Variety is the spice of life!

This amazing lace baby shawl was knitted by Joyce. I was blown away by the intricate detail in this work. Joyce knitted this work of art and Roberta worked her magic by sewing all of the pieces together. Now, that is what you call teamwork!

Margaret has been busy again with the old knitting pins and was delighted to display this little hooded jacket and the little blue and white jumper and hat you can see below. These garments were made for a friend at work.

This is the pair socks I knitted with Lisa's hand-dyed yarn. I think the colourway is called Peacock. It could be called Deep Fried Spam for all I care! I just loved the bold colours.

Roberta knitted this lovely wee baby cardigan for her niece who is about to become a gran. Sadly, you can't see the sparkle in this yarn. So cute!

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET!!!!!! Stephanie had asked if anyone would be interested in knitting GERMS for a Health Project run by Strathclyde University and the Science Centre. Audrey was the first of our group to complete some GERMS. They are lovely! This handsome tortoise and the waistcoat were also by Audrey. The waistcoat is in Super Chunky by Sirdar Indie.

Sally has been working on this Infinity Wrap in Pure Wool. The pattern was found in KNIT TODAY and the body displaying the wrap was found at the Knitting Group! NAME THAT BODY!

Anthea made this Giant Granny Square Bag for Jill as a Christmas present. She lined it and attached handles to complete the bag. as you can see in the picture below. What a great idea! Ideal for carrying craft supplies to our group meetings.

Ally has almost finished this pram blanket in James Seabrett - Baby Marble. These colours really appeal to me.

Isabel is still enjoying her colourwork and sock knitting. She makes it look so easy! This pair of socks is for a friend who is about to retire.
P.S. Isabel belongs the body modelling the Infinity Wrap. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone.

 I love our Knitting Group. Every week I am astounded by the ideas and creativity by the people around me. This week, Morag brought along some amazing figures she had created. They are from a book of knitted fairies and animals. When she got into the zone, she then adapted the patterns to create her own imaginative characters. These are such great fun!

Member of the Month - Audrey

Tell us three things about yourself. 
In 2009 I nearly died. I suffered a perforated bowel but now I am in good health.
At the moment I am training to be a Person Centered Counsellor.
I bake! I make a real mean gingerbread that I am very proud of.

Who taught you your first craft?
My Mum taught me to knit many years ago when I was wee. It took me a great many years to master treble crochet!

What are you most proud of?
That has to be my first pair of socks. In fact, I am now addicted to buying sock yarn and needles.

What was your biggest crafting disaster?
When I was a teenager my Mum had this orange wool that I just had to have. I knitted a scarf that I was particularly proud of.The scarf was made of pure wool and it shrank in the washing machine. It was so small when I took it out of the machine that it would have fitted the dog!

What other crafts do you do?
I do a lot of cross stitch  and I'm learning other crochet stitches at Donna's crochet class. I love baking!

List of favourites -
Favourite yarn or craft supplies - DMC thread and Alpaca and Moreno yarn.
Favourite designs - I love Margaret Sherry cross stitch designs of animals doing human things. Very cute.
Favourite colours - Red and Blue.
Favourite shop - Black Sheep Wool whenever they are at the SECC and Deramores for web shopping.
Favourite craft book - I don't have one.

What would you like to achieve in the future?
I'd like to learn how to do cables. It is on my bucket list for sometime in the future.

What do you like to listen to or watch while you are crafting?
I don't watch a lot of TV. Mostly, I like to be in the quiet, which is very good for reflection.

What words of wisdom would you give to a beginner?
Keep going!

What are you working on at the moment?
I'm learning the new crochet stitches from Donna and I'm doing a Wedding sampler in cross stitch for my nephew.

Audrey is also very proud of the red knitted jumper that is seen in her portrait photograph.

Ribbons and things!

Another busy night in paradise! It was lovely to see so many crafters turning up on Tuesday night. The room was buzzing with chatter and laughter and original ideas. This is what you missed if you were tucked up in bed with a gin and tonic..............

Stephanie had fun with ribbon weaving and created another cushion. "There is no truth in the rumour that she is opening a store specialising in soft furnishings," said a spokesperson.

Margaret completed this lovely wee tank top for a friend's baby.

Roberta finished another cosy hat for our chosen charity.

I (Helen) had two finishes to show this time. I'm delighted to finish the mosaic socks, as it was a challenge and I may not do another pair any time soon. My second finish was a charity quilt for Yorkhill hospital. As you know Valerie Lennox is a co-ordinator for Quilts 4 Yorkhill. This charity was adopted by The Village Patchers quilting group as their chosen charity and they have created about 50 quilts for seriously ill children being treated in Yorkhill Hospital.

Kathleen F has been really busy making hats. The gorgeous pink and the green hats are for her granddaughter and the blue hat is for a friend's wee boy.

