Come in London...I Knit calling....

It's just gone 11 on Saturday morning and it's all go. This morning at 8 0'clock (AM on a Saturday!) we were in the shop broadcasting to the nation (well, London) on JoAnne Good's BBC Radio breakfast show. Although we were cut short in our prime by a flaccid aerial which affected the signal we still managed to get in a bit about all the great knitters in London, and hopefully they'll do another piece about the I Knit London group shortly....

From there we packed up our bike trailers and cycled over to St John's Chruch at Waterloo to set up our stall for the House of Homosexual Culture's Autumn Fayre. If you're in London today (Saturday 30th) why not pop in there. I've had to return to the IKL shop for the day but you can meet Gerard, Patrizia (our little helper for the day), and many other knitters demonstrating the art to all and sundry. You might also meet Sir Ian McKellen, who is opening the fayre at 12 o'clock! Go down, say 'hello' and get yourself some yummy yarns, cakes, jam, chutney, sugar, spice and all things nice. You don't even need to be a homosexual to get in!!

Gerard will post a full report on the day later, with some pics.....


Craig
IKL

SNB visits I Knit London

A big hello and thanks to all the girls who came in tonight from a Stitch n Bitch group (sorry, I didnt get where you meet up?). It was great to see the sanctuary full of knitters (and an origami-er whatever, we welcome all crafty folk here). As a memory test I want to say hello to everyone who came tonight so here goes....Alex, Emerald, Toni, Jan, Bea, Hannah, Zoe, Julia, Nell and not forgetting Gea our 'DJ' for the night. Crikey, I hope I didn't forget anyone, it could be embarrassing to say the least, and if I spelt any names wrong let me know and I'll correct it. Only wish I'd taken a photo of you all for this blog. I hope you had a great time over at the Bonnington Cafe and that we see you in the pub soon....

I had a weekend off from London (but not from knitting) whilst I popped up to Carlisle (my home place) for my niece's christening. The garter stitch jacket I'm attempting is coming along nicely but perhaps hoping to have it finished by Sunday was a bit optimistic! I blame the fact I've had other stuff on my mind over the last few weeks (shop openings and the like). Carlisle proved to be a haven for vintage knitting patterns and I managed to buy about 400 in various charity shops about the place on Saturday afternoon. They'll be added to the I Knit pattern library for all retro-minded knitters to pore over. Plus my mum (who taught me to knit over 20 years ago before I became a boy and got into more adventurous and interesting pastimes like trainspotting) showed me a thing or two about fixing my mistakes and brought out her old knitting for Action Man patterns. Ahhh...I remember it well, when she'd come to our playroom with her latest creation and we'd dress up our Action Men in knitted uniforms and camouflage jackets. It fair sent a young boy's heart a-racing. How it came as such a shock to her 20 years later I'll never know.

Got off the point there. Cassie (the gorgeous niece and now godchild) is just mega cute in an angelic way and I just don't hold with the idea that ALL babies are cute - but she is 110%! Mam's already knit her an entire wardrobe but I'm committed to at least finish this jacket before I move onto something for myself. Getting adventurous (again) and may attempt a jumper for the winter...

The train journey up North was made bearable by meeting someone who I managed to have a conversation with in sign language for almost 3 hours! Now, it might not seem much, but since I passed my BSL level 2 exam over a year ago I haven't really used it at all. I was amazed how quickly it all came back and managed a complete conversation with a total stranger without having to write anything down. I must admit, I think he was being kind and nodding quite a bit when he had not a clue what I was on about! Hey Joel, if you're reading this...how's about a film about our knitting group...and do you know any deaf knitters??

We'll see some knitters at this Saturday's Autumn Fayre (see News page on the website) which is now being opened by Gandalf himself. If he ain't wearing an I Knit London badge by the time he leaves I would think we'd failed in our duty to spread the knitting germ...

Craig
IKL

Jane Bolsover's knitted garden...

Ha-ha! This is just what i need today to cheer me up (not that I'm miserable, just a bit tired). Many of you will have seen this garden before, or maybe even took part, but the photo gallery is worth a look!
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=19957&in_page_id=2

I had a lovely night in Bonnington Square with Esther and some cider, and some knitting (but not much on my part). I chose the squirrel pic because it's perfect for our blog, seeing as the squirrels of Bonnington Square are regularly popping their heads in the door for a look. I wonder, has anyone tried spinning hair from a bushy squirrel tail? Ended the night with some chips and curry - the proper 'chip shop' curry mind, in a polystyrene pot, that's been nowhere near the Asian subcontinent.

