Knitting Picnic in Bury St Edmunds Sat 23 Aug

By popular request, we're having another knitting picninc in Bury St Edmunds. Better still, the lovely Lyndsey of Wibbling Wools has offered us the use of her workroom to use as a dining room if there is wet weather. We've also invited as many Bury St Edmunds-based knitters as we can find.

We'll be assembling at the Abbey Gardens at 11.15. If it is wet, we'll meet in the gate house (arch) but if it is dry we'll head just beyond it.

Abbey Gardens map

If you're coming by bus, the bus leaves Drummer Street at 9.45., arriving at Bury at 10.50. Ask for a dayrider plus, which costs £5 and can be used all day on any Stagecoach buses (so if you're travelling to Drummer St by Stagecoach, get your ticket on the first bus you use).

Bring a picnic and be warned: you will probably find LOTS that you want to buy in Wibbling Wools. Other attractions include an ice cream kiosk and aviary in the park and the Saturday market in the town centre...

Hope to see you there (and a huge thank you to Deborah for co-ordinating this event!)

And they're off...

Some pictures from the Ravelympics2008 cast-on event on Friday evening (my camera gave up early on so most of these are Rosie's) - the weather cheered up just enough to sit in the garden at the Blue although it was still chilly at times...


One of the tables - (clockwise from the far end of the table and with Ravelry names in brackets): Manda (Vespertine), Katie, Emily (knittedrabbit), Alison (yarninmypocket), knittingneumes, and then at the other side Eleanor (Binkster), Clare (tigerchilli), Avril (A-VaRIabLe-yarn) and me (greensideknits).

Rosie (caughtknitting), knittingneumes and Clare...


This is what happens when you ask Manda to "look soulful", even when she's having a miserable day. Although she had just been handed that beautiful shrug...

Clare and Avril discuss garment sizing...

The usual glorious mix of colours, food, yarn, books and drink at a KTog...

Not everyone was Ravelympicing, and there were people, notably Carole, Claire and Deb (dreamyd) who didn't make it onto photos - sorry, ladies!

Don't forget knitting at the Graduate Centre on Tuesday night and again on Saturday afternoon - hope to see you there!

extra events for August

The August KTog dates post has been updated with some extra events: do take a look!

STOP PRESS: interesting knitting opportunity

Hi

Through a friend I have been approached by Helen Judge Helen’s webpage and Cathy Dunbar with a very interesting knitting proposition. They are coming to the Grad Pad on the 12th of August to explain more. Read on (an overview of the email I received from Helen)

Cathy and I are planning to do a knitting performance at Wysing during Wysing Inside out 19th Sept and 5th Oct

We are looking for Xtravert knitters to join us in a performance where we knit a small set/insallation. In the passed Cathy did an amazing Knitting instillation where she got people to Knit them selves into it. This has been an inspiration for us to collaborate on a knitting project with some props from our society of xtras set (the couch and the standard lamp) with knitted costumes and Knitters, knitting themselves into the set. We would love it if people of all knitting abilities could join us with their knitting in preparation and for the day, and we are open to any knitting ideas. The performance will be out doors (weather permitting) and be documented to be displayed at Wysing after the event.

Dates/times/details are still being ironed out.

To get an idea of what Cathy and I have been up to and what the couch and lamp looks like unknitted check out:

couch and lamp and Society of Xtra’s this is where its going on Wysing Arts Centre

August KTog meets

Hi all -

Here are the dates for August:

Thurs 7th 7-9 Lamb Hotel, Ely

Fri 8th 5-7 Ravelympics cast-on event Cambridge Blue. You don’t have to be doing the Ravelympics to join in!

Tues 12th 7-9 Granta Bar, University Centre

Sat 16th 2-4 Granta Bar, University Centre

Thurs 21st 7-9 Lamb Hotel, Ely

Sat 23rd knitting picnic and visit to Wibbling Wools in Bury St Edmunds (we'll be able to eat indoors at Wibbling Wools if it is wet!) bus times, meeting point etc will be posted here soon!

Tues 26th 7-9 Cambridge Blue, Gwydir Street

Sat 30th 2-4pm freeform crochet workshop in Girton: no formal tuition, just a chance for those of us who enjoy crochet to get together and try out freeform techniques. booking essential (5 places available)** please email
latricoteuseAThotmailDOTcom (replacing the AT with @, the DOT with .)
please note that this is the only way to reserve a place; blog comments/ravelry pms etc won't count.