Now, as you know Caroline does not like to blow her own trumpet, soooooooooo this fabulous baby blanket is for a friend who is expecting a little girl. Her friend does not like pink, sooooooooo Caroline made this eye catching purple and white blanket. This photograph does not do it justice! What you can't see is that the yarn SPARKLES! Love it!

A lot of the excitement in the room was because Donna was starting her crochet lessons for beginners. As usual, Donna was prepared with differentiated handouts for all of her students. What a star! The class was really popular with crafters of differing abilities and they were soon busy and concentrating on mastering whatever stitch they chose to learn. I am happy to report that no one cried and everyone is looking forward to the next class. Well done, Donna!

I always learn something new each time I come along to the club. Jill proudly displayed her knitted purse which had beads incorporated in it. She had to thread all of the beads onto the yarn before she actually started to knit. I was really taken with this and must file this idea in the back of my mind for something to try in the future. Jill's second finish was a cross stitch pattern from a magazine that she had adapted and made into a wllhanging. Such a talented lady!

A lot of noise came from this end of the room. The chat and giggles did not prevent Anthea from working on her spinning wheel. Below you can see an example of a skein of spun yarn which is a mixture of merino and silk in rainbow colours which is double knitting/ aran weight.

 Anthea provided pictures of two cowls she had completed and given away as presents. The light green one is made from Stylecraft Alpaca DK. Ideal for the windy weather.

I hope I get this the right way round. The light blue hat was created by Elaine and the dark blue hat was crafted by Sally for our charity. OR..... it could be the other way round!

Finally, Stephanie was recruiting knitters to knit GERMS. Yes, GERMS. She saw an article in the Evening Times about a collaboration between Strathclyde Uni and the Science centre concerning the teaching of hand hygiene to school children in the Glasgow Area. The knitted germs will be used as a teaching aid, One thousand germs are required. How many can you do? Please pass the completed germs to Stephanie or me. I dare you!

All Quiet on the Western Front!

We had a very quiet night on Tuesday 11th February. A combination of bad weather, school holidays and something interesting on the telly decimated our usual bustling crowd. Only the hardy and the craft obsessed turned up but our spirits were high and good natured. We even had two new members come in for a quick look round and luckily. the assembled crowd were on their best behaviour.

Just a quick reminder that Donna will be having her crochet class for beginners on Tuesday 18th.

 Finishes were thin on the ground this week but Margaret managed to complete another hat for our charity. What a star!

Janice has been following in Stephanie's footsteps by knitting garments and then storing them in a box for a special event in the future. These beautiful little jackets were completed recently.

Our last finish of the evening was also by Janice. This two tone hat is for the Seafarers charity. Luckily, Margaret was there to add this to the group collection. I wonder if we should have a fashion show of hats as a final event in June.

Hedgehogs Rule!

Celebrating the success of the sock knitting class! Margaret proudly resented these fab socks for display. Well done. She even had time to complete a hat for our Seafarers charity!

 Not to be out done, the lovely Karen had completed two pairs of socks. Rumour has that Karen can actually knit socks in her sleep!

Lisa was thrilled when her 90 year old grandmother walked down to the local shops to buy this yarn as a present for Lisa. As a result, Lisa has named this shawl, "Nanny Alma's Shawl."

Sally bought this New Lanark kit at the SECC. The hit included the stunning button and the yarn was 100 per cent new wool. Such a great idea!

Audrey caused a sensation when she sat this handsome hedgehog on the table. For obvious reasons it was named Maggie the Hedgehog! Maggie was the star of the evening! Audrey also managed to finish a couple of hats for our charity. Busy lady!

Noreen completed this lovely little baby cardigan from her favourite book of patterns

Yvonne is now an expert at making pram blankets using Rico Pompom yarn. It looks so cosy!

 Janice is always busy and this week she surprised us with the two "Cadet Fairies" which she made for someone in the Air Force Cadets. She has become a handy person with sewing machine over the last year or so. While watching TV, one Sunday morning, she discovered how to make these waterproof folders. The fabric was left over from her big bag and she plans to use the folders when she is researching her family tree.
These pink aran jackets were knitted by Janice during the Christmas break. Janice kindly donated one jacket and matching hat the Hospice shop on Baillieston Main St.

Roberta was also a star pupil at Karen's sock class. I love the colours. I wonder what her family will get for Christmas presents!

 
Karen managed to find time in her busy schedule  to make a hat for our charity.

Janice also managed to find time to complete two hats for our charity.

Stephanie created this blue hat for the Seafarers charity.

Fiona T has been busy making little hats and blankets for the Yarnigans Premature Baby charity. Look how tiny the hats are!

Magda has been very creative adding a new range of products to her business. I just love the colours of these notebook covers.

Last but not least, we had a first on Tuesday night...........Janet was so passionate about knitting that she got a tattoo to show her devotion to crafting. Go girl!