Tag: midleton

Lap Blankets For Armenia

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As our collection of winter woolies for Chernobyl draws to an end we are happy to announce our next charity project.

GMI logo jpegGlobal Missions Ireland (Charity No: CHY13718) is a Cork based charity that undertakes in missions both at home and around the world. Locally they run feeding programs to reach the people in the City of Cork.

On foreign missions they work with the local church to reach out to the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. The charity’s main aim is to run mission trips, which provide people with an avenue to work abroad or help a community, which they feel, are in need.  They send people from the medical field, construction industry, teachers, housewives any sector that they find will help in the country that they are working in.

 
This year  Global Missions have got a team going to the ‘House of Hope’ retirement home in Vanadzor, Armenia. Here there are 80 men and women taken out of deplorable conditions to live in safety and comfort. It was set up to house the elderly community who had been living in derelict buildings and containers since the earthquakes in 1988.
 
The team will be running feeding programs, giving bread made in the ‘ House of Hope’ bread factory to those in the community that are in need. They will also visit with social workers other in the locality that are in need of help to try and rehabilitate and rehouse them into better conditions.
armenia
These elderly people need our help as they have very little and Global Missions has specifically asked if we’d be interested in making lap blankets.  These will help to keep the residents that little bit warmer whilst at the same time giving them a gift of kindness they can cherish.
Calling all of you that knit and/or crochet for your help.  We’d also welcome those of you that sew or can be a little creative with felting old jumpers.
What we’re after?
  • As we’re making lap blankets these can be either the complete, finished article or 20cm/8″ squares which we will sew together to make blankets 100cm x 120cms/40″ by 48″
  • Squares can be made using any yarn however, please remember these blankets will need to be washable and warm.  Chunky yarn will knit up quicker and remember that you can always use more than one strand of yarn together.  Two strands of double knit worked together is the same as using a chunky yarn.
  • Squares can be in any pattern/design of your choosing and we have no colour preference.  knit, crochet or as I mentioned before sewn or felted it really doesn’t matter.  Take this opportunity to use up your leftovers.
  • Spread the word – we’d love to hand over as many blankets as possible.  Tell other knitting groups, schools & colleges, residential homes, church groups, etc.
  • The closing date for our collection is Saturday 3rd August.  It would helps us enormously if you are making squares if you could send them in sooner if possible to allow time to sew them up.  Even if it means giving them in in batches.

There are absolutely loads of lap blankets available on www.ravelry.com

There are also loads of patterns available for 20cm/8″ squares out there in cyberspace, just type ‘knit a square’ into your web browser.

The Knitter/Simply knitting Magazine ran a campaign for Refuge last year in which they asked for squares the same size to be donated.  You may well have a copy of the magazines neatly filed on a shelf.  Crocheting a square should be simple enough as you just stop when you’ve reached the right size.

I intend to pop up a few square patterns when I’ve knitted some examples but I wanted to get the collection underway.

Technically speaking if your tension is correct, casting on 28sts (loosley) with chunky yarn on 6.5mm needles will give you 20cms horizontally.  Knit in stocking stitch until square is 20cms vertically and cast off loosley.

Hint: I’m terrible for casting on/off too tight so I use a needle at least one size larger

If you want to have a closer look at what the charity does checkout their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Missions-Ireland/119741718073281

Knitty Spring+Summer is Out

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knittyban

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/index.php

The latest issue of Knitty has been released and as ever there are some truly beautiful patterns so be sure to go and have a look for yourself.

My three favourites in this issue are:

lunaticBEAUTY
Lunatic Fringe

Lunatic fringe by Jennifer Dassau is a beautifully, quirky shawl knitted in Terra by The Fibre Company which is an aran weight yarn.  Knitted from the bottom up, creating the fringe as you go to form an unusual, asymmetrical shape.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/PATTlunaticfringe.php

easyBEAUTY

Easy As Pie is a technicolour blanket by OneHandKnits and is knitted in Sirdar’s Baby Bamboo which is a standard double knit yarn.  Clever use of short rows and colour work creates this vibrant, funky blanket.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/PATTeasyaspie.php

buttonboxBEAUTY
Buttonbox

Last but not least and one that I have had to add to my ever extending ‘to knit’ list is Buttonbox by Elizabeth McCarten.  This beautiful waistcoat is knitted in one piece using Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter yarn which is an aran weight.  The shaped waist and shawl collar make it a very flattering style, whilst the little box stitch pattern adds enough interest to the overall look of the knitted fabric.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/KSPATTbuttonbox.php

