Wool on Sunday...

This week I'm posting a photo that I took last year. It is the Christmas tree in the yarn shop Knitch. The owner, Anissa, decorated the tree with knitted and crocheted decorations; it was magnificent! Sadly Knitch closed early this year, and I sure do miss it. 

Linking up with the Rainbow Hare blog for Wool on Sunday.

https://rainbowhare.com/category/wool-on-sundays/

Wool on Sundays...

Joining in this weekly link up on The Rainbow Hare blog once again. This week, a bit of musing from me about the 'knitting scene' of the past plus a more recent trend in the same scene.
Brisbane is a city in the sub tropics. In times past, despite the rather warm climate, knitting and crocheting were still a necessary pastime of those of my mother's generation. ( it was very rare to see the children of my generation in 'shop bought' knitwear!)  My childhood memories were that there weren't a lot of small speciality yarn shops around...my mum used to purchase yarns from department and chain stores in the 1950s and 60s. We did have 2 Drapery shops near where we lived and these did have a very small range of wool.

Travelling to Melbourne in the early 1970s, I fell in love with that city's yarn shops. Back home though, I bought my yarn in department stores. Years later, the 'big' craft shops like Spotlight and Lincraft arrived. In recent times though, the modern version of the small yarn shop arrived in Brisbane...and I loved them! I made sure I supported these local businesses.

 But...there is always a 'but' isn't there? In the last few years at least 3 local yarn shops that I know of, have closed. But we still had the lovely Knitch in Paddington...

Knitch with its lovely items to inspire us on display...and there were classes so we could learn more techniques. 

Lots of lovely yarns for sale...many hand dyed by the owner of Knitch...

Anissa, the owner of Knitch ( on the right of the top photo) was a wonderful supporter of local charities, including inviting K4BN to hold monthly Knit and Natters in the shop. We would often share tables with regular customers who came in to classes or social group gatherings...the place was always busy and 'alive'. 

Each month there would be a large number of donations for the group...both from Anissa herself, as well as her customers.

Sadly 'all good things come to an end' and last Tuesday at the April Knit and Natter, we were met with the news that the store would close in the next few weeks...Anissa and family are moving to NSW and with the lease on the shop expiring next month, she is just closing the doors not selling the business. 

So to assuage my disappointment at this news, I bought some yarn didn't I?? Lol 

No idea what I'll make  but probably they will feature in one of my multi-coloured throw 'creations'. 

Goodbye Anissa! I wish you all the best for the future in whatever endeavours you embark on. A big thank you for all that did for the community, and we will miss your lovely, 'bubbly', cheerful, welcoming self!! And we'll miss that wonderful atmosphere that you created in your lovely shop. 

Vale Knitch! 

A bit of Yarn bombing...

So what is yarn bombing? A definition...

A yarn bomb is form of street art where yarn in any form (knit, crochet, latch hook, cross stitch, amigurumi, or simply wrapped) is attached to an object in the public environment.

So technically my efforts aren't true to the definition as it was at my home, not a 'public environment, but I did cover something with yarn that had been crocheted or knitted. 

I had been steadily joining donated squares into blankets for Knitting for Brisbane's Needy and just as steadily I was neatening off ends. On Sunday morning, ostensibly all the blankets were finished, ready to hand over at the Scarborough Knit and Natter on Monday. 

I normally take a photo of the completed items so the donors of the squares can see their handiwork. I decided to drape all the folded blankets over the railing of our front veranda. It took a while but eventually all 16 blankets were in place.

Then I went downstairs with the camera to get some shots...DH trimmed some plants that were a bit high too...

Here is the collage I made with the photos...one photo is of the whole row and then I took a photo of each of the 3 sections of the railings.

I put the photo on K4BN's closed group page. Yesterday I got a big surprise because the owner of the yarn store Knitch, thought that the photo was worth sharing on her Knitch page, with an accompanying lovely comment directed at myself and other members of K4BN. Anissa also asked all readers of her page to consider knitting or crocheting squares for K4BN!  Anissa sent me a message just before to say that her post (of my post) had had 9 shares. 

But my biggest 'wow moment' was when Jenny King left a lovely comment about my efforts on Anissa's post. For those who don't know her, Jenny King is an Australian designer and crochet pattern writer. She has also entered the US crochet scene as well. 