Send in more pics of knitted gorgeousness and strangeness if you see any!

And I echo G's post below - thanks for talking about us!

Cx
IKL

all the rage!

we are delighted to say that Time Out think our knitting club rocks!

Go to www.timeout.com/london

Click ‘Around Town’, top left and see what everyone is talking about.

G&Cxx

PS - don't forget that Friday night we host London's only knitting club exclusively for men! Now, I'm not here this evening (going home to Carlisle for my niece's christening on Sunday) and Tom is in Greece...so, MEN, get down to I Knit London and keep Gerard company. I know there's wine and beer in the fridge so pop in on your way to any of the dirty boys' clubs down Vauxhall way.

Cxx

not a quiz but a question

Last night Craig and I were asked why, as men, do we like knitting. A philosophical debate ensued, of course. There are many reasons I like knitting, which we discussed. But for now, forget that I'm a man for a minute...I like knitting because it's a peaceful activity; it's creative, it keeps me away from the telly, and all the other obvious things.

There are also many other reasons which are hard, sometimes impossible, to explain but I know there are a billion knitters who think the same - I love yarn and needles and the motion and the way they feel and what you can get from just a little concentration and learning.

One of my favorite reasons for liking knitting so much is that it connects people. Knitting groups are a perfect example - I've made some great friends from going to our knitting in the pub club and I look very much forward to singalongasoundofmusic!

I'm an alien in London; lots of my friends, my oldest friends are in Liverpool and other scattered places, as are all of my family. When I learned to knit lots of friends were about to become new parents and while this was very exciting I harboured some sadness as I was in a different part of the country and I wished I was with them and that I would see their children growing every day. So, I Knit, I thought, I could knit them baby clothes and things. It didn't really make me feel closer to my friends, they know I love them and vice versa, it made me feel close to the new people, 2 of which later became my god-daughters.

Now when I go to visit and the kids don't know me and they get scared because they've never seen a beard before, my friends say to them, "this is Uncle Gerard, he made the jumper you are wearing".

what's your favorite reason for knitting?

The Phoenix, it's a family affair!

Thanks to all who joined us tonight for knitting at The Phoenix (lovely strawberry beer on tap I must say) - including Erica who brought the whole family along (left)- knitting is international and ignores the language barrier!! I'm only sorry we didn't persuade your dad to get involved! It was a splintered group tonight as there just wasn't enough room for us all (are we running out of pubs large enough?), but it was great to see old faces and new ones too...Sue, Sarah and Elly (pictured below) welcome to I Knit London! Apologies to those I didn't get a snap of, you can pose for pics next time if you want the fame! Lots on the go tonight...Megan's 'hat' from Walmart, Sue's jumper for her boyfriend (I say why can't he knit it for himself?) in the beautiful new Rowan Tapestry yarn (but don't get me started on Rowan!), Judy (I hope your voice comes back) with a silky DB shawl and even a couple of blue squares. I do love the variety of taste, style and ability of the I Knit Londoners, and long may it continue, even Patrizia with her embroidery (we're called I Knit London Patrizia!)

We held on til the very end with Elly (not pictured) and Hayley (I hope you girls got home OK whichever mode of transport you ended up in) and, yes, we did end up in Chinatown eating an unneccessary, but delicious deep fried squid.

Just a final mention and thanks to Tom...grand to see you again, thoroughly nice chap and man who knits! We should organise a pub quiz outing sometime soon. I don't like to brag so I didn't mention it...but a few years ago I won The Weakest Link y'know!? Honest.

Thanks everyone, I hope you all had a good night and we'll see you next time in another pub somewhere in London...

My first knit proper

I've been trying to convince myself that I can do more than garter stitch but keep giving up on projects halfway through. Knitting now for nine months I should be more adventurous, especially after the amazing creations people bring along to our meetings - so I'm now getting on with a baby jacket for my 4 month old niece. OK, so it's in garter stitch, but I'm actually making a shape with arms and everything! How exciting...it'll have a little ribbon on and everything. Now my creativity knows no bounds!