If these patterns haven’t been enough to tempt you (why?), it might just interest you to know that there is a new coloum in the magazine – ‘Techniques with the Neurotic Knitter’.  Kristin Fraser aka The Neurotic Knitter has a look at cast ons this issue via videos.  The techniques she covers for Spring/Summer are the Backwards Loop, Cable, Knitted and the Long Tail methods.  Great if you only know the one cast on method.

i also urge you to check out the Templeton Square Competition Winners to see just how ingenious some knitters are.

Happy knitting!

The Latest Project is Underway

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5658

I’ve been dying to get to work knitting a garment in the Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton Chunky Yarn since it arrived into the shop last month and finally my endless list of ongoing project has reduced (slightly).

The top above is constructed by knitting the back and fronts up to where the lace pattern ends and then joining them with your part knitted sleeves to knit the yoke as one piece.  The lace pattern itself is very simple, 4 rows, only one of which forms the lace with yarn overs and working 2 stitches together.

The back lace section
The back lace section

The yarn is lovely to work with, it’s a chunky so hopefully this will be a fairly quick knit.  There are a good few patterns available and I was spoilt for choice with the amount of shades as we’re stocking 12 of the 13 available.

The left front so far
The left front so far

My initial choice was the dark cornflower/royal blue but I’ve seen another jumper in this months copy of The Knitter that I rather fancy in that shade.

What was I saying about reducing my ongoing projects?

Happy Knitting!

Stash Dash Ready

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Super chunky, chunky & aran
Super chunky, chunky & aran

As you can see from the pictures the shop is now Stash Dash ready for Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th March.  There is sooooo much lovely yarn included that I will have to try to control the urge to buy it all myself.

Of course if we’re going to be honest then I shall have to admit to having selected several balls (slight understatement possibly?) for some of the projects I’ve cued…….. Who could blame me?

Double knit
Double knit

So will I give you an idea of what to expect when you come in for your 20 minutes?

Spring/Summer is supposed to be coming so it stands to reason that there will be chunky yarns, including –

Shades of Wendy Merino Chunky, Rico Galaxy, Bergere de France Duvetine, Twilley’s Purity & Sirdar Folksong to name but a few.  We are also clearing Wendy Celtic Chunky & Wendy Norse.

In super chunky were clearing Sirdar Denim Ultra & Big Bamboo, shades of Sirdar Big Softie and there’s a few packs of Rico Super Chunky Tweed there too.

In aran weight there’s Wendy Traditional Aran, Rico Country Aran, shades of Sirdar Supersoft Aran and several lovely cottons from Araucania.

More dk
More dk

As you might expect there’s loads to tempt you in double knit yarns – shades of Sirdar Baby Crofter & Snuggly dk, we’re clearing King Cole Riot, Shades, Moods, Moods Duet, Baby Alpaca & Haze.  Sorrento from Wendy is also included to clear as is Tiny Tots from Sirdar.  There are also shades of Wendy Merino Dk, King Cole’s Splash, Rico’s Cotton dk and Sublime’s Egyptian Cotton.

4ply & scarf
4ply & scarf

In 4ply and lace there is Sirdar Countrystyle to clear and Rico’s Romance, there’s also sock yarn, shades of Comfort 4ply and loads of odd balls and hanks.

There’s also scarf yarns from Sirdar, Rico & Tivoli, shades of Reflection from Rico, Snowdrops from Sirdar and loads more yarn in lots of lovely colours, too many to mention.

I’m looking forward to having another look myself and hope everyone that’s coming finds something they like.

Don’t forget your list.

Happy Knitting!

Countdown Beginning……………..

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Are you ready?
Are you ready?

For those of you that have been before you’ll know what it’s all about, the rest of you would probably best to read this previous post here http://knitmidleton.com/2012/07/23/everybody-keeps-asking-me/

Basically, we cover up all the shelves and lay out as many tables as we can fit into the shop; on top of these we put all the yarn we’re discontinuing.  There could be whole ranges of yarn, shades of yarn and some you might not have seen before.  There will be odd balls, several balls and packs of balls, no matter what, all balls are €3 each.

