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What
was the first thing you knitted? Did it turn out as you had hoped?
The first thing was a small purse. It was an oblong folded in three.
It was blue and had a long, thin, knitted strap. I was seven years
old and made it at school. It seemed to take forever - I was one
of the last to complete and I think I spent more time standing next
to the teacher having remedial work done on my creation than I did
knitting during the class! I eventually finished it and can remember
the feeling when Mrs Jordan did the loop for the button.
What are you knitting at the moment?
I'm just finishing a sock in fantastic minty-blue glitter yarn.
It's a design sample because I have just agreed to knit 4 pairs
of socks for a final year fashion-degree student for her final show.
I'm quite excited about it because although I knit very well and
have started to design, I've just had to learn how to use 4 double-pointed
needles and then follow a pattern that I got from the Red Cross
(it's a vintage pattern for socks that was distributed for volunteers
to knit as part of the war effort). But at the same time I had to
work out a design pattern on the heel for the project that I am
practising for. I'm very pleased with the end result. I recently
knit a clock from copper yarn, decorative bowls using beadwire and
am experimenting with some shiny paper at the moment which looks
fantastic when light catches it.
Knitting has got a bit of a fuddy duddy image, how easy is it
to find trendy patterns these days?
Firstly I have to say that a lot has been done to blow away the
fuddy duddy image and knitting is very much where it's at at the
moment. Another change is that knitting is not about low-cost, utilitarian
items for the family. It's very much about a creative hobby making
smaller achievable projects that you can carry around in your trendy
tote bag. It's also about a sense of satisfaction from seeing your
own creations completed and the socialising whilst you knit. Funky
patterns are out there and it's getting easier to get hold of fun,
fashionable patterns for things that young people want to wear or
give as gifts: hats, scarves, fingerless mitts, capelets, ponchos,
bags, belts, purses... as well as sweaters, cardigans and things
that most immediately spring to mind when you think about knitting
- but all very contemporary and some a bit quirky. "Ordinary"
people are publishing their projects/patterns for others to use
and there's much more emphasis on being adventurous and creative
rather than following someone else's patterns to the letter.
And
what about wool to use, can you get funky shades/textures?
Most people think of knitting with wool. Well, wool is just one
type of yarn that is available to knit with. You can get some gorgeous
yarns now. I prefer natural fibres like cotton, silk or wool but
some of the synthetics and mixes now are better quality than what
I call "squeaky yarn" - it's just nasty and unfortunately
many people's experience of a handknit item. There is now a huge
variety of thicknesses, textures and colours to choose from. The
market I would say has two new dimensions - so-called "designer
yarns" which are high quality natural fibres; and "novelty
yarns" which are the fluffy, spiky, vibrant yarns that are
being used to jazz up accessories. The biggest difficulty facing
knitters is that many yarn outlets closed down with the decline
in handknitting and the demand for washable yarns. Knitting is enjoying
a resurge of interest but some of the outlets are still in the doldrums
and you wouldn't be seen dead in them. And most of the new knitters
are demanding the higher quality yarns. One of the FAQs I am asked
is "where do you get your yarn?" You can get stuff on
the internet but I personally believe that it's a tactile purchase
and you need to feel yarn to get a true sense of what you are buying
and what you could use it for. Also, the colours don't always reproduce
well electronically.
What if you've never picked up a knitting needle in your life
- can you come to your event and learn how to knit?
The network that meets is really for people who already knit.
It's an informal network, on a drop in basis anytime from 5pm to
9pm on a Tuesday evening at Brew on Lune Street in Preston. We knit,
drink latte, eat cake, admire each other's projects and just have
a good laugh. I am discussing using it as a venue for formal workshops
for beginners, but anyone who is interested in learning to knit
can contact me on dorret@stitchnbitch.co.uk.
'Stitch n Bitch' sounds like it's just for the girls, how would
a bloke fare at one of your events?
If he can bitch, he's in! Seriously, it would be nice if we
had more boys. There are some networks with male members. It's really
about them getting their heads round it. If you consider that lots
of younger women have been closet knitters or truly believe that
it's a pastime for grannies, then I think it's going to take a bit
longer to convince most blokes that it's for them!
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