Knitting Marathon

The following article appeared in the Scarborough Evening News on May 26th, 2009

By Laura Crothers

A TEAM of Mother's Union members showed stamina and determination as they endured a marathon of the woolly kind.

Six keen knitters spun the yarn around the clock as they took part in a 24-hour knitting marathon as part of the Sailors' Society's annual Woolly Hat Campaign.

The marathon started at noon on Friday at St John's Church in Filey, and continued until Saturday lunchtime, with other knitters joining the group throughout the course of the day to show their support.

Jenny Jordan, of the Mother's Union, said: "We had six knitters who came from all over the East Riding who endured the full 24 hours. A lot of other people came at various times over the 24 hours and joined in the knitting which was a huge help.

She added: "It was actually a lot easier than we thought. We had a lot of fun and ate a lot to keep us going. I can't even count the number of cups of tea we had.

"Overall the event went really well. We managed to stay awake, and fortunately our fingers weren't too sore at the end of it."

for the rest of the article click here

Sirdar Price Increase in June

Due to the continued situation regarding the strength of the Euro against GBP (£), the prices of Sirdar yarns are set to increase in June.

It would be well worth buying your Sirdar yarns now to avoid the price increase...

Visit Knit and Sew to order now!

Knitting is good for your memory!

Hobbies like knitting and patchwork have been found to reduce the risk of memory impairment. This is according to a study of around 200 people (aged 70-89) at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

We all know about crosswords, soduku and 'Brain Training' being good for memory skills but knitting is possibly not something we would expect to be as effective. The test cases were asked about their daily activities during the past year and during middle age. Those who had been busy reading, knitting, patchworking or playing games were found to have reduced their risk of memory impairment by 40%.



According to the Alzheimers Society:
"One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years so there is a desperate need to find ways to prevent dementia"

If knitting has already been shown to reduce stress, so now its proven to help with our memory, lets keep knitting and turn off the TV!



For the full BBC News article, click here.

New Sewing Boxes and Knitting Bags

The new range of Sehlbach Knitting and Sewing storage bags and boxes will be in store from the 1st June 2009.

With fabulous new colour-ways and exciting patterns in the range, you'll be stuck for choice!

There's something for everyone including cats, florals, stripes, spots, damask, country, retro, brights and chintz prints. There is also a wide range of childrens' items for the younger crafters out there!



There is a huge choice of sizes and budgets available. From needle cases to large wooden folding boxes, needle books to pin cushions, travel sewing kits to matching mini tailor's dummies!

Even if you're not a knitter or sewer, storage is the perfect gift for the crafter in your life: "Yarn has a tendency to multiply. Stash organizers are always welcome gifts. Choose quality over quantity, and give one that matches the recipient's decor and doesn't need to be put away when company visits. That way, the work is always ready but never messy."

From: "Gift Ideas for Yarn Artists: Giving Creative Presents to Knitters and Crocheters | Suite101.com" - http://knittingcrochet.suite101.com/article.cfm/gift_ideas_for_yarn_artists#ixzz0GbJUoaTm&A

Check our site in the first week of June to see the full range...

The Times 'Credit Crunch Chic' excerpt

The Times recently published an article by India Knight, entitled 'Credit Crunch Chic' which covered all manner of ways to save money in the home, via home cooking, beauty on a budget, clothing, shopping and more.
Among the very valid pointers was a couple of paragraphs on the virtue of craft work (see below). It illustrates the current trend for all things hand-made and might be an inspiration to those of you selling your handmade items online...
For the full article, please click here.


"CRAFT WORKS"

"If you’re under 30 and fairly with it, you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I say the craft movement is huge and super-cool.

I could write an entire book about all of this, and about what it means for so many young women to be redefining domesticity in such empowering, self-sufficient ways. For our current purposes, though, all you need to know is that there’s never been a better time to get into crafting. Make craftster.org your first port of call. The site contains everything about everything to do with crafts, as well as being a giant online community.

Then move on to etsy.com. It’s like a huge crafts mall, containing tens of thousands of individual stalls run by people selling the stuff they make. It sells absolutely everything you could possibly imagine: handmade clothes, accessories, jewellery, bath goods, wedding- cake figurines, frames, ceramics, knitted stuff, art (some of it fantastic), toys — and that is the merest tip of the world’s biggest iceberg. It’s marvellous and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Etsy is the first site I visit if I want to buy someone an original (as in, often, literally one of a kind), lovely, bargainous present. Plus, obviously, you’re not lining the pockets of some giant greedy-guts corporation; you’re (gently) lining the pockets of a fashion student in Brooklyn, or a mother of four from Dorset who crafts in her spare time. Every item you buy from such a person strikes a blow against mass production. Everything about Etsy rocks.

If you are any good at making anything at all, I strongly urge you to set yourself up with an Etsy boutique; as some of the craft bloggers who have Etsy shops will tell you, you can start earning serious pocket money — after which, of course, the sky’s the limit."

Starlight Revue NOW IN!

For those of you waiting for the arrival of a glittery yarn very similar in construction to Sirdar Firefly - the wait is over!

Starlight Revue is now in stock at Knit and Sew. With the square shapes throughout the yarn very similar to Firefly, Revue has the added benefit of a touch of glamour in the form of a glittery thread running through it. Perfect for a scarf to add a finishing touch of glitz to a special outfit.

At £4.45 per 5og ball (approx 150m) you can't go wrong. Hand-washable and knits up on 4.5 - 5.00mm needles - the only limit to this yarn is your imagination!

New 'Spirit River' pom-pom wool now in

Now in stock Grundl's Spirit River Wool - a pom-pom textured wool in a range of 6 beautiful colours. This yarn knits into a fabulous, unusual bobbly textured scarf, or a cushion or throw.. the only limit is your imagination!

6-7mm needles, £2.25 per 50g ball

Kirstie Allsopp presents...

Kirstie Allsopp (of Location, Location, Location fame) has a new show on Channel 4 - Kirstie's Homemade Home.

Packed with ideas for your home, tackling different rooms of the house each week, Kirstie shows us how to reuse, recycle and create. She visits skilled crafts people and artists who teach her new skills. Save money and keep your home 'on trend', as handmade items become the new 'designer labels'.

Check out her page on Channel 4's website for full instructions on how to make a lampshade, an envelope cushion, how to decoupage and more!

With the current economical climate, anything we can make or re-use helps us save money and goes towards a healthier planet too. So any craft fans should make the most of this current trend and get crafting! Whether its for your own home, as gifts or to sell, handmade items are the hot trends in fashion, interior design and toys.

Don't forget, if you're tempted to try any of Kirstie's ideas, Knit and Sew has plenty of supplies to make the project easier - fabrics, threads, needles, scissors, wool, fabric paints, ribbons and buttons, adhesives, kits and more!