So even though it was a thrill to have Jenny make a comment on my photo...the reality is that when I was folding up all those blankets I found 'ends/threads' on several of them, that I had missed. Now I think that when I handed over those blankets on Monday...all ends had been neatened off...I think! Lol

An itch to knit? Visit Knitch!

I've written before about the lovely yarn shop in the Brisbane suburb of Paddington. Knitting for Brisbane's Needy has a monthly Knit and Natter there and Anissa, the owner of the store is so supportive of the group...a really lovely lady!!!

The shop is on Latrobe Terrace and apparently was originally a Drapery store. 

Come through the door and have a look...

Christmas has come to Knitch! So of course there is a tree...

And what a surprise! The tree decorations are knitted and crocheted! Lol

No paper chains here...they are knitted of course...

Some decorations were sewn...

All absolutely beautiful! 

And I'll just finish with some photos of the hand dyed yarns on sale in the shop...dyed by Anissa herself.

Last month I bought a skein of this yarn for a Secret Santa gift...

And also for a SS gift, I bought a skein of this sock yarn...

And as I go to this lovely shop each month, throughout the year I have bought skeins of yarn for me too! :-)

( the shop stocks a large range of knitting yarn brands, not just the hand dyed ranges) 

A morning at Knitch in Paddington...

On Tuesday It was the monthly Knit and Natter at Knitch, a delightful yarn store in Paddington. 

When we arrived at the store and walked to the area set aside for K4BN, on the table were all these beautifully knitted teddies in all different colours. 

Anissa, the owner of Knitch, informed us that the bears were for K4BN and they had been knitted by a customer and other ladies who live in the same complex as her. Anissa also told us that the ladies were already knitting another lot for the group and to expect around the same number of teddies next time. Such generosity! 

Every month that I go to this store, there is always something new to admire...

The crocheted rhino has been joined by some other crocheted toys, including a giraffe made with African Flower motifs. Anissa has classes to make these items. 

Since my last visit, the front fence has been 'yarn bombed' (decorated with knitting/crocheting)...

Helen was also photographing the front fence :-)

Helen is one of the 2 ladies who organised and ran the group's Mothers Day Raffle...a great effort, Helen and Marlene, and well over $700 raised for K4BN's work with the needy! 

These stools have had the seats covered with a piece of knitting...all from classes. They look great!!

We are a small group at Paddington but a very productive one...well not so much from me just now but I'm working at getting back into 'full production'! Lol

Paddington Knit and Natter

Last December I went to my first Knit and Natter at a delightful yarn shop called Knitch and I wrote about it here...

Yesterday when I went to the Knit and Natter there I found a few changes...
Firstly there was a coffee cart near the front door...

And the prices were very reasonable

In charge of the coffee cart was a young man called Brayden. He made the most wonderful cups of coffee and this talented barista also mixes his own blends of beans...the coffee was really good! Between customers Brayden kept busy...

A big smile for the camera...

The hat wasn't finished but Brayden modelled it for the camera...the yarn is Noro Silk Garden...

Later in the day I noticed a photo of the finished hat on the shop's Facebook page and the hat was indeed floppy just as Brayden had planned...it looked great!
Last December I purchased a number of wound balls of some special yarns that Anissa was selling. Two went for Christmas gifts and the one pictured below was a little extra I put in the recent Bag Giveaway that I ran on the blog...

Dorothy's name was drawn as the winner and she was thrilled to find the ball of yarn in her prize...it wasn't long before Dorothy sent me a photo of what she made with the yarn...
Take a look at this lovely scarf...the colour graduations are gorgeous.

So fellow Brisbanites I really recommend a visit to Anissa's lovely shop. If you don't knit or crochet, just drop in for a coffee perhaps? Anissa also runs a number of classes and the shop hosts a number of groups who come in to knit and socialise. Anissa is a great supporter of Knitting for Brisbane's Needy and her shop is stocked with so many divine yarns, kits and ideas. 

Some finishes and some more Knit and Natters...

A few posts ago I wrote about being in the mood to join knitted and crocheted squares into blankets for Knitting for Brisbane's Needy. I'm now almost finished #8 and even though there are still some bags of donated squares 'lurking' in my house, I will most probably move on to some other projects as soon as this 8th blanket is finished.

