings.

Fiona, Lucy, Sadie, Deidre, Martina, Michelle, Shirley, Agnieszka and Lee Ann.

Hopefully, you can tell from the photos that we managed to have a laugh.

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There’s more to sort and we’re hoping they’ll be a good few more stockings handed in too.  In the meantime we managed to get through a good few of them and have checked, counted and re-counted the little stockings into bags of 50.  These will be distributed to the businesses around the East Cork area, that have kindly agreed to try and sell some of them to help the collection for the East Cork Rapid Response.

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81 bags ready to go so far, or to put it another way 4050 little Knit Happens Stockings which we hope will become €8100.

Happy Knitting!

 

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Refurbishments

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As most of you already know we were closed for most of August whilst we refurbished the shop.  I know from talking to a lot of people the general consensus was that the shop was fine and dandy the way it was.  However, for me when we moved into the new premises 2 years ago I didn’t have time to get it just how I wanted it and it had been really bugging me, hence the August break.

Whilst many of you will have seen the transformation in the flesh, there are a good few of you that are unable to get into us regularly or purchase from us via mail-order.

So let me take you on a little tour…….

2014-09-04 14.39.49 On entering the shop you’ll happen first upon our new knitwear display area.  My super talented hubby has gone bonkers with copper pipe (he’s a plumber) and made me this beautiful display rack, which compliments the mannequins perfectly.

Behind the mannequins there’s my upcycled vintage suitcase and my now gold painted hat stand.

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Looking down the shop there are shelves running down most of the left hand side to meet the counter, which we have moved in order to open up the shop floor completely.  The shelves are packed with weights from 1ply to dk and we’ve managed to do away with the pattern stand by slotting the folders and books in between the yarn.

For those of you that were colour spotting on Facebook you’ll probably have noticed the ribbon stand has received a lick of aqua paint or two.

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To the right or the ribbon stand there’s the basic acrylic corner (part 1)

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Part 2

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We’ve moved the buttons to the other side of the acrylic stand  and the haberdashery supplies seem to fit in just nicely next to them.

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Next comes the aran weight unit.  Complete with gaps for some of the new yarns due in.

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Where the counter was previously and some might even say the piece de resistance, are the vintage cinema seats and upcycled tyre coffee table.

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Last but not least is the chunky/super chunky stand – I haven’t completely worked out where all of the new yarn that’s on order is going to squeeze in there yet though.

So far the response from everyone has been extremely positive ‘the shop seems bigger’, ‘there’s lots more light’, ‘it’s easier to see everything’ and everyone loves the upcycling with my hubbys copper pipe work receiving the most praise.

Have I tempted you to come and visit?  It’s a bit of a work in progress as there’s still things I’d like to get done so I’ll keep you posted.

Hope to see you soon.

Happy Knitting!

 

 

 

 

Come Into Our Crochet Garden

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At this stage I have a good few of you plagued with my constant pushing of The Craft Club’s Guinness World Record Yarnbomb attempt in aid of The Little Haven’s Hospice.  If any of you have missed pop over here to my previous post to find out all about it.

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The final project goes on display in the gardens of the hospice on the 25th August so I sent over a shoe box stuffed with items earlier this week  and this photo heavy post is to share the the lovely little items dropped off by some of you and which will contribute to the spectacular efforts of The Craft Club to raise a good few smiles and highlight a very worthy cause.

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Happy Knitting!

(should that be crochet?)

I Did It!

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He’s a little bashful

Despite being in the middle of our Knit Happens charity campaign for the East Cork Rapid Response I thought it was fair to try and get involved with The Craft Club’s Guinness World Record attempt in aid of Little Haven’s Hospice.  See my previous post with all the info here.

The items needed have to be made in crochet to count towards the record and which I must stress, wouldn’t be my strongest skill.  Undeterred I’ve launched right in and am trying my best to rope as many people in as possible.

Last week I posted a link on our Facebook page for the lovely little owl pattern by Rebecca Homick.  This great little pattern is available free on Rebecca’s blog Hopscotch Lane here and despite being billed as a ‘Christmas Tree Ornament’ I think it’s ideal for the hospice garden yarnbomb.

The pattern is clearly written and easy to understand.  One thing I should draw your attention to is that it is in American terminology.  Once you know this though it’s easy to substitute our dc (double crochet) for Rebecca’s sc (single crochet) and our tc (treble crochet) for the patterns dc (double crochet).

I took my time and followed the instructions and used double knit scraps from my stash and a 4mm hook.

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The great thing about the owl is that you stuff it before you finish crocheting so there’s a minimum amount of sewing up needed.

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I was a little worried that his back is a bit untidy, but he’s made in a spiral so it stands to reason that there will be a little ‘jog’ in his stripes.

2014-06-27 11.08.13Eyes, he needs proper eyes and we have the small  black safety eyes in the shop.  They’re a little difficult to put in, but once in they’re not going anywhere.

2014-06-27 11.27.28 So he can see, but he also has to be able to eat, right?

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Absolutely love him and if I can manage then anyone can.

What are you waiting for?

There’s loads of patterns available on Ravelry, many of them are free too.

