Elena's Degree Show

Elena came along to the group to learn how to crochet as part of a project for her Art Degree. She has now come to the exciting conclusion of her studies and welcomes us to come along and view The Degree Show on Saturday 13th June in The Tontine Buildings on Trongate. Come on ladies, our wee group is branching out into all sorts of interesting areas! We have enjoyed watching Elena's crochet journey from hook to printed image and we wish her every success in the future.

Isabel loves knitting socks and is always up for a challenge. She enjoys colour work and is not afraid to mix sections from different patterns. This pair of socks is stunning!

Janice has been slogging away making this baby bag for her daughter-in-law. The fabric is by special request as mum to be is a big Spiderman fan. The bag was made under the expert directions of Izzy, who can make these bags in her sleep. Janice is delighted to have completed the project and insists that it will be a one off!

Janice also had time to knit a bonnie wee jacket from the Women's Weekly Magazine. The toggles just finish it off beautifully. The giraffe height chart is another make for the new arrival.

 Patsy is an experienced sewer but has recently taken up quilting with the assistance of Izzy. These are her first two quilts! The small quilt matches the baby bag she made for her great nephew and the large quilt is for her sister. Both quilts are beautiful.

Roberta was delighted to show off this pretty cardigan which will be winging its way to New Zealand as we speak! Roberta started the Christmas stockings at Gartmore and is delighted to be so organised with her Christmas gifts. She actually had time to make something for herself! The shawl was completed in time for Roberta to take away on holiday.

 Anthea had been spinning yarn for Magda. The rainbow yarn is plied with grey and a sparkle thread has been added. This is Merino superwash and is lace weight. As you can see Magda loved the finish product! I wonder what she will make?

 Sadly, we lost a good friend last weekend. Margaret passed away after a short illness. We have been so touched by her passing that Caroline, Linda, Norma, Susan, Lisa, Lyn, Fee and Magda have agreed to participate in a 10k charity walk to raise funds for the Beatson and the new Lanarkshire Beatson. Norma has set up a Just Giving Page using the name of the Happy Hookers. We shall also send round a sheet on club nights if you would prefer.

Margaret's funeral is at Daldowie at 1.45pm on Monday 1st June if you are able to attend.

In memory of our dear friend, Margaret.

It was with great sadness that the S & B meet on Tuesday night. Everyone was coming to terms with the loss  of Margaret, who was one of our founder members. Margaret will always be remembered for her friendship, cheerfulness and kindness.

The service at Daldowie begins at 1.45pm on Monday. 

Caroline suggested that we raise money for the Beatson, where Margaret had been treated. This idea was accepted and Caroline, Linda, Lisa, Norma and Susan will participate in the 10k charity walk for the Beatson on Sunday the 16th August. They will be setting off from the Riverside Museum on a tour of the West End of Glasgow if you would like to cheer them on. They decided to call them selves, The Happy Hookers and will crochet as they go along. Well, we would not like them to be mistaken for the other kind of hookers! Norma has set up a Just Giving page on Facebook and we will also send a sheet around the group for those who would like to make a donation the old fashioned way.

New Beginnings.

Jillian wanted to learn to quilt, soooooo she bought a book, Jelly Roll Quilts and some fabric and just dived in. Admittedly, Jillian has sewing experience but quilting is a different way of working. Undaunted, Jillian brought the quilt top to the craft day and picked Izzi's brains on how to complete it. The finished quilt is stunning! Just my colours. I would happily adopt it! Well done Jillian.

Janice is getting a little excited about the impending first grandchild. Now she has made bunnies and bibs to welcome the baby into the world of the Taggarts.

Norma is always busy with several projects on the go at the same time. The Granny Ripple is a new adventure for her and I just love that colourway. She used Robin DK from Watt Bros who had a special offer of 5 balls for £5. Her second finish is a pompom baby seat cover. Both blankets are for her stash.

For the blue and white star blanket Norma used ALDI yarn and trimmed it with Snowflake yarn. Beautiful.
The corner to corner blanket has been done in Merry-Go-Round and trimmed with Jester.

Fiona Orr has come on leaps and bounds with her crochet. This week Fiona completed a star blanket by following the Crochet Crews pattern for the Five Point Super Star Afghan on the internet. She used Ice Gumball that she purchased from Norma.
Fiona's second finish this week was the Road Trip shawl from For the Love of Yarn's Shawl Along Box.
 Zoom in and you will see that the shawl yarn has a sparkle to it. Fab!

Stephanie has been up to her tricks again and doing things in miniature. This pretty doll in a crib has been a secret project, The little doll has a knitted dress, headband, pants and socks. I particularly like the the little cover made with eye-lash yarn. Can you believe that this little set is for her box?

Lyn has been busy making this lovely C2C blanket with yarn given to her by her lovely daughter Fiona. Such a kind daughter!