I'm sorry I couldn't make the meeting last nigth but I hear Gerard looked after everyone (and Esther who provided nibbles and organic cider). My theatre engagement was already booked up so I missed it all. I spent the night nursing a heavy cold and headache at the Almeida watching Tom & Viv. An emotional night and not the best way to get over your lethargy, but Frances O'Connor was amazing.

Til next time.

Craig
IKL

The Crown and Two Chairmen heaving with knitters...

Blimey! What a great turn out last night for the meeting at The Crown and Two Chairmen in the heart of Soho. It was so great to see everyone, old and new, for our first Wednesday meet up. Gerard sends his apologies to everyone for not being able to make it, but I can attest to the fact that he really wouldn't have missed a night of knitting and drinking if he didn't have to! But, thanks to everyone who helped teach the basics to the novice knitters and set them on their way with a ball of yarn, needles and a spring in their step. It was so nice to see so many new faces alongside the regulars and I hope you'll all find time to pop back for another meeting in future. We also broke a record last night for the most men at one meeting!! Hurray for Graham, Tom, Rudolf and myself - now girls, get those husbands and boyfriends along next time cos we still feel outnumbered!

It was also encouraging to see so many projects on the go, not just blue squares! I think Rudolf's mobius loop scarf/hoodie takes the honour of most impressive creation of the night (should've taken a photo!) but as I was doing a very basic i-cord I'm probably easily pleased. It was a long, enjoyable evening, and a great location. When we've exhausted all the possibilities we'll certainly be returning and lounging there.

As the meetings are every two weeks we are continuing with that pattern every Wednesday, and the next meeting will be at The Phoenix on Cavendish Square (Oxford Circus) on Wednesday 20th September. Meanwhile, we'll be having an interim meeting every Wednesday at the I Knit London shop on Bonnington Square. For anyone who hasn't experienced Bonnington Square come down next Wednesday and find possibly the most relaxing bit of London (don't be put off when you're trying to find your way out of Vauxhall station and you think it's a bit grim!) We're pleased to report that we've applied for a drinks licence (and music and movies) but as that's in the pipeline do feel absolutely free to bring along your own beverages and lounge on the Chesterfield or the bright yellow beanbag. If the knitting and drinking aren't enough to entice you, you can pop over the road for a takeaway at London's best veggie restaurant! We've just come back from there - do you know anywhere else you can buy a biodynamic tart made from ingredients planted and cultivated in accordance with the moon cycle and astrological systems??

Craig
xx

PS Anyone else having trouble posting pictures here?? I'll try to get some pics up if anyone can help me out!

The day after....

Ahhh...Sundays are so much more refined than late Saturday nights! Gerard only managed half a day before he needed to recuperate from last night's/this morning's shenanigans and I stayed on for some tidying, sorting and, of course, knitting. A quiet day, watching the world go by, the local characters and the squirrels in the square.

I was going to post again about how excited we both are about yesterday's opening, how committed we are to making I Knit London the warmest welcome for knitters of any age and skill, and how encouraged we are to continue to provide a place to knit and relax in a peaceful corner of London....but, although it's all true...here's some pics!

Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you!

....to everyone who came over yesterday to launch the I Knit London shop! We had a great day, meeting old friends and new and we're not ashamed to admit we drank and danced (a bit) into the very early hours surrounded by our gorgeous yarn and lovely friends!

Special mention to Chris, our very first customer, and to everyone who came along and settled down for the afternoon. Eleanor, you're coasters came in handy later on, I wish we'd thought of it sooner! We've still got work to do to bring you even more knitting gorgeousness - more yarns (we are constantly scouring for the stuff you must have), I Knit Noodle Kits to get everything you need in one yummy little box, workshops and classes to organise - but it's nice to be made so welcome by so many knitters, and we met so many new ones too. This morning it's not all over. We are opening today at 12, but before then we'll be treating Rose and Max (Gerard's ma and sis) to a lovely greasy spoon breakfast which should clear our heads and settle our stomachs!

On that note, we'll post a more succinct post when my head is a bit clearer later tonight!

THANK YOU!

Gerard and Craig
I Knit London

I know we're all desperate for wool....