It’s such a worthwhile cause, come on have a go and crochet something, anything flowery or whimsical.  If you get your finished items into us by Saturday July 12th we’ll even post them too.

Happy Crochet!

 

World Wide Knit In Public

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Lets begin with Sadie and Martina ….

We had a fab day at the shop last Saturday for World Wide Knit In Public.  Lots of lovely people came out to support us, as did the sun (yes!).

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Camera, what camera? Clare, Edwina and Sue all looking very productive.

 

If you couldn’t make it I hope you were with us in spirit at least?

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Sue and Michelle deep in concentration, with Lucy trying her best to hide behind her beautiful blanket.

I managed to capture the odd photo or two of some of our woolly friends despite their protestations and as you can see there was tea, cake and laughter.  What more do you need?

Michelle and Deidre doing a great job of ignoring me.
Michelle and Deidre doing a great job of ignoring me.

Maybe that should be what don’t you need?

Breeda and Orela proving it's never too hot to knit
Breeda and Orela proving it’s never too hot to knit

Possibly a friend wielding a camera?

Orela and Fiona are having fun.
Orela and Fiona are having fun – no really they are.

Worse still someone you’ve only recently met.

It was Agnieszka's first time so lets hope she'll return.
It was Agnieszka’s first time so lets hope she’ll return.

But, if it’s going to happen you might as well accept it ….

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Shirley looking the happiest to be photographed.

If not you can get them back later 😉

We should have started with Dina and Sadie, but I needed to lull my daughter into a sense of false security before attempting any form of photography ;-)
We should have started with Dina and Sadie, but I needed to lull my daughter into a sense of false security before attempting any form of photography.  Caught her on the way back round instead.

We never need an excuse to break out the hooks and needles in public if the sun is shining, maybe we’ll see a few more of you next time?

Happy Knitting!

Quick Knitted Gift For Kye’s Teachers

LeftFootDaisy8 Comments

 

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On Thursday I posted up a photo of the present Kye made for his favourite resource hours teacher Mrs McCarthy, today I thought I’d share with you the little gift I knitted up for all of the teachers, secretary, special needs assistant and resource hours teachers including the very special Mrs McCarthy.  Don’t panic it sounds like I’ve been knitting for a bus full when in fact there’s only 6 ladies in total as it’s a very small school.

I’m a regular reader of the blog Simply Notable, which is written by Carli and her mum.  I spotted her post on The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern and was delighted because it was just what I was looking for.  Have a look at the blog here Simply Notable or you can find the pattern through the link on Ravelry here.

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The Spiral shape is created by using short rows, much easier than it sounds, you knit 14 points in total and sew the cast on edge to the cast off edge and gather in the centre with a running stitch.

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I made 8 of the washcloths in total, the first was more of a trial one to see if I liked them, the 8th was to use up the yarn and I can gift it to someone else later.  The yarn I used was Rico Essentials Cotton Aran and I knitted two washcloths out of the one ball.

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I bought some lovely handmade raspberry soap from our local health food shop Well & Good and wrapped the bars up with the washcloths and a bit of organza ribbon. Simples!

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Nice, pretty and personal.

Happy Knitting!

 

 

Crochet World Record Attempt in Aid of Essex Children’s Hospice

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I know we’re smack bang in the middle of trying to get all of our lovely stockings knitted for the Knit Happens campaign but we’ve been asked for help via Instagram by The Craft Club who are busy preparing for a ‘magical’ yarnbomb in the gardens of The Little Havens Hospice.  The Havens Hospice cares for children from across Essex in the UK with life-limiting illnesses by providing respite breaks, managing pain and caring for them at the ends of their lives.

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Helen Thomas, Gabby Atkins, Kelly Holcombe, Claire Whitehead, Becky Burton and Emma Curley are seasoned yarnbombers, they understand the joy of collaborating on projects which raise a smile or inspire others to have a go.

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The Little Havens yarnbomb is inspired by children’s book The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and the group hope to create their version of the land at the top of the magical tree in crochet.  In doing so the team hope to break a Guinness World Record for Largest Display of Crochet Sculptures which currently stands at 4061 crocheted items.

The finalised project will be displayed on the 25th August 2014 in the Little Havens  garden which is an event for the parents and families but it will be covered by the regional press  and there will be loads of photos up on Facebook, etc.

It is hoped that the attempt will consist of over 1,000 individually crocheted items including rabbits, hedgehogs, owls, pixies, trolls, fairies and characters from the book.  For an item to count towards the world record it has to be made in crochet, but if your strictly a knitter only, then The Craft Club would still love to receive something bright and cheerful to add to the garden.

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There are loads of suitable patterns available on Ravelry, many of which are free.  You can also find a few ideas on The Craft Club’s Pinterest board here and if you stumble upon any suitable patterns it would be lovely of you to share them on our Facebook page 

You can keep up to date with what’s going on with the record attempt on The Craft Club’s Facebook page too.  They regularly post  photos of the items they’ve received and they’re often linked to patterns and blogs.  As I’m not the best at crochet I’m going to whip up a few Teeny Tiny Flowers from Attic 24’s blog like these that I made before.

