Liverpool, capital of culture

I went to Liverpool last weekend. It was great to see all my family and friends and their babies. I didn't get any pictures of baby Louie but I did manage a couple of my god-daughter and her brother, Iris and Daniel. Me and Daniel fell in love, it was also the first time Iris properly talked to me. I don't see them that often so I'm not that familiar but she caved when I presented her with her most favorite thing in the whole world. A tit. Well it's a booby-yacker and it's knitted but it was still very appreciated, especially when it was stuffed down her t-shirt.

Blelow is a pic of my sister wearing her fabulous scarf. It's from Victorian Lace Today and it's in Habu silk. I did it ages ago but never managed to take pictures. Max was into being in the picture and we were in a rush so no time to argue.

Max today had her first scan. She has a beautiful little baby niece or nephew for me. Little baby Gerard has only been brewing for 3 months so it's going to be a summer baby. Just like me, yay!

Weardowney

Another hangover, another knitting do last night. G and I went along to the official launch party for the new Weardowney: Knit Couture book in swanky Fitzrovia. As the event was partly sponsored by Hendricks Gin and Thorntons sweets you can imagine how my head and stomach feel this morning!

Weardowney launched at London Fashion Week in 2004 by founders Amy Wear and Gail Downey. Their fabulous Marylebone boutique offers custom-made handknits and more, in stylish surroundings and with a laudable outlook, promoting handknitting and creating some stunning designs. The party last night, at The Georgian Group, gave us all a chance to check out some of their creations, paw over the book and strike a few poses amongst the fashionistas. All that and cakes from Paul, canapés and cocktails!

We've had a copy of the book in the IKL shop for a while and it really is a thing of beauty. Quite inspirational too, G and I are constantly looking for new ideas and ways to promote knitting in all forms, so it's great to see we're not alone. Our brains are filled with ideas and shortly we should have more time to fulfill them! As the end of another year comes we're looking forward to 2008 with IKL going from strength to strength, expanding our knitty horizons - and everyone's welcome to be a part of it....watch this space!

After last night's party it's put us in mind of our own Christmas do too. We are having a well-earned break over Christmas so we've decided that on Thursday 20th, which will be the last IKL group meet-up of the year, we'll also host a little soirée for Xmas. Invites will be going out this week to all our Facebook group members, Ravelry group members and real-life group members too!

Cxx

Beautiful Bonnington Square...

G is away in Liverpool for a couple of days, visiting family and friends, and staying out til 4am according to his phonecall this morning. At our age that's a bit reckless. Anyways, I opened up the shop this morning and upon entering the world of Bonnington Square came upon this fragrant steaming pile. Now, we've been in the square for over a year now and it throws up some bizarre sights every so often, but piles of giant dinosaur turd, fresh, isn't a regular occurence. For anyone who has visited the shop they'll know just exactly what the square is like - an oasis, a sanctuary, a surprise. It's also home to the small but perfectly formed 'pleasure garden', a piece of reclaimed land that serves as a community garden, children's playground and refuge from the rest of Vauxhall. This is all in zone 1, just yards away from the six-lane South Lambeth Road, railway bridges and packed Vauxhall bus and Tube terminal. I remember first discovering the place a few years ago, meeting G for lunch in the brilliant unpretentious café and just being in awe of the place - not just the quietude, but the totally unexpected community feel, the jungle-like streets and the exotic flowers and plants. It's only because of the café that the shop, as it is, and where it is exists. We have often talked about the square here on the blog and at the knitting group but I don't think we've ever really given it, and it's people, enough credit for what they have created and for what that gives to us at I Knit London. We're the only shop anywhere near and some might say it's a business nightmare...but for us, our little knitting shop and sanctuary seems the perfect fit.

So, back to the pile of poo...the tireless garden association were having one of their regular gardening days today, hence enough manure to save the Amazon rainforest piled in the street. One of the wonders of the square is the upkeep, the spirit that keeps the square 'local'. Here's Draeyk, one of the first to pop his head round the door when we opened and a constant inspiration. If you've never visited the Bonnington Square café try Vegan Thursday - superb food, more than you could imagine and all fresh too. Apart from watching the squirrels playing in the square in summertime, the other thing that makes me smile is Draeyk cycling past on his way back from the allotment with a bike rack full of veg, knowing a few hours later it'll be served up to a packed crowd in the café!

The square is a model of how to still remain a community in the heart of a capital city and everyone who takes part in this community should be rightly proud. If you come along to any IKL event at the shop you must add a trip to the café to your visit - real food, great atmosphere and nastertiums in your salad!

(Thanks to Lynsey for the pics)

Craigx

Here we go round the Mulberry Bush...

