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.

Teasers.

This weather makes me want to hibernate. I'm not complaining exactly - there are too many people having a dreadful time for that - but the wind is howling and the rain is washing down the patio doors, and it's a day to curl up by the fire.

Life continues to be full, with preparations for workshops in the here and now, and discussions about the LYS day in May, the Marie Curie Day in June, not to speak of the Crafty Bees. Who/what are the Crafty Bees? you'll have to wait for the grand launch.

Last weekend's workshop was beginners; later the same day Marie shared a photo of her work with us at Christine's; very impressive!



This Saturday is intermediate crochet. There is so much to share that it's hard to narrow it down to a lesson's-worth. So pattern-reading will give an overview of crochet, and there will be some stitches to try which are formed in interesting ways. Sandie mentioned corner-to-corner, so that will be one:

This is Katia Degrade DK cotton; I love the colours! This is destined to be the back of a cushion.

Then I think we'll have a play with drop stitches.

This week I'm trying to organise my space (again!) So here we have a pile of baskets, each of which represents a workshop.

Reading from the top down: intermediate crochet, flowers, Mother's Day, moving on from granny squares. The Easter Workshop one isn't in the pile, but it's started! More photos will be taken when I've acquired more storage boxes, to remind us all that for a fleeting moment all was tidy ...

At least there is space now to block.

This is a very long Mobius wrap that needs to be blocked in stages because of the twist; I'm pretty pleased that two stretches will fit side by side, otherwise the shop would never see it again! Because it's so long I don't want to increase the size, so it's just blocked to open out the pattern. It's held in place with blocking wires and T-pins, and then sprayed with (quite a lot) of water. When it's dry, it can be unpinned and moved around to block the rest. It's not my knitting - but I (sometimes) have the facilities to block stuff.

Last Monday was my birthday and I thought I'd share some things. How about these quite beautiful tulips?

They are the most delicate of shaded pinks.

And then there's

It's a cushion; a little dog looking very  like my Fig as an Elvis impersonator. I've been an Elvis fan since I was 11, especially of the rock'n roll years. Even now the opening bars of Jailhouse Rock have me screeching.

And finally, one of my cards.

A Phil Davis original, with the trees I love and which he paints brilliantly.

My life at the moment is full of interest, and I feel very lucky.

Preparations

The new season of crochet workshops starts this Saturday. I don't know if it's a good thing that I used to be a teacher. The good side is that I keep trying to think of ways to make the learning easier; the bad thing is that I have to get everything ready beforehand. So far I've tinkered with the lessons, new photos (still rotten) and so on; on Thursday I can print them off and wind the yarn into neat balls. Friday I pack my bags ...

We're offering a choice for beginners: granny squares or back-and-forth. I've been experimenting with granny squares, as in what can you make with them. I already have a waistcoat and a pair of tiny earrings. So I've made a dog coat:

This will fit Fig; if I could get her to pose I'd show you, but she has no idea about standing still.

It really is a granny square with a few extra bits.

Then we have little bags, one a granny and the other straight:

And a cushion: small squares one side, one big one for the back:

Somewhere I found a heart made of a granny square. It's a Hungarian pattern, but it had a chart so I made one last night:

I'm going to play, now I know how it works, and see if I can reduce the size and keep the shape. If so, people on Saturday will have the choice of making one.

Goaded by Caroline, I'm making a simple book cover that anyone can make; decorated with some of my favourite gingham buttons. And then there's the afghan pattern she spotted in the Crochet Crowd's gallery ...

I really do like to have plenty to think about, and that's certainly true at the moment. 

Only some of our plans ...

Saturday 3rd May

This is an event organised by Knit Now! magazine to remind people that there are alternatives to internet shopping. Book the date: Caroline has all sorts of ideas.

What do you get out of Christine's in Bournville that you don't get on line? Where to begin? 

• If it's yarn you want, you get to see the colours and squidge it for softness. 
• Patterns? There are 14 folders of baby patterns, lots of books of patterns, and then of course there's the adult stuff and the just-for-fun crafty patterns.
• Crochet hooks and knitting needles? We always have some in use in the shop so you can try before you buy.
• Someone on hand to help you work out pattern difficulties, or to show you new techniques.
• Haberdashery to solve most problems. (I'd never heard of bra extenders till I started taking up space at the shop!)

And this is just the start. Come and see!

Yesterday we had the Valentine crochet-with-Kate at the shop. There was lots of activity during the week; Doreen and Caroline did a major tidy of the workroom, then painted it as well! Julie bought a new rug, and the room looked really colourful and welcoming.

Sandie, Jenny, Carol and Diane all worked hard; there was a really great moment when Carol suddenly shouted out because she'd finished her heart and it looked brilliant. Next time I must remember to take a camera.

Caroline as always has inspired me to try something new; she'd made a big basket with scarf yarn, so I had to have a go.

Needless to say, I haven't darned the ends in yet! This is one ball of yarn and measures 7 inches across. I had to borrow Caroline's hook, but these tray/bowl/baskets could be addictive!

To give my fingers a rest I'm making up an old Paton's baby blanket pattern in 4-ply; no baby in mind, just wanted to make it:

Next up is a beginner's workshop; they will have a choice of granny squares or crochet in rows. In the shop I've been making a toddler's jacket out of 6 granny squares to show that they can be used for more than blankets. A photo on Facebook has inspired me to make something else rather whimsical - you'll have to wait to see what it is!

Then the next week we'll be making flowers. I hadn't realised until I started collecting them up for photos how many I've made! We'll offer a choice of techniques; maybe a simple flat flower:

Or a two-or-more tiers Irish rose:

Then this little beauty is absurdly simple: a rolled rose.