We will be collecting finished items in the shop to post to the UK up to Saturday 12th July or you can send them direct to:-

Miss E Curley

9 Kenley Close

Shotgate

Wickford

Essex

SS11 8XL

UK

It would be great to have a few items to send over for this very worthwhile cause, remember to let us know what you’re up to.

Happy Crochet!

 

World Wide Knit In Public Day

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It’s come around rather quickly again this year, technically it’s actually a  week but we’re celebrating on Saturday 21st.  The Saturday knitting group is scheduled to take place on the 21st anyway, so it would be lovely to think the sun might be shining.  Sunshine or not we can still knit can’t we?

As a little incentive to get a few more of you into the shop armed with your knitting and crochet we’ll have the market stall set outside as we did for Yarn Shop Day.  For those of you that missed it before, there will be packs of yarn, books and maybe some other bits and bobs all at discounted prices.

Come and join us for a for a bit of open air knitting fun (fingers crossed anyway).

Happy Knitting!

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Granny Square Crochet

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I’m not the best at crochet, in fact I can’t actually hold my hook and tension my yarn correctly, instead I choose to knit my crochet.  This means I hold the hook and the yarn in my right hand and work as if I’m knitting with one pin.  It achieves pretty much the same results, although apparently a crochet professional can tell the difference?

Anyway, undeterred it is my goal in life to cover everything in glorious multicolour granny  crochet, trebles to the initiated.  This book was made for just that and much to my delight Granny Square Crochet by Catherine Hirst has come in with May’s samples from The Book People.  Even better their selling copies of it for just €8 at the moment.

Ok, so there is a ‘Useful Information’ chapter at the back of the book, full of stitches, abbreviations and pictures of how to hold your hook (gulp!).  Can you hear this section being closed as I go straight back to the pretty pictures?

35 projects are in this book, yes I did say 35 – lets look at some of my favourites.

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I love the Granny Round Cushion Cover to pieces and can see a beautiful round table cloth in the making.  Actually, more of a centrepiece thingy to be precise.

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What’s not to like about the Stripes lampshade Cover?  Great way to transform those cheapy lamps from Dunnes and Heatons and make them more personalised.  I’m sure I picked up a job lot in the Dunnes Sale for €2 each and they’d make a great gift for friends.

 

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I could definitely be persuaded to use a teapot more often if it looked as pretty as this, what about you?

 

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The Colourful Granny Stripes Scarf is beautiful and if you made it a little wider and slightly longer it would make a great summer evening shawl to wrap round your shoulders.  Or perhaps you have a friend in hospital that would love the cheery colours and welcome the extra warmth?

 

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The riot of colour in the Granny Square Cushion Cover is created using 7 complimentary colours and would be a great way of using up your ends although I”m duty bound to mention that knitting a few Knit Happens stockings is another great way too (cheeky!)

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Lastly and only because I want to leave a little mystery, look at these beautiful little shoes.  The Mini Granny Square Booties are so adorable I’d happily use them as a decoration in my house just so I could look at them.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m rather in love with this book – power project finishing here I come because it wouldn’t do to start yet another project would it…..?

Happy Crochet!

 

All Good Fun

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So for those of you that missed it Saturday 3rd of May was Yarn Shop Day.  It was great to see so many of you out to support us and good fun was had by all (I hope) despite the rain 😦

After all the fun and games I have some competition and raffle winners to announce.

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The raffle winners are as follows –

Sock Yarn – Mary Healy

Scrumptious Lace Weight Yarn – Fiona Ryan

Snuggly Dk & Pattern – Deidre McArdle

Bambeanies by Woolly Wormhead – Edwina Cole

Erika Knight – Molly McSweeny

Lucy Neatby, The Brand New Knitter DVD – Sadie Foley

Knitpro Symphonie Interchangeable Starter Set – Susan Macfarlane

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We also had a ‘Guess the Number of Buttons in the Jar’ for our younger visitors on the day.  The winner receives a €5 gift voucher for Auntie Nellies Sweet Shop and a woolly goody bag donated by the good folks over at Stylecraft Yarns, for the knitter in their life.

Can you guess?????

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None of the children guessed correctly, but the nearest was Jasmine Jennings with 258.  Well done Jasmine the Auntie Nellies Gift Voucher is yours and I’m guessing your mum or your sister might like to receive the goody bag.

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Last but not least.

There was the competition to find our fastest Knit Happens stocking knitter.

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The stocking had to be knitted in two colours and this mind blowing time was achieved by Mary Murphy, who wins 4 balls of Sirdar Bonus Dk for her effort, which she whipped up with smoke rising from her needles in a little over 10 minutes..

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The second fastest stocking knitter was Mary O’Donovan with a little over 12 minutes.  Mary wins a ball of King Cole Splash for her speedy needles.

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Those of you that didn’t make it won’t have had a chance to see our yarnbombed rocking chair, which definitely helped entice passers by in.  We’ll be taking it with us, along with lots of our Knit happens stockings to the Midleton Mid May Festival on Sunday 18th at The Square (near The Granary).  Why not come and see it and lend your support to this new festival

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You can find out more about what’s happening over the weekend here 

Happy knitting!