There are things to consider: you have to book your slot, you only have 20 minutes (you’re timed), you have to prepare, dig out the patterns, check your favourites on Ravelry, make sure you know how much double knit/aran/chunky you need.  Have a look at the post linked above if you’re not sure and make sure you book your place quickly before they all go.

This is what you should be expecting.

Stash for the Dash
Stash for the Dash
Laceweight, 4Ply & more Dk
Laceweight, 4Ply & more Dk
Super Chunky & Novelty
Super Chunky & Novelty

Let the mayhem begin!

For 38 Days I’ve Been Moody

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I thought it was time to update you all on how my Moody Blanket is progressing.

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The first thing I should point out is that it’s definitely taking longer to complete the two rows than it was when I first began.  I think it’s largely to do with the increasing size of the blanket, which means there’s more fabric to move along the needles.  I’m finding I need to allow at least half an hour to complete the two rows now and I expect the time to increase as the blanket does.

Unfortunately I had to use the flash on my camera to take these photos and it’s made the colours much starker than in reality.  The colour changes are (I think) far less noticeable and seem to flow into each other rather nicely.  By using the cream Sirdar Bonus Tweed Aran continuously and only changing the one strand there is a continuity of colour that adds to the blanket’s charm.

010

One of the best things about knitting the blanket is that it’s warm, even at the size it is now – all 13.5inches of it.  However I guess that might not be so appealing in June, or at least we hope so.

011

I am really enjoying being able to look over the diary of the last few weeks and am pleased to report that so far I have had :-

2 Tough days

18 OK days

13 Good days

6 Really good days

Not bad considering it’s been dark dismal January.

Happy Knitting!

New Crochet Magazine

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Simply Crochet
Simply Crochet

Yes my crochet is basic, very basic actually. Still, that hasn’t deterred me from picking up the first edition of the new Simply Crochet Magazine to have a nosey at.

The first thing you’ll notice about the magazine is the paper. It’s not your usual glossy paper, nor is it the heavier, recycled kind of paper that you get in Mollie Makes.  It has a vintage feel about it, with more of a matt look and it’s absolutely packed with editorials, information, yarn reviews and most importantly patterns.

Untitled

There are 30 items to make including motifs, home furnishings, a baby girl’s cardigan, a woman’s cardigan and a beautiful blanket too.

This is a little snippet of the home furnishing patterns –

crochet

The instructions for this super chunky cowl are also included, it’s made in Rowan Big Wool but you could substitute any other super chunky yarn instead.

cowl

Some of my particular favourite patterns in the magazine are these little hearts.  I can think of several friends that would adore a few of the little decorations dotted around their homes.

hearts

All of the patterns have a little pictorial information panel at the beginning indicating the stitches used in the project, the weight of yarn it’s made in and the size of hook required, which is extremely helpful when selecting what to crochet.  As a ‘novice’ I can spot the projects I’m capable of straight away by which stitches are used.  For example the Cosy Baby Blanket uses shell stitch, which I’m yet to learn.

The magazine will be published on a monthly basis around the 10th of each month and costs £4.99/€7ish, although there are the usual subscription offers enticing you with cheaper issue prices if you take out one.  There is also a digital version of the magazine available too on Apple Newstand, it’s www.simplycrochetmag.com/digital and for Android/PC customers go to www.zinio.com
A 13 month digital subscription costs £44.99 about €57 which is quite a bit cheaper than if you bought 13 printed issues.

It’s difficult to tell if an experienced crocheter would enjoy the magazine as much as I have as the projects all seem to be aimed at people with beginner and intermediate levels of skill.   I can guarantee you’ll enjoy the magazine if you like funky granny squares, quirky hearts and looking at what other people have created (Pinterest anyone?).

The Simply Crochet Magazine blog http://www.simplycrochetmag.co.uk/ complements the magazine beautifully, there are even links to the odd free patterns, plus readers news and competitions.

I hope future issues of the magazine are as interesting and appealing and that it continues to be chockablock with patterns of all kinds.  If you’d like to have a little look at it, I shall have my copy at the shop for a while.

Happy Crocheting!

Moody For A Little Over A Week Now

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Moody for 11 days
Moody for 11 days

I thought it might be a good time to show you how my Moody Blanket is coming along, 11 days after starting my knitting on Saturday 5th January, which was a good day.