Look forward to seeing you there.


For those of you not familiar with the locations please see details in the sidebar ->

for "anonymous" and everyone else!

"Anonymous" has been in touch, saying:

hello!

i'm a knitter (not really good but i enjoy it) and would like to know if there are meetings where we sit and talk whilst knitting and every one does their own projects?
I'd love to join if it exists! :-)
I'm knitting with a friend sometimes and we thought it might be more fun to join a group with more people.
Thank you!

So this is just a brief bit of info for anyone who hasn't (yet) been to a KTog.

All our regular meetings (the ones at the University Centre and the Cambridge Blue in Cambridge and the ones at the Lamb in Ely) are ones where we turn up with whatever we are making at the moment, (plus any books/magzines we've discovered and are happy to pass round) then we sit and knit/crochet/chat and sip/chomp (the sipping/chomping aspect are quite important, we don't pay to use venues, so we buy drinks and food to justify our presence to the management!).

And if anyone is baffled by a pattern/struggling with a stitch there's always someone else willing to advise/help (but never in a patronising way!). If you're new, please tell us so, so that we can introduce ourselves. (This may sound a bit weird, surely group members know when someone is new? Actually, though, as few of us manage to get to every single meeting, we're not always certain if someone we've not seen before is new, or is maybe someone who turns up on days we've not been able to make! And I've got a sieve-like memory, which doesn't help!)

Sometimes some of us will be working on charity/group projects but they are never compulsory and I've never known a meeting where everyone is working on the same sort of project. And there's almost always someone doing crochet/cross stitch alongside the knitters.

So, Anonymous, I hope that answers your query and that you and your friend can come and join us soon. If there's anything else anyone would like to ask: fire away!

Rosie

July KTogs, plus workshops

Here are July's KTog dates, plus details of two workshops being organised by KToggers, for KToggers

Tuesday 3 July, The Lamb, Ely, 7-9pm
Saturday 5 July, Lace Knitting workshop with Mary Ross **advance booking essential** see below
Tuesday 8 July, Granta Bar, University Centre, Granta Place, off Mill Lane, 7-9pm
Thursday 17 July, The Lamb, Ely, 7-9pm
Saturday 19 July, Granta Bar, University Centre, Granta Place, off Mill Lane, 2-4pm
Tuesday 22 July, Cambridge Blue, Gwydir St, 7-9pm
Saturday 9 August, Acid Dyeing with Liz Marley
**NB this workshop is now full**

Maps of where to find The Lamb, the University Centre and The Cambridge Blue are up on the group's blog:
www.knitcambridge.blogspot.com

WORKSHOP DETAILS
please note that to give everyone a fair chance of getting a place, and to save the organisers having to check vast numbers of places for enquiries, bookings will only be taken by direct email to the organisers

"Lace Knitting", Saturday 5 July 2-4pm
tutor: Mary Ross

venue: Cambridge (full details will be sent out by the tutor) Make a lace bracelet as Mary guides you through the basics of knitted lace and the basics of charts.
please contact Mary to find out what equipment you need to bring with you, a small charge may be made to cover expenses .
To sign up, or if you have any queries, please email Mary
jainarossATaolDOTcom
(replace the AT with the @ sign, and DOT with a .)

"Acid-dyeing for novices" ( for those who haven't done this form of dyeing before) Saturday 9 August, 2-4pm
Tutor: Liz Marley

venue: Waterbeach (directions available
on sign-up)

Costs: £5 charge to cover materials

Additional costs: If you'd like Liz to order sock yarn please let her know . Liz says:
"this will be approx. £5/skein depending on where I can get it at a
reasonable price (100g, skein size will vary but be between 350-440m,
enough for a pair of adults' socks). Otherwise please bring along yarns
in wool, silk or nylon - yarns which are mainly made up of these fibres
with a small amount of synthetic in them will dye but will not give you
the intensity of colour. They will need to be wound into skeins - I can
give you instructions on winding and tyeing skeins on sign-up"
to sign up, or if you have any queries, please email
lizATlizmarleyDOTcoDOTuk