Comic Relief Crafternoon 27th March 2017 -fun, frolicks and sewing machines!

The blog is back! Over at Knit, Natter & Stitch we have been busy planning and working on a crafty facelift, more details to follow.

Comic Relief Crafternoon returned to KNS on Monday, Sarah Marney brought a chest of rainbow coloured threads for us to try our hand at some cross stitching.

We fell in love with this sweet little bird crochet pattern, using rounds of crochet to create this cute little guy using the bountiful supplies of yarn in our stock cupboard.

Maggie busted out the sewing machines, Sarah and Steph enjoyed making up these little weights. Lots of little projects were completed in one evening, building confidence and creating smiles.

The finished weighed backs were glorious and it was lovely to try something new.

Members brought along their current projects, Diane is putting together this knitted jumper.

           So lovely to meet you Diane, were all looking forwards to seeing the finished article.

It wouldn't be KNS without scrumptious cake - thank you to everyone who brought along cake and treats to enjoy throughout the evening. The strawberry cheesecake and Indian sweets were gorgeously moreish.

The evening was rounded off by revealing the answers to the Red Nose Day quiz, quite the giggle at some of the answers members submitted. One of the questions asked, who tight rope walked between two chimneys at Battersea Power station 66 metres above the ground? The Queen?

Steph steamed into first place, winning the chocolates.

 We had a wonderful crafternoon evening together, thanks for coming along we raised £24.28 for such a good cause.

Happy crafting!

KNS

The BIG Comic Relief Crafternoon coming this Monday 9th March

Hello all KNS lovers!

I want to tell you about our plans for Monday 9th March... as its Comic Relief time again.
In the past we have enjoyed the Crochet Relief sessions and raised funds for such a worthy cause.
This year we invite you to attend our usual session in New Bradwell Community Centre at 7:45 - 10pm, where we will be providing (for a small donation) materials and skill sharers to make the Comic Relief Crafternoon Spring Posy Broach.

All you need to bring is your wonderful selves and a 3 1/2 mm crochet hook, we do have some spares if you don't own one. All our usual £2.50 fees will be donated to Comic Relief and you will go home smiling wearing a wonderful home made broach!

So what are you waiting for! See you all for cake, craft and Crafternoon fun on Monday evening!
Love
Sarah Gates
x

Boy - it's been a while! but the stitching has not stopped

Goodness, life has been very busy and I can hardly believe its been 6 months since our last blog post. Knit, Natter and Stitch has not stopped! Our members have been busy working away at various projects which have included our 3rd Birthday celebrations and St James Christmas Tree Festival.

On 14th September 2014 Knit, Natter and Stitch celebrated it's third birthday with a UFO party night. Members brought in their unfinished objects and we all enjoyed looking at the different items around the table. It had been some time since our previous UFO night but it was just as successful.
Barbara made us a wonderful 3rd birthday cake and members brought in party food to share.

Maggie's UFO Cross stitch

Happy 3rd Birthday KNS!

Cathy's amazing needlework

I think this was Terri's cloth project.

Bev's patchwork

Eleanor's UFO Patchwork

Pat's scarf

Everyone enjoyed seeing the types of projects members had been hiding away, we all know what its like...  so many awesome projects to choose from and not enough time in the day to get them completed. It was an inspirational evening, inspired to try something new and to complete the long unfinished projects tucked away and forgotten.

Towards the end of 2014 members from both the Stony Stratford group and our New Bradwell group started work on the decorations for our entry to St James Church Christmas Tree Festival.
We decided to make use of our new Pom Pom makers and went for a multicoloured Pom Pom and felt star tree. Judi had previously organised a craft sale at one of our sessions to raise money for both KNS and the Alepicia Trust and with the proceeds we had purchased a number of different sized Pom Pom makers. Here we are happily rifling through the felt stars, to decorate for the tree.

Pom Pom crazy it was

work begins in earnest!

the felt stars came thick and fast - so many different designs.

The group had lots of fun making their contributions to the decorations for our tree. Lesley ran a tutorial on paper folding, so we up cycled some old stitching magazines into paper decorations too. Here is the final result in all its glory, standing proud in the Chancel at St James the first weekend of December.A brilliant team effort!

 This was St James second Christmas Tree Festival and was one of the highlights of our local festivities, the Bradwell Silver Band played and there were lots of beautiful trees and scrumptious refreshments. Well recommended!