There will also be what I think of as a corsage flower - it has a back to it. Can't find any today so - horrors- I'll have to make another!

And a 3D flower that is made with separate petals; maybe a daffodil? Plenty of time to decide, so any requests will be considered!

I'm brooding over this:

I love these simple little blooms, made in a chain; they remind me of blossom. They might become violet and find their way into the Mother's Day crochet-along, or they might be blossom for the Easter one.

There are so many signs of Spring around. The snowdrops are out, and the great tits are singing (shouting?) their mating song. No doubt we will have some harsh weather before things really get going, but at least the promise is there.

When is a ..

beginner not a beginner?

This is one of the dilemmas facing any teacher. There is absolutely no point in teaching someone what they already know. So when I plan a workshop for people I've never met, I have to try and cater for all eventualities. Some people want to learn to make granny squares; some can already make granny squares but nothing else.

I have a lesson for granny beginners, prepared ages ago; I'm re-thinking the crochet-in-a-straight-line beginners. The basics are simple: double crochet and treble prepare the way for other stitches, so that's where to start. What I want is a simple project so they have something to take away with them. I'll think of something.

For the Mother's Day workshop, the theme will be violets. When Gareth used to sing in Leicester Cathedral choir, the children were always given bunches of violets to give to their mothers, so I decided to stick with tradition. There will be a bunch of violets to make, but you'll have to wait for other things!

I've been working on various things for myself. So far my attempts at felting are almost a failure:

It's starting to felt, but hasn't shrunk at all. Back to the pot later!

I've been wanting to play with sort-of freeform for ages. What really makes me ooh and aah is the work coming out of Russia, a sort of modern Irish crochet. So here is my latest book:

Amazon originally told me it would be May before their copies arrived, but it dropped through my letter box this morning. The author is Kathryn White, who creates some of the loveliest thread crochet patterns you can find. This book is so practical and down-to-earth it's already had me trying bullions (again!) and padded rings.

I began playing before the book came.

 Lovely cheerful yellows ready for Easter.

And the cutest little leaf sprig out of Suzann Thompson's Crochet Bouquet.

I've also been labouring to make a length of Romanian cord; the theory is easy, but keeping the tension right is less so.

All of these things will come together eventually (I hope!) and you may find them in future workshops.

You could also send me a message if there is anything you're interested in learning.

Hearts and Flowers

Why on earth am I doing a valentine's day workshop? Do you remember all those days waiting for the post? The humiliation when you didn't get one? I can remember valentine's day in a hall of residence, with women students standing negligently near the open pigeonholes, pretending with all their might that they were there to speak to the porter, wait for a phone call, on their way out/in ... Humiliating. And all these women were, by definition, intelligent!

And then there's the shape. It's a really difficult shape to make, especially in crochet. But if you come to the workshop, you'll have four different patterns to choose from. Starting small:

A gift tag. Or, with 2 sewn together, a key ring:

For sports fanatics, a plaited heart in team colours:

For those of you who aren't in Brum, I should tell you that the blue/white one is Birmingham City, and the Claret/blue is Aston Villa. I know this because people come into the shop for the colours, but I don't understand the appeal of football. I'm a rugby fan and have spent many a happy hour on the terraces at Leicester Tigers.

Stay on the subject, Kate! This very red heart is destined to be part of bunting:

And finally, a pretty heart sachet; you could use it to give a small token to a niece or granddaughter, perhaps.

And that's it. Just have to finish the bunting and write up the patterns, but I'll wait to do that until I see whether there is any interest.

You'll have to wait for the hearts and flowers; it isn't part of the workshop, just something buzzing in my brain.

Mother's Day is more to my taste, and I have a fantastic idea for a workshop, though it might have to be a series of workshops or an all-day one. Interested? Watch this space.

2014

I don't usually do much resolving because I forget. But I'm starting the new year with the determination to make some of the things that have been in my head for years. I've solved some of the technical problems - thanks to Caroline - so now there are no excuses.

I've also made up my mind to spend time finishing things properly, instead of scrambling things together at the last minute. That, of course, means planning ahead. So how about crochet-with-Kates at the shop
 in January for Valentines (projects to include things adaptable for nieces etc);
 in February for Mother's Day;
and in March for Easter (Easter Sunday is late this year, so that gives time)?

I'm working on all sorts at the moment; the only thing far enough on to show you is the rug I'm making for Gareth's new house:

It's that recycled t-shirt yarn, worked with a 12mm hook, and it is HEAVY! I have to use my hook in a knife hold to cope with the size of everything.

Here we have a project I finished earlier:

The door onto the balcony needs adjusting, so while I wait I have a draught excluder. It's turned over now to hide the loops where Fig keeps digging her claws in to try and wrap it round herself. I loved playing with the colours - Stylecraft Special DK offers such a range and, of course, we have them all at the shop!

We were closed for four whole days! Some customers were disappointed, but how about the lady who complained about the opening hours on Christmas Eve? Jules and Caroline kept the shop open from 9am to 6pm. How much longer can anyone expect?

When we re-opened on Monday, Sally and her family were here. Brian has made a video of the shop; this is a panoramic still from it.



Just to give you some idea of the delights in store. Watch Facebook for the video!

Zoe received the hat and matching scarf made for her by Jules. It's in Louisa Harding Luzia, and is amazingly warm, as well as looking fabulous.

We all enjoyed having Ben and Zoe in the shop: endless entertainment, from Ben's wobbly tooth to Zoe's 'No' to everything. In her Scots accent it's really cute!

I'm glad it's the New Year. 2013 was all right (yes, only all right), but it's good to start over. The only looking back I'm going to do is Zoe with her hippo:

Otherwise, let's look forward. A happy 2014 to you all!