Thank you to those who commented on the rather striking colour schemes of those blankets posted previously, but really the credit must go to the lovely Glenda at Sisters of stitch. Blanket #7 was not colour coordinated by any means...this blanket used an array of odd squares donated from a variety of sources. The criterion for the use of squares in that blanket was size...any ones that were a similar size were used! Angela asked how I join squares. I mostly join squares using double crochet these days as it's quicker than mattress stitch and also quicker than a former technique I used on  (wonky edged) knitted squares where I did a row of double crochet around the edges of the squares and then whipstitched the squares together. 

So here is a photo of blanket number 7...a mismatch of squares but it will still keep someone warm this coming winter....

There were some knitted flowers in one bag of squares so I sewed them on this blanket to add a little interest :-)

On Monday I was finally able to take some finished items to hand in at the Scarborough Knit and Natter. Mitzi Micra's little boot/trunk was filled with the 7 finished blankets...

Completed blankets piled up on my lounge last Sunday night :-)

At the Knit and Natter, 'my' blankets joined a whole lot of other rugs that were handed in..

As usual the ladies who come to the Scarborough K & N had been very busy and there were bags and bags of items brought along to hand in, including some lovely indigenous jumpers...

And Robyn who held up everyone's items for Show and Tell was kept busy as some 'ends' not woven in were found in some of the items...yours truly had 2 ends left hanging despite checking over the 7 blankets the night before! 

Robyn weaving in an end on a beautiful scarf!

That was Monday...on Tuesday morning I went to the Paddington Knit and Natter at Knitch...a delightful store. 

Shelly, one of our members brought along a bag of Pookies that she had knitted for the Summer Challenge...

Gorgeous little Pookies!

And I handed in that chevron/ripple stitch  throw that I had been working on for the Mothers' Day Raffle.

All ready for a new home in early May.

Just a reminder of my Giveaway to celebrate 800+ blog posts. To be in the draw just leave a comment on this post here.  Draw will be on February 15

Tote bag from California Design Shop at QAG...

Knitch...

On Tuesday I went to the new K4BN Knit and Natter group at 'Knitch', a yarn shop  in the inner suburb of Paddington. This was only the second meet up for this K&N and I went with fellow member, Helen.
We had a lovely morning in this beautiful shop, alternating between knitting and roaming around the store fondling yarns and admiring sample garments and other display items.
You walk through an area that is like a little courtyard to get to the front door of the shop...

On a table outside the front of the shop was a big basket filled with lovely yarns and a teapot 'dressed' in a cosy that was covered with flowers. 

One of the first things that I noticed about the shop was how spacious it was and how light and airy it was...and naturally there was shelves of beautiful yarns spread throughout the shop...

There were some lovely sample garments and I'm sorry now that I didn't take more photos of these...
This felted garment caught my eye...there are a number of Felting workshops offered at the store...

The classes for Christmas decorations are very popular too...

Anissa, the owner of the shop had been busy decorating the shop for Christmas...

A yarn wrapped reindeer near the front door...

I saw a felted teddy bear hiding on a lower shelf in one of the shelf units...

And both Helen and I fell in love with this gorgeous creature made from African flower crocheted motifs...

This toy rhino is being given by Anissa to a community group which raises funds to help homeless children. He/she will be auctioned to raise funds... I noticed that there had been classes held in the shop to learn to make the rhino of your own...

I spent quite a bit of time fondling examining these balls of yarn. Some were balls made up of a number of different yarns, joined together and wound into balls, some were just one type of yarn such as some variegated 4ply and one ball was 10 ply variegated yarns in soft pastel colours.

Did I mention that Anissa had a 25% off sale on all items???  Well after a lot of oohing and aahing and fondling, I eventually succumbed to the lure of such beautiful yarns and selected 4 balls...but I must hastily add that most are earmarked for gifts to others...I think...
And finally here is a photo of Helen (on the left) with Anissa, the owner...

Anissa is very generous to groups (such as K4BN) who look after the less fortunate and has a beautiful store stocked with some rather lovely yarns including the English Wendy label and Filatura de Crosa for example. The shop fills a niche market with the more expensive yarns from around the world. The range of workshops and classes are very popular as well.
We had a lovely morning and I look forward to many K&Ns there.