Blog

Can you find the 'knitted' bear?

2010-04-23T10:05:00.001+01:00

TV comedian Harry Hill has had an influence on an upcoming village fair.

As well as all the usual fun of the fair, the Crowthorne May Fair will feature a prize for someone who can spot the ‘knitted’ bear which will be hidden somewhere around the event at the Morgan Recreation Ground in Lower Broadmoor Road on Monday, May 3.

The annual event is being organised by a committee from St John’s CE Church in Church Road which came up with the idea of hiding a fluffy toy somewhere around the fair.

Harry Hill in his TV Burp show challenges viewers to spot the knitted character hidden in other TV programmes.

Brian Turner, spokesman for the committee, said: “We’re using a teddy bear but it’s inspired by Harry Hill’s knitted character.

“If people give a contribution they get a map and if they find the bear they can mark the position on the map and then all the correct maps will go into a prize draw.”

As well as that there will be bric-a-brac, a beer tent, cakes, food, bouncy castles, song and dance and more.
Last year the event raised £10,000 and the Mr Turner is hoping to raise the same amount this year.
He added: “We raise money and some of it goes towards the church’s missions all over the world and locally and the rest of it goes back into the church’s funds.”

The fair will be opened by Bracknell Forest Mayor Councillor Bob Wade at 2pm on Monday, May 3, and will carry on until 4.30pm.

Joseph Turner, 10, Holly Turner, 6, and Callum Sutherland, 9, with the 'knitted' bear you’ll be seeking out at Crowthorne May Fayre

(Knitted) Hats off to our soldiers

2010-04-23T10:02:00.000+01:00

THE TORY parliamentary candidate for Burton has been putting his knitting skills to the test to raise money for British soldiers in Afghanistan.
Andrew Griffiths joined members of the East Staffordshire Conservatives’ women’s branch, who are knitting ‘Hats for Heroes’ — woollen inserts provided to troops to fit under their helmets, making them more comfortable and providing warmth at night.

Beatrice Hall, who is leading the knitting drive, said : “Our troops in Afghanistan can feel reassured by all the hard work being undertaken by the knitting circle. It helps our brave lads know how much we are thinking of them back home.” Mr Griffiths said: “Knitting is one of my lesser-known skills.

“However, despite being a little rusty, I am proud to have a go for our troops.

“It is important that our serving troops know they are being supported back home. While they are putting their lives on the line we need to support them 100 per cent.”

The group is one of many across the country knitting for the troops. Anyone who would like the knitting patterns and details of where to send the woollen inserts is asked to telephone the Conservatives’ Burton headquarters on 01283 568894.

April's news

2010-04-13T16:35:00.003+01:00

Phew! It's been busy here at the K&S offices in Swansea this month. We're constantly adding new items to our stores, both online and in our real store in the city centre, adding to existing ranges and bringing in new ones.

To keep it brief, here's a list of what is new:

SALE needlework kits are now available online at http://www.needle-work.co.uk/
Popcorn the Bear and friends range comntinues to expand, now available as cushion & rug kits http://www.needle-work.co.uk/Popcorn_Bear.htm
We continue to expand our online networking with pages on Twitter and Facebook. Do find us and follow us! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=159279&id=83939721313&saved#!/pages/Swansea-United-Kingdom/Knit-and-Sew/83939721313?ref=nf and http://twitter.com/KnitandSewcouk
Our original site http://www.knitandsew.co.uk/index.html has had a slight facelift with an easy to navigate front page and links to the needlework site.
We have introduced a testimonial page, so you can log in and leave comments about the service you have received http://knitandsew.co.uk/comments/gbook.php
We continue to modernise our storage solutions, with new knitting and sewing bags and boxes being added regularly.

Do call soon and see for yourselves!

NEW items update

2010-03-16T16:24:00.001Z

Here at Knit and Sew we're always looking for new and exciting items to add to our online stores...

We have new wool ranges available from Sirdar, Stylecraft and Wendy...
Check out Sirdar's Baby Snowball, a gorgeous pompom yarn in yummy colours for little ones with a range of patterns to choose from.

Stylecraft has introduced new colours in their Life range, including Clover, Zing, Melon and Aqua.

New from Wendy is Sorrento - a 45% cotton yarn with the perfect range of shades for spring & summer.Colours include Vanilla Sauce, Sheer Lilac, Cobble Stone, Wet Slate, Jersey Cream, Blue Sky, Reef Waters, Scuba Dive, Cornflower Blue, Pale Pink, Soft Whisper and Snow White.