I always find it difficult to get out of bed of a morning, especially on days like today. One of those gorgeous winter dawns where the sun is shining but the air is crispy and curling up under the duvet is like being back in the womb. Sadly, needs must and up we got.

I have a knitting hangover today, thanks to another great I Knit London knitting group night at the pub. Our alternate Wednesday pub nights continue apace with new knitters, old knitters and some crocheters too. Last night we met at The Mulberry Bush, a Youngs pub on the South Bank and were well met by a packed bar, Winter Warmer Ale and some smily knitting faces.
This was a new pub to the IKL club and it suited well. Good enough light, three choices of ale, plus the usual light pub grub. The evening was a little surreal as the venue is opposite the London Studios and The Graham Norton Show were filming 'ladies taking off their bras without removing their tops' at the front of the pub. I've been reliably informed that this is actually quite an easy thing to do, although none of the knitters felt the urge to get up and do it on the telly. I'm slightly bemused by this obsession gay men have with breasts - G, can you explain?
Another highlight of the evening was a FWIP moment (finished work-in-progress) - Alix held aloft her majestic lace shawl and it was a sight to behold. Still, after two years of doing all this pub knitting it's still surprising that our little gatherings are seen as so eccentric by some of the other drinkers. But, deep down, we love the attention!
More of the same in the shop tonight, and twice a week for the forseeable future!

Craigxx

it all happened so fast

Lots of people have been telling us how much they enjoyed Saturday. Thank you, you're welcome.

We were thrilled it went so well. I'm still in shock about the whole thing to be honest. For most of the day I felt like I was watching it all on TV.

Thank you to the Knit on the Net team. Our proud sponsors!

Most of all, thanks to everyone who came. People keep saying 'thank you' but really, we just told you where and when to turn up, you did the rest.

If you have any pictures we'd love it if you added them to the flickr group. Craig and I only took a few.

Should we do it all again?

Gxx

C&G 4 C&H

The morning after the Stitch 'n Bitch Day before...

How was it for you?

From the first excitement back in April when Debbie first asked if we'd like to host an event "around my new book and my first trip to the UK" right up until Friday's night's set up I think we both were still pinching ourselves, feeling like a bit of a fake and wondering how did this happen?"!

From an original germ of an idea, something like Debbie in a room, a pile of books and a few pens to sign them with....we expanded...and expanded and settled for what happened yesterday. What did happen yesterday exactly?....ProbablyJane summed it up brilliantly on her Ravelry post this morning - it was like a big knitting party! Those who know us or come to our knitting group meetings will, I hope, agree that we've always wanted I Knit London to be more than just a shop, or a knitting circle. The social aspect is key to making everyone feel welcome and everyone feeling like they are part of IKL - and everyone is. Yesterday would not have been possible without the cool knittersand fabulous friends who turned up and stayed for the day - settled down, shopped,had a drink or two, met new knitty friends and learnt new stuff in the workshops.

For me, it was just thrilling to see everyone having such a good time, and a genuine 'buzz' about the place (thanks must go especially to the Shellacs for looking glorious as ever and providing the perfect backdrop to the day). I guess we need to thank everyone, from Debbie all the way down to the very last knitters who stayed to the bitter end....

We've set up a Flickr group for y'all to share any pics from the day (did anyone get some of the fashion parade - we'd love to see those!) Feel free to join the group and post away....

We especially liked to see our name in lights at last!! (Even if they did spell 'stitch' wrong - German girl input this apparently.) Come to this week's knitting club night at the Mulberry Bush on Wednesday for more SnB Day backstage gossip!

...and despite running around like headless chickens for most of the day, Gerard and I really, really enjoyed ourselves! We must do it again sometime...

Origins Ginger Knits stand

Knitting!

Pom Pom International!

Knitted hamsters!

...and lots more!

DS has landed

Or rather docked. Debbie Stoller is in London, ladies and gentlemen. All the way from New York via Rotterdam.

Welcome to London, Debbie! We've been expecting you.

I can hardly beleive it but the 10 is almost upon us. I can't wait.
I thought I would put this picture up again as it made me laugh so much!

Watch DS on the breakfast news tomorrow.
Gxx

This is my new favourite thing! I'm not a fan, usually, of knitted stuff on animals but who could disagree with this pattern?

I've wanted a dog for the whole of my life but I've never had one. Well, years ago I found a stray when I was about 8. I lived in a circular block of flats and one of them was empty so I managed to gain entry and I kept the dog in there for weeks. I realise now that this wasn't a great idea but I loved her so much.

I haven't thought about that for years. Anyway, I'm getting a hamster!