2014 was another great year for KNS - thank you everyone for your support! Thank you to our cake bakers, all those who arrive early to help set up and those who stay to clear away and make sure I am not locking up on my own in the dark.

Happy stitching to you all! Looking forwards to telling you more about our activities and schemes for 2015.

Sarah Gates

Summer Sun and Crafting fun!

Yes!!!!! Schools OUT for summer! I have been looking forwards to enjoying the sound of my two little people playing in our wonderful local parks, splashing in the paddling pool and exploring the open spaces, Den building, my dining table covered with sequins, glue, cuttings and paint! Summer sun and Crafting awaits - including the popular craze of loom bands I imagine.

I have been thoroughly inspired by the Knit Wits, who have worked their magic and yarn bombed various parts of Wolverton, including the Square and the Community Orchard. The railings are entwined in crochet and knitted flowers, lamp posts are decorated in knitted panels, equisite metal flowers are poking through at the Orchard, with knitted flowers in the trees. Such wonderful colour and cheer! If you are local I thoroughly recommend a visit, it's truly inspiring.

Down at Knit, Natter & Stitch we have held our Annual AGM and now have voted in a new committee. Loads of Love, Hugs and thanks go out to Sue Myhill and Sandy Williams our outgoing joint Chair(s). They brought us Andy McDermott and his Pottery, Friends and Family MK and the jewellery Demo's, despite a very busy and hard year where their personal lives have been full on, both have been committed and worked hard at pushing KNS forwards into the wonderful community group that we love. We also thank Jason Myhill for his work as our Treasurer and Terri Henry who remains our Secretary.

So we have a new Treasurer... our lovely Judi Gale has stepped into this role with passion and enthusiasm and I have moved back into the Chair Role.

Our AGM showed our numbers are strong and we have a new committee to push forwards the plans and dreams we have for the group over the next 12 months. Lots to look forwards to over the coming year.

At our sessions, we have been enjoying some freedom over the past few weeks to play with our own projects. For a little while we haven't been up to our eyeballs in charity projects, as a group, with the exception of our wonderful Pat who speedily works up the lovely Prem baby hats and clothes with such love. Most of us have been busily working on our own little desires.

Change is as good as a rest they say, there has been a few crocheted blankets on the tables, gorgously colourful and mostly gifts. I love the corner to corner ones that Sue has been bringing in. There are a few projects of course that I can't mention as the gifts are still in progress and we wouldn't want to spoil the surprises.

Pascaline and Eleanor have been working on some gorgous pot holders, and after putting their heads together worked through some pattern errors and issues to create some lovely finished items.

Emmeline, one of our new junior members finished the hood on that scrummy blue hooded jumper - hopefully once she is back from her Uni visit we will see it all sewn up!

At our Stony Stratford session, this gorgeous tea cosy and bag created many an admirer and I am looking out for some gorgeous yarn to start a cosy of my own.

We also showed off our NEW complete KNS banner and enjoyed a slice of a naughty Vodka and lime cake... Nom Nom!

I love the Stony Library sessions, the members are lovely, we take over all the chairs upstairs and they have such lovely projects - so inspiring!

Keep Calm it's Summer and keep stitching!

Much Love,

Sarah Gates

KNS: Our brand of stitchery goodness expands! Stony Library sessions are go!

It has been an exciting and eventful couple of weeks over at KNS! So many wonderful things going on and lots of lovely bright Mandalas have been cheering the tables.

First to the wonderful news that our first session in Stony Stratford Library was a big hit!!
We were swamped with new members who have also popped into our New Bradwell session as once a month is clearly not enough. New friends were made and Judi showed us all how to create a colourful Mandala for the 2014 Yarndale Festival.

 

We were joined by little Evelyn and her mummy, who was knitting a pretty little cardigan. Evelyn was very interested in what we were all up to! showing us some lovely bright smiles.

There was so many of us, we will be taking over the library - our next session at the library is Tuesday 1st July 5:30-6:30pm, refreshments and cake included - just bring along your project.

 

 

Down at KNS we really enjoy seeing what crafts and projects our members have been busying themselves with. Tam's hobby is leatherwork, making bespoke purses which she sells. One of the best things about KNS is watching and admiring the work of others, being inspired to try something new. We sit together and help each other to try new things, give opinions and share successes.
Tam's purses are lovely and it's great to see how she puts them together.