We also have a range of exciting cross stitch kits - Popcorn the bear and friends. With kits for every occasion including, love, birth, marriage and more, Popcorn and friends offer the perfect solution as a gift or to enhance the rooms of your own home. Meet Souffle the Duck, Biscuit the Dog, Blueberry Bear, Coconut Bear and more! The character alphabet letters are a perfect way to personalise a nursery for a new baby.

New Storage Solutions

2010-03-04T10:52:00.001Z

For the avid knitter and crafter we have introduced some modern storage solutions...

Knit a donkey and help out the Donkey Sanctuary

2010-02-25T11:54:00.001Z

The Donkey Sanctuary is appealing for keen knitters to come forward to help create a herd of hand-knitted woolly donkeys to raise funds for the centre.

The knitted donkeys, which are individually made by supporters of the sanctuary, are sold both in the visitors centre in Sidmouth and online at www.donkeyworld.org.uk.

"We are thrilled that these little characters have been so successful," Marian Gumbrell, community fundraising manager, told H&H.

"We've been selling them for about a year, but this is the first time we've promoted them outside of our newsletter. We need more knitters just to keep up with the demand!"

For anyone wanting to test out their knitting skills, the sanctuary provides a knitting pattern, which originally came from a 1954 edition of Women's Weekly magazine, and additional instructions.

The sanctuary, which has taken more than 13,600 donkeys in the UK, Ireland and other areas of Europe into its care, is also looking for volunteer guides to run walks during the summer.

"We are a very popular tourist attraction as we are dog friendly and don't charge for parking or entry," explained Marian.

"We think a guided walk, where visitors can learn more about the history of the donkeys and the different breeds, will be very popular."

Volunteer guides will be given full training, including background information about the donkeys and the sanctuary.

For further information about the Donkey Sanctuary, visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org

And to receive a free copy of the knitting pattern, contact Ruth in the community fundraising department on 01395 578222 or email Sarah at Knit and Sew: sarah@knitandsew.co.uk

Lottie Butler, Horse and Hound newsdesk

22 February, 2010

Peter the Duck of 'K Factor' fame

2010-02-23T11:22:00.000Z

If you fancy having a go knitting your own 'Peter the Duck' from Harry Hill's K factor, then you can buy the Jean Greenhowe pattern book from us:

http://www.knitandsew.co.uk/Jean_Greenhowe's_Knitted_Animals.htm

The scandal of the disabled Croydon duck, Harry Hill and the knitted toy competition

2010-02-18T12:46:00.000Z

A Facebook campaign has won a surprising victory for a disabled knitted cuddly toy in the most bizzare story this year.
Peter the Wingless Duck, from Croydon, was left spitting feathers after he was voted off K Factor, a talent show for knitted animals on Harry Hill’s TV Burp.
Each week a selection of animals parade in front of judges including knitted versions of Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole in a spoof version of the X Factor.
Those toys with a “heartbreaking back story” would earn extra sympathy from the judges.
In last Saturday’s episode on ITV, Peter was told he wouldn’t make it through by a bad tempered Knitted Cheryl Cole because he had no wings, sparking outrage from viewers and prompting dozens of complaints to ITV.
Dave Chapman, from Croydon, Peter’s “agent”, said he was furious the duck was thrown off the show.
Mr Chapman said: “Peter’s story is a very tragic and shocking tale. Peter used to sit on a shelf in the kitchen, and one day he got knocked on top of the toaster at breakfast time. His wings were so badly burned they had to be removed.
“No more wool was available to repair him, and even though his sister offered to donate a wing, he bravely decided he could carry on wingless. He’s a very inspirational character.
“We were very excited for him, we thought this was going to be his big break. We were very shocked that Knitted Cheryl Cole was so mean. We were so angry we deleted all of her songs from our iPods.
“Peter has a big heart though so he will probably forgive her.”
However, Knitted Simon Cowell caved under pressure from the 700-member Facebook campaign and the Croydon Guardian and decided to re-audition Peter, who many believed was being discriminated against because of his disability.
In a shocking twist, on this Saturday night’s show, Knitted Simon Cowell called Peter to ask him back but he was unable to answer the phone due to his lack of wings.