The authors will be at the SnB day on Saturday for a workshop - I can't wait. I hope they bring the animals.

Gxx

PS sorry for the hideous pictures, this book is gorgeous!

Pom Pom International

We are so excited and proud that UK Stitch 'n Bitch Day is presenting Amy and her pom poms this Saturday!

Pom Pom International is an inspired idea. Pom Poms for peace, how lovely.

Amy wil be in the knitting lounge all afternoon on Saturday with lots of yarn and even more energy. Stop by and make a pom pom!

Gxx

spam

can anyone shed any light on the phenonenan of spamming, please?

I've always just deleted them and tried not to be bothered. Until recently. I am marginally irrate today, after spending most of my lunch time deleting the little bleeders!

Maybe I'm not very bright but I just don't understand the point. Since 1pm yesterday we received hundreds of useless emails. I don't care about stock markets - and I'd never take the advice of someone I've never met, especially in an email! I don't want to increase the size of any of my body parts - nor do I want to reduce any! I have no idea what Personal Puss is and frankly I don't want to know!

I just don't get it. Why would someone waste their time sending these things out? surely there are more rewarding things to occupy your time, do I dare suggest knitting?

Knit a poppy for remembrance day

Our friends at Knit on the Net are raising money for The Royal British Legion by selling a knitted poppy pattern. The pattern is designed by Just call Me Ruby, costs only £2 and is fabulous.

The Royal British Legion provides financial, social and emotional support to millions who have served and are currently serving in the Armed Forces, and their dependants. Currently, nearly 10.5 million people are eligible for their support and they receive thousands of calls for help every year.

The pattern is available to download for the £2 donation until 11 November.

Son of Stitch n Bitch

We're almost there. I can't beleive the UK Sticth n Bitch Day is almost upon us. We've put a so much into this that I know it's going to be a great day and the tickets are selling fast!

The book arrived and it's great! I love it! This will be your first opportunity to purchase the book and the only UK opportunity to meet DS and have her sign it. DS is a great woman and she's so excited to be coming over and meeting us all.

10 November, Royal National Hotel, London.
UK Sticth n Bitch Day
tickets are only £7, they will be £9 on the day so make sure you get your in advance!!

Seagulls, sailors, stitching and bitching...

Sunday I spent in the company of friends at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Whilst Gerard had hat designing to do at home for Innocent, I had the job of representing IKL at this knitting session in conjunction with the museum's Sailor Chic exhibition. We caught the great film featuring the incomparable Gene Kelly before heading upstairs to knit...there was lots to do, and a good turn out, and we saw some familiar faces. Our sea themed knits for the day included this fabulous seagull, which adorned my cap for the rest of the afternoon, by Sue, a mini sailor's cap and a ship's bell and ship's cat too. We also did some teaching had some gorgeous cakes and homemade biscuits courtesy of Melissa.

Before and after were fun to - I got myself a gorgeous pink duffel coat in the market, a fair isle tank-top (which I might pass as my own handiwork!), and a new perspex pink and brown ring that matches both. Fate.

Cx

tits

we are knitting tits. as I write! we are raising money for breakthrough breast cancer, too!

thank you felix.

thank you to Sue.

Son of Stitch 'n Bitch is here!

I have, right now, in my sweaty little hands one of the only copies in the UK of the new Son of Stitch 'n Bitch book! Oh yes, it's here, and it's brill. We have shipped over a special batch of copies exclusively for the UK SnB Day on November 10th - you'll be able to get the book there first before anyone else, and ask Debbie to write her name in it too. But before then, is it worth it? Of course, we're going to say it is...but it really is. As a man who knits it is genuinely frustrating at how little there is in the way of fashionable men's knitwear patterns in just about every knitting magazine. Sure, most of them pay a passing nod and include maybe a boy's or man's pattern per issue, but only one, and even then they are generally pretty bland. So it is with honest excitement that I say the book is full of really sexy, gorgeous stuff (and that's just the models. Ho ho). I was walking down Oxford Street just the other day, looking in the window of BHS I was disappointd to see the usual contrast - the ladies knitwear was stylish, interesting, textured, cabled, sexy....the men's knitwear was plain, brown, bland. Why?

For obvious reasons I can't scan the images and post here but believe me if you're a bloke, or if you have a bloke, there will definitely be at least one thing here that you can knit.; from really simple hats and scarves, to socks, stylish and silly. For the more experienced knitters there are some great sweater patterns, including my favourite the Ernie sweater, by Andrew Steinbrecher in bright day-glo stripes (sounds hideous but I love it!) and a really sexy white cabled jumper by our old pal Heather who we met last year at I Knit London. Of course, Jared's stylish smoking jacket stands out too (Jared I hate you, you are a crafty genius!) All this, and cushions shaped like beer bottles, 'beer gloves', beanies, hats, caps and more, plus Debbie's 'Lucky Socks' with dice motif...now you have no excuse why you can't knit your man something for Christmas this year, and I have no excuse not to do more knitting. There are genuinely loads of things here I'd love to make, with 45 patterns in total, both knitting and crochet.