 

 

A rather unusual project recently was this baby sock, bouquet for one of the Toddler Group mum's surprise baby shower. After our Monday evening session, a toddler group meet in the same room in the community centre. We leave the mums our left over cakes (if there is any- its often so yummy its gone!), some of our members attend the toddler group. The bouquet was made by rolling baby socks and attaching them to wood kebab sticks, with bars of chocolate and some yellow ducks. It was so much fun putting it together, we all chipped in with idea's of making it look this amazing and these are the results! What do you think?

 

 

 Eleanor has been busy making "George" - he is the cutest thing ever!

 

 

So our neighbours St James Church held the much awaited Craft and Flower Festival last weekend and as you know we have all been decorating letters to make our KNS banner in time to be displayed.

If you didn't make it to the festival I am about to treat you to some of the loveliest sights, the photographs really do not do justice to the scents and sounds experienced at this event.

 

 

 

 Live music filled our ears and the happy sight of flowery bunting in the churchyard, captured you from the start. The scent of stocks, roses, cake and tea drew you in from the entrance into a wonderful calm and peaceful atmosphere. There was something new and intriguing at every turn, the clever displays graceful and serene. There in the aisle hanging proud was our beautiful KNS banner!

What a wondrous sight, neatly stitched with a border and put together with such care and attention - Lesley Venneker should be very proud of organising this project and arranging for it to be displayed.

 

 

 

 I mean just look at it! totally gorgeous!

I've absolutely got to share the other lovely displays with you too.

Enjoy x

 

 

 Just a final reminder to members that our AGM will be held on Monday 30th June from 8pm and we will be discussing our upcoming 3rd birthday plans.

 

Happy Stitching

Sarah

XXX

Scrummy Cakeiness!

There's nothing better than stitch club cake! Our members take it in turns to get creative in the kitchen and bring along something scrummy for our evening of crafting.

Last night was not a disappointment in the slightest as four gorgeous cakes arrived to be fuel to our stitching, creating and inspiring.

 

 

 

So let me tell you about the cake! There was the Vodka and Lime Victoria sandwich (trial) by me, Weight Watchers Chocolate cheesecake from Maggie, Spiced apple ring cake by Lesley and Rhubarb crumble cake by Terri - all kinds of awesome on the table to be washed down by lashings of tea, coffee or fruit teas. This beautiful load definitely got our creative juices going as you will see - there was so many things going on around the table I don't know where to start.

 

So this yesterday evening we welcomed Tam, whom Eleanor and I met recently and was hugely impressed by her leatherwork purses. Tam's creations are simply stunning and we all loved seeing her working on this heart studded pink leather.

 

 

Steph is working on her A5 piece towards the art installation organised by Jane Charles. I love the buttons on the trees and we all loved the delicate stitching.

 

 

Judi has been busy hooking these colourful Mandala's for Yarndale 2014. Last year members from our group contributed crocheted bunting for the Yarndale festival and this year Lucy from colourful and inspiring Attic 24 blog is calling for Mandala's for a planned Art installation.

I defy anyone not to be cheered or inspired by these lovely 7inch circles of delight. Find out more here: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2014/05/mandalas-for-yarndale.html

 

 

Talking of crochet, there was plenty going on at KNS this week, with a skill share, some bunting by Kate and Helen was working on this sweet little Dream Catcher. Sue was working on a lovely point to point blanket, from the Crochet Addict site.

 

 

 

I love walking around the group to sneak pictures of what your all up to, this week was soo exciting! Lynda and Sarah were knitting away their pieces are very intricate and colourful - we do love bright and happy at KNS. Sarah was finishing her tea cosy and Lynda had her Wool Against Weapons panel.

 

 

 

Banner Time Update: news in from this weeks session - the last two letters have been allocated and we have another week until Monday 26th, that these need to be in by.

 

So check this cheeky little lot out!

 

 

This is my letter, using a pattern from Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine

 

This is Katherine's Piece all done!

 

This is Beverley's lovely letter

 

Sue's piece is done.

 

I believe this is Kate's lovely beaded knitted piece - how cool and it really reflects the recent jewellery demo.

 

And this is Eleanor's finished piece.

 

Can you imagine how amazing this banner is going to be?  I can't wait to see it hung up finished in church for the flower and craft festival on 14/15th June - were all very excited!

 

Keep up that stitching,

Sarah Gates