Bournville bees

This is what we've been up to in the last fortnight, getting ready for the launch.

It all began with the poppies. Remember we made what seemed like millions? That was started by Anne Linley in memory of her son Brett. But, she thought, how much better would it be if more than a handful of people were involved? So she talked to her friend Anne Walker, and ...

... The Bournville Village Trust, in the person of Anne Walker, and Christine's (aka www.cityknits.co.uk ) built on her idea; so the Crafty Bees group came about, for local people to get together to share skills in knitting and crochet with each other, and pass them on through the generations, while we make 'stuff' for charities.

The BVT are funding it; we have a room booked at Dame Elizabeth Hall for a year, and they are buying supplies of wool etc. Julie and Caroline are organising the various supplies we need, and coming up with suggestions for how to go on.

So last Friday morning I turned up at the Hall. The weather was foul, and I was horribly afraid no-one would turn up. Inside I found:



The three crates of supplies we'd packed ready. Tables were being arranged. Gillian and Sandra, both on the committee, set out the things they had made for various charities.



And then people started to arrive! We had youngsters with a teacher day there knitting, young mums with babies, a real mix of ages. Over 20 people turned out on a morning when the wind was howling, and the rain lashing down, and enjoyed crafting together.



Everyone is making squares - they can be used for all sorts of things, and it was the first time so we had to set something up.



This photo is from early on, before everyone had arrived. We had to get more tables out!



And we even had time to join in. Here we have Jules, in blue, and Anne Walker from the BVT in the foreground. And the white head and grey cardigan is me!

We're agreed that next Friday we will start work on Easter things - lambs, bunnies, ducklings -  which we can sell to raise money. Here we have one of Caroline's cheeky chicks:

There's a lovely sheepy pattern in Landscape magazine which I'll try out with a view to making them, and a free pattern on the Rowan website for chickens to sit on the edge of window sills etc which is knitted and waiting to be sewn up; The pattern suggests this for weight under the stuffing!

I've been making the Blue Bird of Happiness, the penultimate of Heidi Bears patterns, and experimented in making him with granny squares - well, OK, pentagons. I'm wondering if people might like to make some; the happypotami I made last year were very popular.

We are, of course, building up towards the Marie Curie Day in June; one of the ideas is to make daffodil pins and fridge magnets. Yesterday Jennifer brought this lovely one into the shop to show us. With some tweaking it's the nicest I've seen.

So it's been a busy week, with a beginners' workshop on Saturday, and Caroline and Julie off to the trade fair at the NEC today. Our bees are busy, as well as crafty.

And one last photo, since there's no smellerama yet. This is the pot of hyacinths Maureen bought me for my birthday. They are beautiful, and are filling my room with their scent.