Debbie will be holding a workshop at 10.30am at the SnB Day to work on the Argyle scarf featured on the cover of the book. We expect this to be oversubscribed, so we plan to choose ticket numbers for this workshop beforehand at the show. It seems the fairest way! And, if you're still waiting for your tickets they are in the post as we speak!

Cx

Cx

I Knit, a National Treasure

Yesterday was an amazing day. We got a late call to go on to the Alan Titchmarsh show and talk about knitting. Who are we to refuse?

for those of you who don't know, Alan Titchmarch is a national treasure. His show is on ITV1 in the afternoon (but I think the last episode of this series is today).

All the production staff were fantastic and I loved every minute of it. I talked, very briefly to Ulrika and Cannon and Ball!

My two favorite parts of the show -
1, talking to Alan about knitting and making sure that I said as much as possible about I Knit
2, meeting Jonathan and tasting the gin. He's a fantastic man and I urge everyone to buy his gin right now. We will be stocking it in the shop and I will be giving it to many people this Christmas.

I waved at Alan once while dressed as a tap at the Chelsea Flower Show. He didn't have time that day and I was devastated.

I spent hours in the BBC building and I let the door close on Ruby Turner and was slightly devastated that I didn't bump into Terry Wogan.

Gerard Allt: a National Treasure

I think most of us already knew this, but when Gerard appeared on ITV this week on The Alan Titchmarsh Show his status as National treasure was secured - and he even has a plaque to prove it!

Gerard was with Jonathan from Sloe Motion in a section about 'Winter Warmers'. Amazingly G didn't bring any sloe gin home with him. If you look closely you can see a collection of Gerard's knitted goodies (including the now famous sheep tea cosy). He was brilliant. I saw lots of Alan Titchmarsh recently when I was off with my trapped nerve and I can say that G is in esteemed company - as it says he is now among an elite group of "the Best of British, from the unsung heroes to our biggest stars". LOL!

You can watch the interview here - click on the 'Winter Warmers' clip. Anyone coming to the knitting group tonight, form an orderly queue, only one autograph per person please!

Cx

UK Stitch 'n Bitch Day...counting down...

What a mad weekend. I missed all the fun on Saturday when Jane came around to IKL and shone like a freshly polished crystal rosebowl. I think G was really taken with her, and I hope everyone had a good time. I've just had an email from a friend who popped along to the shop and couldn't get in the door! We must move somewhere bigger. It was great to see Jane's post last night about Gerard's pineapple pressie too. He's so thoughtful.

For me, I was working elsewhere and missed the fun, but joined G, Sue and Lynsey at the Vauxhall Griffin for leftover cake and cider, although I suspect they'd already had enough of both by the time I arrived at 9pm.

We like Sundays, they are our one day off after a 6 day week. But not yesterday. The UK Stitch 'n Bitch Day is just 3 weeks away and so much to be done! After a little setback when I left our ticket print sheets on the bus on Saturday (doh) we'll be sending them out this week, with a timetable and some info about the show - if you haven't got one, get one now!. There'll be a free programme on the day with more info and some lovely pics of us and stuff....I spent most of yesterday in the shop confirming details from the designers, the yarny people and the publishers. It's getting really exciting, and we've put up a timetable for the workshops and I Knit Lounge area already. But there's so much more to see and do, with charity projects there and, of course, shopping! We'll have the full website links active by the end of the week...

The difficult bit is trying to get everyone the chance to do something. Obviously not everyone will be able to attend the workshops as space is limited so we've decided to have some kind of registration on the day, and, perhaps for Debbie's Argyll scarf workshop (on the front cover of the book) we'll have to hold a lottery. I like the idea of a tombola. Very retro. Debbie emailed just the other day and she's really excited about it all, and the books are somewhere mid-Atlantic as I write. We're thrilled to say that the UK Stitch 'n Bitch Day will be the first and only place to get a copy in the UK before it's released!

And, just a note about the webpage. There's a curious mis-spelling; the gorgeous wool is from YorkshiRe!

Cx

just give, if you can

It seems that not a week goes by when I hear another story. All of the money from the knit a tit afternoon will go to breakthrough breast cancer. I wish we could do more.

Please help if you can.

http://justgiving.com/iknitlondon