Watch the video and tell us what you think about Peter.
1:00pm Wednesday 17th February 2010

Exclusive By Harry Miller

The K factor - enter Harry Hill's TV Burp knitting competition

2010-02-03T14:09:00.000Z

http://www.itv.com/entertainment/comedy/harryhillstvburp/kfactorsubmissions/default.html

Chicken owner knits woolly jumpers for birds

2010-01-08T11:27:00.000Z

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swansea-United-Kingdom/Knit-and-Sew/83939721313?v=app_6261817190#/notes/knit-and-sew/chicken-owner-knits-wooly-jumpers-for-birds/243726283933

Happy New Year to all our customers

2009-12-29T12:19:00.001Z

Christmas is over, we hope you've all enjoyed yourselves and received lots of knitting and sewing themed gifts!

We're open as usual now except for Friday (New Year's Day).

If you received money or K&S vouchers for Christmas, why not browse our online store for ideas?

http://www.knitandsew.co.uk/ or http://www.needle-work.co.uk/

New kits on our needlework site

2009-12-03T16:10:00.000Z

We have been very busy adding lots and lots of kits to our needlework site.

These include a huge range from Dimensions including House-Mouse, Matted Accents, Baby Hugs and much more.

Keep checking back to see even more added soon. All the latest designs (2009-2010) from Anchor to be added next!

http://www.needle-work.co.uk/index.html

Patons books are back in stock NOW!

2009-11-26T15:25:00.000Z

Patons books are back in stock!!!

LEARN TO KNIT, LEARN TO CROCHET and SIMPLE GIFTS FOR DOG LOVERS

Happy Thanksgiving to our customers across the Atlantic!

2009-11-26T09:25:00.002Z

We at Knit and Sew wish you all a special Thanksgiving Day...

Sirdar One Hour Scarf

2009-11-25T13:22:00.000Z

Check out Sirdar's One Hour Scarf!

Available in 8 shades (Velvetina, Boogi Woogi, Bambi, Dashing Red, Black Jack, Polar Bear, Igloo and Dream Green) at £8.99 a ball.

The ideal Christmas gift for a knitter or from a knitter!!

Sirdar Snowball Scarf in a Ball

2009-11-25T13:14:00.000Z

For the perfect Christmas present why not knit a gorgeous cosy scarf with Sirdar's Scarf in a Ball Snowball wool?

A free scarf pattern is on the ball band. What could be simpler? Or if you are looking for presents for a knitter this Christmas, why not just buy them the wool to make their own scarf?

ONLY £8.25 per ball - one ball is all you need to make a woman's scarf or 2 smaller scarves for girls.

Available in 8 fantastic shades including 3 multi colour shades.

Snow White, Bunny Tail, Hot Pink, Glamour Red, Berry, Rosie Pink, Vivid Violet, Neon Blue, Velvet Black, Magpie, Tutti Frutti and Leopard.

Knitting & Sewing Storage - perfect Christmas presents

2009-11-17T09:39:00.000Z

Here at Knit and Sew we have a huge stock of knitting and sewing storage solutions.

Choose from a wide range of work boxes, either fabric covered or wooden in a selection of sizes and designs. We also have a range of matching accessories such as pin cushions and sewing kits.

For knitters we have a fantastic selection of knitting bags, accessories and more.

Order now to avoid disappointment!!

Click here to enter our online store: http://www.knitandsew.co.uk/

Knit and Sew is back after a blogging break

2009-11-13T14:52:00.001Z

Our blog has taken a bit of a back seat lately while we concentrated on our sister website http://www.needle-work.co.uk./

The needlework site has been growing and improving over the last few weeks while we added new items and recategorised the departments to make searching easier.

We have added some unsual items such as bracelet kits, embroidered home linens such as pillow cases and aprons, as well of course, many many tapestry and cross stitch kits.

We're sure you'll find suitable Christmas presents among our huge stock so ststop buy and check out the site soon!

Our new sister site

2009-09-01T11:41:00.003+01:00

We've been very busy working on our new sister site www.needle-work.co.uk
There are great items there, cross stitch, tapestry, needlepoint, cushions, rugs and more!!
Each item is categorised in several places, so if you're looking for cross stitch kits thats straightforward, but if you're looking specifically for cat kits you can look under 'animals' and all animal themed kits for cross stitch, rug making etc will be there.
Great ideas for presents too!!
Call in soon...

David James: knit-wit

2009-09-01T09:29:00.003+01:00

From Mirror Football
By The Mole

Sarong wearing David Beckham led the way in proving that top footballers do have a feminine side and now his England team-mate David James has revealed how his womanly ways ended up giving him the needle.