...but this is going a bit too far!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/5299094.stm

National Knitting Week - an official I Knit London event

So, plans have been decided for our official contribution to National Knitting Week. Whilst we toyed with many ideas we have eventually decided that there can only really be one event that we should plan for - Knit A River. The campaign has taken us all by surprise and with such a huge and varied response from so many thousands of knitters it's only right that we can mark the start of National Knitting Week with the first official outing of the river (so far!)

We have permission to use Jubilee Gardens (the open space directly next to the London Eye on London's South Bank) for our planned event - we are asking for as many knitters, crocheters and sewers (that's people who sew!) to join I Knit London and WaterAid on Saturday 14th October for a mass open-air knit between 11am and 1pm. It's blue squares a gogo and we need those who can knit and those willing to crochet/sew the squares to the river so that it grows before our eyes. The challenge is on for knitters to come together in one place and really make a difference....

The river is fast becoming a symbol of the knitting community across the globe, with stories of first time knitters picking up needles, to accomplished crocheters creating unique designs for their ripple in the ever growing river. Please continue to spread the word, send us your stories and photos. From the man who hadn't knit since he was at school 46 years ago, to the lady who produced over 100 squares in a day we continue to be amazed by the encouragement and the support from everyone who contributes.

Thanks to everyone so far who have put the word "WaterAid" and their work into the hearts and minds of so many more people and for showing that creativity and passion can be a genuine force for change. Keep those squares coming, and let's make 14th October a spectacular BLUE day!

trees in cities

we need more trees

www.tree-athlon.org

The Black Friar, yellow paint, blue squares....

Another knitting hangover this morning thanks to our meeting at The Black Friar last night. A little gem of a pub tucked up against the railway bridge opposite Blackfriars Station with lovely green tiles giving the impression of sitting in a very posh toilet! We commandeered almost an entire room and the knitting was enthusiastic. It's always great to welcome new members so thanks to those who came last night, and we continued the trend started at The Wellington a few weeks ago of accosting random strangers and opening their eyes to the joy of knit - at one point everyone in our little annexe was knitting or learning to cast on/cast off. It was good to see lots of personal projects on the go too as well as the blue squares - I've started my own 'curtain' as we have a doorway to cover. Net curtains cut into strips and then knitted back into a curtain - it's like messing with the natural order, but that isn't always a bad thing ;) It's on the fabulous BIG needles (1" diameter, we discovered) so it's quick and easy.....

Before all the knitting I spent most of the day with Tom painting the shop. We decided to go the whole hog and go with the 'I Knit London' yellow....and it's bright but we love it. There's no chance of missing us for late night knitting, and all the planes on the way over to land at Heathrow should be able to spot us on the way past. Everything continues apace and we're all set for next Saturday's big day....

Some good news from WaterAid too. We received the go-ahead for our planned Knit A River event in Jubilee Gardens (that's the big open space next to the London Eye). It'll take place during National Knitting Week in October and we hope to have a mass knit of blue squares with as many people as possible taking part. The exact structure of the day hasn't been finalised but we'll post more about it here and on the website.

From our next meeting onwards we are moving to a Wednesday night - this is necessitated by Gerard starting his night class. So, the next meeting will be 6th September, upstairs at the Crown and Two Chairmen, Dean Street, Soho. Another no smoking area and it's got lots of space and lovely comfy chairs, which we'll try to grab from 5pm onwards. One last word....we have ended up with an umbrella and a jacket left over at the pub last night...let us know if they are yours!

Cancellations on the Victoria Line, but cakes and beer and the Metro ran smoothly.....

Thanks to everyone who came along yesterday to add their blue squares to the growing River. With the weather on and off all day we still managed to fit in some great photos for the Metro (despite the original plan of knitting on the Tube not coming to fruition). in a way it was a good thing as it means the article will run nationally in the Metro and it was felt that photos on the Tube wouldn't mean much to people in Manchester or Edinburgh. Still, a good time was had by all and we should have some brilliant shots of the River from Vauxhall Bridge. The article should be in on the 4th September to get down to your nearest station and grab a copy.

It was then back to the shop for drinks and nibbles. Special thanks to those who brought home-made cookies and cakes and thanks to the Bonnington cafe for the use of the loo! It was a long day which ended at 11pm with a delicious meal at The Coriander with Erica and Esther....and up at 7am this morning for painting! Apologies to anyone who may have visited Spitalfields to see us over the past 2 weeks as we just haven't been able to make it due to commitments with getting ready for the shop opening. But we'll be back next week for sure, and we'll have a selection of our new stock to pore over.