Isabel quilted this table mat at Gartmore. Magda took her under her wing and made her do it! This was Isabel's first encounter with quilting. Apparently, it was traumatic! Which is a pity because she still has 6 place mats to make!!!!!!!

This is my finish. I'm struggling to do things at the moment due to carpal tunnel but I did take part in Elaine's class on decorating mugs using hot water and nail polish. I'm well chuffed with my finish.

Fran made some Bonding Squares for the charity Emily's Star. The squares are for babies in Neo-Natal. Mum takes one square and baby has the second.Then the squares are swapped over every 12 hours  so that the baby ends up with a square with Mum's scent on and Mum has a square with baby's scent.

Elaine will be taking deposits for Gartmore 2016 whenever she has recovered from this years.

Swati is still in India visiting her mum.

Caroline and Linda plan to do a 10k charity walk to raise funds for the Beatson in August. If you would like to join them or make a donation please speak to Caroline or Linda. Dig deep people, this is a worthy cause.

Happy crafting

Member of the Month - MORAG

Tell me three things about yourself -
1. I do a lot of walking with a local walking group.
2. I enjoy knitting, crochet and sewing.
3. I went to kilt making classes and made a full kilt and velvet jacket.

Who taught you your first craft?
I was 7 or 8 years old and a teacher at school taught me to knit a facecloth using garter stitch. Then my sister taught me to read a pattern and use other stitches.

What finish are you most proud of?
Many years ago I knitted a Scandinavian jumper in white with blues and lilacs. That jumper and the kilt are my pride and joy.

What was your biggest crafting disaster?
That was a bath mat using a hook and latch. I just couldn't master it. The project was very heavy and awkward to handle.

List of favourites:-

Favourite yarn - Robin or Hayfield.
Favourite designs - Crochet shawls.
Favourite colours - Pastel shades.
Favourite shop - Watt Bros.
Favourite craft book - I prefer patterns to books.

What would you like to achieve in the future?
I would love to go back to doing Fair Isle knitting but I'm just to busy at the moment.

What do you like to listen to or watch while you are crafting?
Soaps. I love my soaps! I also enjoy listening to music.

What words of wisdom would you give to a beginner?
Rip it out and try again! Aim for perfection and not second best!

What are you working on at the moment?
A shawl - again!

Gartmore 2015

These stunning photos were taken by Magda on Sunday morning. They depict Gartmore in all its glory. Tranquil, peaceful and ample time to create. The following pictures are a true snapshot of our time there.

Elaine came to the weekend sporting a manicure that set the tone of the weekend. Fun, crafty and original. Her nails were created by Tracy of Notorious Nails and if you zoom in on the white nails you will be able to admire the knitting theme that Tracy created.

Elaine saw this very clever idea on Facebook. It is amazing how much fun you can have with some hot water and nail polish. We had a great time messing about like big kids and dipping white mugs in the mixtue to create our own designs.

Ann started this beautiful cushion last year at Gartmore and was delighted to complete on this visit.

I was asked to do a refresher class on the little Japanese gift bags. I love these little gems because they are so versatile. They could be used when gifting money, jewellery or a gift from the tooth fairy.

Patsy started her quilt top during our At Home Day last month and worked on it all weekend. It is almost completed and I'm sure you will agree that it is stunning!

Did you know that Fiona has a talent for making cocktails? She came equipped to mix a range of drinks that were superb. I think I am safe in saying that this is the best activity we've had at Gartmore.

Of course, someone had to test the beverages, just to ensure that they were safe for consumption.

 Many people developed the giggles!!!

Certain people wanted to try everything!  Share and share alike ladies!

We were encouraged to help ourselves from the jugs of Cosmopolitan, Margarita (my personal favourite), Sex on the Beach, Woo Woo and Elaine's concoction was a Mud Slide.

If you wanted to enjoy some fruit, Fiona had prepared some Virgin strawberries......just plain strawberries, strawberries soaked in Vodka and strawberries soaked in Tequila. Yum! We also had little shot glasses filled with jelly and boooooooooooooze! YUM, Yum, yum! Thank you Fiona, We love you Fiona!

Elaine had been asked to do the face scrub demonstration for those who missed the At Home Day. This was a big success.

We even had time to do our own projects in between tea and cake breaks. The food was greatly improved this year. Cakes and nibbles were bountiful!  Thank you Gartmore House!

Morven made this hat during the weekend. Such a quick project!

Izzy came across some unfinished bags in her stash and in between helping Patsy and her quilt and Janice and her Baby bag she completed the bags and raffled them off. Spot the happy winners!

Isabel and Ann won the the competitions.

Izzy made a sample of the little bags for the Beatson and Isabel was happy to model it.

We had a great time. The company was great, the food was great (diets start today), the activities were great and the accommodation was great. We plan to return to Gartmore House on the 15th and 16th of May 2016. If you would like to join us Elaine will be taking a deposit in a few weeks time.