For the Portsmouth goalkeeper learned to knit when he was growing up and he put his skills to good use by creating fashion for his toys.

“My mum actually taught me to knit," James told channelbee.com. "I knitted my teddy bear a jumper, I couldn’t round off though.”

No pulling the wool over his eyes, then...

Knitting scheme to fight cancer

2009-08-28T11:01:00.001+01:00

From Wakefield Express, Date: 28 August 2009

KNIT one, pearl one and create a comfort blanket to raise awareness for a leading cancer charity.
Macmillan Cancer Support is asking for Wakefield’s knitters to pick up their needles and create anything from a single patchwork square to a full blanket.

Blankets that are donated to Macmillan will be used to support and raise awareness of the charity’s campaign to freeze out fuel poverty for cancer patients.

Maria Amos, Macmillan fundraising manager for Wakefield, said: “People undergoing cancer treatment have to spend more time at home as they’re often too ill to work.

“They feel the cold more because their immune system is weakened and they need more heating so their fuel bills are higher – and at a time when their household income plummets. They’re trapped.

“It’s a vicious circle and that’s why it’s so important to freeze out fuel poverty for cancer patients.”

Contact www.macmillan.org.uk/theknitter

The Big Knit

2009-08-24T10:59:00.005+01:00

It’s time to get knitting to help older people stay healthy this winter.

Fancy helping older people keep healthy this wintertime? Then dust off those knitting needles, find a ball of your favourite yarn and cast on to help make this year’s Big Knit the biggest ever.

It’s a sad fact that in the UK, 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 are malnourished. So when it’s nippy outside, it’s even more important for older people to look after themselves and make sure their bodies are in tip top shape.

Innocent has joined forces with Sainsbury’s again to raise over £250,000 to support Age Concern and Help the Aged healthy living and healthy eating projects during the winter months. And we need your help to knit lots of little hats for our bottles.

For every behatted smoothie sold, innocent and Sainsbury’s will give 35p to Age Concern and Help the Aged. The monies raised will then be used to fund projects and advice centres offering information on healthy eating as well as cooking clubs and get-togethers where older people can sit down and enjoy a meal in each other’s company. Hot Christmas dinners all round.

There’s lots of knitting tips, patterns and pictures on Innocent's web pages to help you get started. And when you’re done knitting, just send finished hats to: The innocent Big Knit, Fruit Towers, 1 The Goldhawk Estate, Brackenbury Road, London W6 0BA (remember to include your name, address and number of hats you've knitted).

Upload your latest hat photos onto the Big Knit 2009 flickr group and the most creative ones could end up being our hat of the week (starting from September).

Deadline for hats is Friday 16th October 2009 and hats will be in store from 4th November 2009.

Happy Knitting.

Hilda's knitting success for charity - Evening Star 24

2009-08-24T09:53:00.001+01:00

Hilda's knitting success for charity - Evening Star 24

Shared via AddThis

New Buttons

2009-08-21T11:27:00.005+01:00

Here at Knit and Sew, we've taken delivery of a new selection of buttons.
Just as a taster of the new designs available, here's our 'Coat of Arms' button range, available in 3 sizes approx 1", 0.5" and 0.25", a top quality button ideal for jackets and coats...
We're sure you'll agree this unicorn, lion and shield design will add a touch of class to many garments!
Also we have a new selection of childrens' buttons includings cats and teddy bears, plus 3 akoya shell hand-painted designs... Check back soon for more photos!

Coming soon - Snowball from Sirdar...

2009-08-21T09:18:00.011+01:00

In early September we're expecting delivery of 'SNOWBALL' from Sirdar.
Snowball is the latest to appear in the range of pom-pom yarns currently on sale at Knit and Sew, such as Spirit River and Pompadour.

Sirdar are promoting Snowball as their "sensational new winter scarf yarn!"
Each 200g ball in enough to make one adult scarf and comes complete with easy-to-follow instructions inside the ball band, using 8mm needles and just 5 stitches!

The super-sized pom-poms make Snowball slightly different from the other pom-pom yarns on the market, and the result is a softer texture for the ultimate cosy winter scarf!

Available in 12 tantalising colours, this 40 minute knit is sure to be a big winner this autumn, so be quick to order yours when we announce the delivery!

Colours: Snow White, Bunny Tail, Hot Pink, Glamour Red, Berry, Rosie Pink, Vivid Violet, Neon Blue, Black Velvet and Magpie, Tutti Frutti and Leopard which are variegated options.