Pete wins BB, i win the Spanish Lottery, we don't paint the shop.....

Friday night...should've been painting over the cracks in the shop with our delightful white/magnolia mix. Instead, we needed to be home in time for BB! I know it's not socially acceptable to admit to watching it, but actually we did and we ain't ashamed. It did give me the chance to finish my scarf that I started about 7 months ago...it's the first thing I attempted to knit so it was garter stitch all the way in a lovely shade of grey - but I love it all the more for it's minimalism. I'm going to sew a couple of buttons on though to give it a bit extra...although the buttonholes caused a few problems today.

We're still moving furniture around and arguing about just where exactly our lovely Chesterfield will go (if you're coming tomorrow for knitting blue squares please stick your oar in and let us know, but bear in mind we open in 2 weeks so it isn't exactly tidy! The Square is full of such lovely, chatty, crafty types that we don't get much done of an evening as we're too busy making friends and chit-chat. Nevermind though, did I mention we had a lovely sofa that you come and sit on for a drink and a chat?

Hurrah for Pete! I think I'm a winner too because I received a letter all the way from Spain today to tell me I'd won £700,000 in the Spanish lottery. All I need to do to claim it is send back the form with my bank details and they'll transfer the money straightaway. I'm so lucky...and I don't even remember ever playing the Spanish lottery!

Til tomorrow then. Hope to see lots of folk there for Knit A River....the Metro will be taking some pics so put your best frocks on and have a great day. Unfortunately I've still got my day job to do so while I'm selling tickets for London's hottest period dramas do enjoy yourselves, won't you? Gerard will be there to look after you all.

Craig
I Knit London

Stockport, Chesterfield and 2 weeks to go

Well, the countdown has really begun with 2 weeks to the opening. Yesterday I drove to Stockport and back in 8 hours to collect a lovely old Chesterfield sofa so all of our visitors can knit in a bit of retro luxury. It's lovely, come and try it out at one of our late night knits! Of course, I didn't miss a Knit A River opportunity and stopped in at the Reddish Community Centre where I interrupted a game of bingo to get a flyer stuck up - we are hoping for an influx of blue squares from Stockport very soon! So, a delightful drive back to London just as soon as we arrived, but there was cold beer waiting at the Beehive so that was worthwhile after all - and the sofa looks a treat. G is working on his giant yellow beanbags for more lounging, and all the gorgeous yarns are here (almost). Oooh it looks lovely, honest.

Craig x

Knitting a River on the Victoria Line - 19th August

This Saturday we'll be taking up a carriage on the Victoria line tube train to gather together lots of knitters and knit some blue sqaures for the Knit A River campaign.

All are welcome! Please join us at the I Knit London shop, 13 Bonnington Square, Vauxhall for refreshments between midday and 1pm this Saturday, 19th August. From there it's a 5 minute walk to Vauxhall tube station where we'll raid a carriage and knit our way to Walthamstow and back. We chose the Victoria Line because it's close and it's blue (get it?).

We'll return to Bonnington Square afterwards for more refreshments, and there's always the fantastic Bonnington Cafe available if you're peckish. It should be a fun day out and a productive one too. We're hoping for some press interest from the Metro, and it should prove a public spectacle too so the more knitters the better.

Hope to see you there. Email us at iknitlondon@iknit.org.uk if you need more info...

knit a river

they are coming in fast!
















these pictures are a week old and so the mountain has grown. thanks you everyone who has contributed so far.
Keep them coming.
I Knit London

Craft Night at Notting Hill Arts Centre

We made it along last night to the Craft Night in W11 - a basement bar and club where everything was laid on for us to make finger puppets. A great opportunity to meet fellow crafty folk, have a drink, listen to some live music (electropop from 'Toy') and an eclectic mix of tunes from the DJs. I must admit I had trouble with the sewing, and getting the thread through the needle in half-light was a challenge (although the beer didn't help!). But once we got going it didn't really matter what our puppets turned out like...it's all about creativity, y'know! At one point I was knitting with plastic drinks straws for needles (?!). Congratulations to 'Pedro the Prawn' who walked away with the top prize for being the weirdest creation of the night....check out their MySpace page (www.myspace.com/craftnight) for the next one and make the journey, it's a laugh!