I’m really happy with how the colours are blending together using garter stitch.  You can probably see that there is a fourth shade, because guess what?  Apparently I do have bad days,  of sorts anyway.  The navy is shade 906 in Sirdar Supersoft Aran – a 100g ball not 400g, as I’m still convinced I have very few ‘bad days’.  I’m not even sure it was a bad day; I was extremely tired and my hands were really, really sore, which means completing every task was troublesome, but the rest of the day was OK.  Based on my irksome day I thought it appropriate to include an additional shade.

Of the 11 days so far – 3 have been good
1 has been really good (I got to spend time with lots of my friends at knitting)
1 has been tough
6 have been OK

I love the way the i-cord edge is finishing the blanket off nicely.

I-Cord edge
I-Cord edge

The blanket also looks great on the reverse

The Back
The Back

I see no reason for today’s rows not to be ‘very good’ as it’s my daughters 23rd birthday.  The 16th of January has been one of the best since 1990.  (how old am I???????)

Happy Knitting?

What have you been knitting?

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Wendy 5672

Autumn/Winter in the shop tends to mean we’re much busier, which is great, and after all sales are what we need and I’m grateful for every time the till drawer closes, especially with the amount of stock we carry.  I just have one tiny, ickle grumble, it’s not a big one but ……..

I HAVE NO TIME TO KNIT!!!!!!!!!!

It’s really rather tragic, projects that would take me no time seem to be taking forever, and to add insult to injury, my list of unfinished items is ever increasing, as is my ‘to-do list’.

At present I’m over halfway through making a lightweight poncho/top; I have a Christmas elf body and hat completed but features, etc. still to complete.  There’s at least one all-but-finished scarf for the shop but I made it in a discontinued shade, so I need to knit it again in a current shade before displaying it (it will also help as a test knit before writing up the pattern).  Then there’s the list of knitting I’m supposed to have started – yes I did say started, for Christmas presents.  I do have two scarfs underway, both of which are quite a long way off being finished.

On the plus side I did take back the neck on the poncho I’d been making in Celtic Chunky from Wendy after having made it as per the pattern instructions.  I picked up 20 less stitches than suggested and used a 6.5mm needle instead of the 7mm.

Dina looks beautiful in it and says it’s so warm it’s like wearing a blanket, and she’s always cold.  It has dropped a little around the neck despite my alterations, so was I to make it again I’d actually cast off less stitches at the neck too, which would hopefully rectify this.

The modified version

Our Latest Charity Collection Is………..

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OK, so I know we’ve already been busy knitting and crocheting for this charity however, the charity is involved with so many different projects (all as needy as the rest), that I feel sure I’m not asking too much of you all again.

This time we’re hoping to help the 500 residents that live on 5 floors of the Kyl asylum.  Many of the children that the charity work with in the orphanages out in Belarus end up going to Kyl asylum when they turn 18.  Conditions are hard with the total allowance for clothes and shoes per patient being €3 annually.  The Chernobyl Children’s trust have been working with another group The Bureen Chernobyl Project and have recently managed to collect in approximately 1000 pairs of secondhand shoes as the residents had been using cardboard on their feet whilst working out in the fields.

We’ve been asked for hats, scarves and mitts again and in addition maybe some socks and legwarmers, anything to help to try and keep out the cold.

Bureen Chernobyl Project

A lot of the links I put up for our previous collection will still be valid as are

Easy hat pattern

http://knitmidleton.com/2012/07/06/quick-chunky-hat-great-for-charity-knits/

Easy scarf pattern

http://knitmidleton.com/2012/06/02/easy-rib-scarf-for-chernobyl/

Previous blog post with links to more patterns

http://knitmidleton.com/2012/06/01/knitting-for-chernobyl-childrens-trust/
Our collection will run until the end of March when the next containers will be traveling to the area, so you’ve plenty of time to get cracking.  Items will be accepted in all colours of the rainbow, so break out the stash and use up your leftovers.  The residents are both male and female and all are over 18 although they will be slight for their ages.
We’ve also been asked to collect any unwanted needles and wool in for the residents some of whom love knitting.  If you can’t knit or crochet maybe you could be persuaded to drop off some personal hygiene products like soap, shampoo, etc. which we will also be collecting in (all new and unopened please, with as long a ‘use by’ date on)

A big thanks in advance for all of your help AGAIN.

Happy Knitting!